Price vs. Cost in the Church

Price vs. cost

Price is a simple number. How much money do I need to hand you to get this thing?

Cost is more relevant, more real and more complicated.

Cost is what I had to give up to get this. Cost is how much to feed it, take care of it, maintain it and troubleshoot it. Cost is my lack of focus and my cost of storage. Cost is the externalities, the effluent, the side effects.

Just about every time, cost matters more than price, and shopping for price is a trap

– Seth Godin

This is an important word for churches, too. Sometimes, as we make decisions in the church, we consider the price but do not adequately consider the cost.

In my experience, the concern for price over cost is most dangerous when congregations need outside help, like mediation, to restore health to the congregation. Many congregations have said no to mediation because of price without fully considering the long-term cost of unhealth. Congregations have closed their doors because the cost of congregational unhealth was much greater than the price of mediation.

This is also true for persons. The concern for price over cost is damaging in circumstances where a person or couple need counseling to restore health. Yes, counselors cost money. But there is a greater cost to unhealth that goes unchecked or unaddressed.

If you are a leader in the church, part of your work is helping those around you consider all the costs involved in doing particular things or not doing other things. Price is in the mix, to be sure. But it isn’t the only factor. Sometimes the cost of inaction is much greater than the price of action.

If you are a leader in the church, part of your work is also practicing this in your life. Are there areas of your life or leadership that need to be addressed? What is the price of addressing them?  What is the cost of not addressing them?

If you are not dealing with your stuff, it will be very hard for you to help other people deal with their stuff.

There is a cost beyond price.

 

Warren Searles Completes the Journey Program!

Warren Searles, of Willow Springs Mennonite Church in Tiskilwa, IL has become the latest Illinois Mennonite Conference participate to complete the Journey program through Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS)!

Journey is a three-year program for persons who wish to deepen their foundation for leadership in the local church. The work is done through two, annual, weekend learning events, online study, and regular meetings with a pastoral mentor.  Warren’s mentor was pastor Cal Zehr of Willow Springs.

The Journey program helps students develop strengths in six areas:

  • Spiritual disciplines, focusing on prayer and nurture of the inner spirit.
  • Theological and biblical studies, developing familiarity with Anabaptist theology and approaches to Bible study.
  • Character development, exploring qualities such as courage, consistency, love and self-discipline.
  • Mentoring and community, providing strong mentors and discerning what it means to live in Christian community.
  • Gift development, challenging students to develop their own spiritual gifts and to nurture the gifts of congregational members
  • Leadership skills, strengthening preaching, worship leading, conflict transformation, time management and other ministry skills.

During the three years of study, students cover five units on the following topics.

  • Unit 1: The Mission of God and the Witness of the Church
  • Unit 2: The Biblical Story
  • Unit 3: Anabaptism: Foundations and Future — A Way of Being Church
  • Unit 4: The Ministry of Reconciliation: Leadership for Communal Formation, Process and Witness
  • Unit 5: Announcement and Celebration: Proclamation and Worship that Participate in the Mission of God

Everyone in IMC is proud of Warren’s work and look forward to the fruit that it bears in ministry through Willow Springs!

If you are interested in Journey: A Missional Leadership Development Program, click here.

Mission Sunday is November 12, 2017!

Karla Minter, Church Relations Director for Mennonite Mission Network, offers the following resources for Mission Sunday:

Mission Sunday is coming up on Nov. 12, 2017. Here are a few ideas to celebrate! 
At Mennonite Mission Network we celebrate mission all year long. Let me know if I can help you plan for a mission Sunday or festival anytime of the year.

 For worship materials like sermon starters, songs, reflective readings, etc., visitour resource page.  

 Mennonite Mission Network staff are also available to join your congregation in worship to preach, teach, sing, and share stories of God at work around the world. To inquire, please e-mailSpeakers@MennoniteMission.net.

 

Please email Karla for more information.

It is your turn!

Church revitalization begins with telling a different story. But that’s not all.

It also requires you (and every you in the church).

It requires you because…

1.) It’s your turn! It’s your turn to engage in risky love, to extend radical hospitality, to proclaim the gospel with words and actions, to do what Jesus said, to clothe and feed and give a drink to the naked, hungry, and thirsty. You are not on the bench or even on deck. You’re up to bat. You’re on stage and they are about to open the curtain. The concert started and it’s time for your solo.

2.) There is no one else!  No one else can step into the opportunities that you have. Other’s can’t love the people in your life on your behalf. They can’t extend hospitality to the neighbor or stranger at your door. They can’t proclaim the gospel with your voice and life. They can’t do what Jesus taught for you. They cannot provide clothes, food, and water for those in need around you on your behalf. Your opportunities are uniquely yours.

3.) You are more than enough! Jesus prepared you to do this. The Spirit is working ahead of you. The Spirit is empowering you. The Spirit gives you every gift needed to do the good works God has in store for you. You are ready for such a time as this.

Are you responsible?

Are you able-to-respond to the opportunity that is yours? Will you take the opportunity to participate fully in what God is doing, in and through Jesus, by the Spirit, for the world?

It is not easy. It is not always fun. There are no guarantees.

Yet, Jesus points us to a kingdom that is worth the risk. 

Church revitalization happens when people in the church take responsibility for the mission that is uniquely theirs.

