Scott Cheatham’s Weblog

Last week, I reviewed a book by Peter Senge titled “The Fifth Discipline”. In the book, Senge outlines his method of “systems” thinking in organizations. The book is written for business but clearly has applications in the church world. As a church pastor, systems thinking is a part of what we do whether or not we view it as such. If the church leadership makes a decision about a particular program or ministry, it clearly has impacts that will be felt in other areas of the church. A change in youth ministry philosophy may mean an influx of teens that need leadership. Do we have someone prepared and properly trained? Will this influx of teens mean more volunteers to help with other areas of ministry on Sunday? Who organizes that? Who executes? You see what I mean? Systems thinking truly is something that deserves careful consideration as you grow as a leader.

Senge’s book was originally published in the mid-90’s and was updated just a few years ago. The information presented in this work is still just as fresh now as it was then. That’s because systems thinking is ever changing and growing. the organization (or church for this post) will constantly be looking for ways to effectively reach others and introduce new ideas on one end of the spectrum while influencing systems throughout the entire congregation.

Does this all sound like it’s too much? How do you change your thinking and begin to plan as a true systems thinker while maintaining biblical principles in your ministry? I have links to a few resources to get you started. The first is a podcast that you can download from the “Church Leader Insights” web site. In this 30-minute podcast, Church Pastor Nelson Searcy outlines his thoughts on church systems using an eight system model that he developed. Recently, Searcy released a report you can download that mirrors this podcast. The report is a bit top heavy with advertisements for resources that Searcy links to his model. That is expected when something is free though. Many of Searcy’s offerings through Church Leader Insights are very good and worth the money you spend for them. I’ll be reviewing one of my personal favorites in the weeks ahead.

For me, beginning to think about a systems model for my own church began with a restating of our purpose for existing. From there, I began to think about the “front door” to my church and how I wanted to develop the people as our church purpose indicates. The various systems such as outreach and evangelism, worship planning, biblical discipleship, leadership development, program expansion, and service teams all began to take shape. Comparing these with the rubric of our purpose clarified goals for each area and provided the “teeth” to put these systems together like cogs in a machine. I realize this is a pretty simplistic way to state my own personal model but to discuss it fully would likely require a book. Perhaps one day, I’ll release it as a download but for now, it’s enough to say that I believe the best systems in your church are the ones you develop organically. Take what I’ve given you as a model, read Senge’s book, listen to the podcast, but make your systems very specific to you otherwise you are destined to fail.

Feel free to email me if you’d like to ask questions. I’d love to share ideas and brainstorm with others on what they develop on their own. Whether you develop these for a church or your own business, I’d like to see what you come up with. Regardless, let’s not forget to honor God in all that we plan so his richest blessings will rain down upon us as we move forward in new and exciting ways of thinking.