Once in a rut, it can be difficult to get out. It will take the strength of the tires and engine to get a grip and force the vehicle out onto new ground. When we are in a rut, we have limited ability to choose our own direction. We go the way the rut goes. A rut is formed over time when the soil is soft and the same path is trodden over and over again. Eventually, the soil hardens but the narrowed path remains.
One of the great dangers of pastoral ministry is to get stuck in a rut. We do the same old things over and over again. There is a certain comfort that comes in ritual and doing things the same way. But the danger is that we cannot easily get out, and so the easiest thing is to become lazy and soft, which are close companions to ineffectiveness in the mission. If we find ourselves in the proverbial rut of mundane ministry, we may need to force ourselves out with new and imaginative ideas. Here are some suggestions for how to do that.
Seek the help of God to get out of the rut. The Holy Spirit can bring a freshness to our ministry if we are willing to put God’s kingdom first. Personal revival will bring ministry revival. No matter how deep the rut we are in, there can be an escape. It may and likely will cost us something. The cost will be our own wills and egos. We may have to give up some comforts. We may need to give up some power and prestige. We may gain some enemies in the effort. The flesh and Satan fight against the victory that comes when we become effective in ministry. God’s will is for us to thrive in ministry, not struggle in defeat. Thriving in ministry does not mean things will be easy. In fact, the easy way is the way of the rut. The difficult way of thriving requires that we humble ourselves before God so that He can lift us up “out of the ruts of life” (see James 4:7-10).
Don’t become too comfortable with where you are at. Often the easiest way is to just coast along in the rut on auto pilot. In ministry, this may mean doing the minimal to keep things going. We may preach comfortable sermons (sometimes recycled from previous churches), keep the programs of the church running (regular schedules), have the various board and committee meetings, do a few visits to let the people know we care, basically the routine of ministry. Life is rather predictable and so becomes comfortable. Comfort can slip into laziness. Why try new things (which inevitably will lead to reaching more people) when the old is comfortable?
Be willing to take risks. Step out in faith. Get out of the comfort zone. Faith can be risky, otherwise it would not be faith. The word for “faith” and “trust” are the same in the Greek (pistis). Faith is what it takes to trust God to help us get out of the ruts of ministry. Most new inventions have required the inventors to take risks and experience failure. Be prepared for some failures. What keeps people from trying new things? Often it is the fear of failure. Just realize that sometimes our ideas will fail, but also, sometimes they will succeed. Celebrate the successes and build on them. The problem is that people in our churches have long memories, especially when it comes to failures. Somehow we must win them over to try new things. Our leadership (another blog topic) will be crucial for this.
Focus on the essentials. Love God and love others. A lot of things we do in ministry are not high priorities. People both inside and outside the church can sniff out gimmicks. Let whatever new ideas we try be fueled by genuine love and concern. We have a message of hope and peace, and we want those around us to experience this as well. We are not trying to grow in numbers or offerings. Keep the motives pure in any new thing you try.
Listen to the imagination of others and be willing to follow their examples. This is especially true when our own imaginations are weak and tired. Read widely. Note the best practices of others, but don’t be bound by them. I remember going to a conference where a big church pastor was telling success stories of his church of a thousand. The ideas sounded good, but they would not work in my church. I can learn from all kinds of people and situations. Wisdom is knowing what will work and what will not. Let others spark your own imagination. Become a dreamer!
Bring others with you who are also stuck in the rut, but realize, some people will be more comfortable in the rut, so just leave them there for now. You can always help them out later if they want to come join the new and exciting journey. Be in open dialogue with the leaders of the church. These leaders may be on the board or just the power brokers of the church. Work with both. Find key people who share your vision. This can be one of the most frustrating steps in getting out of a rut. As pastor, you may have a fresh vision for new things. You are not in the rut, but the church is. Then develop a long-term strategy to win people to your side. Change may not happen as fast as you wish, but set the direction and others will slowly join the march. However, be willing to listen to their wisdom. Sometimes our dreams must be toned down to reality, but don’t let people kill your dreams.
Don’t stay so long in a church that you don’t want to experience changed new things anymore. I have known pastors who just wanted to make it to retirement. You could see the tiredness in their demeanor. They were killing the church by remaining as pastors. I am surely not one who wants pastors to leave a church near retirement. Finish the race well, not just half heartedly and barely getting across the finish line. I have also met older ministers past retirement still going strong as pastors. Their vision is fresh. They are willing to try new things. They still have imagination. Don’t be an engine that looses steam before reaching the station. Be one which needs to put on the breaks for a moment so a new engineer can take the controls. If a pastor finds him or herself with no vision or creativity for a church, she or he has two choices: ask God for a personal revival (doing the above steps will be helpful), or seek another ministry where one does have a vision for God’s creative redemption. These are harsh words to say, but sometimes the problem lies with the pastor and not the people when it comes to fulfilling God’s mission in the world.
For more pastoral reflections, click here.
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