Seven Practices of Highly Effective Ministry
Seven Practices Of Highly Effective Ministry[1] by Andy Stanley, Reggie Joiner and Lane Jones
A review by Glen Bickford
Seven Practices of Effective Ministry is an unusual book and an unusual read for me. The authors are from North Point Community Church, a corporate sized church in Atlanta, Ga. which Andy Stanley started. Written by folks with a decidedly conservative bent, I expected the book to be heavily theological. Even though it was directed to church leaders, it’s a book was decidedly secular in nature. In fact, the first section of the book is written in story format and gives advice from a secular businessman to a struggling pastor. It’s an easy read: it took me under 3 hours from start to finish.
Using the metaphors of a baseball team, the authors introduce the seven practices: 1) clarify what constitutes a win 2) think steps not programs, 3) narrow the focus, 4) say only what you need to say to those who need to hear it, 5) listen to outsiders, 6) work to replace yourself and 7) evaluate work/celebrate wins). At first I thought this book might simply be a rehashing of Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People but after I read it I was pleasantly surprised. Certainly the title was no accident and there is overlap with Covey. Covey’s habit #2 “begin with the end in mind” is very similar to the book’s practices #1 “clarify a win” and #2 “think steps not programs.” Practice #7 “work on it” (evaluate performance and celebrate what you do) is remarkably similar to Covey’s habit #7 “sharpen the saw” for church ministry. Perhaps a better way of putting it is that the book often plays off and applies much of Covey’s habits to church ministry. Many of the practices, however, are quite different than Covey’s work and also quite relevant.
For example the practice #3 “narrow the focus” is good for personal growth and especially helpful for smaller congregations[2] but seems less important in megachurches such as North Point Church with many programs and massive resources even as in this economy churches are cutting back[3] . It is true, though, that the purpose and target audience of a church program and of a church as a whole are often fuzzy. Many churches attempt to simply “help people” which is too vague to be truly productive. Thus, narrowing the focus can be as important in larger congregations as smaller ones and a helpful way to achieve the “win” of practice #1. It is also true that “there is a natural tendency in many churches to drift toward complexity.[4]More precisely, there is natural tendency in most organizations to drift toward bureaucracy and stagnation; narrowing the focus can counteract this tendency somewhat.
#4 “teach more for less” argues for telling people only what they need and want to know. Applied to sermons they claim this means simpler sermons of life application with fewer points.[5] The point is well taken (less is more) if, as in many sermons, the points are on different topics. This principle is less helpful to well crafted sermons where the several points explicate and exegete a single relevant Biblical principle.
“Learning from people outside the organization” (practice #5) is in some sense a “no-brainer” but it is a valuable piece that many mainline churches have lost. Congregations tend to do church more for “insiders” than those outside which, according to Jesus, we Christians are trying to reach. Practice #6 (replace yourself) is quite valuable when dealing with volunteers.[6] A critique of this principle might be that training others to do some of what you do as a leader is impossible with some roles of a leader- say communion/eucharist- unless the authors are telling pastors to be on the lookout for seminary candidates.
The book is neither profound nor deep in its explanation of the stated seven practices but it is valuable if you intend to re-evaluate ministry. Its practices may need adapted somewhat to churches which function more as a parish church for locals of a particular denomination than bigger city churches targeted at a particular age or ethnic demographic. For example, “learning from people outside the organization” and “telling people only what they need to know” may be threatening to some in small congregations. What constitutes a good sermon or program likewise varies in style and content from denomination to denomination and from urban educated to less educated rural areas. Still, the book has many useful reminders: 1) attempting to do too much in any size of church is not helpful 2) using specific, relevant practical goals, measures and rewards is more helpful 3) expecting folks to work diligently to help others without recognition of accomplishments is ultimately destructive to an organization. This book may go a long way toward preventing stagnation and burnout in any congregation. I recommend it for that reason.
[1]Seven Practices Of Highly Effective Ministry (Salem, Oregon: Multanomah Publishers, 2004)
[2] Cf. a similar David Olson, The American Church in Crisis: Groundbreaking Research Based on a National Database of Over 200,000 Churches (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008), 87