One of the greatest challenges in leading a congregation is balancing the focus. I am currently reading a book entitled, "7 Practices of Effective Ministry". It talks a lot about how churches walk a fine line between discipling their members, and reaching out to those outside the church. We want to be effective in both arenas, but there is always a tension that exists.
What is sometimes missing in the equation is honest input from the congregation. As a leader, I try to listen to what people are saying and what they think is important. Often times the only thing I hear is complaints about the church, our services, and the direction we are going. I learned a long time ago that you cannot please everyone. It is not my intention to make everyone happy. I would like to know what people think, whether or not they understand the "what" and "why" of the things we do.
For example, we have initiated having two distinctly different worship services: Patterns and Innovations. The goal has been to provide both members and guests a clear choice. Patterns is a traditional service designed to honor worship tradition that we all have enjoyed. Innovations is a contemporary service designed as a venue for newer, more modern worship. Each has it's own audience. Judging by attendance, many people have enjoyed the Patterns service. First service attendance is up.
What do you think about the two services and their formats?
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