Momentum or Maintenance?

But how does a church move from a default posture of maintenance – focused on sustaining programs – to a posture of momentum – focused on growth, innovation, and multiplying impact? Here are a few guiding principles.

1. Define Direction Beyond Repetition

Maintenance often looks like a calendar full of familiar events and routines that repeat year after year, largely serving people who are already engaged. Momentum begins instead with vision-driven questions:

• • Who are we not reaching yet?
  • What new ministries or outreach pathways best express our mission in this context?
  • What outcomes – beyond comfort and familiarity – matter most to us?

Momentum-focused churches define success not by how smoothly Sunday runs, but by how widely grace is extended, how many new people are encountering Christ, and how deeply lives are being transformed.

2. Leverage Available Resources

A maintenance mindset almost never generates new ideas or margin for experimentation, and innovation rarely happens in isolation; more often, it happens in the creative interactions of community. One strength of our ShareChurch approach is making learned ministry wisdom accessible – resources, stories, templates, and frameworks that churches of every size can adapt.

From downloadable tools for intentional entry-points to guidance on outward-focused worship to lessons learned from launching new locations, freely sharing these resources challenges leaders to think beyond familiar rhythms. Churches committed to momentum engage networks like ours not as “quick fixes,” but as strategic accelerators that help clarify direction and spark new energy.

3. Create a Culture of Adaptive Learning

Maintenance can feel safe because it avoids change – but safety can quickly become stagnation. Momentum requires a learning mindset: leaders and teams willing to evaluate what’s working, what isn’t, and why. That means honest reflection and the willingness to tweak, pivot, or even stop activities that no longer advance the mission.

This kind of adaptive learning aligns with opportunities like our Leadership Institute and other training events, where leaders are encouraged to gather ideas, implement, evaluate, and refine.

4. Align Resources with Mission Priorities

Strategic churches align budgets, volunteer energy, and staff capacity with mission priorities, not just tradition. That often requires hard questions:

• • Which ministries are central to our purpose and growth?
  • Where do we see genuine life change?
  • What might we need to grow into – and what are we willing to retire?

Momentum isn’t reckless expansion; it’s purposeful investment in what truly advances the mission.

5. Lead With Courage and Humility

Finally, the shift from maintenance to momentum ultimately depends on leadership marked by courage and humility:

• • Courage to try new approaches and take thoughtful risks.
  • Humility to learn from others, listen well, and adjust when needed.

We understand leadership is not a solo endeavor; it’s a shared journey with Christ and with one another; and we are proud to be on this mission with you.

Momentum or maintenance? As you pray and plan for 2026, let that question shape your strategy meetings, budget conversations, and volunteer priorities. Momentum isn’t about constant motion – it’s about intentional movement toward lives changed, communities transformed, and a church living into its calling with clarity, creativity, and courage.