The word for repentance in the New Testament in greek is “metanoia” which can be translated a change of mind. It is a key part of Lent as one is convicted of sin through the law of God. The law works and leads one by the Holy Spirit to change one’s mind and then turn to God and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15).
So we prepare for the celebration of Easter through this time of reflection and repentance. It is personal. We know what to change from the Word of God, namely the law. Yet what about when our church is stuck? How do we know what to change?
Knowing what to change in our churches can be exceedingly difficult. Knowing what is wrong and knowing what to change and how to change it is filled with challenges. The first is to even see what is wrong. We get so used to how things are that we don’t even notice there is a problem.
The pile of boxes in the narthex since VBS last summer has become part of the scenery. The musty smell is normal. The mistakes in the bulletin is standard procedure. The limited number of people in Bible class is customary. The same few people doing the same things in leadership is accepted. The shrinking number of baptisms, new members, new leaders including the shrinking amount in the offering is routine. It is so normal that it is disregarded as even a problem. Or it is dismissed as something that cannot be effected, let alone turned around. There’s more that can be named but we’ll stop there. You get the picture.
Not noticing the nagging issues that never seem to get resolved is a problem. Not being bothered by them might be worse. But there can be an even deeper problem. When things get a bit “sloppy” or “careless” or even negligent, it can get worse! So it’s not just the little things, it can even include bigger issues. Much bigger.
Perhaps you’ve heard about the flywheel effect. It is used in church leadership circles to refer to the cycle of concentrating on doing the right things over time and how it begins to build momentum. If you keep pushing the main things and do them in the right way, it will create a culture of doing the main things in the right way. There will be less effort to initiate such things, they will have their own inertia. It is a way to talk about organizational culture. Well, that can happen in reverse as well. Ignore things, turn a blind eye, accept issues and problems as normal and that too can build inertia and momentum. It becomes a downward trend that is accepted. It is your organizational culture that may not just be a headwind but something detrimental.
It is like the Broken Windows theory. According to Psychology Today, “The broken windows theory states that visible signs of disorder and misbehavior in an environment encourage further disorder and misbehavior, leading to serious crimes. The principle was developed to explain the decay of neighborhoods, but it is often applied to work and educational environments.” The originators of the theory postulated that “One unrepaired broken window is a signal that no one cares, and so breaking more windows costs nothing.”
New York mayor Rudy Giuliani famously employed this theory as a way to turn the city around with his police commissioner William Bratton. They began to focus on turnstile jumpers in the subway system, estimated at 250,000 per day. That led to stopping more serious crimes and things turn around quickly.
This Lenten season is about repentance. It is a time to learn about our sin from the law and repent or turn from it and believe the gospel.
Yet how about we also look around and see what we have become accustomed to and what we have accepted as normal dysfunction in our churches and ministries? Then, pick one thing and address it once and for all, because you do care! Get on the same page. Steward your resources. God is with you. Blessed Lent and Easter to all.
Rev. Scott Gress is believes in Growing People for Ministry by focussing on leadership, discipleship and teamwork. Contact Scott if you are interested in him working with you or your church. A free 30 minutes sample session is available to explore how you might work best together. The Coaching Leader Podcast is also available on iTunes and his YouTube page. You can contact Scott through email scottgress@me.com or his blog page scottgress.com or at 561-542-4472
Growing People for Ministry" Leadership + Discipleship + Teamwork
