I’ve got several friends who are either getting ready to move on to a new pastoral calling, or have recently started at a new congregation (Hi Chris!).  This led me to think about the nature of a congregation’s interim period, as well as my own introduction into life at Central Baptist.  Sometime during my revery I thought, “What questions do I wish congregations would ask themselves?”  Go ahead and read my thoughts, and please add your own.

1. “In the last 20 years, how have we changed?” If a congregation says, “Not at all,” they’re probably more right than they know.  Their community, in all likelyhood, also feels like a room that hasn’t been painted or cleaned lo those 20 years.
2. “If we can’t fill the by-laws, shouldn’t we be looking at restructuring?”  I’ve been to too many congregations that have 1950’s era by-laws that expect only 20% of the people to be doing 80% of the work, but with the expectation that the church would always be over 300 people in attendance.  Once attendance goes below 150 the bylaws become a giant mill-stone dragging the congregation down to the abyss – and I wish people would wonder if drowning might be a bad idea.
3. “Is something, other than singing some fun songs and eventually becoming bored, supposed to happen during worship?”  I have a Sunday School class that just came to the realization that they don’t come to worship to worship because we’re trained to come to worship solely to learn.  They thought we needed to work on that – it was the joy of my fall so far.  Why don’t more people ask this?
4. “Really, do we expect people to believe this stuff?”  I can’t tell you how many times people would quote the by-laws like they were Scripture and ridicule the actual teachings of Jesus.  I’d love to have churches ask this question because it would require looking at Jesus’ teaching, maybe it would call some churches to repentance.  As a bonus, if they say “no” they can stop pretending to be a Church and people won’t be so confused.
5. “What traditions do we have?”  The Baptist answer is, “Oh we don’t have any traditions.”  It’s not a lie as must as it is a completely lack of self-understanding.  If a congregation asked this question not only would they prune ones that made no sense, they’d be able to give some meat to the ones they actually have (and find useful).
6. “How do ‘non-members’ view us?”  This is another “holy introspection” question, and a great one to ask.  When it’s asked it frees a congregation to consider the plusses and minuse.
7. “Why do pastors keep leaving here so quickly?”  Oh man, if/when I move on I’ll have to interview with some dysfunctional congregations for no other purpose then to help them dare to ask this question.  When pastor after pastor leaves a congregation (or ministry) dejected – the congregation has a serious problem and people are often oblivious to it.
8. “Well who are these new folks, and why aren’t we making an effort to get to know them?”  In era’s past, it was the pastor’s job to meet all the news folks, make them welcome, and get them plugged in to members and committee work.  We don’t live in era’s past, and I don’t think Jesus thinks much of that attitude anyway.  Wouldn’t it be great if a congregation realized, “Wow, we’re not good at being open to folks?”  and then changed?  Actually, wouldn’t be even better if they good at welcoming people?
9. “Specifically, what’s our mission?”  I’d love for congregations to say this and get rid of the standard amorphous answers.