Tom Ehrich says the days of pastors as chaplains are long gone – and he wants to see you and me more engaged and active in leading our congregations.
Ehrich, an author, church consultant and pastor, pulls no punches as he explains why invisibility, self-absorbtion, and self-projection have caused churches to decline. But he doesn’t leave us hanging – and offers strategies to help our churches grow.
I first heard about Tom a few years ago – from a friend who suggested I subscribe to his insightful Church Wellness Report, which included a selection of writings about congregational health and growth. Some of it was so good I quoted Tom in my upcoming course. He is a well-regarded keynote speaker and retreat leader whom, I hope, we can get to my town soon.
Here are my notes from the interview:
The Listening Church
As we all know, this is a time of great transition for the Church. Tom thinks that many of the errors churches make, happen because we keep doing the same things over and over and we don’t take time to listen to the issues affecting people in lieu of upholding a tradition.
Diagnosing the Problem
Tom thinks that ailing North American churches suffer from three main afflictions – which he goes into at length: invisibility (we think we’re more relevant than we are), self-absorbtion, and projecting our stuff on others. He also details ways to overcome these obstacles.
Clergy as Entrepreneurs
Many pastors are trained primarily as chaplains – and are mainly concerned with tending the flock. Tom thinks we need to be more forward-thinking and creative if we’re going to break out of the rut – which he thinks is pretty big.
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