September 16, 2013
By Phil Maynard
You would think that church people would be good at funerals, but we aren’t. It seems instead that when it comes to programs and special events it’s, “Once done, always done,” or, as a staff member once quipped, “The show must go on!” But why?
Why must the first anything become the first annual something? Just because we did it last year, does that mean we’ve got to do it again next year and every year? How can you add anything new that fits today’s community and today’s congregation when everyone is exhausted from keeping yester year’s plates spinning. We hesitate to say, “This program has run its course well and now it is time to let it cease as we celebrate the good that has been accomplished, as we give thanks to those who made it possible, and as we reallocate our resources for greater missional impact for the future.” Instead we usually maintain on life support events that we need to let die with dignity.
Here are six natural signs that it may be time to celebrate a ministry’s life and let it die.