Rose Madrid-Swetman featured on Jesus Creed

Posted by Helen on: 05.12.2008 /

On his blog Jesus Creed Scot McKnight has been asking pastors what advice they’d give a new pastor knowing what they know now.

In today’s post Scot asks my friend Rose Madrid-Swetman that question. Here’s part of Rose’s response

I would focus on “growing a church big rather than growing a big church.” When I first began as a pastor, I was taught to focus on buildings, budgets, and butts in seats. Those three words were, and in many cases still are, the measure for success. Today we (I don’t lead in a vacuum) focus on the other words: conversations, connections, and collaborations.

When one moves down the alphabet from buildings, budgets, and butts to conversations, connections, and collaborations, one counts success differently. Here are a couple of examples: We count how many people we have served rather than how many people attend our Sunday morning gathering (yes, we have one). We count how many people we are developing, encouraging, and partnering with to be practitioners, who are leading personal, local, and global expressions of God’s goodness and justice.

Growing a church big is a great adventure.

Read all of Rose’s answer.

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3 Responses to "Rose Madrid-Swetman featured on Jesus Creed"

  • Comment by: benjamin ady

    1 05/12/08 7:27 AM | Comment Link |

    So moving even further down the alphabet …

    We have “dernism” (the end of both modernism and postmodernism), diaspora (intentionally scattered), and D. (as in Brian McLaren’s Middle Initial, which nobody knows for what it stands).

    It should have said “Growing church big is an adventure great.”

  • Comment by: Helen

    2 05/13/08 4:33 AM | Comment Link |

    More from Rose’s comments:

    As we prayed, we began to see the many needs around us. As an example, we responded to one of the local non-profit agencies who needed tutors for the after-school program they have in a low-income apartment community. Several of us began tutoring twice a month for two hours. There are over 150 children and youth in this one apartment community. Four years later, we have authentic friendships with the agency that runs several programs for folks who are under resourced in our city, as well as with the youth and families.

    I love to read about churches getting involved in meeting local needs like this. Way to go Rose!

  • Comment by: Conversations, Connections, and Collaborations « re-dreaming the dream

    3 05/14/08 9:03 AM | Comment Link |

    [...] to Helen for the post I quote [...]