{"id":14804,"date":"2007-07-11T13:23:49","date_gmt":"2007-07-11T13:23:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/2007\/07\/11\/le-9l4-9l4031\/"},"modified":"2007-07-11T13:23:49","modified_gmt":"2007-07-11T13:23:49","slug":"le-9l4-9l4031","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/le-9l4-9l4031\/","title":{"rendered":"The New Reality In Motivation"},"content":{"rendered":"

P<\/strong>astors and key\nleaders scratch their heads and wonder, How will I motivate my\ncongregation?<\/em> In the coming decade, the motivations of compassion and\ncommunity will stir the grassroots to action and generosity.<\/p>

\nHowever, pastors and leaders who continue to approach the congregation with\nthe motivations of challenge, reasonability, and commitment will be disappointed.\nThey will simply see an increasing motivational gap between themselves and\nthe grassroots.<\/p>

\nIn meeting after meeting, leaders say to one another, “If people were only\nmore committed … ” “If they would just rise to the challenge … “<\/p>

\nThe leaders are broadcasting on the frequencies of challenge and commitment,\nbut few in the grassroots are tuned in. The appeal goes unheard, so the same\nfew people end up receptive and responding year after year. Most people today\nare tuned elsewhere: to compassion and community.<\/p>

You’ve lost that lovin’ feelin’<\/h2>

While all five motivations on my list are at work, in most people two will\ndominate. The key in the next decade is which two to employ.<\/p>

\nPastors and key leaders often operate from the same base.\nTheir fatal mistake is assuming that because they<\/em> are stirred by certain\nappeals, they can motivate the congregation<\/em> in the same way.<\/p>

\nIn the post-war culture of the 1950s, when social conformity delivered people\nto the church, leaders could motivate based on challenge, reasonability,\nand commitment.<\/p>

\nIn our churches today, these motivators are still the most frequently employed,\nbut they no longer work. In fact the motivation gap between leaders and\ngrassroots is growing.<\/p>

\nWhen someone says to me, “Dr. Callahan, what we need in our church is people\nwith more commitment,” I say, “Good friend, you have just taught me you’re\na long-time Christian.”<\/p>

\n

Which of these appeals will energize your people in the next decade?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Compassion<\/strong>:
\nsharing, caring, giving, loving, serving<\/p>\n

Community<\/strong>:
\nroots, place, belonging, family, friends<\/p>\n

Challenge<\/strong>:
\nattain, accomplish, achieve<\/p>\n

Reasonability<\/strong>:
\ndata, logic, analysis, good sense<\/p>\n

Commitment<\/strong>:
\nloyalty, duty, obligation, vow<\/p>\n

Motivational Fuels<\/h2><\/p>\n\n<\/div>

\nI ask the people I counsel to share what made their congregation attractive\nyears earlier. I often hear how they felt at home and discovered “family”\nthere. But over time, weighed down keeping the venture afloat, they’ve\ngrown more concerned about commitment than community.<\/p>

\nCommitment remains on my list because of its profound effect on people. It\nis, however, last on the list. Commitment is the motivation that most people\ndevelop later<\/em> in their Christian pilgrimage.<\/p>

\nIf there were lots of long-time Christians out there to reach, we would do\nwell to preach commitment. But what’s out there are people who do not\nknow Christ. Their ears do not hear our exhortation to dedication.<\/p>

\nToday, with extended family scattered, their longings for community have\nbecome desperately and profoundly urgent. They want to hear about belonging\nand caring. Discovering these, they will become involved and eventually\ncommitted.<\/p>

Love in any language<\/h2>

“Our church had been dying for years,” one elderly woman told me after a\nsecond visit to one of my seminars. “We were down to 14 people, in our seventies\nand eighties. We knew it wouldn’t be long before our church was dead,\ndone, and gone.”<\/p>

\nApparently there was much discussion after I invited them to a theology of\nservice rather than survival.<\/p>

\n

High-compassion,
\nhigh-community
\ncongregations will thrive
\nin coming years.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>

\n“We heard what you said,” the woman told me, “and we decided we’d better\ntry to help somebody while we still had a little time.<\/p>

\n“We went to the elementary school near our church and said to the principal,\n‘We’d like to do something worthwhile to help the kids here before\nour church dies.’\n<\/p>

\n“The principal said to us, ‘Oh, I thought your church died years ago.’\n<\/p>

\n“In a way it had,” the old woman concluded, “but things have changed.”\n<\/p>

\nThis handful of senior citizens got busy in their community. If you go to\nthat church today you will find 90 people in worship. Their compassion was\ncontagious\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand attractive.\n<\/p>

