Ep. 018 | Lead Your Church Out of Maintenance Mode
Steps to Get Your Church Unstuck
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Dan Reiland on How to Help Your Church Get Healthy
March 15, 2025
Episode 18 Show Notes
Seven Signs Your Church May Be in Maintenance Mode with Dan Reiland
Episode Overview
In this episode, Bart interviews Dan Reiland, an experienced executive pastor and church leadership coach, about identifying and addressing church stagnation. Dan shares insights from his article "Seven Signs That Your Church May Be In Maintenance Mode" and provides practical guidance for church leaders looking to move their churches forward.
Who is Dan Reiland?
Dan Reiland is a veteran executive pastor with over four decades of experience
Served as John Maxwell's first and only executive pastor
Spent 23 years at 12Stone Church in Atlanta
Currently transitioning to full-time coaching and consulting
Originally studied criminal justice and worked briefly as a private investigator before entering ministry
Married for 43 years with two children and three grandchildren
Known guitar enthusiast with a collection of guitars
Key Discussion Points
Understanding Maintenance Mode
Definition: "An ongoing and unaddressed holding pattern in momentum or attendance"
Simplified definition: Being "stuck"
Key indicators include:
No longer taking risks
Vision isn't compelling or clearly defined
Working hard but not making progress
Not reaching new people
Leadership Self-Evaluation Questions
What's my leadership lid? Where do I need to grow?
Who's my coach/mentor?
How am I a better leader this year than last year?
Common Issues in Stuck Churches
1. Emphasizing Discipleship Over Evangelism
Churches naturally gravitate toward discipleship
Need to maintain balance between discipleship and evangelism
Leaders typically lean toward one or the other
Must intentionally fight to keep evangelism as a priority
Check out Bart’s Book, What Healthy Churches Do
2. Ministry Busyness
Many churches try to do too many things
Need for a "lean church" model
No church can do everything effectively
Focus on God's specific "thumbprint" for your church
Evaluating and Streamlining Ministries
Put a moratorium on new ministries
Conduct a ministry audit
Evaluate productivity and alignment with vision
Question why each ministry exists
Consider better alternatives
Tips for Making Changes:
Go slow
Honor people
Invite them into something new
Accept that meaningful change will create some opposition
"If you change something in your church and nobody gets mad, you've just changed something that doesn't matter"
Leadership Development vs. Delegation
Develop leaders before delegating responsibilities
Start with who you have
Never underestimate the power of one leader
Development takes time - embrace the "awkward zone"
Focus on developing a few leaders while handling many tasks
Final Encouragement for Church Leaders
Ministry is worth it - don't give up
What you're doing matters
Focus on "one more" - one new leader, one person saved
Progress can be incremental
God is pleased with faithful progress, even if it's one person at a time
Resources
Dan's website: danreiland.com
Contains articles and several books
All articles are freely available