Connie Jakab talks about being a brave leader but has noticed people who usually don’t see themselves as leaders: people like parents (even though you’re only raising the next generation), teachers (who only have influenced everyone you see today), and entrepreneurs (who bring new ideas to solve problems and lead change in our world). Here’s how she moved past fear.
What changes are you planning in the future? Don’t stay where you are. Keep moving forward. Make sure that as you change, you navigate through some of these challenges in a healthy way. Whenever we implement change, we can either underestimate or overestimate how complicated it can be.
How can you reach more families with young children? Many churches struggle with this question as they find that they are an older congregation or they think they don’t have the volunteer capacity to reach out to families. Here are some simple ways you can reach families with young children that won’t cost you a lot of money and utilize a lot of volunteers.
How many hours a week are you in your community? I encourage pastors to allocate 5 hours a week to be in their community, connecting with non-believers and building bridges of connection to people not a part of the church. Here are some ways to get out of your office and into your community.
Are you a solution provider in your community? Churches often see themselves as "providers of religious goods and services" in the place where they are located. They relegate themselves to society's "faith and religion" aspects and do their best to stay in their lane. However, the Church of Jesus Christ is called to make an impact on the world it is a part of.
Have you ever asked why aren't people coming back to your church? I know this seems a little opposite of how we typically view church; come here, and we’ll fill you up for the week. But, I would say we have an opportunity here to reframe what church looks like in this season and meet people where they’re at. The gospel never changes, but our methods can change constantly.
Is your church stuck? Do you find yourself in the tension of organizational structure and relational equity? Once you decide to focus on these seven things, you can begin to work and develop them as you go forward. The blend of organization and organism embedded in each of these areas will keep you growing in numbers while also growing in depth of relationship and commitment to Christ.
How well can you lead changes in your church or ministry? Organizational change is inevitable. Unfortunately, it’s not easy. The true test of any leader is their ability to lead change in an organization. Pastors must lead change. They must lead it well. Here are five things you can do to lead change well.
Now that we are gathering physically it doesn’t mean we’re off the hook digitally. There are still large segments of our congregation and community who can’t or won’t venture out into public gatherings. We can’t leave those people behind in our desire to get back to whatever we define as normal. Stories from churches about outbound online.
We know how difficult it can be to stay encouraged and find affordable resources when you are a small church. At the same time, we believe that small churches are essential to the mission God has for his Church in our local communities and around the world! We have listed and linked some resources that we have found useful, and we hope you will benefit from them too!
Raise your hand if you had church plans cancelled by new gathering restrictions just before Christmas 2020 or Mother’s Day 2021? Now that we all have our hands raised we can agree that we need to start planning differently moving forward. Agility is the key to anything we think through now. Rigid plans have a distinct possibility of failing more than ever. We have to be willing and able to change on the fly. Reaching souls and making disciples did not stop because of a global pandemic. We have to be even more creative and intentional about doing them whatever comes our way.
Easter spells hope. Clarity creates certainty. No one knows for sure what gathering restrictions will be like at Easter. AHS Step 3 may go into effect on March 22nd. What that means for gathering restrictions is unknown. Planning for an onsite AND an online service this Easter weekend creates certainty for your team and congregation and hope for seekers in your community.
