Relationships

Maximized Leadership: Don’t Confuse Motion with Progress

Have you ever had opportunity to get on a stationary bike for exercise? The actions taken by your legs replicate what you would do if riding a bicycle outdoors and the exertion is certainly a good way to improve your physical condition. However, the stationary bike cannot help you get anywhere. While the motion made by your legs is similar you will find yourself in the same place once your workout is complete. It is a good illustration of the difference between motion and progress.

I once heard a leadership talk that contrasted these two actions. I want to borrow that concept and make a few observations and comments that can strengthen your leadership. Have you ever thought about the difference between these two forms of movement? Both motion and progress require movement but motion will not necessarily get you to your preferred destination. Yogi Berra once commented upon getting lost on the way to an engagement that “we were lost but we were making good time.” The key need of any organization is ultimately progress. However, employees can sometimes substitute motion for progress and fool themselves and others into thinking that they are being effective when they are not. As a church leader I often see this in congregations. Many churches have a lot going on with activities but are in decline and are not making disciples. I have observed employees who always appear busy but never seem to produce substantial results. How about you and the organization that you serve, the place you work, or the church you attend? Are you in motion or are you making progress? How about you personally?

Progress requires objectives, goals, or outcomes that you are seeking to move toward. These would equate to a destination if you were taking a trip on a bicycle. The stationary bike can replicate the motion of riding a bike but will not get you to the destination. The bicycle has the capacity to get you to the destination but will not do so if you do not pedal, steer, and just as importantly, move in the appropriate direction. Be sure to identify objectives before determining activities (how you will spend your time and energy). Otherwise you will be in motion and may confuse the activity (motion) with progress. Once you determine your objective(s) make plans that move you in that direction and consistently evaluate your progress. Take a few moments to think about your job, your leadership role, or the organization you serve. Which best characterizes your leadership? A person in motion or a leader making progress?

Do people ever fire companies? According to John G. Miller, they do. As a matter of fact, you have done it too. Have you ever had a bad experience at a restaurant, hotel, or a retailer and vowed never to eat, stay, or shop there again? You fired them! I don’t know about you, but I never want anyone to fire the organization (ministry) that I work for. We often think of “firing” in terms of individuals, but let’s be reminded that it happens to organizations each and every day.

I always seek to honor the Lord by excelling in my work and I know that you carry the same attitude. It would pain me to know that my attitude, my practices, my competence, or any other factor would place me in jeopardy of being fired. But do I ever consider that someone may be considering firing the organization (ministry) that I serve? John G. Miller points out that while people fire organizations, they do not fire OUTSTANDING ones. I believe the goal for all of us should be to make our ministries and organizations outstanding. I work for a great ministry. But, we know it can be even greater because everyone on our team has room to grow. How about yours?

What do you do if few or no guests are attending your church or group?

The key to getting guests to visit your church or group is not a secret. An overwhelming majority of those who visit the first time are there because they were invited by a friend or a relative. The last stat I saw on this was around 87% with the second most common reason for a visit applying to only 6% of your guests. If you are not having guests the reason is clear; your members are not inviting people. What is the issue here? Leadership? Your church culture? Anemic ministry or services? Lack of challenge? If you are having not guests you certainly need to analyze. Here are a few short term and long term solutions.

Short Term:

1. Look in the mirror.  This one is tough. You must evaluate your leadership and role in this problem. Don’t give up. Grow and develop your skills.
2. See the fields. Have you ever seen any demographic information on your city or county. It is eye-opening when you see the number of un-churched around you. You will find that anywhere from 70-90% (in North America) are not in church in your community on a given Sunday. Many, if not most, of those have no relationship with Jesus. Get this information and share it with your members.
3. Apply the Law of Large Numbers. It is a simple principle. If you invite two people, one of them might respond. If you invite 100 people, you will have guests. Find a way to challenge your members and measure how many guests are being invited.
4. Open the side doors. Some members of your community who will not attend worship will attend a fellowship. Your ministry should offer several throughout the year to introduce community members to your congregation. They are more inclined to attend when relationships are initiated and established with your members.

Long Term:

1. Train members in evangelism. That is what the most effective churches and groups do. They do not train 52 weeks out of the year but they do not let 52 weeks go by without providing training. Train everyone through your teaching, preaching, and leadership. If not, you will continue to struggle getting your members to invite guests. The training begins with equipping members to be good inviters to not only your worship, but to fellowship opportunities.
2. Work on the total environment. Lead some of your members on a “Nehemiah Walk.” Examine your facilities, meeting space, signage, greeting procedures, follow up plan. Are your facilities inviting? You know it can be improved. Get to it!

This is a blog, not a book so these solutions are not exhaustive but hopefully something will click that will help you provide leadership that results in more guests because after all, the ultimate goal is that guests would ultimately become disciples or grow as disciples and in turn help us in making more disciples in the future.

