Here is a hard-core truth: “Healthy things grow. God has woven this principle into the very fabric of creation. The converse of this is true as well. When a living thing becomes unhealthy, growth stops and even reverses. Ask any farmer or gardener.” –Robert Morris, Pastor of 20,000+ member church
Here are a few facts for your consideration: According to the Barna Group, roughly 60 percent of the Protestant churches in the United States have fewer than 100 members and a full 98 percent have fewer than 1,000. In other words, small churches are the rule, not the exception. These numbers reveal the failure of our churches to effectively reach out into their communities.
Join the “2% Club”!
No matter the size of your church, I want to help you reach and break the 1,000-member mark so you can enter into the top 2% Club. I have spent the past fifteen years of my ministry in the trenches teaching and coaching Senior Pastors how to exponentially grow their churches spiritually, numerically, and financially. Over the years, I can’t even count how many times I have heard pastors say, “I can’t take it anymore! I know I need help, but I desperately want something more than just another good speaker or church growth program. I think I need some leadership coaching.”
I know firsthand what it’s like to hit what seem to be invisible walls of growth at the 150, 300, 500, 800, and 1,000 marks. The first church I pastored in a tiny town called Trillacoochee, Florida, faced these same challenges. However, a very successful megachurch pastor coached me on how to break those “perceived” barriers. The result—my church grew larger than the community in which it was located. For the past fifteen years I have helped many pastors break these barriers.
Crisis among Senior Pastors
Why do so many ministries stagnate, marriages fail, strange doctrines appear, sinful behaviors become commonplace, and leaders quit? Why are so many pastors and ministry leaders overwhelmed, burned out, frustrated, and contemplating quitting? I believe there is a very simple yet profound answer: because they have not been properly developed and trained with the leadership intelligence (LQ) necessary to grow a thriving church.
LQ Deficiencies—We Should have Seen it Coming
We should have seen the tragedy of September 11, 2001, coming. We had warnings; the first bombing of the World Trade Center, the Kenyan Embassy, the U.S.S. Cole, etc. We can say the same thing about the tragedies we have witnessed in ministry. The following statistics about pastors have been available from pollster George Barna for years:
- 1,800 pastors leave the ministry every month
- 40% will not be in the ministry in 10 years
- 15% contemplate leaving the ministry every Monday morning
- 65% would leave their position for a similar paying position
- 50% feel unable to meet the needs of the job
- 80% believe that pastoral ministry has adversely affected their families
- 40% will have an extramarital affair during their career
- 70% say they have lower self-esteem than when they started in ministry
- 89% say they do not have the gift of leadership
As America’s #1 Confidence Coach, I have provided more than fifteen years of consulting, vision facilitation, and strategic planning to Senior Pastors. I have also trained over 335,000 church leaders in conferences, workshops, and Bible schools throughout the world. I know that these statistics can be turned around. There are many faithful and committed pastors and church leaders worldwide who need to know that they are not alone—there is help.
For years, pastors and ministry leaders have been asking:
- How can I gain significant ground, sustain vigorous and healthy growth, and be uniquely able to accomplish all that God has given me—and survive?
- How can I get to the point where I’m not dealing with my ministry alone?
- How can I stop living my life at full bore before I burn out and forget who I really am?
- How can I feel once again close to my first love, Christ?
- Where do I go from here? I am frustrated, overwhelmed, and weary. Life seems like a cycle of endless work.
- How can I remain strong and maintain my health, enthusiasm, zeal, supernatural love, and compassion for people?
- How can I have confidence that I can say someday before the Lord, “I have finished the work that You gave me to do”?
My own personal research and the research of other successful consultants reveal that these questions stem from FIVE universal leadership deficiencies:
- Lack of Direction – Most pastors lack the clarity and proper structure needed to build a successful church and to leave a legacy. Result: Unfulfilled ministry dreams.
- Wrong Work Ethic – Because most pastors are operating out of their leadership position, they get so caught up doing the menial tasks of ministry that they do not have time to practice the two most important principles to growing their churches. Result: Church membership stagnates, morale decreases, and finances dry up.
- Lack of Time Management Skills – Most pastors, due to hyper-business, tend to fly by the seat of their pants and are unorganized. Result: Leader stagnates, lives with an unprotected anointing, and with a lack of intimacy with God and family. Result: Quality people leave the church, leader experiences burnout.