\nWe have had in recent years a focus on program-driven churches, purpose-driven\nchurches, and vision-driven churches. They talk the language of commitment.\nBut when you look behind the scenes, you see those churches work because\nsomebody is delivering the compassion and community.\n<\/p>

\nIncreasingly, unchurched people will be drawn to churches that care.\nHigh-compassion, high-community congregations will thrive in the coming years.\n<\/p>

Falling in love again<\/strong>\nJesus does not say to Peter, “Will you make the commitment?” His final question\nis not “Will you rise to the challenge?”\n<\/p>

\nChrist says, “Peter, do you love me?”\n<\/p>

\n“Yes, Lord.”\n<\/p>

\n“Then feed my sheep.”\n<\/p>

\nJesus appeals to compassion and community. So, too, must today’s leader.\n<\/p>

\nThe phrase “Mary, will you be willing to teach third grade Sunday school\nnext year?” is an invitation to commitment. Mary may do her duty, take her\nturn, but she will likely never fall in love with her class.\n<\/p>

\nYou can say, “Mary, we invite you to fall in love with this group of kids\nand give them the privilege of falling in love with you.” She is more likely\nto rise to the opportunity.\n<\/p>

\nI encourage leaders to find a one-time mission project they would enjoy and\ninvolve significant groups from the church\u00e2\u20ac\u201dyouth, senior adults, and such.\nI am amazed at how many people, in the midst of a communal effort, rediscover\ncompassion.\n<\/p>

\nIn fundraising, leaders typically plan campaigns with commitment cards, loyalty\nSundays, and challenge goals. That is regrettable. Research shows that appeal\nworks well among leaders’ households, but it fizzles among the grassroots.\nWhen the campaign is built on compassion, it resonates among the membership\nand they give as generously as the leaders.\n<\/p>

\nThe commitment card can become a compassion card. After all, real stewardship\nis compassion. The card could say, “We are grateful for the generosity of\nGod’s gifts in our lives.\n<\/p>

\nOut of that spirit of generosity, we look forward to giving x-amount to serve\nGod’s mission in the coming year.” Givers today want to see how their\nofferings will help somebody.\n<\/p>

\nThe pastor’s task is to connect with his leaders on the basis of compassion\nand community, then together to motivate the congregation with this same\nspirit.\n<\/p>

Kennon L. Callahan<\/strong> is a consultant, author, speaker, and pastor.\n305 Spring Creek Village, \nDallas TX 75248<\/em><\/p>

Copyright © 1999 by the author or Christianity Today\/Leadership<\/em> Journal.\nClick here<\/a> for reprint information\non Leadership Journal. \nFall 1999, Vol. XX, No. 4, Page 31<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pastors and key leaders scratch their heads and wonder, How will I motivate my congregation? In the coming decade, the motivations of compassion and community will stir the grassroots to action and generosity. However, pastors and leaders who continue to approach the congregation with the motivations of challenge, reasonability, and commitment will be disappointed. They Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"tax_ctp_authors":[2188],"tax_ctp_books":[],"tax_ctp_categories":[154],"tax_ctp_field_guide_subcategory":[],"tax_ctp_field_guides":[],"tax_ctp_format":[131],"tax_ctp_multimedia":[],"tax_ctp_point_editor":[],"tax_publications":[156],"tax_ctp_tags":[3613,4351,4498,4608,4779,5046,5127,5253],"tax_ctp_topics":[],"class_list":["post-14804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tax_ctp_authors-kennon-l-callahan","tax_publications-leadership-journal","tax_ctp_tags-church-leadership","tax_ctp_tags-leadership","tax_ctp_tags-motivation","tax_ctp_tags-pastoral-care","tax_ctp_tags-recruiting","tax_ctp_tags-spiritual-formation","tax_ctp_tags-teamwork","tax_ctp_tags-volunteers"],"acf":{"scripture_references":null},"yoast_head":"\nThe New Reality In Motivation - CT Pastors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How to deal with the growing gap between key leaders and the grassroots.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/le-9l4-9l4031\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The New Reality In Motivation - CT Pastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How to deal with the growing gap between key leaders and the grassroots.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/le-9l4-9l4031\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CT Pastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CTPastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2007-07-11T13:23:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/12\/ogimage.png?resize=1200,628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kennon L. 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