Living – TORVINKRELLA

You are a Cog in the Machine

This article originally appeared on Dave Blok’s Substack. Adapted with permission.

“I feel like a cog in a machine.”

That’s what I blurted out in my very first ministry position out of college. I was 22, the energetic and overly dramatic middle school youth director, confessing my angst to the Senior Pastor.

His reply? “Well, that’s what ministry is. You are a cog in the machine.”

That answer didn’t sit right with me then, and it still doesn’t now.

Over time I realized what I was bumping up against: I didn’t fit the box they were trying to put me in. Ministry isn’t one-size-fits-all. God builds some leaders to manage and sustain the institution—to do the same faithful work over and over again. Those leaders matter. We need them.

But there are also leaders God designs for the edges—for the frontier. They don’t fit neatly inside the box. They are starters, explorers, experimenters. Trying to contain them doesn’t work because they were built to move.

In those early days, I didn’t want to become a pastor because I assumed that meant squeezing into the wrong box. What I didn’t realize yet was that my calling was real—it just looked different. Later I came to see that part of my role is to help the next wave of leaders imagine a bigger vision for how God can use them – so they don’t have to wait to figure it out on their own.

A Movement, Not Just an Institution

The Church was never meant to be a rigid system. At its best, it’s a movement with institutions—dynamic and Spirit-led.

Paul paints this picture in Ephesians 4:

“And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.”

The Body of Christ needs multiple nutrients to grow into the fullness of Jesus. It takes teachers who guide us into truth, prophetic leaders who call us back to faithfulness, evangelists who carry the message outward, apostolic leaders who mobilize and pioneer, and shepherds who care deeply for people.

Imagine a superhero team where every member has the exact same power. Four different people—but all of them just stretch like Mister Fantastic. That’s not much of a team.

The Church is stronger when we live into our God-given diversity of callings.

Discovering Your Place in the Movement

I once told a friend, “Maybe you should be a pastor.” He quickly shot back, “Absolutely not.”

But when I asked what he felt called to, he said, “I want to reach people in my sphere and shepherd them.”

Now—he may never stand on a stage and preach a sermon. But does that sound like a shepherd’s heart? Absolutely. The problem isn’t that he lacked a calling. The problem was that he thought “pastor” only meant fitting into a box we’ve created, so he sat on the sidelines.

That’s why we started a rising leaders cohort at the ministry I lead called Plant 616—to help people discover their place in God’s movement.

We believe there are restless disciples in every church—faithful volunteers who feel there’s something more they were made to do. That “something more” often can’t be contained in a program. It usually looks like a burden for the unreached, a gap that needs filling, or a deeply relational calling.

And those callings are as diverse as the people themselves:

“I’m called to reach the people in my sphere and shepherd them.”
“I’m called to be a servant.”
“I’m called to start something new and fill this gap.”
“I’m called to listen to people’s pain and to love them.”

When people articulate their unique calling, it doesn’t usually begin with a bang. It begins with a small, faithful step. A spark of imagination. The courage to move.

A Farm Team for the Future

At Plant 616, we want to grow a farm team of rising leaders. Not leaders who have to wait until they fit the box of someone on a stage—but leaders who are ready to take their next adventurous step into the movement Jesus started.

Don’t wait til you fit into the box.

God made you for something.

Do that.

The third round of Plant 616’s Rising Leaders Cohort begins October 2025. More details here

David Blok helped found and is now the Executive Director of a ministry called Plant 616. His ministry journey has been driven by 3 burdens: a love for the city, a passion for church planting, and a fascination with movements. This has led him through 20 years of urban ministry experience, pastoring and church planting in an urban neighborhood in greater Grand Rapids.

David received his Master of Divinity degree in 2010 from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary with an emphasis on Church planting. He is a certified dean of the Evangel School of Urban Church Planting, a Send Network church planter trainer, and a church planting coach. David has been married to his lovely wife, Amanda, for almost 16 years. Together they have embarked on a journey of neighborhood ministry, foster care and adoption. As a result, they are the proud parents of Anthony, Melvin, and Elliana.

Through his work with Plant 616, David is excited to connect with and encourage mission minded leaders in the 616 area code, equip the next wave of missional adventurers, and catalyze a movement of missionary disciples in every crack and crevice of the 616 area code.

The post You are a Cog in the Machine appeared first on Newbreed Training.

Struggling with Awe for Jesus While Knowing He’s My Friend

I don’t know about you, but I struggle sometimes with praying to Jesus. He’s my friend but also commands awe and deserves deep reverence.

I think we’ve humanized Jesus so much that my prayer life is becoming difficult. Jesus himself said we should ask things of the Father in his name, and that’s stuck with me. But I sense a tendency in myself to focus on Jesus’ humanity more than his divinity.

