Stuck! Now what?

We've made so many transitions at New Hope over the last few years. From buttoned up to dressed down, from hierarchy to congregational leadership, from southern traditional (Southern gospel with revivalist hymns) to more contemporary and updated hymns, from older and less men to younger and more men. And over the years, once those settled in we have seen periods of real growth and then the tide ebbs and we recede for a season.

Every time I think we may just get over the hump this time, we seem to find the one soft spot in the field and sink - get bogged down - lose momentum - stall.

Why?

I click through the list of usual suspects in my head.

* Our sanctuary only holds 120
* We are off the beaten path
* We don't advertise regularly
* We do worship with a team of kids/youth haven't had a worship "leader" for two years
* We attract broken and hurting people drawn by our community of love
* We don't do the youth playtime
* We don't do the "Sunday Morning Experience"
* I stink.

Yeah, I could just put out that last one as a stand alone. I'm pretty ruthless about improving though, and I try to seek out godly counsel before heading down any roads that might have the soft spots in them.

But we're stuck.

I really want to know what it is that happens in the life of a congregation that sort of self-regulates the size of it until something or more correctly Some One pushes them through.

To go back through the list with you so you won't think I haven't considered changes.

Sanctuary - we have a $200K mortgage, and no real prospects for a better (bigger) place to meet.

Advertising, worship leader, and so much more - is a money issue.

Socioeconomics - we are blue collar, an enlisted man's church, and have welcomed all sorts of people with needs and problems. Thing is, it is hard to grow those people. They are why they are, many of them because they will not do the hard work to change. But we love them.

Youth and Adults - we made the decision a few years ago to step off the youth group bandwagon and focus on growing healthy disciples. We do less but work harder at what we do and hopefully see people not just coming, but growing deeper.

Worship - yes a worship leader would help, but we're also growing a generation of worshippers in these kids and youth.

Me - you have no idea how much I pray to be more like Jesus and more effective. I'm continually reading, going to seminary, writing and emailing others, trying to make this more than it has been before. I'm never satisfied.

We're healthy as a church.
We love God and each other.
We are meeting our obligations.
We are seeing glimpses of God's grace. We had our last baptism three weeks ago.

But we are stuck.

The biggest battle we face in this is discouragement. yes we know God is faithful, yes we believe we are doing His will, but to coin a phrase "How Long Oh Lord?"

So I close this post, written because I needed to unload, and I begin final preparations for worship tonight. I'll go in knowing I am called to do this, empowered by the Holy Spirit to do God's work, and that ultimately He will judge my efforts.

Shalom,

David