Taking missionary ventures can cause churches to come to life. There is something significant about taking on tasks that supercede a church’s ability. Soon many areas of a church will improve. I know of a church that decided it wanted to reach out to Gen X folks. It invested in a coffee house even though their budget was strapped. The project closed after seven months, but the church had acted without fear, expecting they could do more than they had previously done. There were future projects taken on as the church acted like God was at work within them – and soon they succeeded in two ventures of faith.

I am a big proponent of multiple services, as many church consultants are today. By adding a new service, churches open new attitudes and possibilities. The tool is particularly helpful in a culture that views less options as an enemy. Adding a service can also be a way of acting like a church can be more than it is.

I met with a board of one church that had read a book I wrote about healing churches. The pastor had called me and told me that his church had been at a plateau for seven years. There were about four hundred empty seats in their sanctuary every week, and he had tried everything to get the church growing again, or as he said, “on the grow.” The board meeting that followed was eye opening.