I came to the Lord as a kid, accepting Jesus at age five—I understood the gospel and it stuck. But around age 14, I met the Lord on a deeper level in the Psalms (that’s a story for another time). By 16 or 17, I got serious about obeying him. But I’ve always prayed to the God of the Old Testament, the big, awe-inspiring God who commands his universe.

In my prayer struggle, I’ve been thinking about the Athanasian Creed, which C.S. Lewis quoted in a few of his writings: “not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of the Manhood into God.”

This comes from a creed used in Western Christianity that explains the Incarnation, how Jesus is both fully divine and fully human. That phrase means the divine nature of Christ didn’t turn into human flesh; instead, God the Son took on human nature, joining it with his divinity.

In Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, a fictional book where Lewis debates theology through fake letters to a guy named Malcolm who doesn’t exist, he says, “In the Incarnation, God the Son takes the body and human soul of Jesus and through that, the whole environment of nature, all the creaturely predicament into his own being.” To me, this means God the Son, the power behind the universe, the Word from John 1:1–4, invaded an egg in Mary’s body, subsuming that bit of humanity into his awesome divine nature.

I remember one day in chapel at Azusa Pacific College when the dean prayed to “Jesus.” Calling him by his first name felt good, close and healthy. It feels like we’ve gone too far. When I go to church, though, I hear people tossing around Jesus’ name casually, like he’s their buddy and not their lord. Some of the songs we sing feel watered down. I may prefer rock music in church but I want the lyrics to challenge me toward higher ground.

Lewis said something else that hit me. He talked about the “dark side” of Christianity, how you can’t have the light side—comfort and grace—without it. It’s like furniture: it’s cozy, but you’ll stub your toe if you’re not careful. God is awesome, even angry when we’re disobedient, and that demands surrender.

Paul says in Philippians 4:5–6, “The Lord is near, therefore don’t worry about anything,” and we can pray about everything because of Christ. But Jesus, who is near, isn’t just a friend; he’s God the Son, the Creator of the universe, the one prophesied in the Old Testament as the second Person of the Trinity.

I think we need to “re-christen” Jesus in our lives—not literally, but by remembering his awe-inspiring power. The Lord Jesus, the Christ. If we pray to a God, who deserves reverence and obedience, it makes it easier to trust, and to rest in him.

I’ll probably keep groping for that balance between Jesus’ closeness and his divine majesty but today the Athanasian Creed shined a little light on my path.

Ralph Moore is the Founding Pastor of three churches which grew into the Hope Chapel ‘movement’ now numbering more than 2,300 churches, worldwide. These are the offspring of the 70+ congregations launched from Ralph’s hands-on disciplemaking efforts.

He travels the globe, teaching church multiplication to pastors in startup movements. He’s authored several books, including Let Go Of the Ring: The Hope Chapel Story, Making Disciples, How to Multiply Your Church, Starting a New Church, and Defeating Anxiety.

The post Struggling with Awe for Jesus While Knowing He’s My Friend appeared first on Newbreed Training.

If You Ain’t Writing You Ain’t Lasting

“If you ain’t reading, you ain’t leading.” Those were the wise words of Roy Hicks Jr., a friend I considered an older brother.

Just two years older than me, Roy led a youth group before I did, planted a church before I did, and pioneered church multiplication before I did. He always forged the path ahead. So, when he hit me with that statement, I paid attention. I’d gotten so caught up planting our first church that I’d nearly stopped reading, except for church growth books.

Roy sharpened his advice by urging me to dive into history and biography to build my character and leadership skills, rather than getting stuck on church growth material. His guidance molded me into the leader I am today.

I’d add to that: “If you ain’t writing, you ain’t lasting.”

If you’re not writing, you’re not building a legacy. You’re not leaving much for people you have yet to meet and some who might read your stuff after you move to heaven. A book is a time machine, letting you embed your ideas in a simple format that someone, decades later, can open and discover. For instance, I’ve often borrowed a book from a friend’s shelf, drawn in by just the title on the spine. In many cases, a long-deceased pastor or Christian leader sparked a new direction in my life. Those authors lasted. They built a legacy that enriched me profoundly.

I often challenge younger pastors about writing books, only to hear, “My church is too small to matter, and no one would care about my words.” I point them to my book, Let Go of the Ring. It’s vital because it captures not just what we did but why we did it.

We used it to screen and train new members. They’d read the book and quickly decide if they wanted to join us or move on, saving time for everyone. It also helped tackle potential conflict by embedding our core values and policies, giving us a clear reference to accept or reject new ministry ideas.

