Did you ever have one of those days where you didn't feel like blogging? Today's one of those days. Yesterday was one of those days at church where I looked around and a lot of folks were out and I wondered, "how are we going to gain momentum if we can't seem to get past certain growth barriers?" Then this morning I got a call from a friend of mine that said their attendance and offering tanked yesterday. I'm not sure what it was, but I quickly remembered something Chris Elrod posted a couple of weeks ago... I told him I was printing it out and reading it every Monday... today was one of those days I needed to hear it. Here's what he said:
Most of the times pastors write about how pumped up they are about Sunday and how this week’s service was the best ever. While Compass Point has been having some really great services recently and every week there is a new attendance records…this week was not one of them. We dealt with a BUNCH of technical problems today (mainly sound…which is always a problem in a gymnasium) and attendance was pretty ugly. To top it off I wasn’t really “on” today…the sermon was pretty weak in my opinion. In essence it wasn’t one of our better Sundays at Compass Point.
Not too long ago a day like today would have Denise hiding the sharp objects around the house. These days I don’t sweat it too much when we have less than great days…because days like today are not all that common any more. Most Sundays are good…some great…a few fair…rarely are they bad…today was fair. It’s not that it doesn’t still bother me…it does…it just doesn’t drive me insane like it use to. I’ve come to realize some things going into my fourth year of this thing called church planting:
1. I know my church and my town. Compass Point and Lakeland is not like anywhere else in the world. I was reading some other pastor’s blog this week and they were excited because Mother’s Day is a big day for them…not Compass Point. Traditionally Mother’s Day has been a low attendance Sunday…mainly because people in Lakeland head out-of-town for Mother’s Day. Attendance will be back up next week…I can say that because I know the community, the church…and we keep pretty good records.
2. It’s a marathon not a sprint. Church planting is not a sprint…quick out of the gate and quick to the finish line. It’s a marathon where you have to pace yourself and take in every separate stage of the race. This week didn’t go so hot…last week did…next week is coming…and it will be better. When a bad service occurs…sleep on it…meet about it…rattle somebody’s cage when needed…compliment when needed…be realistic with your assessment…and try to do better next week.
3. It’s never as bad as you think it is. I learned back in my comedy days that my perception…is not what other people necessarily see. There have been some pretty bad days at Compass Point…and pretty bad sermons…and folks will still send emails saying how great the service was. I guess what I’m saying is that I’m my own worst critic…while I know where we dropped the ball…and want to make we don’t drop it again…the folks sitting in the seats don’t always pick up on it.
4. We don’t need to hit a home run each time at bat. There are a BUNCH of perfect churches with perfect “Ken and Barbie” pastors here in Lakeland. One of the things that actually draws people to Compass Point…is the imperfection. Other church pastors I know would freak out over the imperfections we let slide. We know our people…we know Lakeland…we know what disconnected people in this community are drawn to. It’s not perfection…high tech…or excellence. While it is never an excuse for mediocrity…some days our “dropped balls” reach more people for Christ…than the days when everything goes according to plan.
5. Safety only comes in never taking risks. Some of what we dropped the ball on today was experimental stuff. We experimented with our projector and speaker placement…it didn’t really go over well. We also used a lot of video today…something we don’t normally do…it went over pretty good. I tried to color outside the lines a little with my sermon…it felt unprepared and too off-the-cuff. However, we learned a TON today…and it is helping us take the next steps in our journey. Basically some of what happened today was because we took some risks. The day we stop dropping the ball on Sunday is the day we stop taking risks. The day we stop taking risks is the day…I quit and sell insurance.
In conclusion…if you had a bad day at church today…go home…take a nap…enjoy your family…and let it go. Fix what you can fix…ignore what you can’t…and take comfort in knowing next week you get another shot at it!!!
I needed that this morning... to be reminded that Journey Church in Auburn, Alabama is not like ANY OTHER CHURCH IN THE WORLD...but I'm so blessed to be the pastor of some really great people, and some really broken and messed up people.
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