Right now I have a network of blogs that look good, have good domain names, and could really become something. It’s doing pretty well, but I could probably invest more time in the network and see better results. If I worked on it full time, I definitely would. I see better-organized networks making lots of money, but they also spend lots of money, and thereby incurring the risk of unprofitability and massive loss. My attitude has been that if you go slow and grow sustainably, you’ll end up with a healthier organization and face a lower risk of burnout or crash-and-burn.
But this is hardly ever how successful companies form in America. You take out a loan, you suffer for a while under growing pains, and hopefully have a thriving business after a while. 80% of the time, this doesn’t work and the business fails, which often leaves you in debt. I’m still paying off debt from my hosting business that I tried to grow too quickly. I should have started out in consulting, which is very successful and sustainable, rather than try to build a business that would get too big for me.
Slow-Grow Organic vs. Doin’ It Big
Is there a place for organic, slow-grow organizations that don’t take on a lot of risk but still make progress and get things accomplished? Our church has always believed that there is. We’ve said that we’d rather find a different way to be a church than do an expensive church plant and risk massive failure.
The downside of this organic method is that, all too often, nothing happens. When something doesn’t have your full attention, when you don’t have anything really big at risk, when your survival does not depend on your organization’s success, you don’t try as hard. I’d like to think it doesn’t have to be that way, but I don’t think I can believe that any more. Sometimes you have to take real risks to get yourself invested in something. Or, you can join an organization that’s already become successful, with fewer rewards, but with a good deal less risk and more stability.
If you’re at that point where you must admit that your organization is barely limping along, what do you do? Do you go pro and start investing and spending, hoping that it will pay off? Do you throw in the towel, taking the better odds that you’ll fail over the slim odds that you’ll succeed? Or do you plod on, maintaining your faith in the organization’s potential for success if it is slowly nurtured over time? How do you ensure that you’re putting in enough to keep it alive?
These are important questions for our church, because ideology comes into play. My ecclesiology says smaller is better, organic is the way it should be, less money is more authentic. However, when you run up against the reality of not actually succeeding in plodding along, it gets discouraging. When our attendance takes a dip - even when we know it’s because people are out of town or at another planned event - it’s deeply discouraging. It makes me wonder if perhaps my faith would be nurtured more if I invested my time and effort with a church that’s clearly already successful by traditional measures.
What about those measures of success, though? What if our church is not really limping along, but is actually working as it should? What if this is the way things are supposed to be, with a few people sharing a meal in a living room, living life together?
There’s nothing wrong with that picture of church. I am reaching a point, though, where I’m ready for a more professionalized form of church. I don’t know if this is because I am personally becoming more specialized in my profession, or because I’ve had a number of experiences that reinforce for me the importance of expertise.
Expertise Matters
On Saturday, a wire under the driver’s seat in our car broke. This wire connected the seat-moving lever to the clamp that locks the seat in place; there’s also another clamp attached directly to the lever. With the wire broken, the clamp on the opposite side doesn’t get released, so you can’t move the seat.
I spent about an hour on Monday night fixing this. I tried picture wire, but it was too stretchy. I eventually gave up and just broke off the spring that holds the clamp in place. It was really a 5-minute job, but that kind of work is not my cup of tea. My father-in-law, who is a professional mechanic, could have done it in 30 seconds.
Another experience was touring a house with David and Lukas. They had a home inspector, which was a good thing because she found lots of problems with the house, many related to amateur construction or repair work. I told myself on that day that I’d never go beyond my capabilities again when working on my house. Paint? No problem. But no plumbing, electrical, carpentry, or masonry. No way. It’s worth every penny to hire an expert.
Right now, I’m feeling that I need an expert when it comes to spiritual formation through a church body. I feel like I’ve given what I can give, and I need some expert teaching from someone who has more training than I do.
Right now, I’m leaning toward visiting Quest on Sunday. I have a lot of respect for Eugene, who was one of the first church leaders we talked to about church planting when we moved here.
The Implications
I shared my desire to do something else on Sundays with the rest of our church last Sunday, and we decided that there was not enough momentum or desire to continue meeting on Sundays. Our Sunday gathering hasn’t been problematic, but it hasn’t been as fruitful as it could either. Some people will find other churches to attend on Sundays; others will not, and will find other ways to connect with God and each other.
We will continue holding our other events such as Film & Spirituality and our very exciting book clubs, which are currently focusing on How (Not) to Speak of God and C.S. Lewis. The book clubs have been a significant source of renewal and insight for me personally, and I’m wondering if this is because of the influx of outside ideas and expertise.
That’s big news, but it’s not an announcement that Seattle Metro Church has failed or is disbanding. Far from it. We discussed the fact that it’s not a bad thing for us to have to invite each other over for us to see one another weekly; if church has put us on autopilot as friends, perhaps it’s time to shake things up.
We will continue to look for ways to be there for each other, grow our faith, and make a difference in our world. Ideas appreciated.