The book proved invaluable. It started as a history of Hope Chapel Hermosa Beach for the congregation when I left to plant in Hawaii. It resonated with people in Hawaii who were curious about our history. Later, Carl George pitched it as a church growth book, and we began publishing it for a broader audience.

To the pastor who says, “My church is too small for that,” I’d say, “Count the people in your church now, project reasonable growth, and multiply that number by 10 or 15.” That’s the potential reach of your book if you include your personal story, your church’s vision, core values, priorities, and how you do ministry. Your book will impact far more people than those currently in your seats.

Publishing a book used to be costly. We started with an expensive U.S. publisher, then shifted to a company in China. But Kindle Direct Publishing (formerly CreateSpace for paperbacks) changed everything. I updated Let Go of the Ring at no cost to our church or myself, aside from a cover photo I purchased. Amazon even helps promote it online. This is a powerful opportunity to create something that benefits your church and serves as your calling card. For example, I haven’t been a pastor for seven years, but I still share the book with people curious about our church-planting journey or with new friends I meet.

Last Sunday, I met a couple at church when I noticed the man wearing a Hawaii T-shirt. I introduced myself, and we quickly found common roots. I grabbed a copy of Let Go of the Ring from my car. His wife was thrilled, immediately flipping through the pictures (pictures pull readers into your words). We made new friends, and we’re having lunch next week.

If this sparks your interest, I’ve written two books you might find helpful. You Could Write for Amazon is a short guide on how to capture your ideas in a time capsule—not just for your church or future members but perhaps for someone who’ll read it long after you’re in heaven. The second, Your Book as Your Business Card, expands on what I’ve shared here.

You might feel a disappointed having read this blog expecting insights on church multiplication or discipleship. But this is about making disciples and multiplying churches. If it’s in your heart, it needs to be on paper. People trust what’s printed more than what’s on YouTube or preached from a pulpit.

As I write, I’m wrapping up a book for Exponential, crafting another for NewBreed, and modifying old Ephesians Bible talks for YouTube. I’m 79-years-old, a so-called retiree, still dedicating two days a week to sharing what God has given me. This habit started when I realized the power of reaching people I’ll never meet through the written word.

The post If You Ain’t Writing You Ain’t Lasting appeared first on Newbreed Training.

Funding Your Church Plant: Why Your Financial Model Matters

Discover why choosing the right financial model is crucial for church planting. This article explores how a missionary support model, focused on long-term sustainability and reaching the unchurched can better align with your church’s mission and growth.

Planting a church is a spiritual endeavor, but it’s also an economic one. The financial model you choose will not only shape the church’s sustainability but also influence its mission and culture.

Many church planters set out with a heart for reaching the lost, but their funding strategy often prioritizes short-term survival over long-term mission. If your model assumes that your church will quickly become self-sustaining through tithes, you may unintentionally focus on reaching already-churched Christians rather than those far from God. Instead, we advocate for a missionary model of fundraising—one that better aligns with the missional nature of church planting.

The Impact of Your Funding Model

Your church’s economic system is more than just a financial tool—it’s a culture-shaping force. The model you choose will guide the trajectory of your church, often in ways you don’t fully anticipate.

For example, at Reliant, we’ve worked with church plants on secular college campuses—places where a traditional tithe-based model simply doesn’t work. Churches that embraced missionary funding have thrived, while those relying solely on tithes have often shifted into more traditional off-campus community churches, sometimes losing their original missional focus.

Missionary Church Planting vs. Traditional Church Models

Traditionally, churches operate on a tithe-based model, where funding primarily comes from members’ regular giving. This works well when your congregation consists of established believers who practice biblical giving. However, for missional churches focused on reaching those far from faith, this model is less viable.

Missionaries understand that the communities they serve will often not be able to fully support them financially for a long time—if ever. If church planters adopt this missionary mindset, they might realistically expect it to take 7 to 10 years (or more) to develop a self-sustaining local tithe. This approach is in line with a vision for long-term discipleship and transformation in communities with few believers.

Evaluating Church Planting Funding Models & Strategies

There are three primary approaches to church planting finances:

Denominational or Large Church Support

Some church plants receive significant backing from a denomination or large church. While this is helpful, it’s not a multiplication strategy—it’s an addition strategy. Denominations and large churches typically expect plants to become self-sustaining, and this model is unlikely to fuel the exponential growth needed to reach lost communities at scale.

Bi-Vocational Ministry

Some church planters support themselves through outside employment, reducing their financial needs. While this can be a viable strategic choice, especially when it aligns with the church’s mission, it’s more of a cost-reduction strategy than a sustainable funding model.

Bi-vocational ministry has benefits, like community engagement, but it also presents challenges:

Time & Energy – Does your job allow you to give your best to your family, church, and ministry?

