And ironically, selfish people almost always end up in a very surprising place: alone. Because a life devoted to self ultimately leaves you alone. That’s also true for selfish churches.
If you’re becoming smaller and smaller, is it because you’re selfish?
Selfish people ultimately end up alone. The same is true for selfish churches.
3. Principles vs. Preferences
Declining churches focus on their member’s preferences.
Todd didn’t like the music.
Allison thinks we’re not deep enough.
Bill wants to start a new program.
And so the leaders respond, trying to please everybody.
In reality, declining churches bend to the preferences of their members.
Growing churches don’t.
Instead, they focus on the principles (even strategies) that will help them reach new people.
Is your leadership team principle-driven or preference-driven? There’s a world of difference between the two.
Declining churches bend to the preferences of their members. Growing churches don’t.
4. Proactive vs. Reactive
This is a close cousin of points 2 and 3 above, but the difference is deadly or life-giving depending on where you land.
Growing churches are proactive. They choose their agenda and immediately get on issues that can impact their future.
Declining churches are reactive, letting members determine the agenda and reacting to problems as they arise.
In fact, most declining churches are so busy reacting to problems other people raise that they never get around to charting a course for the future.
If you never get around to charting a course for the future, you will have no future.
Growing churches have a strong bias for setting their own agendas, not in the selfish sense, but in a way that determined leaders see what the mission requires and decide to deal with it.
The leaders in a growing church simply refuse to yield to the agenda of others that would take them off mission.
And as a result, they are far more effective.
If you never get around to charting a course for the future, you will have no future.
5. Now vs. Eventually
Growing churches act. And they act now.
Declining churches don’t.
