4 Damaging Decisions Churches Make

In any organization, including churches, there are explicit values (those that are articulated) and implicit values (those that inform the actions and ambitions of an organization that few people name.)  The problem I encounter often, especially in churches, is that the explicit values don't match the implicit values.  Explicit values can be honorable and noble, however, if they are only values in name, and less noble values drive the organization, explicit values are worthless.

Values may be implicit, however, we are prone to make decisions that reveal these values in key ways.  Implicit values are revealed in structuring, budgetary concerns, human resourcing, agendas, and systems of reward.  Below I've listed 4 decisions churches make that reveal the implicit values behind their operations.

Statistics over Stories:  In a bottom line culture, numbers drive the agenda for most organizations.  Numbers are metrics through which the health and vitality of an organization is measured.  There is nothing inherently evil about numbers and statistics.  Quantifiable results can be helpful in a number of ways.  Unfortunately, when statistics are enmeshed in a system of reward, statistics become the primary target churches aim toward.  For instance... "How many got saved this year?"  (This question is asked to evaluate the effectiveness of a church and the esteem that should be afforded the leader)  Enter number X.  Now ask the question, "What are their names?"  Enter Blank Stare.  There's even an anger present in such moments.  "Why does that matter?"  This is a result of statistical pressure.  The church should value people as names and stories before being numbered and categorized.

Production over Preparation:  Last week I had the pleasure of walking through a large manufacturing plant.  I was amazed at the strategic exactness that goes into every minute detail present in the process from beginning to end.  Efficiency is key in an operation as large as the one I witnessed.  Output is essential to the economic strength of the company.  In a setting like that, conveyor belt production is absolutely necessary.  When did the church start thinking it could replicate that process?  We are so consumed with the production of vital statistics mentioned above, that we will look for those with an eye for efficiency, a knack for charisma, and need to succeed and drop them into process and then (due to the implicit values) pressure them to produce.  However, we failed to ask the question as to whether or not this person has been properly prepared for the role they are assuming.  Preparation, mentorship, and patience are key in the health of churches that seek to train up followers of Jesus instead of mass-producing statistical results.    

Vanity over Vulnerability:  We have succumbed to the cult of personality that drives our culture.  We are enamored with big names, best-selling authors, leadership moguls, and those that have the appearance of having it all together.  Leaders often feel implicit pressure to compete with others in their line of work.  Church leaders work to preserve image even in the face of trying and sometimes suffocating situations.  Admitting need is akin to weakness or letting down those that have entrusted you with the task of preparation.  Admitting need might negatively impact the possibility for future advancement.  This implicit value contributes to the collapse of too many ministries.  What is required is a culture of vulnerability that makes possible sustaining relationships of accountability, encouragement, and mutual support. 

Organizational Structure over Organic Life:  This one is tough for me.  I love organizational structures.  I love schematics.  I appreciate flow charts.  I love long range planning meetings.  Please hear me...THERE IS  PLACE FOR ALL OF THIS IN THE CHURCH!  However, when this becomes an implicit value over people, the structuring forgets the primary mission of the church is people.  Organizational structuring mustn't be so sterile and "pick-n-plug" that it negates that real life people with real life struggles and issues make up the organization.  Too many church leaders are frustrated by the inability of their volunteers to yield the expected results, especially since they developed a "can't fail" organizational structure.  This frustration is often the result of blaming the inefficiency of volunteers to produce the metrics by which the church leader will be approved.  The church is not primarily an organization.  It is an organism, a living breathing entity made of living parts.  There is an ebb and flow to life in an organism.  There are seasons that organisms weather.  Sometimes parts of the organisms get sick and need to nurtured back to health.  Organic life takes into account the peculiarity of living beings who don't always do what is expected.

Right now, we want to say...we don't do that.  We don't value those things.  You might be right.  However, if you consistently yield unintended consequences, it may be time to evaluate whether or not there are implicit values driving the organization.