breakout churches

I recently enjoyed reading through Breakout Churches by Thom Rainer and his research team. The research was designed to test the principals of Jim Collins' Good to Great in a ministry setting. It's a very interesting read, and generally congruent with Collins' results.

What Collins calls "Technology Accelerators," Rainer calls "Innovation Accelerators." One such accelerator is a building project.

Rainer's research confirms again that a building project is only effective when it is used to further the vision and goals of the ministry. Breakout Churches also suggests, however, that timing is a key issue as well - that building a facility that enhances the work of your ministry a year before you really need it (or a year after) can be damaging to the health of the congregation.

Also interesting is the role of a building project observed in "comparison churches." Just as the Good to Great team compared their highlighted companies with others who did not make the leap to greatness, the Breakout Churches team studied three mediocre churches compared to each breakout church. In almost every case, the comparison churches either ignored their need for expanded/improved facilities (thus sentencing their ministry to death by erosion), or jumped into a building project as the magic formula for growth (thus sentencing their ministry to death by bankruptcy).

Just as important as knowing what to do when considering a building project (align vision, remember goals, assess the health and support level of the congregation, etc.), may be knowing what not to do: don't ignore your need for an improved facility (hint: if your worship space is consistently full, you need more space), and don't assume that "if you build it, they will come."