Word Count: 358 – Est Read Time: 90 Seconds
What’s Up:
Churches waste energy trying harder at ministries that are already dead or dying. It’s time to stop trying harder and start trying smarter.
So What:
If your church is still doing the same things and expecting different results, it is not persistence … it is delusion. It is time to redefine “success.”
The Point Is:
Measure Everything Every ministry, every program, and every event must have specific, measurable goals tied directly to disciple-making.
Evaluate Results Honestly Do not prop up a ministry because “it has always been there.” If it is not bearing fruit, name it, claim it, and either fix it or end it.
Define Failure Clearly Failure is not a shameful word. It is simply “not reaching the intended goal.” Naming it allows us to adjust or move resources to where they matter. Most churches don’t have the resources to waste anymore!
Change Before It Is Too Late Innovation is the lifeblood of the church’s future. Keep trying smarter, not harder, so your ministry does not become an empty monument to “the good old days.”
And … ? Benjamin Franklin (“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”) and Albert Einstein were separated by about 150 years, but their collective wisdom points to the same truth: insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. Yet that is what many churches do every week. Bible studies, women’s groups, choirs, worship services — each continues on autopilot because “It’s what we have always done,” not because they are still making measurable, maturing disciples.
This week’s Pastor’s Ministry Failure Post Mortem Assessment is not about shaming anyone. It is about reclaiming our resources, realigning with the mission, and refusing to waste another hour on programs that do not bear fruit. Everything must be measured against the Great Commission: Are we making more and better disciples? If not, fix it or scrap it. The future of your church depends on smarter tries, not harder ones.
Action!
Download the Pastor’s Ministry Failure Post Mortem Assessment this week and start evaluating which ministries are bearing real fruit … and which are not.
