Wednesday, November 14, 2007

The Cycle of Chruch Life

Church planting was and is seen to get the best bang for the buck in terms of increase in numbers. There are many stories of groups of 10 increasing to 20 in less than a year. Reaching 50 people within two years is considered very possible and reasonable. With that number there is usually enough money to pay the church planter’s salary.

The emphasis in these beginning stages is relationships. Programs are not initiated as everyone is well aware that they consume too much time and resources. Besides people are usually having too much fun to bother with the programs. Hardly a week goes by when there isn’t a visitor who is interested in all this love and rarely does a few weeks go by without someone giving their lives to Jesus. They are like an extended family and everyone knows everyone else’s name.

The staggering percentage of growth is considered possible only in those beginning years. Sustaining that much growth for 10 years would mean that the group would reach 12,800 members.

There is a tremendous amount of excitement in the first two years and the leadership core begins thinking that they will have a great impact in the city as they continue in this growth pattern. A house is no longer sufficient to meet the pressing demands of growth and serious discussions begin to centre around facilities and programs to get people involved.

At 150 the group is no longer feeling the joy of relationships that they had when they were less than 50. Programs demand more time and planning. Loving each other gives way to finding new ways (programs) through which to grow and disciple others. The relationship to the pastor with the early group of less than 50 is very different to the ones who are new to the process. His time and energy is naturally more spreadout and people need to learn to accept less from him. They also expect less from each other as they are all busy making sure the programs are running efficiently. They are the talk of the town and they need to make sure that they continue with the exciting testimony of growth.

Usually the originals are very loyal to the pastor and his vision. They love to tell stories of the early days. Those who came after never received as much personal attention and therefore loyalty is not as high. Eventually the late comers become dissatisfied and either leave or sit back and watch. The originals keep plugging away and become frustrated that others aren’t digging in just like them. They know they’ve lost some of their early intimacy and are being spread a little thin but the vision of growth is worth the loss.

The pastor’s main job is recruitment for the programs, putting out squabbles between the new and the originals and of course preaching. He has to be careful not to look like he is favoring the orginals so he begins to distant himself from them as well. The wonder of great relationships is exchanged for building the next building and ministering to the 20% of the people who doing 80% of the work. But the numbers keep increasing and therefore it’s worth the cost.

As the years go by, people come and people go, except of course for the originals. The early vision for loving others has been replaced by programs and the next phase of development is maintaining the programs which are really just rituals that people are used to. If you asked them why they are doing them the answer is because they have always done them.

Not quite true. There were those two exhilarating years that the orginals talk about where they knew nothing but deep relationships centered on Christ and no programs.

Someone eventually grows tired of not being able to develop close relationships within the inner core and leads a small break out group that is going to focus on relationships. Programs are not initiated as everyone is well aware that they consume too much time and resources. Besides people are usually having too much fun to bother with the programs. Hardly a week goes by when there isn’t a visitor who is interested in all this love and rarely does a few weeks go by without someone giving their lives to Jesus. They are like an extended family and everyone knows everyone else’s name.

There is a tremendous amount of excitement in the first two years and the leadership core begins thinking that they will have a great impact in the city as they continue in this growth pattern. A house is no longer sufficient……..

6 comments:

Jamie A. Grant said...

Ugh. That pattern leaves me feeling queasy...really, I'm physically a little sick at seeing this.

Travis or P.T. said...

That does seem to be a problem. One would might advocate more smaller churches... but then the problem is where are all the pastors going to come from. I think it would be cool to have several house churches like that, and a group of pastors (or elders) over seeing them all. But having time to do that is something rare in the traditional church. Good post.

David Grant said...

Thanks for the comments Travis.
As to "where are all the pastors going to come from?" I like your picture of you and your son and I think it answers your question nicely by simply rephrasing it. "Where are all the fathers going to come from?"

As long as we continue to use the institutional, professional definitions of pastor we will not have enough. (I personally think we already have too many professionals.) The professional model dooms us to continue in this non-relational cycle.

But if we go back in history when professionals did not exist, we may find ways of caring and equipping people without the need to separate priest and laity. And perhaps, just perhaps, we will have an abundance of elders who can be there as friends helping us in our journey.

Travis or P.T. said...

David,
I think you're right. There are too many "professionals" but somehow we have lost the deep equipping that once took place in the church... not only in matters of everyday life, but also in doctrine and the deep truths of God. And at the same time, we (the church) have gotten into this mindset that only the pastors can disciple and do ministry. I've even had people tell me.. "Thats why we pay the preacher." Sad state.

Jamie A. Grant said...

Check that title: Chruch Life?

David Grant said...

took you awhile :)