474 words … 90 second summer read with a great takeaway.
This week, I was working with a client who serves as executive pastor at a large multisite church. He is a coaching client that I have been working with for a number of years and the conversation turned to challenges they were working on as they re-engineer their assimilation and connection process post Covid.
This was not the first time we had talked about this. And in fact, the last time it had come up, he was pretty jazzed about the process that they had been putting in place to help people take the next step in their journey with Christ. He and a member of his team (former major league baseball scout) had envisioned and developed a pathway that simply and visually made it easy for someone, with the help of a “guide” to identify their next step and take it. They were experiencing a significant uptick in the number of people getting baptized, joining a small group, etc. So, I was surprised when he brought it up as a new challenge.
The challenge? It was actually working so well that they were realizing that their supply chain of guides couldn’t keep up. As we discussed how to address the new challenge, he referenced a name and a theory that I had come across previously – Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt who had developed the “Theory of Constraints.”
The core idea in Goldratt’s theory is that every system has a limiting factor or constraint.
Focusing improvement efforts to better utilize this constraint is normally the fastest and most effective way to improvement. It’s the old “no chain can be stronger than its weakest link.” One of the keys is the reminder that every chain will have ONE (and only one) weakest link. Strengthening the other links can never increase the overall strength of the chain. In fact, Goldratt notes that strengthening a non-weakest link will likely decrease the overall strength of the chain.
In this case, until my client took a step back to work on the supply chain of guides, their assimilation system would (and was beginning to) grind to a halt.
Do you know what your weakest link is?
Take a look at the systems in your church, in your life, and determine where the friction is that is slowing down your impact. Perhaps it’s a staffing issue. It may be a lack of systems to discover and develop the leaders that are needed to execute your mission and vision. Perhaps it’s a campus that is not “paying its way.”
You may already know where you need to begin your work. If so, go for it.
If not, let’s talk. My work is focused on helping leaders and churches see around the corner to what’s next. My custom consulting and coaching can guide you and your team toward identifying your weak link and then crafting a unique strategy to strengthen your ministry for maximum kingdom impact.
Sign up here for a free 30 minute consult.
Email me your innovation ideas and questions to greg@ligongroup.com.