There are no short cuts. There are no workarounds or hacks. There is only the work of being present and responsible for the opportunities before you. A vital church is a collection of people, doing the daily work of living into their calling, as they follow Jesus together.

Tell a different story

If you want to revitalize your church, start by telling a better story!

The stories we tell to ourselves about ourselves are powerful. These stories do more than describe reality, they help create reality.

Church A and Church B

Church A has sixty regular attendees and an annual budget of $175,000. Ten years ago, this church had 200 regular attendees and double the annual budget. The story they tell themselves about themselves is that they are dying. That is a reasonable story because, by all appearances, they are.

Church B has sixty regular attendees and an annual budget of $175,000. Ten years ago, they were a dream in the mind of a seminary student and a few of his friends. One year ago, that same student, now graduated, planted a church with five others. The story they tell themselves about themselves is that they are growing. That is a reasonable story because, by all appearances, they are.

Both churches have the same number of people and the same budget. Which church is more likely to produce health and growth going forward?

I’d bet on Church B every time.

Why? Church B tells a better story to themselves about themselves. That makes all the difference in the world.

What if Church A told a better story?

I believe that the starting point to revitalizing your congregation is telling a better story to yourself about yourself. That story contains some key plot elements.

  1. God is for you, not against you!
  2. God is with you, not absent!
  3. God has given you all you need to be what God has called and created you to be!
  4. God is always and forever drawing people into relationship.
  5. Those people need to hear the gospel – perhaps from you.
  6. God is always and forever leading his new people into relationship with his existing people.
  7. As his existing people, you can welcome his new people into the church.

The Potential in Revitalization

Many people have given up on churches like Church A. They conclude that the momentum is going the wrong direction. They throw their energy and resources towards church planting.

Don’t get me wrong, I love church plants. There is a place for church planting. As an Anabaptist, I’m all for planting new Anabaptist churches where none currently exist.

However, I do not see church planting as an alternative to revitalization. The reality is, there are already resources – both people and financial – in existing congregations that simply need to tell themselves a better story about themselves.

What would happen if Church A started telling themselves the same story about themselves that Church B was telling? Do you think it would make a difference?

I do.

I believe that a core group of persons in a declining congregation can actually tell, and believe, a better story that can lead to growth. I believe that Church A can begin to think of themselves as a new work! I believe that when they do so, the past loses its grip on the present and new life can emerge?

It takes courage. It takes leadership. It takes perseverance. It can be done.

I believe that because I trust that God is at work in the world and invites us to participate in the world God is making. 

2017 Women’s Retreat at Menno Haven Camp & Retreat Center

Close to 50 women from across Illinois gathered at Menno Haven on May 5-7 for the 2nd annual Women’s Retreat, sponsored by Illinois Mennonite conference and Illinois Mennonite Women.

Surrounded by the springtime beauty of God’s creation, Asia Frye from Hillsboro, Kansas, spoke on the topic  “Made in the Image of God”. Three sessions, entitled Explore, Embrace, and Encourage, focused on the attributes of God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ. Asia encouraged the group to look for similarities between the Trinity and humanity in general, and then to women, specifically.

Small groups discussed their ideas together, and Asia offered further clarification and reflection. Janice Yoder, with others from First Mennonite Church in Morton, led the worship team, along with Kim Litwiller, from East Peoria Mennonite Church.

Women were offered a variety of activities in which to participate between sessions, such as knotting a comforter, taking a prayer walk, relaxing, and coloring. Asia finished her input on Saturday afternoon, but women were able to remain through Sunday morning to enjoy some additional time for relaxation and fellowship.

Transforming Church Conflict

Conflict is a normal part of life, even in the church. This can help church members realize there is no need for surprise or shame when it happens in their church. The important thing is how conflict is handled. The Conflict Transformation Skills for Churches workshop teaches basic skills that will help participants handle church conflict in a healthy way.

Conference Executive Minister, Michael Danner, says, “I recommend this training for all pastors, church leaders, and church members. Church conflict is a matter of when not if. Be prepared to engage in conflict in a healthy way.”

Full details are in the IMC events section below.

Click here for full brochure

“The habits we groove…”

Today on Seth’s blog, he made a point that is useful for congregations.  He wrote:

Who are we seeking to become?

We get what we invest in. The time we spend comes back, with interest.

If you practice five minutes of new, difficult banjo music every day, you’ll become a better banjo player. If you spend a little bit more time each day whining or feeling ashamed, that behavior will become part of you. The words you type, the people you hang with, the media you consume…

The difference between who you are now and who you were five years ago is largely due to how you’ve spent your time along the way.

The habits we groove become who we are, one minute at a time. A small thing, repeated, is not a small thing.

[And the same thing is true for brands, organizations and movements.]

If you look at your congregation and scratch your head, asking “How did we get here?” There is an answer. The answer is found in how you have spent your time back there. It’s pretty predictable, really.

It’s predictable, really. Jesus said that we reap what we sow. But it’s not just the big things, it’s the myriad little things over time.

What habits are you grooving as a congregation? How did you spend your time over the last five years to get you to the point you are today? What new grooves do you need to create today to get where you want to be five years from now?

If you’re curious about creating missional grooves, check out this approach from Michael Frost.

Click here to see Surprise the World: The Five Habits of Highly Missional People