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October 2008
Losing a Sense of Spiritual Journey
Measurements
Sam's Itinerary
October 6-14
Asia
October 19
First Assembly
Normal, Illinois
October 21
Nebraska District Assemblies of God
Grand Island, Nebraska
October 24-26
New Life Community Church
Brampton, Ontario
Contact Us
Sam Farina
14553 Greenpoint Lane
Huntersville, NC 28078
Office: 919.696.0184
Fax: 800.588.1085
Email:
sfarina@samfarina.com
Website:
www.samfarina.com
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Losing a Sense of Spiritual
Journey
Congregational redevelopment is a process by which congregations facing
significant challenges seek to engage in a new or renewed spiritual strategic
journey leading to congregational transformation. Congregations in need of
redevelopment are ones that realize there is a growing gap between the reality
of their life and ministry, and their full Kingdom potential as a congregation.
Once this gap was smaller because the congregation was thriving but now the gap
is widening because the congregation has lost its sense of spiritual strategic
journey. It is wandering in a wilderness of chaos without the order that being
in the midst of God’s will can bring to them as a faith-based community.
Five causes of congregations losing their sense of spiritual journey are as
follows. First, congregations face the challenge of demographic changes in
membership. Congregations may be growing older in terms of the average age of
the average person in attendance. This is particularly a challenge when more
than 25 percent of the people in attendance are 60 years of age or older.
Second, congregations face the challenge of diversifying ethnically, racially,
socio-economically, or in lifestyle, and yet may still be trying to do worship,
learning, fellowship, and service by old patterns that fit a former demographic
majority. Third, congregations may have passed their years of prime and find
themselves passive in spirit and declining in numbers. As an organic, holistic
body they are aging. They have lost a sense of visionary direction that
formerly fueled their forward progress. Tried and true programs are no longer
successful.
Fourth, congregations
face demographic changes and transitions in their community or context.
Changing racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, lifestyle and population density
changed and transitions in their community or context may impact their
congregation. Fifth, congregations are confronted by shifts from a modern to a
postmodern mindset or worldview, as younger, emerging generations will approach
congregational life with a different set of expectations, worship and learning
style preferences, and approaches to discipleship and service. Whatever the
reason, the quality and quantity of congregational life may not be what it once
was, and the congregation sees that as a challenge to address with proactive,
positive action. Less than 25 percent of all congregations successfully
redevelop once they are more than 25 to 30 years old. So, why seek to redevelop?
Because, up to 50 percent of all congregations redevelop who intentionally seek
to make significant changes and do so with accountability to partner
congregations or to an outside third party.
Measurements
Are you measuring results that only satisfy management's command-and-control
paranoia for "snoopervision" or they're only designed to serve accounting
purposes or other support departments?
Are you missing your customer-partner with the results you’re measuring?
High performing organizations measure from the outside in, along the
customer-partner chain. They begin by measuring what's important to customers
and pinpointing the performance gaps.
Are you measuring the needs of your partners who are serving your customers?
Are you relying to heavily on financial measurements? They're clearly an
important vital sign of the organization's health. But the bottom line is
history. It shows today's consequences of yesterday's management decisions.
However, these lagging indicators can be very unreliable predictors of how
today's decisions will affect tomorrow's results. Results are the outcome: They
can't be managed any more than we can turn back time. We can't manage results,
we can only manage the causes of those results. Organization improvement starts
by identifying and measuring the vital areas that have the biggest impact on
results. If we’re driving through the rear-view mirror of bottom line results,
we won't see the swamp until we’re sinking in it.
Are you measuring the who of your organization rather then the what when things
go wrong?
85 - 90 percent of errors and mistakes originate in the organization's
structure, system, or process, all too many leaders still look for who, rather
than what, went wrong.
Measurements should never be used in isolation. Effective measures provide vital
links between Focus and Context (vision, values, and purpose), strategy,
improvement, and higher performance.
Weighing myself ten times a day won't reduce my weight. No matter how
sophisticated our measurements are, they're only indicators. What the indicators
say, are much less important than what's being done with the information.
Measurements that don't lead to meaningful action aren't just useless; they are
wasteful. Measurement is an essential and very important tool for transforming
and improving organization effectiveness. Choosing the right tool is the first
step. How skillfully the tool is used determines its ultimate effectiveness.
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