I am in the process of cleaning out a ton of junk that I have horded in my office for the past 10 years. There are two file cabinets full of folders that are full of paper that I haven't looked at for a decade, so I'm sorting through it all and throwing away most of it. But, there are a few things I'm interested in keeping, so I have been scanning a lot of these things/articles/sermons into my Evernote account.
Anyway, I came across a blog post that I printed out and kept from 2012. It was entitled "How to rescue your church in three weeks," and was written by a pastor from Nashville, TN. There are times in the church, whether you are a pastor or a member, that things may seem different or difficult in how the church functions, communicates, or makes decisions. The more people that are connected means the more opportunity there is ministry and mission, but also for misunderstanding. Sadly, there are a lot of churches that go through a season of conflict or discontent--not over gospel proclamation, doctrine, or doing more in the mission, but over personal preferences. There are times when we interpret our desire to see our personal preferences met as a "rescue mission." Some might actually believe that the church is going to die or be greatly hurt if things are not handled the way they would like them to be handled.
I thought I would share the article with you in it's entirety. These are not my own words (although I added a few here and there), but there is some wisdom here for all of us:
So, how does one go about "rescuing" their church in three weeks?
Week One:
Walk into your church this Sunday and think about how long you've been a member, how much you've sacrificed, and how under-appreciated you are. Take note of every way you are dissatisfied with your church now--from the music, the sermon, the way decisions are made and communicated, and any other thing that bothers you. Take note of every person, especially any of the leadership, who displeases you in some way. Take note of all the new people whose presence is changing your church. Especially note how things have changed from "the way it used to be."
Meet for coffee next week with another member and "share your heart." Discuss how much the church has changed, and how you (and you are certain that others) are feeling left out and disconnected. Ask your friend if they resonate with this, and if they or other members might have the same "concerns." Agree together that you must "pray about it."
Week Two:
Send an email to a few other "concerned" members that you have identified. Inform them that a growing sense of unhappiness and grievance seems to be occurring among many members in the church. It appears that many problems have either been ignored or unaddressed for too long. Ask them to keep the matter to themselves for "the sake of the body."
As complaints come in, form them into a petition to demand an accounting from the leaders of the church. Circulate the petition quietly. Gathering support will be easy. Even happy members can be used if you appeal to their sense of unfairness--that your side at least deserves a hearing. Be sure to proceed in a way that is affirmed by the governing documents of the church so that you will be procedurally correct.
Week Three:
When the growing concern reaches critical mass, confront the pastor(s)/leaders with your demands. Inform them of the woundedness in the church, which leaves you no choice but to put your petition forward. Inform them that, for the sake of reconciliation, the concerns of the body must be satisfied. Be sure to indicate that too much is at stake for this to be ignored. A subtle, kind threat will usually get their attention to your concerns.
Whatever happens from this point on, you have won. You have changed the subject in your church from gospel advance to your own negativity and personal preference. To some degree, you will get your way. Your church will need some measure of time to recover--it could take months or years. But at any future time, you can do it again and keep your church exactly where you want it. It only takes three weeks.
