Can a pastor build or destroy a church?
by Jesse J. Lewis, Sr.
I believe that it’s almost impossible for a pastor to build a church by him/herself. But on the other side of the coin, they can destroy a church by themselves. There’s an old saying which is very true, it’s easier to destroy than to build.
As a general rule, a church is destroyed for two basic reasons: (1) the officers in the church are aspiring to be the pastor; or (2) they dictate to the pastor on what he/she can say and how they must say it. One of the most important issues is money – whether it’s missing, how to spend it, etc. There should be transparency of all finances. In plain and simple terms, the pastor nor his relatives should have anything to do with collecting and spending the monies, or signing checks.
In the event the majority of the members of any congregation are not satisfied with the pastor of a church it is like being married to a person who doesn’t want you anymore. This means everything you do is wrong, regardless. If this is the scenario, the pastor decides that if you are attempting to fire him/her, they will do everything in their power to destroy church members before they destroy him/her. Whatever position the pastor takes he/she will have some members on their side. This is historically true with any issue.
For example, if you were to climb atop a 15-story building, and decide you want to jump, if you holler long and loud enough, some fool will climb up and jump with you. Evidently, when the pastor and members have done all the damage to each other, the ministers move on to another church or start a new church; its divides the membership. Not only does it divide the membership, it destroys relationships and friendships among the members. In many instances good friends can not resume their relationships.
How to build a church
In order to build a church it takes the entire membership with the pastor leading the charge. Building a church is like marketing a product or service. In other words, it’s a campaign about selling. The pastor of the church should have a marketing committee for growth and development. In this plan it should state where they should be three years, five years, 10 years, 15 years and 25 years. Every congregation should have a 25-year marketing plan.
Most people who join a church for the first time do so for several reasons – the church has an outstanding reputation within the community, the pastor is considered a motivational leader, the church is conveniently located and the church has a friendly reputation or they know someone who belongs to the church personally.
Many people base their choice of a church on relationships – family, people they know and trust who invites them, church members who extend genuine hospitality as they offer true concern for visitors and their needs and interests. When initiating a relationship, the goal should not be to get them in church as fast as you can. Rather, when the time is right, invite people to become part of a ministry of the church as a way to develop and strengthen affirming and life-enhancing relationships.
Christmas, Easter, baptism services and other special occasions are ideal times to invite personally people who are not Christians or not actively involved in a church. Printed personal invitations are excellent to encourage participation.
Get out and visit. Have your welcome teams, (three or four people), visit other churches with different styles of worship. Let them experience firsthand what it’s like to be a guest and to feel like an outsider. They can bring back ideas of what to do and what not to do that can improve your own welcoming program.
Welcome at worship
When visitors walk into your church doors, the welcoming effort is just beginning. You will gain other insight from your visiting church team, but some initial ideas include :
Create a hospitality team. Invite visitors to a member’s home for Sunday dinner.
Connect less mobile with more mobile. Pair a less mobile visitor with a physically active member who can assist in navigating the church building and perhaps assist the visitor during the rest of the week with grocery shopping or a trip to the doctor. Care for the caregiver is also necessary.
Distribute visitors’ packets and videos. These are different from general welcome kits. This information introduces newcomers to worship, missions and to the ministries. Be sure to include a welcome message from the pastor.
Print in your worship bulletin every Sunday a statement inviting newcomers to become members of your congregation and telling them how to do so.
Create a welcome kit or basket. Talk to local schools. While they will not be able to share contact information, they maybe wiling to give families your welcome kit at registration. Share need-to-know information about your community as well as details about your church. Congregation members may be willing to donate items. When someone moves into a new place, a welcome basket that first day with toilet tissue, paper towels, soap and other items would be a nice welcome.
Everything should be done with the marketing group, the pastor and the program out-reach committee. It’s imperative to keep your membership and finances on the upswing.
email:jjlewis@birminghamtimes.com
