Handling the Stalled & Dissatisfied in your Church

Hi All,

Willowcreek released their third book in their church analytics series:
Reveal, Follow Me, and now, Focus.

These books are based on an in-depth study they have made of what truly helps people to grow spiritually. Many have equated these along the lines of the "Natural Church Development" series of tests which many churches have taken. The focus is a bit different however. The NCD test focuses on the 8 growth factors for numeric church growth. It's focus is on the 'minimum factors' which must be dealt with or continued numeric growth ceases to happen.

The REVEAL studies on the other hand, are more focused on the individual and what it takes to help them grow spiritually.

Just a quick reminder of the four stages of spiritual growth identified by the Willowcreek study:
1st stage, Exploring
2nd stage, Growing
3rd stage, Close to Christ
4th, Christ-Centered

Two particular problem groups were identified within this growth process: the 'Stalled' and the 'Dissatisfied'.

I want to focus on one part of this which I feel hasn't received enough attention, and that is the reference to people who are classified as "Stalled" and "Dissatisfied" within your congregation. Every church has them and if you do not find a way to minister to their particular spiritual needs, a couple of negative consequences may ensue: First, they may leave your church; especially if they are in the "dissatisfied" category of the spiritual doldrums. Second negative consequence is that they may simply go through the motions but make no further spiritual progress or participation in your congregation. If they are in the "stalled" category and you have done nothing as a church to move them, they might keep coming for the sake of their children or spouse, but as far as their own spiritual life is concerned, they are pretty much done.

You don't want either one of these things to happen to you people, so what can you do?

Here is where the power of coaching comes into play once again. A coach can come alongside someone and help them to listen to God's Holy Spirit guide them out of the spiritual morass they have encountered. Like the Holy Spirit, who is the Counselor, a human coach can help a Christian to listen to their heart and make good decisions concerning the next step in their spiritual growth.

A 'coach' is not a 'teller', but an 'asker'. Unlike an athletic coach, a Christian life coach does not 'tell'; s/he asks powerful questions to help reveal to the person being coached what they are thinking or feeling.

So how does this relate to those who are in the Stalled or Dissatisfied spiritual state?

STALLED - Let's note that those who are Stalled, are stalled in their spiritual growth. Somehow, the particular offerings of the church they are attending has not grabbed them and touched their soul in a way to keep them walking with Jesus. What can be done? Most churches, because they do not practice coaching on a large scale, are not going to catch this. Their church is designed for dealing with hundreds of people at once, and the occasional (or not so occasional) person(s) who don't fit the mold are likely to "fall between the cracks" of their programming. But coaching takes this programming and individualizes the church's care for the flock. By providing the ministry of Christian life coaching, a church can reach out to those who feel stalled in their Christian life, and can offer them some help in the form of guided questions, and loving accountability, and basically, somebody who cares.

DISSATISFIED - those who are in this category still have a growing relationship with Jesus, but they are dissatisfied with some aspects of their church life. What can be done? A Coach can come alongside them and help them find their place in the local church in a spot which is satisfying to their soul, because it matches what they are feeling, and where they need help. The Coach can help them to identify the problem, and locate the actions steps necessary to find a solution. Remember that these people are growing spiritually; they are just dissatisfied with the church experience. A coach can help them to take a pro-active stance at their church life involvement.

Willowcreek has identified the problems that can occur, and I believe that Coaching provides a good solution for many people in these situations.

If you are a Coach, or want to learn more about Coaching, the HighPowerResources.com website has a number of Coaching Resources and information.

God's best to you,

Dr. Bill

Why I Love the Summit

Hi All,

I'm at the Leadeship Summit this week.

This is such a great conference I never miss it. I hope you attend it too.
Here's why:

1. It stretches my brain.
Every single year I am challenged to think in new ways. If I did not attend the Leadership Summit, I would be the weaker for it. The Summit, because it brings people from all over the world who look at the world in new ways and share their way of thinking with me help me to grow. I see the world in a new way because I see through their eyes. How would I ever see the world the way Andrew Rugasira of Uganda does? It is one thing to discover Kiva.org on the web, but it is something completely different to hear from Jessica Jackley, co-founder of Kiva. When she shares her story, I get t; I hear her heart; I understand it and I get involved. Before her message was over, I had already loaned money to two different third world entrepreneurs: a baker in the Phillipines and a group of women starting a vegetable stand in the Dominican Republic.

My worldview is expanded because of the Summit.

2. It expands my heart.
I learn to love others who are different from me. It could be a Korean American pastor in California; a black pastor in Detroit; etc. The Summit allows me to get into the heart of others. When I hear Wess Stafford tell his story, my heart is broken and I must go to Jesus for healing.

3. It reshapes my soul.
I hear pastors teaching from the Word of God in fantastic ways. Tim Keller's message on the Prodigal Son was fantastic. It was such a spiritually challenging message that God spoke to my heart in a powerful way. Wow! Great stuff for my soul.
There are lots of great Bible teachers out there and the Summit gives me a chance to grow closer to God.
The Willowcreek Leadership Summit is an awesome training and growth experience. It touches my heart, mind and soul in powerful ways.

If you have never attended, I would encourage you. And I'll see you there!

(Apologies if the text sizing is kind of wonky on this post. I'm posting it from my iPhone and not all of Google' s text controls are available.)

For Christ,

Dr. Bill

Simple Church & REVEAL

Willowcreek has just released an awesome new book which "reveals" some important discoveries they have made about how people grow spiritually, and what is the role of the church in helping them to grow. It is going to be blockbuster dynamite which will alter the way churches do ministry for years to come. They just released it, and talked about it at the Leadership Summit this year. You need to read it. It is available directly from Willowcreek.

But one of the interesting aspects of this book is how closely it is tied in to "Simple Church" by Eric Geiger and Thom Rainer. In the most recent edition of the "Willow" magazine, from Summer of 2007 there is a quotation by Greg Hawkins, the Executive Pastor of Willowcreek. Here is what he says,
"We had a long-standing belief that the more involved with church activities people were, the more they'd be growing spiritually. We found that wasn't the case."

Where have you heard that before? That was totally the thesis of "Simple Church", (which you can buy from the books section of HighPowerResources.com). So the "Simple Church" message is being spread and gaining major credibility with the likes of Willowcreek coming on board.

So take a look at their new book "Reveal"; it will rock your world!

For Christ and His Church,
Dr. Bill