Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 42

Building Committee Milestones

Your building committee is in place and you’ve clearly defined their objectives. Now, you are ready to start the journey to discover, design, fund and build a facility that meets your ministry needs. Everyone is excited, but you might find yourself wondering, where do we go from here? We’ve all heard stories about a church that’s had a building committee for 10 years, but still has no building to show for it. Without a map and a guide, building committees can wander in the wilderness for years without making any tangible progress. Over the last 35 years, I’ve guided hundreds of building committees through the critical milestones necessary to build a facility that brings glory to our Lord and maintains unity in the body of Christ.

When the building process is executed correctly, each step builds upon the previous step to systematically produce a facility that provides ministry solutions. Some believe the building process is simply designing and building a facility based on what they want. However, I have found facilities built on perceived wants rarely address the core ministry needs of a church. When churches build based on feelings instead of facts, the product can be disappointing. I believe in using a holistic ministry focused approach where church leaders are provided with greater insight into the strategic, operational, financial and facility obstacles limiting Church growth and gospel advancement. Wouldn’t it be great gain strategic insight and clarity as the byproduct of your facility expansion project!

1. Discover

Discovery is foundational to obtaining the right solution to your ministry challenges. As leaders, it’s important that we solve the right problem. Unfortunately, I’ve seen building committees all across the nation spend time and money solving the wrong facility problem in their church. Discovery is all about asking the right questions to the right people with a holistic view of ministry. The first step of the discovery phase is to select the right team to ask you the right questions. The questions asked must demonstrate the ability to lead your team in all aspects of ministry advancement. Competence, Chemistry, Cost and Process should be a part of selecting a partner.

Once a firm has been selected the next step is to unpack the reality of your situation as a ministry. What is the real problem you are trying to solve? This step of the process commonly called programming but, in my experience, standard architectural programming does not unpack the ministry components that unearth the real problem that needs to be solved. The approach to programming will be a major difference between firms offering to provide programming services. Ministry focused architectural programming is a structured research and problem–solving process used to identify, examine, and elaborate upon the various needs of the ministry. During programming, it’s also important to gain a preliminary assessment of the feasibility of the project. A written program should provide a designer with criteria for a creative, meaningful and ultimately useful architectural solution. Based on the program, the designer creates a conceptual designs that meet the budget and render the space graphically. Once a concept is selected, you are ready to move on to the next milestone.

Discover Phase Checklist:

Select a teammateDetermine project feasibilityCreate a written programConcept design selected

2. Design

Using the written program and conceptual design, the design team moves from sketches to hardline drawings. The first step of the design milestone is schematic design, where scaled drawings and actual measurements are developed. The schematic design should show sufficient detail to define the general scope, scale, functional relationship and traffic flow of your project. Typically, schematic design includes a floor plan, site plan, elevation plans, and conceptual estimates of cost.

Once the schematic design has been approved, the architect moves to the next step called design development. In design development, systems and engineers are brought to the table for their input. As they contribute ideas and the design develops, it is typical for minor changes to occur. While the project is still in development, it’s important to evaluate a comprehensive estimate of probable cost. Establishing realistic capabilities and realistic cost at this stage will prevent significant delays and costs down the road. Design/Cost balance is a major reason we recommend selecting a collaborative team of architects and construction professionals to design–build your project. Once you’ve successfully balanced your budget with the probable cost, you are ready for the next milestone.

Design Phase Checklist:

Select a schematic designDevelop the designEstimate probable cost

3. Fund

Every building program comes down to your ability to fund the project, which is directly shaped by your beliefs and financial culture. Finding the sweet spot between uncomfortably stepping out in faith and appropriate risk is critical to the project. Financial lending standards prevent churches from significantly overextending themselves, but I have seen several churches impose their own conservative standards which limit their ministry’s ability to grow. Paralyzed by fear, these churches have missed opportunities, squandered resources and became less effective in their community. Money challenges us all, but when conservative tendencies mesh with a lack of vision, we begin to dig holes. A commitment to a vision is the key to unlocking resources. The first step in the funding is to confirm your financial plan balances with or is close to your probable construction cost. The next step is to prepare your marketing materials for your Stewardship Campaign. A well planned campaign will help generate excitement and momentum in your ministry. Once the pledges are gathered you are ready to substantiate your financial plan and move in into final milestone.

