Chuck Lawless: REASONS “PROGRAMS” DON’T WORK IN CHURCHES

Chuck Lawless has written another helpful post for churches to consider.

Here are some observations he makes below about why "Programs" don't work.

OCTOBER 31, 2015

REASONS “PROGRAMS” DON’T WORK IN CHURCHES

Please hear my point up front: I believe in “programs” (that is, a particular resource or strategy that a church adopts) to help congregations grow. I’ve developed programs and resources, and I believe in them. Strong programs can be a great resource to assist us in our Great Commission task.

Nevertheless, some programs don’t seem to work. Here are some reasons that might be the case:

Churches wrongly assume that programs will fix the problems. No program, regardless of how successful it is in other churches, can fix every problem that hinders a church’s growth. Hindrances are almost always related more to people than to programs.

Many programs assume too much about church members. For example, many evangelism training strategies seem to assume that (a) participants truly believe that all people are lost without Jesus and (b) participants know the gospel. Either assumption, if wrong, leads to trying to train people who don’t know or believe foundational matters.

Leaders don’t give enough time for programs to work. Especially if they’re looking for a quick-fix solution to a long-term problem, leaders often give up on programs if they don’t see immediate and dramatic results. Most programs don’t work without sufficient time to drill their teachings into the church’s DNA. That takes time.

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Here is the link to the rest of the post-

http://chucklawless.com/2015/10/reasons-programs-dont-work-in-churches/

Comments

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