Financial Viability – If making a good income part-time were easy, more people would do it.

Missional Impact – Have you considered whether your community needs a full-time, dedicated pastor? Parish models historically assumed a fully devoted spiritual shepherd.

The Missionary Support Model

In contrast, the missionary support model—where church planters raise personal support from individuals and churches—is scalable and sustainable. It follows the biblical pattern of missionaries being sent and supported by others. A strong support team consists of:

50-100 partners giving $50-$100 per month

Some larger startup gifts to help with initial costs

Ongoing committed giving for long-term stability

Unlike a tithe-based model, support-based fundraising can scale with staff needs, not just church attendance. As a missional church grows, its financial needs and tithe base likely won’t grow proportionally, and support-based staffing allows the mission to remain sustainable. This shift to support-based funding aligns with the biblical principles that undergird missionary work, offering a sustainable model for growth and mission expansion.

Biblical Foundations for Support-Based Ministry

The concept of missionary support is deeply biblical:

Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem.
—1 Corinthians 16:1-3 (ESV)

As Michael Frost reminds us: “There is nothing more Christian than sending. God is a missionary God—the Father sent the Son, the Son sends the Spirit, and Jesus sent His disciples.”

The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) begins with disciples, despite doubts and fears, being sent out. The DNA of the Christian life is to send and be sent. Every believer should consider supporting at least one missionary or church planter—not only for financial sustainability but for personal spiritual growth and active engagement in God’s mission.

Conclusion: Aligning Finances with Mission

Your church plant’s funding model is not neutral—it will shape your church’s mission and future. The missionary support model offers a sustainable, scalable, and biblical approach that aligns with the missional call to reach the lost.

Rather than relying on quick local tithes, consider a long-term view of financial sustainability. Support-based funding frees planters to focus on making disciples without the pressure to attract already-churched givers just to survive.

As you embark on this journey, remember: every Christian is called to send and be sent. By embracing a missionary model, you’re not only planting a church—you’re cultivating a movement that can thrive for generations to come.

If you are ready to explore how a missionary model could help your church plant stay on mission, reach out today at partner@reliant.org or learn more at reliant.org.

The post Funding Your Church Plant: Why Your Financial Model Matters appeared first on Newbreed Training.

Three Practical Reasons to Hold Some Small Group Meetings Online

Back during the pandemic we heard a lot of complaining about “Zoom fatigue.” People were forced to work from home and meet online and they didn’t like it—as opposed to very different feelings today.

After we got back into church buildings most of us reverted to old patterns often overlooking the power we gained through those once detested meetings.

It is time to take another look at online tools beyond their use in podcasting or staff meetings.

It’s not about the tool—it’s about the people.

Drive Time Is Disciplemaking Lost

Life is full. People are already managing kids, jobs, and packed calendars. When we ask them to drive across town for a midweek small group, we’re often competing with real-world limitations—especially for those barely keeping up with life.

Small groups that meet online can change all that. They let people show up without packing bags, finding childcare, or spending an hour on the road. When the gathering ends, they’re already home. That time savings often makes the difference between someone opting in or drifting away.

We don’t often think of commuting as a spiritual issue—but if it keeps people from community, it is. Removing friction creates space for shared life.

Older Adults Avoid Night Driving (and Tech Can Help)

Most pastors in their thirties and forties haven’t yet felt the hesitation that comes with driving after dark. But for older folks—especially those in their 70s and 80s—it’s a real concern. Eyesight dims. Reactions slow. What was routine starts to feel risky.

These are not people who’ve stopped caring about church. They just don’t want to get behind the wheel at night. I’ve seen this again and again. Faithful, longtime members who gladly show up to serve in daylight hours simply opt out of nighttime gatherings.

But Zoom—or some other tool—gives them a way to re-engage. If we’re willing to meet them halfway—by helping them learn how to click a link and join a meeting—we open the door to a renewed sense of belonging. And don’t underestimate the power of this. These are often the people who helped build your church. They deserve more than a pat on the back. They deserve access to each other and to the care of your church.

Online Meetings Include Otherwise Isolated People

Sometimes the roadblock isn’t driving distance or age—it’s a dynamic at home.

I’ve known believers whose spouses don’t follow Jesus yet tolerate Sunday mornings but draw a hard line on other church activities. It’s hard to grow as a disciple when your living room becomes a war zone every time you want to leave the house.

But online gatherings slip past those boundaries. They allow someone to join community without leaving home, and sometimes that quiet presence on the screen is the only way they can stay connected.

Years ago, before smartphones and Facebook, three women in our church had this problem. So every Friday night, they met by phone in a three-person small group. It worked because it met them where they were. Zoom does that today—only better.