Fund Phase Checklist:

Balance your financial plan with the probable cost of constructionPrepare marketing for a stewardship campaignExecute the stewardship campaignSubstantiate the financial plan

4. Build

The building phase is not just about brick and mortar. In this phase you get the chance to implement the vision of the church in  a real and tangible way. Your first step will be to complete the architectural portion by moving from design development documents to Construction Documents. These Construction Documents will be used by the contractors to bid and build the facility. Once the project cost has been confirmed you are ready to begin construction! “Vision is the key to unlocking resources.”

Build Phase Checklist:Complete the construction documentsFile for the permitsBid the project and confirm the priceBegin construction and pray for the ministry opportunity.Attend project meetings, stay informed, and encourage the workers.Complete the punch list and get authorization to use the facility.Dedicate the project to the Lord.

Successful building programs systematically work through the four milestones outlined above. Each milestone builds upon the last and strategically positions the church for the next milestone. When executed well, the final solution has the power to impact a ministry and its’ community for years to come.

This post is brought to you by Brown Church Development Group. Learn more by visiting churchdevelopment.net.

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Leading the Church When You Doubt Yourself

When the disciples gathered on the mountain in Galilee right before Jesus ascended, some of them doubted. The source and degree of this doubt are left unknown. Their response in the doubt is critically important. They worshiped. Then Jesus came near. The lesson is simple: Worship through doubt, and Jesus will come near.

The disciples were also called to be leaders in what became the church. The doubters had to lead. Did the doubting worshipers become doubtless leaders? Or did the doubting worshipers learn to lead through the doubt? I’ll stake my claim on the latter.

You will doubt yourself as a leader. Doubt is an inescapable reality—a universal experience. Everyone doubts. Leaders doubt. To avoid this reality is to lead from a place of denial. And denial never produces good decisions. Leaders must recognize doubt for what it is. Pastors especially must be open to the fact they will have doubts. The only response is to worship through the doubt.

The problem is you don’t get to put leadership decisions on hold while you process doubt. To do so is to place your priorities above those of others, and convenience is not an option with leadership. True servant leaders keep leading even as they doubt. Not only do you worship through doubt, but you must also serve through doubt.

How do you lead others when you doubt yourself?

Seek encouragement from friends and family. Those who have the gift of encouragement are often the ones who help pull others through doubt. When doubting yourself, lean on the gifts of others, especially those who encourage.

Challenge yourself with something new. A new challenge can give you the confidence to push through the doubt of your current mess. Start a new exercise routine. Read a book in a new field of study. Begin a project you’ve been meaning to start. The freshness of something new can bring clarity to the doubt that has festered for a while.

Don’t make decisions out of fear. Doubt does not always lead to fear, but the two are often found together. Rarely does a decision from fear produce good results. When doubt degrades into fear, put the decisions on hold for a moment.

Rely on prayer warriors. Doubt can become an island. Get off the island by asking others to pray for you. Prayer is the lifeline. Leaders work hard to hide doubt for fear of being perceived as incapable. Uncover your doubt to gifted prayer warriors, and they will cover you with the confidence of prayer.

Trust collective discernment. Ask other trusted leaders to give their insight if you doubt yourself. Self-imposed isolation is never the solution to doubt. Set several intentional meetings with others—one-on-one and in groups—and ask lots of questions. The pattern of answers may reveal the remedy to your doubt.

Serve your way to confidence. Pray for others and let them know. Text encouraging messages. Write hand-written thank you notes. Volunteer for menial tasks. Take out the garbage and unclog toilets. God honors those who seek the last place rather than clawing for the first place. Doubt is resolved in the weeds of service. The solution to doubt is often found on the lowest rung, not the highest.

Every leader will struggle with doubt. However, leadership does not go on hold during this struggle. You can lead others even when you doubt yourself.

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Yes, Worship Service Announcements Are Important

The following is a true story. It took place within the past year.

It was about five minutes before the worship service began. An apparent cantankerous woman rushed up to the pastor and complained about a church event that was taking place, one she had just heard about in the lobby a few minutes earlier. I heard the entire exchange. My words are likely close to her actual words.

“Pastor,” she said with obvious indignation. “I knew nothing about this event taking place today until someone told me in the lobby a few minutes ago. I can’t believe I knew nothing about it.”

The pastor listened with an apparent calm demeanor. I got the feeling he had previous encounters with this angel of no mercy. “Well,” he responded adroitly, “it has been on the website for two months. We put it in the church bulletin for six weeks. We posted notices about it on the digital sign in the lobby for a month. We’ve also announced it in the worship services for the past four weeks. And we have sent four emails to all church members.”

