Making an Impact In 2021
As churches continue to regather in person, each one is, on one level or another, is asking the same question: "What are we going to do now?"
If you asked, I'm sure you'd find that most churches would like to make an impact on their communities, teach more people about Jesus, and find a way to grow a little bit. Where do we start?
So here are three conversations you can start with your church or elders that can lead to making an impact in 2021.
CONVERSATION STARTER #1 – TALK ABOUT MAKING REALISTIC GOALS
In his book Finish, one of my favourite authors, Jon Acuff, talks about the importance of making sure you don't overreach a goal too early. Research shows that setting a goal that's too big and not achieving it gets you disproportionally discouraged.
For example, let's say you set a running goal. You're not currently a runner, but you decide you're going to give yourself a month to run 2K straight without stopping, say you give yourself a month's work up to running 2K straight without stopping. What could happen is that you could get to 1.8K and feel discouraged because you didn't reach your goal. And feeling that way would be crazy because you went from not running to running 1.8K in a month, and that's a significant accomplishment. And even though someone is listening to this saying, "you know what, Mike, I'd feel proud," we both know somewhere in your heart there would be a little bit of disappointment.
So how do you set a realistic goal that you can get excited about?
Acuff's advice is both brilliant and straightforward – just cut your goals in half. Do you want to run a 2K? Cool, how about running 1K first. Do you want to write a book? Neat, maybe start by writing a blog or a journal. And for the church – do you want to reach your city or your community with the message of Jesus? Maybe try to reach one new family first – or 3 or 5. I once worked with a church that had a sports camp with a max capacity of 40 kids, but they had never drawn over 20. So our first year we didn't get a goal of 40, we set a goal of 25 - and when they got 35, not only were they thrilled with the result, it gave them the courage and confidence to do more next time because not only did they reach their goal, they crushed it.
And you see this happen in your life all the time. You ever see those thermometers they use in grocery stores when they're raising money for something? They go up in small increments so that people can see the progress as it happens. What you never see is just one check box that says "$5000" that just stares are you unchecked for weeks on end. That would be terrible; nobody would feel good about that. People and this includes you, need to see progress to feel encouraged – so make sure you set yourself up that way.
Have a conversation about goals with your team for the rest of the year, and then cut the goals in half. Do you want to have everyone in your church join a small group? Start by aiming for 40% or 25%, and then when you know you're going to get there celebrate it, and set a new goal.
It seems hokey, but honestly, it works. It will keep your team motivated and encouraged coming out of a season where discouragement was easy to find. Don't be your own worst enemy and set a goal that's too big.
And you know what else? It's Biblical! Go read the parable of the talents and remind yourself that when God gives you something small and your honour it, you'll eventually get something a little bigger.
CONVERSATION STARTER #2 – HOW TO BUILDING TRUST WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
I'm not sure if you've noticed, but confidence in the church among those who aren't Christians is pretty low, and that's not a trend that seems like it's going to change overnight. Whether it's because of politics or social issues – it's not too bold to say that the capital "C" church doesn't have a great rep in the eyes of your community right now.
And just to clarify, so that you know that I know. I'm not saying trust in Jesus is lower, although I'm sure by proxy it is. I'm saying that confidence in the church, the institution, is pretty low. If you need to sit on that thought for a minute to make sure you've got the difference worked out, I could encourage you to pause and make sure.
Barna did a lot of work last year in their series "The State of the Church 2020." In it, they released some stats about how those who aren't Christians are viewing the church right now, and the results aren't surprising. And I'm quoting directly from their website, which I've linked below:
"While practicing Christians firmly believe that Christian churches have a strong community impact (66% very positive, 28% somewhat positive), the rest of the U.S. population is not as quick to sing their praises.
Only about a quarter (27%) agrees that churches have a very positive impact—the same percentage (27%) who say it has no effect at all. The plurality of U.S. adults (38%) says it has just a somewhat positive impact.
Non-Christians, meanwhile, are inclined toward indifference (39% no impact) or more willing to see harm in churches' local contributions (8% very negative, 10% somewhat negative)."
And if you're in Canada, you know that it's likely that these statistics are higher, as it seems we're always about 10-15 years ahead of the post-Christian curve than our siblings to the south.
So what does all the mean for your team?
Your staff and elders could discuss how your church can become a trusted part of your community.
Now, please hear me right. I'm not saying that you shouldn't pray for big changes in your neighbourhood, city, and country. I'm just saying that you're not going to get there all in one day. And when it comes to building trust, you already know that trust isn't immediately given but earned over time. One pastor that I like a lot says, "do for one, what you wish you could do for everyone," and when it comes to building relationships and trust in your community, that's a pretty good place to start.
Don't worry about rebuilding the trust of the national church, or your whole denomination, or your whole city even right away. Take the time to build the trust of your neighbourhood first.
To start this conversation, you can ask your staff or elders these questions:
What areas do we think we need to build trust in?
How can we make a small impact in the next five months?
Have an honest conversation about how you think your neighbourhood is viewing you as a part of the church, and then commit to a method that helps move the needle, even if it's only a little bit.
3) SPEAK OUT ON ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE SPOKEN OUT ON
Of the three, this one will feel like it's the hardest, even though it should be the one that's maybe the most important.
If your church wants to make an impact, an excellent place to start would be to make sure that it's not sitting on its hands when tough conversations need to be had. And there are a lot of tough conversations that need to be had.
Systemic Racism. Mass Indigenous Gravesites. Reconciliation with those of other faiths. Getting clean drinking water to parts of the country lacking it. Having tough conversations about gender issues now and in the past. Homelessness. Drug Addictions. There are plenty of areas the church could take a stand, help those in need and build trust in the community at the same time.
And I know these are hard because there are people who, for one reason or another, will feel that sitting back, saying, "boy, it's unfortunate that's happening," and hoping someone else will deal with the messiness should be your response too. But that's not what the church is called to do. Jesus regularly stood up for those who were the least. He regularly ate and drank with those who weren't perfect and continually called out moments that he felt weren't fair to people that reminded us they were the children of God.
I'm not saying that your church should attack all seven of those things with all its resources. I understand that with limited time and resources, you're not going to make a huge impact everywhere at the same time. But you can choose one area to work on. You could choose one area to make an impact.
So with your team, consider setting aside some time to have a conversation that starts with these three questions
What are the things happening in our community/country that we've been silent on so far?
How can we support those in our community who need it most?
Which of these causes do we have the resources to support right away?
It will be a big conversation, and it will require a lot of trust in the room where it's being had, but if you really want to make an impact in your community in 2021, then it's time to start looking around at the world you're living in and finding some ways to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those who need it the most – regardless of how messy it is.