In the End, It’s Not About Tech

This isn’t about technology. It’s about people. And it’s about flexibility in the way we make disciples.

Small group meetings are a tool, not a template. So if a tool makes it easier for busy families, older saints, and isolated believers to follow Jesus together—why wouldn’t we use it?

It’s not a compromise. It’s just good shepherding.

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The Power and Danger of Rules

A friend recently asked me to state, in one word, what I thought could kill a movement. As I reflected on that, my mind went to Acts chapter 15, where the Jerusalem Council met and struck down the whole issue of circumcision. This isn’t about circumcision, but it is about rules.

That was my one word answer—“rules.” Rules that have outlived their original purpose.

I believe rules have their place—they have their time, and then they’re done. Too often, however, rules hang around long after their purpose has expired. Some were meant for a generation ago—or maybe thirty generations ago—and yet they still hold back the work of the Kingdom of God.

If we’re serious about doing the things God has really called us to do, we need to regularly take a hard look at our rules. Maybe once a year, reassess: What are we doing? Why are we doing it? Should we keep doing it—or should we stop?

Lessons from the Jesus Movement

I came up during the Jesus Movement, and so much of what we did back then was considered off-limits by others—at least in their minds. The way people dressed, the simple fact that we served coffee after church—those things upset a whole bunch of people.

Then we got into a tangle with our denomination over something else. We had a 58-year-old aerospace engineer who volunteered his time as an associate pastor. This man had led very successful, large Bible studies in the region where we lived, and he was thrilled with what we were doing as a young church. He joined us wholeheartedly.

But I couldn’t get the denomination to give him a pastor’s license so he could officiate a wedding. I got into a heated argument over this with a wise denominational official. Eventually, he got them to change course and created an entirely new system for licensing pastors trained in local churches, not seminaries.

A New Generation Facing Old Rules

This brings me to a conversation I had a few weeks ago with a very exciting young couple. I had met three men, all missionaries from Liberia to the United States, serving alongside their wives. All of them are church planters, and all hope to multiply more churches.

One of these men is married to an American woman who had been trafficked in the sex industry as a young girl. The remarkable thing is that these people are now doing short-term missions to Kenya, where they have met young girls caught in similar situations.

The big problem? Their denomination has a rule: no woman can be a pastor. And these young women in Kenya don’t trust men—for obvious reasons.

She wanted to start an online church for these girls.

I felt my role in this situation was to remind this brave young woman that she wasn’t hired by the denomination, and that she could choose to do what God was putting before her. I’m not sure where that’s all going to lead, but I have a strong feeling it’s going someplace good.

Once again, the rules in place have their reasons. I happen to disagree with this particular rule to some extent. But in the end, the rules aren’t the main issue—the young girls in need of a pastor are.

And if this young woman is able to shepherd them through WhatsApp and other social media platforms, then she should be free to do what God has clearly placed in her lap.

Balancing Submission and Speaking Up

We need to remain submitted to our leaders and their wisdom. But we also need to learn when to respectfully push back and to hope and pray that, like the men at the Jerusalem Council, our leaders will respond to genuine spiritual need the way those men did when Paul and Barnabas presented their case.

What About You and Me?

My point here isn’t really about them—or even about the people who seem to be blocking ministry efforts in Kenya. This is about you and me, and whether we’re willing to assess the rules and policies we’ve put in place over the years—and ask if they’ve outlived their usefulness.

In our church staff, we always made this kind of assessment during our annual planning meetings. We intentionally looked for ministries that had outlived their usefulness so we could shut them down or phase them out.

It would have been wise for us to do the same with our policy manual. Throughout the year, we developed policies based on decisions we made, and at the end of each year, we would try to harvest those decisions that seemed worthy of becoming formal policy.

But we never quite figured out that we should spend the same amount of time asking which existing policies had outlived their usefulness.

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What Kind of Leader Starts a Movement?

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is an excerpt from What Actually Starts Movements by Emanuel Prinz, used with permission. This book is a significant new resource for leaders pursuing disciple-making movements. You can purchase the book here.

There is a kind of person the Lord of the Harvest looks on with favor and uses to start a movement.
—Bill Smith

As you prayerfully engage with this content, consider:

What kind of person consistently shows up at the center of gospel movements?
Which leadership qualities really matter—and which ones are just noise?
Could these traits be intentionally developed in your own life?

Traits and Competencies of Effective Leaders

Effective catalytic leaders use a variety of movement ministry approaches. While there is no single method that guarantees a movement, those God uses to initiate them consistently manifest the same set of traits and competencies.

If we sat down in a coffee shop with catalytic leaders from rural Kenya, an American city, an Indian metropolis, and an Indonesian island, we would find all four remarkably alike in their essential character—even allowing for cultural and personality differences.