Unfazed by his explanation, the woman responded, “Well, someone should have told me directly.”

Sigh.

I’ve heard more than one pastor express frustration about church communication. In my conversations on this topic, I often get asked, “How important are announcements in the worship services?” A corollary question is, “Aren’t the announcements a distraction from worship?”

Let’s look at this issue a bit more deeply before I support my thesis about the importance of announcements in worship services. Here are five thoughts:

1. The number of announcements should be limited. One of the reasons announcements are distractions is that there are too many of them. Members will typically remember no more than three or four announcements. Obviously, church leaders must develop a process to decide which announcements make the cut.

2. Avoid announcements that only involve a few people. In that same church I noted at the beginning of the article, the pastor told me he gets regular complaints from the chairperson of the flower committee because he won’t announce the monthly meeting of the five members. She is indignant that the meeting is broadcasted to the entire congregation. The pastor has not yielded . . . yet.

3. Most churches that handle announcements well make them at the beginning or at the end of the worship services. It is a legitimate concern that the flow of worship can be interrupted by announcements. This approach typically takes care of the problem of interruptions.

4. Many churches provide pre-recorded announcements. They thus avoid the mistakes, sometimes embarrassing, that come with live announcements and by those who decide to offer unrehearsed commentary and jokes.

5. The most important announcements should be made by the pastor. When the pastor speaks, most members listen. If the issue is important, it is most often important for pastors themselves to speak. While pastors do not necessarily have to limit themselves to matters of the highest import, they do need to speak if the issue is a high priority for the church.

Church leaders may provide several ways to communicate to the congregation. Many people will hear; some may not. But announcements that are vital to the vision and life of the church need to come from the pastor. Pastors have that rare opportunity to speak live to those attending in-person and those watching streaming services. It is an opportunity that leaders in other organizations typically do not have every week.

What does your church do about announcements in the worship services? Let me hear from you.

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What Your Pastor’s Wife Wish You Knew

October is Pastor’s Appreciation Month, and as we celebrate the shepherds that God has blessed us with, we also have the opportunity to celebrate and encourage the woman who serves alongside him. We all have different roles and titles that we are known for. Some of us are CEOs, some stay at home moms, some coaches, and others of us are caregivers and teachers. Out of all the different seasons of life and titles I’ve had, none get quite the reaction as to when I share that I am a “Pastor’s Wife.”

As a pastor’s wife of almost 20 years I have learned the unique privilege and weight that comes with being married to a minister and pastor. It truly is one of my deepest joys and yet there comes with it a unique struggle as I see God grow and deepen His bride and my own walk with Him.

I surveyed a group of pastor’s wives for their thoughts on ministry and marriage in their unique experiences. Whether they serve in a rural context or an urban sprawl or live in the hills of California or high rise of New York, their responses are marked with similarity and most importantly a heart for the Lord.

What Your Pastor’s Wife Wish You Knew:

1) I often feel inadequate and I’m the first to tell you I’m not perfect.

The fish bowl is a real part of ministry which means that our lives are on display, both the good and the not so pretty. Help remind her of the abundant grace that God has for her in her successes and her failures. 

“I’m just like you! My house isn’t spotless, my kids are wild, and my shoes may or may not match — each other or my outfit. Invite me anyways! I wanna get to know y’all outside of these walls. Here’s a front seat to my crazy, and I want a front row seat to yours. I wanna cheer you on when you’re rocking it, and I want to lift you up when it’s all falling apart. I truly want to be a part of your village!”

“ I may or may not be like your previous pastor’s wife. Allow me to find ‘my place of service’ using the desires, talents, and abilities God has given me.”

“I struggle with discouragement. I smile, love, and encourage others while deep down I am more discouraged than ever. But through the prayers for someone else, God himself encourages me.”

“I wish you knew that I’m not my husband’s secretary and that I will probably forget to tell him something. And that you have no idea how hard it is to live in a fishbowl, much less parent in one.”

2) I’ve been hurt by the Church, and still deeply love her. 

Some of my deepest wounds have come from people in my church. Gossip, conflict, and even betrayal have all been deeply painful experiences of ministry. For a minister their friends, jobs, and church are all tied to the same people, and this can often lead to deep feelings of loss and the feeling of being discarded or expendable. Help to protect her, encourage her, and be a safe place for her to heal.

“When someone leaves our church it is hard not to take it personally. It stings when you leave and leaves me questioning my value and relationships.” 

