The popular reality TV show, Fixer Upper, can turn a long forgotten house into a sleek contemporary home in just one hour-long episode. But the REAL reality is that it takes Chip and Joanna Gaines closer to 90 days with a whole team of people behind them to complete the home makeover. In my experience, DIY projects take much more energy, supplies, money, and time than any TV show or YouTube video.
The way I see it…The quick-fix mentality is killing our churches.
There is no silver bullet in church revitalization. It takes a minimum of 1,000 days to begin to see change in culture. That’s three years. And unfortunately that’s longer than some pastors stick around when the going gets tough.
Here are four silver bullets to beware of if you’re trying to turn the tide in your local context.
- If we just hire a younger pastor he will attract younger families.
- If we just start a praise band and sing contemporary songs we’ll attract a younger crowd.
- If we just modernized the sanctuary we’ll start growing again.
- If we just have an event we’ll see salvations again.
In each of those examples the emphasis is on a direct correlation between A and B. If we do this, that will follow. But if it doesn’t move the church forward in fulfilling the great commission it’s just another attempt of short cutting the hard work in favor of the quick fix.
A church doesn’t get stuck overnight and it can’t get unstuck overnight. There is no miracle cure – or program – to realign the church and get it back on track with its missional purpose (Read Revelation 2-3 for examples). Revitalization is not like a reality TV show that gets fixed in one episode. It’s more like 13 seasons of plots twists and cliffhangers.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the silver bullet mentality. What quick fix would you add to the list?
Keith Durham 