Today’s guest post was written by Mark Powell, Pastor of Communities at Canyon Ridge Christian Church and founder of SmallGroupResources.net. His consulting and coaching services focus on the health of small groups ministry. Are you currently wrestling with any of the strangleholds he presents below?

You know that “your ministry is perfectly designed to produce the results you are currently experiencing (Andy Stanley).”  You know the well-worn path never arrives at a new destination.  You even know Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity: “Doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results.”

You know all these things.  And at the same time…you’re hesitant to try a new strategy (or shut down an ineffective one).  Why? You probably need to break free of a stranglehold with a death grip on your ministry.

1. The pursuit of problem-free. This delays more ministry than any other stranglehold. Remember, there are no problem-free strategies, systems or solutions. 

2. Indecision about the best way. Obviously, this stranglehold is related to #1. Still, it is motivated differently. If you find yourself stuck even after choosing the set of problems you’d rather have, you are probably dealing with indecision about the best way.

3. Fear of failure. Perhaps your culture doesn’t allow courageous tries that sometimes miss the mark. I like to think that “Failure is the key to success; each mistake teaches us something.”  If you only try things that are guaranteed to succeed, you’ll never get far enough from the familiar to break new ground.

4. The lure of compromise. The scariest steps are often the first steps into a new idea. One of the biggest strangleholds is the last step before a new strategy takes flight. The most powerful aspects are often eliminated because it’s too easy to do what’s familiar.

Click here to read the full article.

Your partner in ministry,

Nelson

P.S. –  I have an opportunity for you to break free and embrace a few new strategies – my top 10 actually. I’ve been a long-time student (Okay, you can call it an obsession) of these kinds of ideas and strategies – and have spent hundreds of hours pouring through books, case studies and most importantly – field testing with my own ministries – to boil it all down to the 10 strategic concepts that will best help YOU and YOUR CHURCH. Pick up my new 10 Advanced Strategic Concepts resource for only $99 TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY, OCT. 17th! 

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.