“It is heavy to carry or watch my husband carry your burdens and sins, but it truly is a great joy and honor for me to pray for you and celebrate God’s victories in your life. I love to hear how sermons, classes, events, or other Christians have encouraged and helped you grow in your faith.”

“The pastor and his wife love every single person in the church; God fills us with love for these people. This isn’t just a job. It is a lifestyle of looking at this group of people, helping them grow, get through life, and love Christ.”

“I wish you knew how much I love each one of you. I pray for you. I love hearing about your grandchild’s birthday and your son’s new job. It brings me joy to have the opportunity to encourage you.”

3) My sole identity isn’t being a pastor’s wife, but your sister in Christ. 

Your pastor’s wife is your sister in Christ and a volunteer church member. She doesn’t have all the answers to what is going on, and she is probably serving in many ways both behind the scenes and out front. Make sure to not add a list of expectations that you wouldn’t place on any other church member. Champion how God is using her in your church family.

“I’m just one person, I can’t do it all. I’m lonely. Sundays are the most exhausting day of the week. When you leave the church, it hurts every time.”

“I wish people knew how much I wish I could minister beside my husband on days other than Sundays. I hold down a full-time job and I am not available for ladies Bible study on Tuesday mornings or to make hospital visits during the week. I provide our insurance through my job and cannot quit to be his ministry partner full time. I only get 2 weeks of time off a year including sick time. I can’t be in every meeting or on every team. My plate is so full, but I do wish I could!

“When you hire a new pastor, remember — you hired him, not me. I want to serve you too, but 1) I must serve my husband and children first or he will not be able to serve you; 2) I might not be gifted in serving the same way your last pastor’s wife served.”

4) The isolation I feel is often the hardest.

Even after almost 20 years of serving in ministry, this one is the hardest still. Relationships are hard. I’ve often felt like I am helping to create the community and safe place for everyone else, while never getting to have it for myself. Know that your pastor’s wife struggles with what to share, who is safe, and how to trust those around her.

“I struggle most on holidays when I see you all gathered with your families while I am far from mine because of our obligation to the church. It has been years since we spent a Christmas Eve or Easter with our families.”

“I’m often overlooked or it is assumed that I have many friendships. I would love to join in on a girls night. It means so much if you ask and include me, and even if I can’t make it, please try again next time.” 

“The loneliness is so true. So many keep you at arms length, not allowing you to get too close for fear you might judge the “real” them. In reality, most of us just want friendship like any other woman.”

5) When you intentionally love my husband and kids, I feel loved. 

The encouraging notes, text messages with prayers, and the lobby conversations asking my kids how their sports game went and telling them that you are proud of them mean the WORLD to us. Yes, ministry is hard sometimes, but there are so many ways that our family gets to see God working and moving in and through you. Being the hands and feet of Jesus to the pastor’s family helps to remind us of God’s care and faithfulness in our own lives.

“I wish people knew that ministry life for our kids can often be isolating. When your kids exclude my kids it hurts. This can lead to them always feeling “in between” and never feeling as though they belong.”

“ Please adopt my children, it’s hard being far away from family.”

“I wish the church knew how relieved I am when kindness and love is shown towards my child.”

“I so appreciate the words of encouragement; I appreciate it even more when you take the time to encourage my husband.”

“You are our family too and so your kind words, sharing a meal, and honoring our time together as a family makes us feel seen, valued, and appreciated.” 

I’m sure there are other things your pastor’s wife could add to this list and so why not use this as a springboard to ask her how you can best encourage her in this season? Write a note of encouragement, find out her favorite dessert and swing it by her house, watch her kids for a date night, or buy her a cup of coffee. Your intentionality and encouragement will be a balm and fresh breath to weary hearts. 

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The Pastor’s Dilemma of Balancing the Prophetic Voice with the Shepherd’s Hand

The prophetic voice of a pastor is forth-telling, speaking the truth even when it is difficult. The shepherd’s hand of a pastor is caring, gently dealing with issues in love. As a pastor, I find it challenging to balance the prophetic voice with a shepherd’s hand.

Truth alone can become dry orthodoxy. It’s painful, like scrubbing your kids with steel wool to get them clean. The dirt will be gone, but a gentler approach would accomplish the same goal. Conversely, love alone can become sappy sentimentality, which is deadly, like feeding your kids only cotton candy for sustenance. My oldest son would live off cotton candy if I let him, but he wouldn’t live well.

There are situations where a prophetic voice is needed more than a shepherd’s hand. For example, many years ago, a member criticized my wife in front of everyone for how she led worship.