- Crisis and Change Management Skills – Most pastors have so much needless crisis and chaos going on around them. Rather than facing the facts, they avoid them, at great cost. Result: Leader becomes delusional; major ministry opportunities are missed and major mistakes are made.
- Lack of disciples being made through Leadership Development – Most pastors do not lead or properly disciple, coach, teach, train, or mentor those God has entrusted to them. Result: Lack of qualified and strong leaders to carry the load. We have been busy developing professional church goers instead of strong leaders needed to carry the load.
What Caused the Tragedy?
The principal reason for the dysfunction that manifests in frustration and eventually quitting the ministry is that leaders have never learned the following:
- The wisdom to achieve all of God’s mandates while maintaining the quality of life He prescribes.
- The understanding and practical application how to properly structure and build a ministry organization.
- The methods, systems, strategic planning, and processes required and how to execute them.
- The practical tools that must be worked versus falling for the clever slogans, sayings, steps, ideals, and theories that don’t work.
- The skills that must be practiced so that the art of execution is passed down.
Pastors and ministry leaders have said to me repeatedly, “I’ve read all the church growth books, John Maxwell’s leadership books, have gone to conferences, and have listened to all the CDs. Can you please show me how to do this?” Most Senior Pastors have never been taught and trained in the foundational principals, personal development processes, and behavioral performance proficiencies of building a successful and efficiently functioning church. All they have been taught is “Preach the Bible, worship God, pray, stay positive, build a big building and they will come.” This philosophy worked in the “authoritarian autocratic one-man -show” leadership style of the ’80s, ’90s, and the beginning of the 21st century.
“My [Senior Pastors] are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” (Hosea 4:6, paraphrased).
However, times have changed, the culture has drastically changed, and the problems we face are more complex. Without a doubt, leading a church in the 21st century demands a higher level of leadership intelligence (LQ) than at any other time in the history of the world. The old models of leadership are obsolete. Now, leadership is less about titles, positions, or how good you can preach—and more about influence and impact.
Learn how I built a bigger church attendance than my cities population—and you can too! FREE for Senior Pastors, my new book called The LQ Solution- Influence, Impact, and Increase. Simply click this link: http://ow.ly/6kCo30bwCEV
Biography of Keith Johnson, America’s #1 Confidence Coach
Keith Johnson is known as one of the premier speakers on the subjects of Christian leadership, confidence building, and strategic planning. For the past 16 years, his messages, books, and leadership coaching has helped some of the largest and most prestigious churches in the world to experience spiritual, numerical, and financial growth.
Keith’s journey to becoming recognized by other leaders as America’s #1 Confidence Coach did not start out well. He failed kindergarten; and by the time he was in 5th grade, he could barely read and write and almost failed again
His parents divorced, and his father became an alcoholic, drug addict, and joined a motorcycle club called Satan’s Escorts. His own father introduced him to drugs at the young age of 13; and by 16, his father taught him how to sell drugs for a living. His mother married an alcoholic who was very abusive to the entire family.
Keith experienced a radical encounter with Jesus Christ when he was 22 years of age. He was instantly set free from alcoholism, drugs, and a promiscuous lifestyle.
Keith’s biblically based success and leadership principles have now influenced both the church and secular markets. His newest book, The Confidence Solution—Reinvent Yourself, Explode Your Business, Skyrocket Your Income became a best seller by reaching #21 in Amazon’s motivation and business category. He is a frequent television guest appearing on popular shows and stations such as New York’s PIX 11, Fox Business News, The Tom Sullivan Show, CBS, ABC, and many others. He has been recognized by Women’s World magazine as one of America’s “Ultimate Experts,” which is the most read women’s magazine in the world.
Keith Johnson, PhD, is a dedicated lifelong learner. He earned a Master’s of Christian Leadership and a Doctor of Philosophy in Theology from Christian Life University. He is the founder of Destiny College International, an accredited college specializing in graduate training for pastors and business leaders. He is a certified speaker, trainer, and coach for the John Maxwell team.
Dr. Johnson was jobless at the age of 35, with no money, no perceived opportunities, no influential relationships to help him—and 40 pounds overweight. He had absolutely no confidence for a better future!
Then he discovered the proven biblical strategies for success that changed his life forever. In less than three years he was earning a six-figure income, working for himself, living in the house of his dreams, and traveling around the world.
Today, he has trained over 147,000 Christian leaders, he travels worldwide in response to invitations, and he is the author of five books that share his success secrets.
Read more about Dr. Keith’s Story Here!
