Burying a Program

Since writing Simple Church with my boss, Thom Rainer, a common question has been “How can we eliminate a program or an event?” Those who ask the question often know that a program on their church calendar accomplishes very little for the kingdom and is not aligned with the mission of their church. But they wrestle with the impact that canceling a program or event will have on the people they serve.

The reality is that canceling a program or event is very difficult, often painful. Several years ago when Google began to skyrocket and Yahoo plummeted, people wondered why Yahoo did not merely simplify their homepage. Why did they not learn from the simplicity of Google and streamline? A Google executive responded that it would be impossible for Yahoo to do so because behind every link was a “shareholder or a stakeholder.” Someone paid for those links or some team invested years in the ideas represented by each link. The same is true in a church program. Behind every program is a shareholder or stakeholder—someone who invested and people who love the program or event.

While burying a program is difficult, it is often necessary. Without a proper burial, the church will continue to rob energy, resources, and attention from more important programs merely to keep the unnecessary ones afloat. German philosopher Goethe wisely stated, “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” Keep reading