“That wasn’t real worship! How terrible!” This member then added a few other choice comments about my wife.

I responded, “There are plenty of other dead churches in this town who would welcome another corpse if you don’t like it here.”

My words were more steel wool than cotton candy. Reflecting now, I was too harsh. Though a response was warranted, mine was overblown. How can a pastor be assertive—prophetic even—without losing the posture of serving others in love?

Too little assertiveness, and you lose your ability to inspire. The prophetic voice enables a pastor to give direction to a church. When you neglect this voice, people are no longer challenged to move. Inspiration lacks where forthrightness is absent.

Too much assertiveness, and you lose your ability to relate. The shepherd’s hand helps a pastor give comfort to the congregation. Gentleness enables healing. Shepherding protects and guards the flock. Without this gentle hand, the shepherd can weaponize the pastoral office and be the cause of hurt.

Balancing assertiveness requires high levels of discernment. One of the greatest dangers young pastors face is leading without longevity—because discernment, like wisdom, only occurs through the maturation of time. Such was my mistake. My quip about corpses and dead churches came from a clever wit detached from wisdom. My mind was working ahead of my heart. 

Without discernment, assertiveness is inconsistent in intensity. You can become too prophetic and lack a loving spirit. Love is sacrificed for a harsh truth.Without discernment, assertiveness is inconsistent in frequency. You can become too gentle and lack inspiration. Truth is absent and replaced with mawkishness.With discernment, assertiveness is clear. You gain clarity as a pastor by balancing the prophetic voice with the shepherd’s hand.With discernment, assertiveness is helpful. You guide others to maturity when you balance a prophetic voice and a shepherd’s hand.

You likely have a default—or preferred—posture as a pastor. Some will use prophetic words before a loving presence. Others will do the reverse. The key is to be both assertive and discerning. What about the member who insulted my wife? She never returned to the church because of my retort. There’s something about a gentle answer turning away wrath, I believe.

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Hymns, Hymnody, and Hymnals: Five Significant Trends

Are the worship wars over?

While the answer is not definitive, we see signs that the post-quarantine world may include an unexpected benefit: worship wars are waning. While our evidence is anecdotal at this point, it is still worth looking at five significant trends that have developed or accelerated since the pandemic quarantine.

1. More churches include at least one hymn in their worship services. I resist such terms as “contemporary,” “traditional,” and “blended.” They are usually poorly defined and, even more so, poorly executed as styles of worship. The Millennial generation and their children seem to have a respect for hymnody even if their services have more modern songs as well. The influence of Keith and Kristyn Getty is clear and profound in introducing hymns to a new generation.

2. Congregational singing is as important as the worship style. An important but largely unspoken development in worship is a move toward congregational singing rather than performance-based singing. Again, the influence of Millennials is unmistakable here. They see the act of corporate worship to be one of singing and being able to hear others sing. The Boomers and Gen X brought performance-based singing to churches, but the Millennials are moving us to congregational singing.

3. Hymnals are not rebounding even as hymns do. We see no signs that physical hymnals are making a comeback even as hymns do. While some church members do miss the ability to read the music and to have an encyclopedia of great hymns in their hands, most churches now have their songs on screens instead of in books. The congregation would rather look up at the screen than look down at a hymnal.

4. Churches with multiple styles of worship are fewer in number every year. “The great compromise” has largely failed. Countless churches attempted to appease members who insisted on their kind of music by offering separate worship services, usually with different styles of music. Few churches could do all styles well, and the moves tended to divide churches rather than unite them. We anticipate that only about ten percent of churches will have different worship styles in five years unless they are for different ethnicities and languages.

5. Churches still engaging in worship wars are headed toward steeper declines and death. Local churches cannot afford to expend time and energy on worship style disputes. These divisions render congregations spiritually impotent and missionally ineffective. It does not seem to be coincidental that Great Commission and evangelistic activity has declined in churches as the worship war activity has increased. Churches must choose if their energies will be expended on obedience to Christ or infighting with each other.

More churches are facing significant challenges today than not. And many of the congregations have been divided or decimated by members insisting on having styles of worship their way. In this post-quarantine era, churches can no longer afford to waste their energies on worship wars. If they do, their declines will accelerate, and their death rates will increase.

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What Is Our Story?

How can Americans, and American Christians in particular, work toward a more comprehensive and equitable national narrative for all? The exclusivist aspects of the core narratives that have defined the United States make clear that we need a new narrative. We need a general consensus of values and a feeling that we’re part of the same long, hard, intergenerational project.