So, when we ask what starts a movement, we first need to examine the kind of leader behind it.

Digging Deeper into the Research

To answer that question, Emanuel Prinz and his team conducted a comprehensive review of movement and leadership literature, along with empirical research. They started with 31 key sources—14 focused on apostolic and movement leadership, and 17 drawn from over 600 studies on secular leadership. From these, they identified 228 unique traits and competencies.

They narrowed the list to just 24 traits that appeared in at least three different works. Then, using surveys of effective movement catalysts worldwide, they compared these qualities between leaders who had catalyzed movements and those who had not.

The traits fell into three distinct domains:

The Personality domain: traits related to individual personality and character.
The Spiritual domain: traits and competencies of a spiritual nature, having to do with one’s relationship with God.
The Social Influence domain: traits and competencies having to do with relating with others, describing social behavior and ways to influence others.

Wherever movements are happening, leaders marked by these traits are leading the way. They don’t all share the same tactics—but they share the same kind of transformation.

Want to become the kind of leader who catalyzes movements?
Start by examining your own leadership profile—and pursue the kind of growth that aligns with how God tends to work when revival breaks out.

Emanuel Prinz (D.Min., Ph.D. cand.) is a missiologist and educator who has conducted the broadest-ever research on movements. He has taught at various universities and has published numerous articles in journals such as Missiology, Evangelical Missions Quarterly, Journal of the Evangelical Missiological Society, Global Missiology, and Christianity Today.

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Leading Change Without Overdoing It

A friend recently gave me reason to pause. He was talking about a tendency many of us have as leaders—to over-strategize. Sometimes, in our passion for progress, we fail to wait for our people to catch up. Instead of walking in the light we already have, we chase after new light, new revelations, new ideas.

The Perils of Constant Innovation

One of the greatest dangers pastors face comes from reading about other pastors who appear more successful. It’s easy to fall into the trap of implementing a new idea every month—or every week—in an attempt to keep pace. But this kind of restlessness can deeply unsettle your team, whether paid or volunteer.

What my friend said was simple, but profound: Don’t make any major change until your church has grown by 20%. If there’s no growth at all, of course, change is needed. But when there is growth, it’s a signal to be steady. It’s time to walk in what you already have and give your people the opportunity to adapt and respond positively to the current ministry flow. Let that growth bring people into relationship with Jesus in the context of how you’re currently doing ministry.

When you have grown by 20%, that’s the point to consider a structural change. Even then, it may be more tactical than strategic—small adjustments rather than grand reinventions.

When Change Becomes a Trap

Early on in the churches I pastored, we built a simple ecclesiology grounded in Ephesians 4. It defined the church’s purpose: to equip the saints for the work of ministry. We paired this with a model drawn from Acts 2, viewing weekend gatherings as our “temple” expression, and house gatherings as our “house-to-house” life.

We asked: What works best in the temple? What works best in the house? And we stuck to that model for years.

But here’s where we stumbled: At nearly every annual planning retreat, we tried to reinvent the wheel. We’d take the church apart and attempt to reassemble it. And that, over time, was exhausting. It depressed our staff and disrupted the very people we were trying to serve. Rather than speeding up growth, it slowed us down.

Ironically, while we were tying ourselves in knots trying to restructure, we were planting churches at a steady rate—about 1.5 to 2 churches per year. That side of our ministry stayed strong, largely because of one thing we did well.

Allow Ministry to Rise from the Ranks

We had cultivated a culture where ministry bubbled up from the congregation. We were always preaching: Find a need and fill it. We spoke of people being God’s masterpiece, created for good works. That gave rise to many homegrown ministries.

The answer to most ideas was a resounding “yes.” We connected people with others who could help them fulfill the vision God put in their hearts. It created an environment of adaptability and permission.

But ministries, like everything else, follow a bell curve. They begin with excitement, grow, multiply, and bear fruit—but eventually taper off.

Know When to Let Go

One of the wisest practices we adopted during our annual staff retreats was to identify two or three things that weren’t working as well as they once had. We used to joke about “killing dead horses.” Sometimes, we’d simply relocate a ministry to free up valuable space. Other times, we had to make the tough call to shut something down entirely.

In some cases, we cut back funding when participation had dropped. This often helped the ministry leader recognize that the season had passed. The decline in resources communicated the reality more gently than words sometimes could.

Final Thoughts: Embracing Change with Discernment

Living in a constant process of change is inevitable, especially as we respond to a shifting culture. But that doesn’t mean we need to overhaul everything all the time.

Sometimes, the most faithful thing we can do is to pause, walk steadily in the light we already have, and give our people space to grow alongside us. When change is needed, let it be intentional, measured, and born out of prayer and discernment—not comparison or restlessness.

