By: Rev. Dr. Paul Raybon
I am blessed to serve in a congregation that has developed healthy attitudes and perceptions over the last 50 years of our 200+ year history. Both pastors during those years*, in very different ways, reminded us that “we’re going to do the right thing, the Jesus thing.” Pastors and lay leaders consistently reminded us that the buildings and assets of the church were a gift to be shared, not a legacy to be preserved. Pastors and lay leaders led the congregation to stretch our comfort zones, sometimes methodically, sometimes by “just doing it”.
And you know what? We lost members. Sometimes groups left, sometimes individuals drifted away because they were not happy with the direction of the church. But our smaller congregation has the largest ministry footprint in our community of any church I know. We are more financially stable than we have been in years. We have benefited from large financial gifts, and highly skilled lay leaders, but demonstrating an ongoing commitment to serving the community generated those gifts and attracted those leaders. Doing the right thing was the best thing we could do.
Today the choice for churches is not between doing the right thing or self-preservation. It is between doing the right thing and self-destruction.
*Note that long pastorates play a role in the congregation’s ability to survive and thrive while making hard choices. (Another topic for another day).
These thoughts are from Rev. Dr. Paul Raybon, our partner in ministry in the Western Carolinas, who can help you and your ministry navigate congregational identity, mission, and effectiveness. He is Co-Pastor at Hominy Baptist Church near Asheville, NC and works with churches and leaders as a coach and consultant in communication, visioning, administration, and spiritual formation. Contact him for more information about how he can help you.