It’s a marriage made in heaven when you discover “Best Practices” which are also “Biblical Practices.” Having said that, there can be some best practices that are not mentioned in the Bible but nonetheless are helpful to think about and do not violate biblical principles. Eric Geiger shares four of them with us today.
Guest Post by Eric Geiger
Steve Graves was my executive coach when I was serving in the marketplace in publishing, and we met once a month for several hours. As I was wrestling with a strategic decision one day, he said to me, “You can decide to go against best practice, but if you do, you should have a very compelling reason.”
His challenge has resonated with me for years. Yes, there are decisions that rest on a biblical conviction and not on what is considered to be best practice. For example, if it were ever decided that “best practice is to not teach the Scripture in worship services,” that counsel should be fiercely ignored. But when the best practices are (a) related to strategy, (b) in no violation of biblical principles, and (c) grounded in research, a wise leader will pay attention.
Here are four research-informed best practices church leaders commonly ignore.
1. Integrating teenagers into the whole church
The research behind Kara Powell’s book, Sticky Faith, found that pulling teenagers out from the overall life of the church hurt their faith and the likelihood that they would be connected to church after high school graduation. If a teenager’s only experience with church is the youth group, they are much more likely to graduate from church when they graduate from the youth group. Helping students serve in the church where they are surrounded by adults who encourage them is best for the students, and high school students hearing the same sermon as their parents helps the parents discuss the message with their teenagers.
Best practice: Integrating teenagers into the whole church
Commonly ignored by only having teenagers separated from adults
2. Prioritizing groups
Ed Stetzer and I wrote Transformational Groups based on research about spiritual formation and groups, which showed that people connected to a small group show significantly higher marks in Bible engagement, serving, prayer, and generosity. Groups must not be viewed as an optional add-on, but as essential for discipleship and care. As a church grows, scaling groups is immensely challenging, but it is also extremely important.
Best practice: Prioritizing groups to help people experience biblical community
Commonly ignored by viewing groups as one of many programs on a calendar
3. Launching a church with multiple services
This point is likely in the casual observation bucket more than a research-based bucket, but I still believe it is a best practice. Craig Groeschel challenged churches many years ago to launch with two services because doing so allows people to attend one service and serve one service. We want to make worshiping and serving as easy as possible for people, and multiple services help accomplish that goal.
Best practice: Launching a church or campus with two services
Commonly ignored by launching with one service
4. Being ready to help those in a trial
The research behind the book, Transformational Discipleship, which I wrote with Michael Kelly and Philip Nation, revealed that seasons of spiritual transformation often occur in the midst of suffering and trials. A trial puts someone in a teachable posture, and when God’s truth and grace are applied in the midst of that season by a trustworthy leader, God often uses the trial to develop a more mature faith. We don’t send trials, but we can be prepared to meet people with prayer, shepherding, and care in the midst of their trials.
Best practice: Having clear pathways for those who are hurting to receive care (special groups, recovery classes, ways to access receiving prayer, etc.)
Commonly ignored by not considering how to serve those who are in pain
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