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Perfect Casualties

When a leader becomes consumed with the idea of what is perfect, it can cause a ripple effect of harm to themselves, their loved ones, and especially to staff and employees. This is because perfectionism cannot be contained. Like that burned popcorn smell that seeps from the microwave, polluting the air and everyone around it for hours after it’s been thrown in the trash, a leader’s preoccupation with flawlessness oozes into the fabric of the organization and lingers long after the leader is gone. One person’s relentless pursuit of perfection can set unreasonable standards for others, creating a near hostile work environment for the team. Everything must always be exact, not just according to the employee’s standard but according to leadership.

Furthermore, what the leader believes to be perfect may not even be known to anyone until what is submitted is rejected, often with great disdain or even violent repulsion. This is how some described the deep perfectionism of Steve Jobs, genius and late CEO of Apple.

[Perfection] pushed him to both hurt himself and others. Others have pointed to Jobs’s terse behavior with his employees. Some recalled him as “rude, dismissive, hostile, spiteful,” writes Gawker’s Ryan Tate, who discusses the manipulation Jobs used to “inspire” his workers. Yet, Jobs went beyond the pushy boss, who blows off the handle. “He screams at subordinates,” writes Gladwell and once told his public relations assistant that her suit is “disgusting.” He couldn’t handle anything less than perfection, and often took it out on others. (Rebecca Greenfield, “The Crazy Perfectionism That Drove Steve Jobs,” The Atlantic, November 7, 2011)

The double-edged sword of perfection caused both great success for the company and great harm for Jobs and those around him. At times, this maddening pursuit led to superior products developed in record time. On the other hand, his fixation with perfection created a lag in decision making, causing him to take weeks on mundane decisions like choosing a sofa or washing machine. (Greenfield, “The Crazy Perfectionism.”)

This is more than just a desire to be our best selves or to expect others to do well. Perfectionism is an absolute fixation on a vision of perfect and an unwillingness to rest or settle until that vision is realized. The obsession with an extreme version of excellence is so subversive, so cunning that leaders may not even recognize its possession until it’s too late. They may not consider their passion to be harmful until staff members leave or complain, close friends or family intervene, or they are consumed with the personal costs of depression, anxiety, burnout, or worse. Perfectionism in the workplace is often an attraction to those who like challenges, enjoy responsibilities, and frankly, those who like to win. These team members often subject themselves to torturous expectations leading to long days, late nights, and constant mental contortions just to please the exacting boss. While it can be argued that perfection draws perfectionists, calling their allegiance to the organization at the expense of other loyalties and commitments, there is no guarantee that these temperaments and pursuits will lead to any version of success. In these rigorous environments, team members suffer the collateral damage of anguish when decisions cannot be made or stress when actions must be taken to appease.

Perfectionism keeps leaders and teams in constant cycles of paralysis or frenzy, always plagued by the need to grasp an ideal that is consistently beyond reach. Both the leader and those who follow suffer the effects of poor mental health as the angst of decision making often leads to anxiety and depression. Even when they can see the damaging effects of perfectionism, some leaders cannot let go of their meticulousness and conscientiousness for fear of missing the mark or losing the competitive edge.8 They are afraid of messing up and worry that lessening of the pressure will lead to poor performance or a lazy embrace of mediocrity. As a result, these leaders may see their perfection as an organizational asset instead of a liability. They may see those who push against their standards as necessary losses instead of casualties, believing that the pursuit is well worth the loss. But what happens when the pursuit of the absolute divides and devours absolutely?

Perfectionism is a jealous, empty consumption. It leaves no room for anything other than a mirage conjured in our minds that will never truly be attained. It drives us to seek after it, to live for it, and to love it more than anything else. We pant for perfection, like dehydrated survivors in the desert, thirsting for its refreshing waters only to find ourselves lapping at the rough sands of reality. It pushes us to want it above everyone else and to sacrifice anything and anyone to receive it.

Because of the strength of its pull, the only way to correct perfectionism is to crucify it. We must nail to the cross that which seeks to engulf us. For some already held by the grip of the flawless, the fear of killing what we think makes us better can be overwhelming. You may be thinking, If I let go of this image of what is perfect, even if it doesn’t exist, won’t I succumb to imperfection? Won’t I give in to what is subpar? If I stop striving for what is perfect, won’t I cease to exist? This fear of falling into substandard living and leadership is a valid concern for those truly looking for another way. But to those of us who struggle to release the exactness of what holds us, God says, “have no fear.” The same one who calls us to nail perfection to the cross is the only one who is truly perfect. In Christ, we find the only true and loving image of perfection, and we can never reach what our hearts desire without him.

