The Joy of Failure
what I've learned about ministry innovation by getting it wrong
When I started my own ministry in 2016, I had no idea what I was doing.
All I knew was I had been working with many churches, and they all had the same struggles - low attendance, not enough money, unable to find full (or half) time clergy. A sense that things didn’t work the way they used to, and a frustration at how to move forward towards thriving ministry.
’There has to be a better way’, I thought. We should be able to find a way to re-think the ‘stuff’ of church - and get more of the ‘Good Stuff’.
I had a concept, but not a plan. So I just started doing what felt right - a lot of courses, coaching, consulting, and trying to put everything I was thinking into words (and images)…
The first things that I did were not at all successful!
For instance, I had this idea to do a remote, video based ‘Retreat in a box’ for congregational leaders:
I still think the idea was good! But no one really wanted it.
I did not think it through. Also, this was pre-Covid times, and most churches were far from tech-savvy - and even farther from being interested in digital ministry!
This is just one of many ideas I started that were not particularly successful - and I didn’t know why. At first, I didn’t even know that I should want to know why! It was too easy to feel like a failure personally.
It was very easy to become discouraged. And sometimes I did.
I also felt my call to innovative ministry very clearly. So I kept trying to learn from what wasn’t working and move ahead.
And I kept refining my goal. My six-word mission: Reimagining church in the digital age.
And I kept failing.
But here’s what changed: I got a lot more curious than scared.
I started keeping track of things, and getting a sense of what was working, and continuing to move towards that.
Being ‘Free Range’ is also helpful in this process. I am (mostly) just responsible to myself - I am an Episcopal priest in good standing, and I serve a congregation, so I am obedient to my Bishop and to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of the Episcopal Church.
But I only have to ask myself if it’s ok to try something new.
I think it’s harder when organizations try to innovate.
When more people are involved, it’s hard to all pull together. Someone doesn’t like the idea; someone says ‘we tried that once’, or ‘Sam will never go for it’, or ‘Evelyn doesn’t do email’, and pretty soon the perceived challenges of change win out over the adventure.
We want what change will bring us - freedom from the issues we have now. But we really don’t want to actually change.
The Episcopal Church’s Presiding Bishop, Sean Rowe, said in an interview recently that the church plays ‘whack-a-mole’ with innovation - beating it down whenever it pops its head up. He also said that this is because we are afraid of failure.
This has been my experience - at least at first.
He went on in the same interview to talk about how the 1990s were supposed to be ‘the decade of evangelism’ for the Episcopal Church, but instead we lost about a third of our membership.
Paraphrasing Bp. Rowe, he said that we shouldn’t feel bad about failing to grow the church during this time, we should feel bad that we don’t know why we failed.
Now that I’m in my tenth(!) year as a Free Range Priest, more things are going well. Part of this is that I actually embrace what fails, because it feels like something to learn from:
Where is the energy?
Are people seeking you out? Showing up? Asking for your help? Is it happening consistently? This energy tells us we’re doing something that matters to people.
The whole endeavor might not be working, but some part of it might. Look for the energy.What are the numbers?
It does matter how many people are in your pews - or on your rolls for digital ministry. You do need to who you are reaching, and if the numbers are increasing (or not). It’s a litmus test for whether your ministry actually matters to people. Whether they are becoming closer to God.
It’s the same with money. Money represents value - and something that is bringing value into people’s lives generally shows that by increased donations or subscriptions.
Regardless of what direction the numbers are going in, it’s important to know what they are.
If no one shows up for something - stop doing it! If lots of people subscribe - keep doing it! This is how you learn to shape your ministry.Is there a goal? (and is it being met?)
My ‘retreat in a box’ idea had a vague goal - helping church leaders - but one of my big failures was not being clear with myself what my intentions were.
What did I hope to achieve with this idea? What transformation did I hope would occur for those I served?
And how would I know if it happened?
I didn’t know the answers these questions - so I’m not surprised I failed at this.
I have had some success!
Lately, what seems to be working best is what I call Sustainable Part-time Ministry.
When I started Free Range Priest, I decided to use myself as a guinea pig - and the wonderful church I serve (with their permission of course. And the Bishop’s…)!
I’ve been finding new ways for clergy and congregations serve together very part-time:
focusing on task vs. time-based ministry (no more ‘quarter-time’, etc)
focusing on mindset shift: on clergy not being in charge.
re-imagining ministry as clergy (and other ministers) serving like consultants, supporting and offering a theological framework around the ministry already being done by members of a congregation.
So far, this is working.
There is energy: St. Paul’s is thriving. Other congregations, clergy and dioceses are interested in the model.
The numbers are increasing: for the congregation I serve, as well as the numbers of people who are interested in the concept.
I have a goal: finding sustainable (and joyful!) ways to support clergy and congregational ministry.
I’m absolutely learning from success, too. And I’m looking forward to more failure - for the sake of more joy. I invite you to join me!
Interesting and encouraging post.