How to Learn to Play the Guitar
. . . or acquire any new skill
There is a trick to learning to play the guitar.
Never put the guitar away.
The hurdle of getting a musical instrument out of the closet and out of its case every day is an obstacle to the much-needed practice.
This applies to other skills, too. If you put away the brushes, the next painting may never happen.
Our attics and basements tend to filled with things we carefully stored, never to be used again.
The temptation in church work is to put aside small church communities, while we wait for things to improve on their own.
Leaders neglect them. They tell us there is a plan. They are waiting for more people to show up—for donors to appear (or die) — for the right pastor with the right chemistry.
This is the ministry philosophy of many denominational leaders. They wait for ideal conditions for ministry—conditions they think they can control.
They want to avoid conflict, so they avoid ministry altogether.
They want pastors to be happy and fulfilled. They don’t want them to experience the angst that is best friends with creativity.
Creativity is necessary for transformational change. Transformational change will make everyone unhappy at least a little and for a little while. So let’s keep the small church on ice.
Ministry dies while church leaders wait.
How is this approach working?