The first step in crafting this national narrative involves self-assessment. Understanding our own individual journey and experiences is a crucial step before connecting the puzzle pieces for how our story fits with everyone else’s. The process of recognizing and reflecting on our self-understanding through the lens of a national narrative is multilayered and should hold up to the following elements: internal consistency, historical accuracy, value impact, and biblical rootedness.

1. Internal Consistency. Ask yourself, Whom does my narrative include and exclude? For example, does your story make space for how people of your own ethnic roots engaged with people of other cultures and religious beliefs? Consider who the enemies are in your story. For example, do you believe that illegal immigrants are the greatest threat to America? Conversely, have you labeled all White people as the enemy?

2. Historical Accuracy. Ask yourself, Does the story of America that I believe in give a defensible history of the nation’s history? Consider who the main historical players are in your version of a national narrative. What are the achievements of your historical heroes? Have scholars verified or debunked these claims? Assessing the historical accuracy of our national stories requires time and research as we move from simply receiving “truths” passed down to us and begin to study and analyze the information for ourselves.

3. Value Impact. Ask yourself, What do I value above all else as an American? How do these values either help or harm other people? For example, does your national story lead to justification of violence or intolerance? We all need to face our moral failures, individually and as a country.

4. Biblical Assessment. Finally, ask yourself, Does my story and the subsequent way I live my life align with Scripture’s call to love God and love my neighbor? The Bible says that we must “demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God” and “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). This means that we must bring every story in our lives before the Lord in prayer, asking for his Spirit to give us discernment on whether these stories—and their present-day ramifications—glorify God.

The second step is to challenge ourselves to better see, hear, and make space for the stories of our neighbors. We need to take time to learn each other’s stories and allow each other’s narratives and identities to have room to breathe and flourish. This includes creating a more robust political vocabulary to enable dialogue and healthy debate between people with differing views of our country and its purpose in the world. It also means that as we pursue a more multicultural version of a national narrative, we embrace our unique cultural roots and ethnic heritages without disassociating ourselves from our fellow Americans.

Our third and final step is to pursue a path forward that involves compromise. We need to value alliances when it comes to an American national identity. The United States has never been a wholly Christian nation or the offspring of an entirely secularized and fractured multicultural project. It has never been the story of one people group either. Our story should not cause us to participate in national self-worship or self-loathing. What we need instead is a national story born from a spirit of ecumenism, generosity, and civic friendship in which Brown, Black, and White, men, women, and children can flourish together.

As American Christians, we need to make space in our national narrative for an all-encompassing tent where we can still be true to our religious beliefs, and in which we can value American culture and institutions enough to cherish them while not succumbing to the belief that America is always a force for good in the world. If we can open ourselves to these forms of self-assessment and engagement, we will be on a stabler path to finding unity as a nation and within the story we are living in, even in times of deep division like the present.

 

Taken from Kingdom and Country: Following Jesus in the Land that You Love, edited by Angie Ward © 2022. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.

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Building a Building Committee

When a ministry is growing and it’s clear more space is needed, most leaders know it’s time to assemble a building committee. However, many quickly realize assembling the right team can be significantly more challenging than identifying the need for one. A building committee created in haste using anyone available or only those with specific secular knowledge can quickly lead to frustration and stalemate. For decades, I have guided churches as they navigate the facility expansion process. I understand the people you choose and the process you use will determine the success or failure of your ministry for years to come.

Over the last 35 years, I have identified 4 critical components when assembling a building committee.

1. Clear Ministry Objectives and Authority

The best way to empower a building committee is to give them clear ministry objectives and the authority to carry out those objectives. You should empower your building committee with an understanding of the ministry problems that need to be
solved, not the presumed solutions. To recruit the right team, you must communicate the vision flowing out of these objectives to create a clear understanding of what needs to be accomplished. The ministry objectives provide the team with clear expectations and boundaries for the journey ahead of them. Clear objectives give your building committee the best opportunity to successfully improve ministry. In my experience, I’ve seen many leaders neglect to take the time to investigate the roadblocks of their ministry. As a result, facilities have been updated without any significant ministry impact. As leaders, you should not assume answers to problems you haven’t identified and send a building committee on a mission without clear objectives.

However, clear objectives are not enough. The team must be given authority. Position without authority creates discouragement and hinders progress. The building committee must be empowered to create change and implement solutions. With clear direction and authority, those you recruit will be equipped to reach the destination desired by the leadership.

