“You are what your record says you are.” Bill Parcells, the former head coach of four different NFL teams, is well known for this pithy quote. Parcells led all four of those NFL teams to the playoffs, and three of them to conference championships during his career.
Every autumn after the NFL season starts, especially about halfway through, you might hear coaches of losing teams talk about how much better their teams are than their record shows. And while there certainly can be nuance or context for a team’s record, Parcells still has it right: a team’s record indicates their performance. A team with a 0-8 record is not a great team—unless that is what they set out to do and had to overcome major obstacles to achieve such dismal results! When the record indicates problems, it’s time to address the situation and make the necessary changes to turn it around.
There is also an element of truth in Parcells’s statement for church leaders.
If your church is growing rapidly (numerically), it can be tempting to talk about how great your church is and, by extension, how great you are. When your ministries are in decline (numerically), it can be easy to reframe it as a season for you and your church to grow deeper spiritually.
It is valuable to look for the good in all situations, and it’s also valuable to be honest with yourself about the realities you’re facing; perhaps your church is what “your record says you are.” And if a church’s numbers are declining significantly, this indicates there are issues to address within the leadership, unless the leaders set out in advance to achieve this decline.
Here’s the hard truth—even churches led by the wisest people will inevitably face challenges along the way. When faced with setbacks and obstacles, truly great sports teams come together and figure out how to respond in order to overcome them and make it to the championship. When your church faces challenges, how will you respond?
When ministries are shrinking, you need to honestly assess if it is due to mistakes or missteps in leadership. This is not fatal. All leaders make mistakes, and God can use those for growth. But for growth to happen, you need to take responsibility, make changes, and get moving in the direction God intends you to go.
The Kingdom needs your church to grow spiritually and numerically. If you can see the issue, set a course to correct it. If you’re not sure of the issue, seek the Lord’s wisdom and listen to the congregation. Don’t wait around and hope that things will improve. You are part of the solution that God in His wisdom has put in place.
God is calling you, as a leader of His Church, to take ownership when problems arise and guide your team through them.
