Category: Leadership

There’s a movie from 1999 called “Blast from the Past” starring Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone that is a good illustration of this question. Fraser plays a man named Adam Webber who was born and raised in a bomb shelter. His mad-scientist of a father locked them in because he thought there was a nuclear attack. Adam grew up in the simple life with Perry Como and The Honeymooners. Thirty-five years later Adam is sent out to get some supplies for the family and comes to the realization that the world had not ended, and, things had changed considerably on the outside.

Church in the past?

This is, sadly, the case for a good number of churches—closed off from the world outside and found themselves low on supplies. The church has to look outside its protective bunker to bring more supplies (people and resources) in. Some churches have emerged and determined that it is too scary to venture out into a different landscape than the one they had so painstakingly persevered, so they are determined to hunker down and hope that some new people join and were longing for the exact experience the church has preserved.

 

Don’t hear what I’m not saying here—I believe that there are some non-negotiables when it comes to church—namely the gospel of Jesus, the gathering of the saints for worship, and our responsibility to our neighbors. I do think that we as the church need to ask and honestly answer the two questions posed by Mr. Schaller.

“The two most important questions for any church and its leaders are ‘What year is it?’ and ‘What year will it be next year?’”

-Lyle E. Schaller

What year is it?

Most people are comfortable in a particular era. This evidenced by the music we listen to, the way we decorate our homes, the way we dress, and many other outward signs. Truth be told, most people are most comfortable in a church that operates, looks, and feels like it did when they had their meaningful spiritual encounter. This explains why there are so many churches that operate as if it were 30, 40, or more years in the past. An honest assessment is needed that places a date on the culture of the church.

 

What year will it be next year?

This question gauges our willingness to bring the church into a more current context. This may mean adjusting some meeting times. This may mean updating some of the interior. This may mean allowing certain programs to end. It may mean several operations, programmatic, and cultural shifts—but one thing is certain, it does not have to include a change in core beliefs. The church that is willing move forward into the next year (or decades) know full-well it will bring some new challenges and new ways of doing things, but they are no longer content to say, “It will be the same year it has been for the last 35 years.”

In our current context, the small churches outnumber the large churches in a ratio of about 60 to 1. You can imagine how heated the discussions get in the community when a larger church’s motives are questioned in regards to their latest event, the style of worship, or the content of the sermon. The smaller church is placed in the ire over the same issues. I don’t believe this is an issue of right versus wrong—I believe it’s a case of they’re just different. Different in approach. Different in leadership. Different in context.

If you linger in the conversation long enough the conversation will generally gravitate to an issue of quality versus quantity.

 

Quality vs. Quantity: When we become defensive as a church about the size of our church citing that we are more about quality than quantity, this may be a sign of bigger issues. This is not to say that bigger equals better—there are most definitely issues that come through seeking only to be bigger. The ill-focused small church speaks of the quality of relationships, the richness of tradition, and the familial bond. The ill-focused large church speaks of large numbers, their great buildings, and the number of new visitors they have every week.

When we become defensive as a church about the size of our church citing that we are more about quality than quantity, this may be a sign of bigger issues.

The most telling thing about either is what is missing from the discussion. Generally, the discussion may touch on the gospel for a moment, but it never lands there. Why? Because the gospel may be the furthest thing from their minds. Not convinced?

Ask them about their heart for the community.

Do they desire to see the community impacted by the positive influence of the church—or—do they desire to have the community walk through the door on Sunday?

Do they seek the flourishing of the city—or—do they seek the flourishing of their ministry?

Do they seek “butts in the seats” –or—transformed lives?

The thing is these questions are not mutually exclusive. The thing that matters most is the message. Is the love of Jesus the message? A small church can have the same impact a large church has in the community. Framing the mission, action, and message in the love of Jesus is essential. I remember the old Sunday School training mantra, “They don’t care how much you know, till they know how much you care.”, I believe that the love of Jesus spilling into the community helps them to see how much we care.

So drop the debates and go tell them about the love of Jesus. Do for a few people what you wish you could do for them all.