2. Selection of the Right People

Once you know the ministry objectives and have outlined the authority, you can intelligently select a building committee. Ministry objectives and authority should shape who you select. As you might suspect, team selection is a critical aspect of a successful building committee. The best leaders select the building committee members based on leadership experience and ministry understanding, not on construction experience or secular skill. Ministry understanding and leadership qualities are the core characteristics of a great building committee member. Don’t substitute secular skill or knowledge of a specific trade for ministry understanding on your team. It’s great to have secular skills or trade knowledge but the ability to lead people with a ministry heart should be your top priority. If you don’t identify clear ministry objectives, you will be tempted to populate your team with secular construction skills. After working with thousands of building committee members over 30 plus years, I can confidently say one bad selection to a building committee can derail an entire project, but I have never seen a ministry focused person derail a building committee. When ministry is the focus the ministry leaders become evident. You will see it in their eyes and feel it in the tone and conviction of their words. Like Nehemiah, God loves to use leaders with conviction and focus.

3. Commitment and Continuity

A church design, fundraising, and building process can take several years to complete. Turnover within a team slows progress and disrupts momentum. When asking people to serve on a building committee, ask them to commit to serving until the completion of the project. If they are unwilling to finish what they’ve started, move on to the next qualified candidate.

Once you have established the team, don’t add new people! One of the most common things to derail a building committee is the introduction of new people in the middle of a project. The time it takes to provide context to the new individual and redevelop consensus in the group can be frustrating to the entire team. The frustration can quickly lead to division and in severe cases, hostility towards others. Several years ago, I learned a valuable lesson about team continuity. I scheduled a meeting with a church to review their drawings one last time before we finalized them. At the meeting was an interior designer who just started attending the church. I found out she was asked by the Pastor to be part of the building committee because the Pastor wanted to get her involved in the church. As a result, the project drifted for the next few weeks as we began to rehash old design concepts and develop new designs. The building committee was so frustrated, they asked the Pastor to remove the interior designer. Without context of what was previously covered, this trained professional frustrated the group and ultimately had to be removed from the committee. You can avoid this common pitfall by selecting committed members and refraining from additions throughout the life of the building committee.

4. The Right Number of Members

There is not a universal perfect number of individuals on a building committee, but there are some general principals. The ideal building committee has enough members to effectively connect to most segments of the congregation, but does not have more than 8-9 people in total. For smaller congregations, 4-5 may be a sufficient number. A common error results when a church offers to have “anyone interested” on the building committee. Groups larger than 8-9 struggle to reach consensus, find times to meet regularly, and frequently have a different dynamic at every meeting depending on who is able to attend. We strongly suggest you do not put more than 9 people on your building committee. In practice we’ve seen committees with 6-7 members seem to work best. With 6-7 of the right influential leaders, their variety of opinions and perspectives can effectively shape the ministry solution and communicate the path forward to the entire congregation.

Several years ago I was asked to help 3 churches come together and build one facility. The process taught me a lot about leading groups and selecting people to lead people. My first task was to establish some clear ministry objectives. From those objectives, we selected 6 leaders who understood the ministry objectives well enough to represent each of those 3 churches. It was amazing to me that when ministry became the focus 6 people to represent 3 churches was sufficient to accomplish the ministry objectives.

Building programs are a unique time in the life of a church. The building committee tasked with leading the program influences church programs, culture and relationships throughout the process. The impact of a facility lasts for decades and has a direct impact on how a ministry serves its community. We realize leading a building committee is extremely difficult but it can and should be extremely rewarding. How you lead as a building committee impacts the product you build and your ability to impact your community with the gospel. It’s a high calling and should be seen as an honor.

Many times we’ve been asked, “What do I do if I’ve already assembled a team and I’ve done it all wrong?” Our suggestion would be to start over. Explain to your team you’re embarking on a new process and thank them for their service up to this point. Our time tested process advises the creation of what we call an implementation team. The change in terminology provides an easy opportunity to reboot your building program and start off on the right foot. In our process, the implementation team consists of the influential leaders described above who take full responsibility for guiding the church throughout the solution finding process.

 

This post is brought to you by Brown Church Development Group. Learn more by visiting churchdevelopment.net.

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Ten Bad Church Work Habits Every Pastor Should Avoid

A habit is an ongoing tendency with a pattern of behavior that is difficult to change. Bad habits can develop in church workplaces like in any other place of employment. I’ve assembled a top-ten list of some common bad work habits among church leaders.

