Leading Through a Plateau

Don't compare yourself to other churches. Hold your church to its own standard, not someone else's record. That said, plateaus are common right now, driven by how distracted the culture is, the annual college football cycle, and in many cases something spiritual.

Up your game in every area. Call your intercessors. Bind the enemy. Fast. Don't save that intensity for January and August, make every Sunday matter. Talk to your church about it directly. Fight for people's attention and say it plainly: politics and football cannot make them happy, only God can.

Still watch the scoreboard, for health reasons. It should inform you, not condemn you, the same as a blood test or a scale. Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, God brings the increase, but that does not mean you stop planting and watering.

Know your numbers weekly: attendance, kids, students, small groups, and growth track, like a dashboard. You never stop looking at the car dashboard, because oil pressure, fuel, speed, and temperature are what let you drive the car. If the numbers start condemning you, that is a different issue.