Por Laura Stephens Reed
Eight years ago, James Clear published his bestselling book Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones. In it he walks readers through making small changes in their routines so they can become more fully the people they aspire to be. He talks about the compounding effect of these intentional choices. Just like money in an
interest-earning account, our investment in good habits yields results that become disproportionately large over time.
I find Clear’s advice to create habits that are easy to do, so obvious that they are hard to avoid, attractive enough that I actually want to do them and satisfying because of the sense of reward I get to be useful. But I think that his discussion of systems is even more important. Systems link habits together in a chain reaction, thereby automating the tasks we do often. One habit leads to the second, which reminds us to do the third and so on.
On a practical level, systems save us time and mental energy. Once the Rube Goldberg machine is activated, the momentum carries the series of tasks forward. On an identity level, systems are indispensable. They allow us to live into our values and purpose. In fact, Clear goes so far as to say, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
Congregations would do well to ponder that statement. They invest so much time in strategic planning. If there is not a firm foundation of functioning systems, though, it won’t be long before the many-paged document that comes out of the planning process gets stuffed in a drawer, never to see the light of day again.
Here are some of the systems that every congregation needs:
Core documents such as constitution and by-laws that reflect how the church actually works. These touchstones lay out important procedures, particularly for big moments in the life of the congregation including the calling or dismissal of a pastor or the buying of property.
Accurate job descriptions for staff and laity. These lists of responsibilities allow everyone to know what they are saying “yes” to and indicate when the person in that role might be over or under functioning and thus need some support.
Personnel policies and call agreements. Just as the duties of paid employees should be clear, so should the terms of their employment, including vacation, leave and other benefits. Then there’s no question about who is due what perk and when an employee crosses a line.
Planned times and means for giving feedback to employees. Mutual ministry conversations are too often put off, but they are essential checkpoints for making sure congregation and staff are on the same page and in healthy relationship with one another. There should be a set time of year and a process for evaluation.
An organizational chart that illustrates how key players and committees, teams and boards are linked. This visual keeps ministries from being siloed and points to where effective collaboration toward the church’s mission could happen.
Safety and security procedures. Congregations are only beginning to understand the necessity of these kinds of plans, which include child safety policies but also ways to prevent and handle threats of violence. An armed intruder entering the premises is not the time to say, “We really should have planned for this possibility.”
Deferred maintenance plan. Many church buildings are aging and need new HVACs, boilers, roofs, technology or parking lot repair. These physical plant issues will not just go away. Even if the money is not yet available, make a priority list for what to fix first and put a deadline on it so that necessary funds can be raised problems can be corrected before they become catastrophic.
Rhythm of congregational meetings. Members need ways to participate in conversations about the operations of the church, such as budgeting and the starting or ending of key ministries. Some congregations have annual meetings while others have monthly or quarterly business meetings.
A plan for regular updates of all of the above. All systems need tune-ups from time to time. Don’t wait for one to fail to give it your attention. Instead, create a strategy for review every few years.
When the systems named above are in place, everyone knows what to expect and do because the way forward has already been decided before a crisis or big decision, thereby making it more likely that the outcomes are in line with who the congregation has said it wants to be and warding off conflict and poor choices made in the midst of anxiety. These structures also ensure determinations aren’t made because of particular personalities (either those of the deciders or the people being decided about).
While none of the systems described above may be especially exciting, all of them contribute to a congregation that can respond to God’s invitations because the church is not distracted by taking care of matters that should be addressed as a matter of course.
So, what should you do if you look at this list and panic, thinking that your congregation either doesn’t have some of the systems or the procedures in place are woefully out of date? Go back to the spirit of atomic habits by starting small. Consider which system installation or upgrade would be the easiest lift, which might also be the most obvious, attractive, and satisfying change. After that system is functional, move to the next. As you do so, be sure to remember the “why” of this work, celebrate the movement toward ease and greater faithfulness, and reflect on the difference that setting the system up and forgetting it is making.
May your systems be so good that your congregation doesn’t have far to fall when they are activated.