Leading the local church is nothing short of a miracle. You’re trying to move a small group of people to reach out to a huge group and encourage them to volunteer, to give, to live with each other in community and authenticity, and — at the deepest level — to change the world for Christ.
That’s no easy task, and you’re going to run up against tremendous obstacles. But not all those obstacles are external. The biggest ones could be forming within your own church … ministry silos.
Ministry silos are those places within your faith community where everyone believes their methods are the correct and accepted way to do ministry. Their ways, in other words, are the best ways. But that’s contrary to what church is all about, and certainly contrary to what the Bible teaches (see Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12). We need each other, and we need to work together to really see our worlds changed for Christ.
But why, specifically, are ministry silos so dangerous? Here are just six reasons why leaders need to get serious about identifying ministry silos and breaking them down:
- They lead to team dysfunction and lack of trust.
- They create unnecessary competition for people and resources.
- They set up ‘little kingdoms’ within the church, in direct opposition to the ultimate Kingdom we’re supposed to be growing.
- They encourage pride and one-upmanship.
- They actively work against effective systems as each silo creates their own unique (and disconnected) systems to support their own efforts.
- They’re not the way Jesus wanted His people to work together!
Be honest — are you fighting against ministry silos in your church? Do you even know they’re there? If you’re not on guard against this kind of fragmentation, you could be running the risk of fracturing your church and severely limiting what God could do through your ministry.
What are you doing to identify ministry silos? How can we help?