It’s true. The System never fails. The System is usually managed by The Man. When we’re The Man who created the system, this is OK. Our programs fit our mission, vision and values. Our people, recruited and trained by us, buy into what we are hoping to accomplish. It’s pure serendipity. Somewhere between serendipity and the lowest level of Dante’s inferno lies the reality of ministry. Many of us work in churches that have a long history with long-established systems. Many of us deal with ministries we inherited. All of us have experienced at some time policies, rules (written and unwritten), and ministry partners who have no idea what we do or how we do it. This is the ministry experience. It’s enough to drive us to frustration.
The fact that your ministry operates within a system is mostly a blessing. The blessing lies in its predictability, maneuverability and sustainability. This far outweighs the curses of systems. As you work through congregational red tape, keep the following tape-cutting insights in mind. Doing so will help you remember the passionate vision you had to follow your ministry calling and work with real people who really need their Savior.
Perhaps the most important aspect of managing a ministry is knowing what type of task you are dealing with. There are essentially two types. The first is taking care of agreed upon ministry business–technical issues. Items in this category are things such as budgeted expenditures, recurring events and day to day operational duties. The second type of tasks are those that take a little more getting used to–adaptive issues which include starting anything new, changing anything existing, or stopping anything the congregation is used to experiencing. Churches develop bureaucratic systems around both types of tasks. Bureaucracies function to do one thing in any system: maintain balance. This, of course, can become corrupted.
Keeping a charitable definition of bureaucracy in mind is helpful. If the red tape is slowing down technical responsibilities, you need to look at your congregation’s policies and procedures. These issues are, on the whole, easier to resolve than adaptive issues. If the red tape is slowing down adaptive issues, the problem is most likely cultural. In this scenario, you will need to begin laying the groundwork for change, patiently and persistently, in order to impact the congregation positively. The Sage’s words are very appropriate in this situation: “Lazy farmers don’t plow when they should; they expect a harvest, but there is none” (
Everything Is Linked to Everything Else
The Red Tape: When initiating a ministry move that will result in change it is most important to understand that everything is linked to everything else. Take the example of a bike wheel with spokes. If you change one spoke, the wheel as a whole will change. It doesn’t matter where you change the makeup of the tire. Ministry is quite the same. If youth ministry fails, all other aspects of the ministry will fail to be optimal. The same is true for healthy ministry. When one area of a ministry begins to shine, all other areas will be affected.
Many congregational policies are created to limit risks to its system. However, no part of ministry operates in a vacuum, and once we understand this we can begin to use the system to the congregation’s greater good. Unless your place of ministry has a board that adds a policy of the month or by constitutional mandate holds monthly voting assemblies, you should be able to navigate the policies in place so congregational equilibrium is maintained and change can be initiated.
Cutting Through: Because congregations operate systemically, a key strategy for leading ministry is finding out where applying focused pressure will make the greatest impact. For instance, if you want to deepen the discipleship of your youth, talk with the adult education minister about leading an adult Bible study for a few weeks. In that study, lay out a path of discipleship and invite the adult members to walk it. Ask them questions that show you want to learn from their experience. About mid-way through the study, begin reflecting on what this might look like if youth were to walk the path. Cultivate excitement for growth among the parents and grandparents of your youth. Once you have them as partners your work with their children and grandchildren will be smooth. Using one part of the system to strengthen another is biblical.
Mental Models
The Red Tape: Your biggest challenge in working through a system is figuring out what to do with everyone’s mental models. Peter Senge defines a mental model as, “deeply held internal images of how the world works, images that limit us to familiar ways of thinking and acting.” The problem with mental models is their propensity for reducing options. Here’s an example: If my mental model of the perfect congregation is one that has a $10,000,000 annual budget and is attended by the elite of the community, then my $2,000,000 congregation with a bunch of regular people will seem imperfect. If my mental model of ministry is that I can only work in perfect conditions, then I will be ineffective in my present ministry. Mental models shape perceptions about what is real and what is desired.
