[From MMI Weblog by Todd Rhoades]Leadership and management guru Peter Drucker once said, “Management is doing things right; Leadership is doing the right things.” When I read that recently, I thought that this statement could be very true in today’s American church. Here’s my theory: Could it be that while most churches are "doing things right," a smaller group of churches are "doing the right things?"
The percentage of churches in decline is America is substantial. (I've heard as high as 90%!) It’s my hypothesis that each of these churches (and if you take the conservative church count in the country of 200,000 churches, 90% would be a whopping 180,000 American churches!) have to be "doing things right" to some degree. Doing things right means things like conducting weekend services, maintaining property and facilities, making payroll, and caring for their attenders. In essence, as long as there are still people attending most churches, the churches, by and large, are "doing things right," at least from a management standpoint.
But what about the other 10% of churches in America that are growing and vibrant? Could it be that they have moved beyond "doing things right" to "doing the right things?" Every single one of the growing churches I've seen are very outwardly focused. They reach out and specifically target reaching their communities. They move beyond "management" to dare to try new things; new programs; and new approaches. They are not afraid of change. They are not afraid to confront the culture. They are leaders. And the result is a growing and community-changing church.
FOR YOUR INPUT: What’s your church’s strength? Management or Leadership?
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