Why Churches Fail*
Okay, yeah, there are a million reasons why churches fail, I know. I can't get to the heart of all of them, but the other day Seth Godin posted another blogpost about artists (his lynchpin term) - this time the difference between talent and vendors and it struck me that a good bit of this applies to churches. Yeah, probably not a one-to-one correlation, but here's the heart of what struck me:
How many churches "happily sit in the anonymous" corner of x and y street "waiting for the buyer to show up and dicker with them." Or seeker, as the case may be, willingly filling out paperwork, "spend hours discussing terms and conditions." Yeah, that sounds like some churches I've been involved with. And it was really the last line in that paragraph that got me thinking: could the church be "agnostic about what's being sold,... focused on volume, or at least on consistency"?
What I mean by agnostic here is not that churches don't care what the stand for, don't get me wrong - they stand for Christ, I get that. But agnostic about HOW they stand for Christ and HOW they speak into people's lives. It's how we do it, like it or leave it. It was good enough for Martin Luther, it should still work today... As if things aren't any different today than they were 500 years ago - or 50 years ago - or even 5 years ago...
And then there's the endless debates about "being right" and all that - or, just as bad, the endless focus just on numbers (which our denomination is quickly sliding toward).
Godin's contrast here is the "talent" - the artist - the person (or, in my mind, the church) who thinks differently. Numbers may still matter, but aren't the driver. Quality, relationship, authenticity, honesty to the Gospel - those might be more accurate drivers for the "talent" who doesn't worry so much if the pews aren't full, but worries a lot when the people who are supposed to be there aren't there two weeks in a row, maybe.
What does the "talent" church do differently than the "vendor" church? Am I way off base here?
* Yeah, reason #347 out of 5,872 I know, but it's still A reason...
...if you treat an artist like a vendor, you'll often get mediocre results in return. On the other hand, if you treat a vendor like an artist, you'll waste time and money.
Vendors happily sit in the anonymous cubes at Walmart's headquarters, waiting for the buyer to show up and dicker with them. They willingly fill out the paperwork and spend hours discussing terms and conditions. The vendor is agnostic about what's being sold, and is focused on volume, or at least consistency.
While the talent is also getting paid (to be in your movie, to do consulting, to coach you), she is not a vendor. She's not playing by the same rules and is not motivated in the same way.
How many churches "happily sit in the anonymous" corner of x and y street "waiting for the buyer to show up and dicker with them." Or seeker, as the case may be, willingly filling out paperwork, "spend hours discussing terms and conditions." Yeah, that sounds like some churches I've been involved with. And it was really the last line in that paragraph that got me thinking: could the church be "agnostic about what's being sold,... focused on volume, or at least on consistency"?
What I mean by agnostic here is not that churches don't care what the stand for, don't get me wrong - they stand for Christ, I get that. But agnostic about HOW they stand for Christ and HOW they speak into people's lives. It's how we do it, like it or leave it. It was good enough for Martin Luther, it should still work today... As if things aren't any different today than they were 500 years ago - or 50 years ago - or even 5 years ago...
And then there's the endless debates about "being right" and all that - or, just as bad, the endless focus just on numbers (which our denomination is quickly sliding toward).
Godin's contrast here is the "talent" - the artist - the person (or, in my mind, the church) who thinks differently. Numbers may still matter, but aren't the driver. Quality, relationship, authenticity, honesty to the Gospel - those might be more accurate drivers for the "talent" who doesn't worry so much if the pews aren't full, but worries a lot when the people who are supposed to be there aren't there two weeks in a row, maybe.
What does the "talent" church do differently than the "vendor" church? Am I way off base here?
* Yeah, reason #347 out of 5,872 I know, but it's still A reason...
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