Jesus, fully God and fully man, is the only one who lived sinless among us. He set the standard for those who would follow so that we might be more like him. And just in case we were unsure of what perfection looked like, he gave some specific examples in Matthew 5. In a conversation with crowds and disciples, Jesus laid out what it meant to be perfect. It looks like being blessed in persecution and suffering for faith (vv. 3 12), being salt and light in a bland and dark world (vv. 13 16), fulfilling the righteousness of the law (vv. 17 20), refraining from anger and holding nothing against anyone (vv. 21 26), thinking no lustful thoughts (vv. 27 30), rejecting divorce and remarriage (vv. 31 32), making no oaths and keeping your word (vv. 33 37), not resisting evil (vv. 38 42), and loving your enemies (vv. 43 47). He closed these human impossibilities with one last command: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

But Jesus knew that none of us could ever reach this standard in totality. None of us could be and do all that he spelled out in this chapter, and certainly none of us could be perfect as God is perfect in and of ourselves. But what if Jesus wasn’t calling us to do something to be perfect? What if this text was not about doing but about being in relationship with perfection himself? Could it be that our proximity to Christ’s perfection would imbue within us rays of divine grace that would be sufficient for our weaknesses? In other words, it could be that Jesus was saying, “Come and be in deep relationship with me and I will give you grace that perfects your imperfections.”

Rev. Dr. Nicole Massie Martin holds degrees from Vanderbilt University, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She is the Chief Operating Officer at Christianity Today and founder and Executive Director of Soulfire International Ministries. She is an accomplished writer and author, serves on various boards and councils, and leads the Grow Ministry at Kingdom Fellowship AME Church in Maryland. She and her husband, Mark, are proud parents to two amazing daughters.

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Change and the Power of Why

One of the ongoing struggles in church leadership is learning to separate vision from strategy, especially when leading people toward change. Too often, we focus on the how—how something will be implemented, who will be involved, where it’s going to happen—but we overlook the deeper question: why are we doing this?

If we don’t understand the why, we can easily lose our way. Whether we’re implementing a new ministry initiative or planting a new church, we must always return to the deeper purpose. That’s what moves hearts. That’s what brings lasting change.

The Theology Behind the Tasks

Back in the days before cell phones, during the early stages of church planting, I carried a lightweight notebook with me everywhere I went. I used it to jot down ideas and outline the functions of the church—everything from ushering and greeting, to children’s ministry and even parking lot coordination.

Each page in that notebook represented a different ministry area. But more importantly, for each task, I would try to write out a theology for why we were doing it. What does the Bible say about the way we welcome people? How should our values shape even something as mundane as parking cars?

That may sound overly detailed, but I found it grounding. When we rooted every form and function in biblical principle, we kept ourselves from drifting. We weren’t just copying what we saw elsewhere—we were aligning every action with a spiritual foundation. The form of ministry should flow naturally from its function, and both should be driven by the why.

Know Your People’s Capacity for Change

Another challenge we face is failing to fully consider the capacity of the people who will implement the changes we dream up. Vision without compassion becomes a burden.

That’s why my best advice is this: make haste slowly. Take the time to explain what you’re doing and why. Most change starts in the pulpit, but it must also filter down into smaller circles—first to your core leaders, then into the conversations they have with the people they lead.

The Pulpit as a Tool for Change

I was mentored early on by Robert Schuller. At the time, he led a church of over 8,000 people, what would eventually become the Crystal Cathedral. He once said he could “counsel all 8,000 people,” and while he may have been thinking psychologically as much as spiritually, there’s real truth in that statement.

We often underestimate the power of the pulpit. When you stand before people with a microphone around your neck, they listen. They trust. They believe what you say. That platform gives you a unique opportunity to shape culture and guide people through change—if you use it wisely.

One of the best ways to bring people along in a season of change is to treat your announcements like progress reports. Weave them into sermons if possible but state them clearly.

Start simple: “I’ve been thinking about something…”
A week or two later: “This is something we’ve been talking about as a staff…”
Then: “Here’s what we think it could look like. We’d love your input.”
Eventually: “We’re going to test this out.”
And finally: “Here’s where we’re going.”

That kind of transparency builds trust. It gives people space to catch up emotionally and spiritually. It invites them into the process rather than surprising them with a decision. More than that, it respects the tremendous trust that God has placed in you—the leader who speaks to His people every week.

Final Thoughts: Lead with Humility

Strategic change requires more than clever ideas or fast execution. It requires wisdom. It requires humility. And above all, it requires a clear and compelling why. When we lead with that—anchored in scripture, thoughtful about people’s capacity, and respectful of the pulpit—we guide our churches not just through change, but toward transformation.

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