Ways to help churches grow

Andrew Katay suggests three basic steps to helping churches grow:

1. Thorough consultation with the church about its strengths and weakeness.
2. Ongoing external coaching for the church leadership.
3. Monthly minister clusters for ministers to talk through these issues with each other.

I think these are excellent ideas. And honestly, one of the big reasons we don't do this is because we are so defensive of our ministries and don't want to be critiqued by anybody.

It's that very defensiveness that makes me dislike Andrew's suggestion that a denomination imposes such a structure on the church. Many would simply resent it. Others would be oppressed by inappropriate 'clusters'.

Rather, this is something that ministers should pursue for themselves. It is lousy how people who have experienced the value MTS or some other internship before Bible College fail to pursue ongoing mentoring after college. Lousy and irresponsible.

H/T Craig