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What’s Up
Some ministries look great on paper. The attendance numbers are solid, volunteers are smiling, and the feedback is glowing. But here’s the uncomfortable truth … good-looking ministries can still stunt your church growth. They can make you feel like you’re winning while quietly draining time, energy, and resources from what really moves the mission forward. The applause of insiders too often drowns out the silence of the people who never showed up.
So What
A few years ago, I worked with a church that hosted an annual community event that everyone loved – the ever popular Vacation Bible School. Parents raved about it, the kids had a blast, and the volunteers were exhausted but proud. The problem? Every family who attended was already part of another church. Zero connection with the unchurched community. Zero evangelistic return. They had a full house … but an empty harvest.
When we finally did a postmortem, the truth came into focus. The problem wasn’t effort. It was focus. They’d built a beautiful event that wasn’t aligned with their mission. They’d aimed for activity, not transformation. And that’s what postmortems expose: The gap between what we think we’re doing and what’s actually happening. Without reflection, churches repeat the same cycle year after year, mistaking busyness for fruitfulness.
The Point Is …
Evaluate Everything. Every event, ministry, or program deserves a postmortem. Not just when it fails, but especially when it looks like a success. Ask the hard questions: Who did we reach? What did we learn? Did this move us closer to our mission of making disciples? Success isn’t measured by attendance or applause. It’s measured by life change and community impact. If we don’t evaluate, we’ll keep perfecting what doesn’t work.
Define Success Before You Start. If you can’t name the specific outcome you want, you’ll never know if you achieved it. “Reach new families” is too vague. “Connect with 10 unchurched households” is measurable. “Build ongoing relationships with three community leaders” is strategic. Every ministry effort should have an outcome tied to the church’s larger mission. If it’s not measurable, it’s just wishful thinking.
Equip Leaders for Real Results. Ministry leaders need more than enthusiasm … they need clarity, resources, and accountability. A clear target and consistent coaching turn good intentions into impact. That’s why leadership selection and supervision matter so much. Did your ministry leader have the capacity for the role? The capability to deliver? The ability, both time and energy, to make it happen? Without those three (what I call the CCA standard), the odds of success drop dramatically.
Align Resources with Mission. Every dollar, volunteer hour, and prayer should support your church’s primary mission. Churches often pour energy into programs that feel meaningful but fail to reach new people. If your resources are tied up maintaining inward-focused ministries, your growth will always hit a ceiling. A postmortem helps you see where the leaks are so you can redirect effort where it counts.
And … ?
Failure isn’t the enemy of growth … complacency is. Edison failed thousands of times before lighting up the world. He didn’t call them failures, he called them discoveries. Every misstep showed him what didn’t work so he could get closer to what did. The same principle applies in ministry: If you’re not learning from what didn’t work, you’re not growing. Postmortems are how you fail forward with purpose. They help you see what really happened instead of what you hope happened. They turn “good try” into “next time, we’ll get it right.”
Here’s the deeper truth: Until you start doing postmortems, you’ll never know which ministries are actually moving the mission. It’s not enough to say, “That went well.” The question is, “Did it move us closer to making disciples?” If the answer’s unclear, that’s your sign to dig in.
When you take time to review your ministries with clear eyes, you stop mistaking activity for impact. You stop celebrating busy schedules and start celebrating transformed lives. The goal isn’t more events, it’s more disciples. The churches that thrive are the ones that measure everything against that standard. They aren’t afraid to admit what didn’t work, because they know that’s where real growth begins.
Action!
If you’re serious about turning ministry activity into results, join this year’s 3-Day Challenge: Stop Inviting People to Church and Grow Your Church Anyway. It’s time to stop guessing and start building ministries that actually grow your church.