I shared in my previous post how to respond if few or no guests are attending your church or group. I wanted to follow up by sharing how effective churches follow up on first time guests. You will find that the churches that do well have a system.  Now that system can vary from church to church in the details but the systems share these four traits in common:

 

1. The church has a “system.” When a guest visits for the first time a process is triggered that automatically assures that several things will happen within the next week. It begins with seeking to register as many guests as possible by any means possible to harvest contact information.
2. The church will provide a “quick touch” of some kind within 24 hours. The touch could be a call, email, text, or social media contact, but you can be assured the visit of the guest will be acknowledged quickly and without fail.
3. Someone from the church will provide a “personal touch” during the following week. This interaction will be warm, encouraging, and person to person. It may or may not be in person but it will be personal. The strongest “personal touch” is to find a way to share a meal or coffee and dessert. A phone call is better than no touch but the more personal, the better.
4. The church will make “multiple touches” over the coming weeks.  This will better insure that a ministry touch is made. Emails can be missed. Texts can be overlooked. Visits can be made to find no one at home. Calls can go to voice mail. Social media posts may not be viewed. Multiple touches increase the likelihood that a connection will be made.

 

The touches found in the churches systems do not represent the end of the process, but rather the beginning. The key is to move the guests toward relationships with members. The touches can get a guest to return but they will only assimilate if relationships are developed. However, the first touches are an important link in the chain. What is your church doing that is “automatic” once a guest visits?

I like to drive. Whenever my family gets in the car I automatically go to the driver’s seat. We do not discuss it…that is just the way it happens. I remember when my oldest daughter turned fifteen. You know what happened. She wanted to get a learners permit. I had actually let her drive in the church parking lot on several occasions ever since she was about thirteen. Once she turned fifteen we got out on the road but I was still there to guide her and when needed to tell her what to do or where to turn. Then she turned sixteen. She passed her drivers exam and I gave her the keys. Now that was a scary moment. At that point she began making many of the decisions for herself. What if I had refused to equip her or to turn over the keys? You should know that she is thirty years of age now. However, when she was sixteen it was not only unsettling to let her drive but it was also risky. What if she were to have a wreck? What if she gets hurt? What if she hurts someone else? What if she breaks a law? What if she damages the car? Do I take the risk or do I hold her back? If I hold her back, how will she get around when she turns thirty?

I reluctantly turned the keys over and I am glad that I did. I’ll admit, she damaged the car, got a couple of speeding tickets, went some places I would prefer she not have gone, and caused me some grief and worry. But, it all turned out alright. She now drives to work, gets where she needs to go without me having to pick her up and take her everywhere, and actually drives to visit with me. I like that! The reality is that it would not have been healthy for me to withhold from her the opportunity to learn to drive, to actually drive, and then to allow her to be somewhat independent of me in her decision making. She still comes to me for counsel but since I released her to drive on her own, she is getting along just fine.

This whole story is true and it is also a metaphor for my senior adult friends. I am fast approaching your life stage and I really appreciate all you have done for the church and value what you are doing now. But, I have a question. How are you doing at turning over the keys? Are you still the one doing the driving in your church? Or have you invested in some younger leaders and given them the keys? If you do, it is risky. They will make decisions that are different than you may have and they will make some mistakes that would not have been made if you were driving. It can be really aggravating when they turn the radio to music on a station that you do not like. But, how can they learn to drive unless you allow them to…drive. Your influence is still crucial and your opinion is still valuable. I do know of some churches where the older leaders have refused to turn over the keys or to allow some of the younger members to drive. Interestingly, there are now no young people to give the keys to in some of these churches. They have all left to go to a church where they are allowed to drive. Who wants to sit in an infant’s car seat when they are old enough to drive themselves? Turning over the keys does not mean that your work is done or that your value is less. It reflects that you truly grasp what it has meant to “make disciples.” They still need you…but the next generation also has the need to lead. How are you doing at turning over the keys?

A leader possesses a natural desire to thrive. An effective leader wants to thrive while helping those around him or her to thrive also. The best leaders do not focus exclusively on their own success. To do so would be narcissistic which is counter intuitive to effective leadership. In a multi-layered organization where multiple staff members serve, multiple departments or ministries conduct work, and workers perform a variety of different functions, the tendency is to focus on the task of the department without regard to the needs of the other teams. This tendency is known as “silo-ing.” It is not always intentional but it is always detrimental to the mission of the organization.

A leader or team member in a department or ministry should stand up for their team. It is healthy to have passion for the task assigned, to have expertise, to defend the team members, and to carry the banner for his or her area of assignment. However, each team member should recognize that they play a role on a larger team. Failure to do so can lead to unhealthy competition within the organization and lack of cooperation in accomplishing the ultimate mission. Here are three ways that leaders and team members contribute to the silo effect and note that all are avoidable and correctable:

1. Operating as if me or my team is exempt from standards, procedures, rules, policies, or expectations communicated by organizational leaders.
2. Planning activities, events, meetings, and/or developing strategies without regard to what any other team in the organization is doing.
3. Operating as if what my team does is superior to what other teams are assigned to do.

This can happen in a business. It can happen in a religious organization. It can happen in a church. As a matter of fact, Paul tackled this very issue in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. Seek to thrive in your assignment but do so in a way that helps others to thrive also. Doing your part to minimize the silo effect is one key to making it happen.