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Every ministry leader knows that a healthy ministry relies on healthy systems.
There’s this dance between pruning and growing:
Which features do I need to cut?
Which features would I add?
All of this has to be handled with wisdom, but when we’re in the thick of it, it’s easy to miss the “creeps” that silently come in and throw off your goals.
Here are some the biggest “creeps” I’ve seen in ministry and business, and how you can keep them at bay.
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The Feature Creep
This is something a lot of founders, start-up people, and re-vitalizers fall prey to. The idea is this:
The more features your system, product, or offering provides, the inherently better it is.
While we may not use every feature immediately, the long-term potential of eventual implementation is prudent to prioritize.
Here are the problems, though:
Your administration and congregation (much like a business’ team and customers) prefer “simple” over “complex.”
Unrealized potential is really just waste. You’re either allocating capital to non-existent features, or misdirecting energy towards features that, more often than not, lead to weak fruit.
In one sense, you’re trying to get the most “bang for your buck.” Fiscally, this makes sense; you’re getting a lot of potential value against the initial cost. But when you leave features unused, or if they marginally enhance the overall enterprise, then you have to deal with dead weight and diminishing returns.
The Deletion Creep
Sometimes, things can be too streamlined. Ministry leaders consolidate systems in order to:
Have less clutter (aesthetically, efficiently, etc.).
Throw away old-fashioned features.
Save costs.
In many ways, these considerations are noble, but there’s a catch:
What is “sleek” with less clutter ends up potentially leaving a massive gap in system functions.
Newer features arise with bugs and quirks that create wholly new problems.
Time/labor spent re-learning/troubleshooting can make your overall costs more or less the same.
Examples:
Sheet music vs. Tablet vs. Memorization: What do you do if a tablet shuts down, or a team member can’t accurately recall and execute their part? Sheet music brings more “clutter” to the stage, but it’s the most reliable part of the system of you want consistent execution of musical performance.
Monitor engineer vs. Personal mixing stations: Again, more elements are removed from the stage if you have a monitor engineer handling the monitor mixes. But what happens when an individual band member needs to adjust some levels mid-performance? Without a personal mixing station, they’re sunk.
The Vendor Creep
This is much like “feature creep,” but in your attempt to get exactly what you want, you parse out services to several different vendors, contractors, and subscription providers.
I would say that a semi-annual check-in of your current vendor list is a healthy pattern to follow, and at the end of your fiscal year, evaluate where you can combine or eliminate services. Be careful though: Depending on what your vendor offers (such as CMS, giving, or other large-scale systems), you’ll have to deal with heightened friction from your team and/or congregation.
Weigh the costs and proceed accordingly.
The Responsibility Creep
This can be viewed in two complimentary ways:
Receiving responsibilities from others.
Passing off responsibilities to others.
In the first sense, you “pick up the slack” for the good of the whole. But as time goes on, what was incidental becomes a regular duty, devaluing what you were originally brought to do and reducing the overall quality of output.
In the second sense, you’re likely coming from the perspective of “delegation”—but this is a smokescreen for “passing off things you don’t want/like to do.” While not totally invalid, your position warrants some level of bearing things that wouldn’t be your first choice or desire.
This is another balance in itself: Where do I maintain a boundary, and where can I relax? A good rule of thumb is to establish expectations through written job descriptions, proper documentation of conversations and meetings, and clear evaluation of where you’re most effective in carrying out duties.
A good way to sum up how to keep this “creep” at bay:
“Hoe your row, let others hoe theirs, and be willing to meet in the middle.”
Keep ‘Er Movin’
The key to this “dance” is to keep moving, or in other words, keep iterating:
Research
Implement
Test
Evaluate
Tweak
At each point in this process, keep the communication flowing between yourself, your leaders, colleagues, and team members. This way, you can plot each next step based off feedback, results, and variables that are introduced.
Be blessed 👊✌️
Derek is the founder and director of Worship Strategies and is also Creative Ministries Director Faith Family Church in Fayette, MO. Outside of ministry, he is active as a musician and entrepreneur. He is married to his wife Kaitlynn, and they have two beautiful daughters.
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