moving away from the spoke mentality
The spoke.
It's always there. Always to be trusted. Always at the center of the wheel.
With the average church size in America hovering somewhere under 100, this isn't simply a picture of how a bicycle wheel operates. It's a picture of most lead pastors as they strive to lead their congregations. Of course, a pastor with vision and leadership skills has to set the tone for the direction his congregation needs to be headed.
The struggle is in knowing when to let go of direct control.
Many churches seem to struggle and plateau because of the "ownership" question. There is a subtle complacency that says the preacher will handle that...it's his job. With many who have been in church for decades, this hired gun approach seems natural and accepted, but it's far from the biblical precedent that was set in the new testament church.
Truthfully, for as many pastors that struggle to get their church to "own" the ministry, there seems to be almost as many who hold on tightly for fear of mission drift, ego, perfectionism, and other issues.
Over the course of this week, we're going to explore some common pastoral actions that perpetuate the spoke and hinder the church in its ability to move outside the walls. If your church is battling the spoke, or if you're a pastor trying to move away from that mentality, check back for some great nuggets over the course of this week,