1. Procrastination. It’s harmful at any level, but the effects of this bad habit are compounded at higher leadership levels. If a ministry leader or pastor consistently procrastinates, everyone is forced into a last-minute fiasco. If top leaders don’t plan ahead, then by default, no one plans ahead.

2. Careless communication. Poor grammar and sloppy writing can create subtle doubts about the message you want to communicate. Write in complete sentences. Proof the worship guide. Check press releases for time and location errors. And, please, for the love of all that is holy, don’t chew gum or crunch ice in a meeting.

3. Confusing informal with disrespectful. In my experience, most church staff are on a first-name basis. In church work, a superior may also be a friend. Direct reports in most churches will likely be more informal than formal with you. These informalities are not usually disrespectful.

4. Taking advantage of leeway. For me, one of the most refreshing parts of being called into ministry from the corporate world was flexible hours. I work longer, more intense hours at the church, but I don’t have to be at my desk for specific times. Unfortunately, I’ve seen many workaholic pastors and many lazy pastors. Neither extreme is admirable, but lazy pastors are especially harmful to kingdom work.

5. Refusing to mingle. It’s a sad truth, but you can work at a church and never be among the people.

6. Consistently running late or going over. A person who does not honor time parameters erodes trust. Occasional offenses are forgivable. A pattern of time abuse shows disrespect for others.

7. Staying in a silo. Most midsize to large churches have departments, programs, and separate ministries. Clear distinctions of job responsibilities accompany these silos. The mission killer is usually not the silo. The mission killer is the “it’s not my job” attitude.

8. Acting as the resident contrarian. “Yes” men and women are annoying. People who always believe their ideas are better are doubly annoying.

9. Badmouthing another church. A blog or social media post is tantamount to yelling in a grocery store with a megaphone. Not many people would air their dirty laundry that way. Publicly bashing another church is weak and cowardly. 

10. Politicking. Church work requires smoothing edges and rubbing shoulders with the right people. Constant politicking, however, makes others question your motives.

When leaders get into a pattern of long-term bad behaviors, they are often detrimental to the church. But do not confuse a bad day with a bad habit. Consider the whole of a leader. Does a consistent pattern exist? One-off bad behavior may need to be addressed, but it is not a bad habit. If a leader has done something once or twice, it’s not likely a habit.

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10 Reasons I Would Seek to Raise Up Staff within My Church

More and more churches are deciding to raise up staff from within their congregation. While I wondered about that direction when it first began to gain steam, I have come to see the value of it. Here are 10 reasons I encourage you to consider this option:

You likely know them better than outside hires. They’re already one of your church family, so you know them. It’s possible that you’ve seen both their strengths and weaknesses—and you’re not likely to be surprised by either.They already know your church better than outside hires will. They won’t need to spend nearly as much time learning your congregation. They can hit the ground running because they know how your church operates.They probably already buy into your church’s vision. It’s likely they’ve continued to be a part of your church because they believe in the vision. They’re committed because they know what your church wants to accomplish.Their learning curve won’t be as steep as outsiders. That includes learning simple things like members’ names, the church’s history, and the church structure. Outside staff members usually have to spend much time on these tasks at first.Moving expenses are usually less for inside hires. Needless to say, that’s because they already live in the area. Expenses for helping a new staff member move to your area can be exorbitant.They must have already shown faithfulness and fruitfulness as they’ve served through your church.   I assume you would not have hired them had you not already seen something in them. Their past track record is generally a good indicator of their future work.They likely know the community and have networks of friends in the area. They might not know the specific demographics of a community (many church leaders don’t), but they at least understand some of the community’s culture. By the way, if you don’t know your community’s demographics, I encourage you to get a “Know Your Community” report from Church Answers. It’s a great tool.Staff members can now get theological training via online degrees. My seminary (Southeastern Seminary), for example, offers multiple masters degrees that are fully online. Staff members who get further training this way can do so without leaving your ministry context.You may have members who can join your staff bi-vocationally. I’m convinced that God calls some church leaders to be bi-vocational. That approach helps the church by lessening the cost of a full-time staff member, and that new leader often stays more connected to non-believers out in the world.Because they already know the church family, they can quickly recruit members to walk beside them as prayer warriors. Church leaders are on the front lines of the spiritual battle, and they need prayer support from brothers and sisters. The longer it takes to secure these partners in ministry, the more we open ourselves to the enemy’s attacks.

I realize there are reasons to caution against this approach (e.g., it’s sometimes more difficult to confront a staff member who has a long history—and often extended family—in the church), but the positives outweigh the negatives, in my judgment. What are your thoughts?

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