DYSFUNCTION.

I used to think the Church’s general problem was lackluster programming and preaching, or congregational apathy. But the more time I spend in various congregations, and the more conversations I have with pastors and Christian educators across North America through my software and CE work, the more I have come to realize that DYSFUNCTION is the elephant in the room.

Years ago when people were beating a path to our doors, mild to moderate dysfunction could often be overcome. But in today’s world -where competition is coming from other churches and other options, and with added stresses, such as, the economic downturn, the COST of dysfunction has taken on dire consequences for many congregations. Indeed, in some churches, dysfunction has changed the discussion from one of VITALITY -to one of MORTALITY.

How to spot a Dysfunctional Congregation? 

Here are a few markers:

1.  Pastor comes across as “fake” or aloof.

2.  Problems are not discussed.

3.  Staff members not getting along.

4.  A small group of inner circle people seems to be running things.

5. New ideas are not envisioned and/or are not whole-heartedly supported.

6. A minority within the congregation mistrusts leadership and sows discord behind the scenes.

7. Lack of an active & effective evangelism and member care program.

8. A pastor who seems to “opt out” of participating in or visibly supporting various initiatives.

I’m sure you can add your own to this list.

What to do?

“What to do?” is a difficult question. As church consultant Bill Easum says,

“The Unmotivated are Impervious to the Obvious.”

If the pastor is a big part of the dysfunction, you will probably be shunted aside if you complain directly.

If you are a staff person, you can stonewalled, ostracized or fired for your efforts.

If you are a member, you can become known as “a complainer.”

Churches, like every other institutation, can become very effective as marginalizing those who think the emperor has no clothes. And quite frankly, all some complainers know how to do is complain.

Change must be both confessional and strategic. 

“Confessional” meaning you have to create a way for people to admit the obvious rather than be impervious to it.  Rather than  complain, church leaders need to have a mechanism by which they can can admit what’s wrong without feeling under attack.

“Strategic” means you don’t swat at flies and gnats. “What wrong” is usually not just one or two gnats, but a systematic pattern of behaviors. Individual complaints and corrections can be skillfully dismissed.  Strategic change doesn’t just focus on one or two issues, but on the common thread between them (poor planning, apathy, conflict, etc.) Strategic change is a more fundamental shift in attitude and behavior.  And it’s a longer process.

Here are three suggestions for church members about what to do:

1.  Get on the the Personnel Committee
Regardless of whether or not the dysfunction is pastoral or congregational,  this is one of the most effective spots to seek change. You can suggest seminars. You can discuss staff goals.

2. Get on the Nominating Commitee
Change who the leaders are, rather than what the leaders do.

3. Get a Long Range Planning Process going
Almost by definition, this committee’s work is to LISTEN to the congregation in a variety of ways that give people the forum in which to speak up. 

Suggestions for church staff:

1. Get your leaders to READ together.  Bring in outside voices and experts Criticism from within is often minimized. By reading and researching, the criticism will seem less personal. And there’s a strange comfort in knowing it’s “not just you” …but a problem many churches are dealing with.

There are several good books out there about examining and changing congregations. Start at Bill Easum’s resource site:  http://21stcenturystrategiesinc.com/  Look in their book’s and articles section.

2. Attend Workshops together. Staff growth and church improvement workshops are out there!  Call up your local denominational office to inquire. Get on the mailing list of other denominations in your area. Invite leaders to go with you.

3. What’s sauce for the goose….  Begin your overhaul with your own ministry. Examine how YOU operate, treat others, deal with criticism, and have a plan for change (or don’t).  Over the next few weeks, invite some individuals to have lunch with you, telling them in advance you want them to come with some criticism, even if it’s not their own.

4. Quietly discuss problems with a member of the Personnel Committe whom you can trust. Suggest ways in which they can NUDGE staff members forward towards dealing with problems.

Almost every pastor and staff member I’ve met at SOME TIME IN THEIR PAST wanted to be an agent of change. Over the years, they may have developed bad habits and had their expectations beaten down. So I would encourage you to begin with the assumption that those acting like OBSTACLES and creating the DYSFUNCTION, –may also be your biggest ASSET …if you can rekindle that spark which made them want to lead in the church in the first place.

A last and probably unpopular thought…

I believe that many ordained pastors are ill-suited to the demands of the 21st Century church. They gravitated to the ministry because of their sense of spirituality, desire to study the word more deeply, perhaps their ability to lead youth groups, and their feeling that they had something to say from the pulpit. Few have people-management experience. Few feel called to evangelism or calling on visitors. Few have a people-leading charisma. etc etc. etc.

What we’re lacking in many congregations is the will and mechanism to say one of two things:
either, “Go learn how to lead us better,”  or “Time to Go.”

I have met many congregations, leaders and staff people who feel stuck with ministers who have led them into a corner. The skills and agenda that served the congregation in the first five years of their call, never adapted or changes for the next step. If the average church was a corporation, the Board of Directors would have hired a new CEO a long time ago. Indeed, many pastors overstay their welcome. 

I used to worship in a church where the congregation actually shrank over a ten year period …while the surrounding community it was in grew by leaps and bounds. Yet nobody ever questioned the pastor’s ability.

Going back to Easum’s quote, churches must MOTIVATE their pastors to deal with the obvious. One way to do that is clear goals, honest review and accountability for goals, and insistence on continuing education and skills development.

This would go a long way to cure some of the dysfunction that’s stunting vitality, and threatening mortality.