Over twenty years of consulting with more than 40 denominations has allowed me to see some common tactical mistakes made by church leaders. Although I have seen many mistakes, six stand out as the most common tactical mistakes made by church leaders (I have ranked them according to the damage they can do to a church’s ministry). Usually these mistakes are hallmarks of declining congregations. So if your church is declining, and you are doing any of the following, it will be in your best interest to change your tactics.
Mistake Number One -failure to combine evangelism and social justice into the fabric of the church. The entire debate between traditional and emergent churches stems from this failure. Any form of reductionism truncates the Gospel.
Mistake Number Two -putting a long section of announcements at the beginning of the worship service. It’s like tuning into the beginning of a sitcom only to find all of the commercials loaded up front before anything else happens. Instead, begin worship with a rousing piece of music that says “Something great is going to happen here today.” If you have to do announcements, don’t lead off with them. Please.
Mistake Number Three – making the first staff hire a Youth Director instead of a Worship Leader. Most church leaders still have not gotten the message – the world we live in has one universal language – Music, and mostly Rock n Roll.
Mistake Number Four – the lead pastor in a church under five hundred in worship does not personally contact first time guests within 48 hours. I know much of the prevailing wisdom is people are more likely to return to your church if the laity visits them. It’s just not so. Pastor, if your church is under five hundred in worship, visit your first time guests within 48 hours.
Mistake Number Five -hiring Associate Pastors who are generalist rather than specialists. The day of generalists is coming to an end.
Mistake Number Six -asking a paid, retired Associate Pastor to be responsible for visiting the guests. Our experience is that people under the age of 40 respond better to someone either their age or younger than they are.
Bill Easum
www.churchconsultations.com
easum@aol.com
I’m over 60 and pastor a church of under 500. How does that work with mistake # 6?
well, I would still do it even at your age. If your the lead pastor it still makes a difference to the visitor.
Would appreciate your response to this: After the prelude music, we welcome our people, express our joy that everyone with us for the morning of worship, and share two announcements about the day or the week before we stand, welcome each other, and sing. This takes 2 minutes. HJB
Herb, I woudnt do that. it is still like a commercial. it focuses too much on the members and not the body of Christ which may include some visitors. I still say open with your best piece of music because that says something special will happen today.
So Bill, Where or how would you suggest to make announcements?
Well, I would try to avoid making any. Of course that is impossible, b ut I would limit announcments to one or two that apply to the whole church. Then I would put them either at the middle or at the end just before what ever you do to call for the congregation to make a decision about what you just spoke on.
just remember. from now on your prime audience has grown up on TV, vidoes, and cell phones. They arent used to a hard sell up front and when they get it they surf on to another channel. If you want to lead like Jesus led you begin with where the lost person is and lead them to where they need to be – following Jesus.
hope this helps
Bill,
What is the order of service reseach proves to be the most effective for an all-age congregation?
Lively praise song, then where is the best place for offertory, sermon, prayer concerns, affirmation of faith, children’s time, etc.?
Well, first of all it sounds as if you are referring to a dying bread of church that does things linerally instead of spontaneous or loopy. By that I mean you are asking about a liner progression which is way out of date. It doesnt matter where you put things as long as you understand the first two minutes makes up the end of the first impression. The first impression begins in the parking lot and is over by the first two or three minutes of worship. that is why how you open is so important. The only other thing that matters is how you close. You need to close with a “What now.” Everything in between is up for grabs or can be done away with. For instance, i would not use an affirmation of fiath or childrens time. but some do, mostly in traditional churches that arent doing well. Very few generational churches are doing well these days. Too much framentation of interests.
Bill,
How would you “combine evangelism and social justice into the fabric of the church?” Help me understand what that would look like.
Thank you!
I’m getting a little tired of these lists of the ways churches are failing or could improve the way they function. I’ve been doing my best to be responsive, but as soon as I think I’ve caught up, someone comes up with another list. Frankly, I believe there are many consultant types who realize that if they don’t keep moving the bar, they have nothing to sell. It’s like chasing a squirrel at times. In my part of the country very few churches are growing, and most that are operate with a theology that I think would make Jesus sick.
In my opinion we should have a new category of church leader other than pastor. Pastors are called primarily to love and shepherd the congregations that call them. Unfortunately, it seems impossible to do that and make the changes necessary to lead a church to change its culture to share the gospel in relevant ways for people of a change world. We live in a time of great cultural transition. Our churches are filled with people from a former age. They attract the limited few that relate to it. I believe a church can have missional and biblical integrity and be relevant. “Pastors” can’t lead the change. Perhaps denominations need to create a new called position, I just don’t know what to call it.
Tim, the problem is its not the role of the pastor to love and care for the congregation. Eph. 4:11 says the role is to equip the saints for the work of ministry… ill we all come together in unity.
When the pastor cares for the flock they are never transformed. you can love them with transforming them but you cant transform them without loving them.
Shepherds never fed sheep in jesus day. they kept them safe from predetors, kept them on the move so they could grow, make wool, and reproduce. that is the same role as the pastor today. that is what Peter heard Jesus say. Our modern view of a shepherd is so flawed.
By the way, the Mistakes are simply toi help not to criticize or make life harder for the pastor.
I am a little confused at your last statement. John 21:17 “Jesus saith unto him(Peter), Feed my sheep.” Did you mean to say that shepherds do not feed sheep?
Robert, yes that is what I mean. Shepherds didnt feed sheep in jesus day. How could they. they didnt have baby bottles. So Peter heard something totally different from what we hear today and we need to uncover what he heard. He heard Jesus say, make sure my sheep are safe from predators and are in places where they can find enough food to grow, make wool, and reproduce. The role of the shepherd, pastor, is to equip the saints for the work of ministry by helping them produce fruits that lead to more Christians. that is what Peter heard.
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[...] An excellent list by Bill Easum. Mistake Number One -failure to combine evangelism and social justice into the fabric of the church. The entire debate between traditional and emergent churches stems from this failure. Any form of reductionism truncates the Gospel. [...]
[...] September 7, 2009 · Leave a Comment In Bill Easum’s recent post, he talks about six tactical mistakes churches make. [...]
What kills churches, in my view, is when community fails; a community responds to the needs of its members in all sorts of dimensions, not relying on the ‘one main man’ structure as thought the church is a business. The church is more like a set of linked franchised cooperatives, or should be, with the ’staff’ as the supporters, not the main doers of everything.