Your mental model of what a vibrant youth ministry looks like often will collide with someone else’s. This happened to me. I envisioned a youth ministry that aimed at helping youth joyfully pursue discipleship. I knew studying of the Word, ministry development and authentic worship would be a part of this. This model collided with members of my congregation who believed the best youth ministry was open gym, pizza and a movie every other Sunday. Ultimately, their mental model was that youth would be attracted to fellowship activities only and, thus, were essentially incapable of genuine growth as disciples.
Cutting Through: Nine times out of 10, the first challenge to your ministry will involve mental models. Your training as a teacher, counselor and leader are necessary to accomplishing a shift in mental model. First, remember you represent Christ to the people with whom you’re in ministry. This is important because shifting a mental model involves feelings of loss, confusion and discomfort. You need to be trustworthy about being right. The seminary degree on the wall should indicate you are strong enough to deal with people’s insecurity about your leading; it is not a mandate for people to follow you blindly. I speak from experience. Second, always keep in mind this example: Shifting someone’s mental model is akin to asking him or her to trust you when you say, “Up is down,” “Night is day,” and “2 + 2 = 6.” If what you propose doesn’t resonate with what people believe to be true in ministry, your patience, love and winsome ways will become important character traits.
The Grapevine
The Red Tape: We hate hearing things through the grapevine, getting an earful after worship, or opening a slew of emails that question our leadership. When this happens, my mind always goes to the Eighth Commandment about not bearing false witness against a neighbor. Martin Luther explained that the positive side of this commandment was to “put the best construction on everything.” Members of a Christian church ought to do this easily, right? It’s rough feeling that all your effort, all the well-laid plans, all the good intentions to benefit people are being met with resistance. (Even worse is when people do what we want, but we learn years later they simply did as they were told, all the while harboring resentment and going along to keep the peace.) Red-tape-constricted congregations tend to produce people who enjoy a good controversy about rules being broken. Think of this as a wilderness into which a good vision can be a spring of life.
Cutting Through: Feedback, regardless of manner or source, is good to hear. Listening isn’t the same as agreeing. Listening is understanding. Listen to understand what parts of your congregational system are starting to buy into/resist the work you’re doing. Listen to understand if people are feeling whether what they might lose with your plan is worth the cost. Listen to understand if people are stressed about time, facility, money or any other resource your plan might need. Listen to understand whether people believe you are fighting the good fight for them and their growth, or if they think you are fighting for yourself. Understanding the frustrations, anticipations and fears will allow you to help your congregation navigate through a changing landscape.
Vulnerability
Red Tape: The final aspect of working in a congregational system is vulnerability. Being vulnerable is a challenge. It seems counterintuitive to give yourself to people when they do not appear to have your best interests in mind. Do you really want to trust and love people who make silly rules and care more about preserving these rules than their ministers? Do you really want to mend fences with people who will only do so on their terms? Do you want to help a church reach its vision when it seems the board’s biggest interest is the bottom line, no matter how it gets done? Do you really want to invite your biggest antagonist to lunch just to get beat up again?
Cutting Through: There’s a fine line between being in a place that deserves to have you “shake your sandals of their dust” (
Systems never fail, but you are an integral part of shaping that system. By observing some important aspects of congregational systems, you can navigate through what seem to be arbitrary rules and organizational oddities. By investing yourself in people first and projects/plans second, you will succeed in harvesting a successful ministry and many faithful friends. Ultimately, by doing all of this in a “manner worthy of the gospel” you will make disciples who want to grow.
Additional Reading:
Malcolm Gladwell. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. New York: Little, Brown, and Company, 2002.
Ronald A. Heifetz Marty Linsky. Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 2002.
Aubrey Malphurs. Advanced Strategic Planning: A New Model for Church and Ministry Leaders. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1999.
Gilbert R. Rendle. Leading Change in the Congregation: Spiritual and Organizational Tools for Leaders. Alban Institute, 1998.
Peter M. Senge. The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. New York: Doubleday, 1990.
Peter L. Steinke. How Your Church Family Works: Understanding Congregations as Emotional Systems. Alban Institute, 1998.
