Getting a driver’s license is a rite of passage countless teenagers look forward to each year. And if you happen to be a teenager growing up in parts of the country like Northern Indiana, where I live, then an additional badge of honor goes with that milestone: learning to drive in the winter. 

Driving in snow and ice inevitably leads to the experience of getting stuck in a snowbank—which leaves drivers with a few options:

1. Keep hitting the gas, though you’ll likely end up even more stuck.
2. Rock the car back and forth for some momentum that might get you moving.
3. Get out and just use brute force to push the car.

The best scenario is when a kind person comes along, offering new solutions—like a tow strap to pull your car out or a shovel to clear the path. You’re grateful for the help, you learn some new lessons that will help you next time you’re stuck, and you feel equipped to assist when you see someone else who’s stuck. 

Why churches get stuck 

Ministry can sometimes feel like learning to drive in the winter. Rhythms don’t always work like normal, it feels tougher to get things started or stopped, and we all end up in moments or seasons when we are just... stuck. 

In those moments, we’re left with a few options:

1. We can just keep doing what we’ve always done, hoping it’ll get us out of the rut.
2. We can pivot back and forth, trying new things to get some momentum.
3. We can grit our teeth, refuse to give up, and try to force our ministry forward.

But just like our teens learning to drive in the snow, the best scenario is when someone is willing to come alongside us and offer new solutions to the problems we’re facing. Accepting help can be tough for a leader because we start to wonder whether we’re still capable of leading our ministry. But in reality, we’re just in a season where we need fresh perspective, encouragement, and new ideas from others

3 things our church tried that didn’t work

Granger Community Church, where I’ve served for more than 20 years, went through a season in which we felt stuck in a rut when it came to engaging young adults. Our church was planted in the 1980s with a strong emphasis on an authentic presentation of the gospel, a commitment to being a light for Jesus in our community, and an innovative approach to worship services that capture the arts for God’s glory. We had always naturally drawn young adults to be part of the church. But after several decades of explosive growth in our church and region, we’d slowly shifted from an “up-start entrepreneurial” church plant to a healthy, balanced church with strong ministries for kids, students, and families, located in a now-very-suburban area. 

Losing focus on young adults wasn’t an intentional decision. But as our growth journey reflected that of our community, it was where our church got stuck. And when we did, we tried a few things:

1. We attempted to connect with young adults in the same ways that had worked before. But we were working with a different generation, and this approach left us more stuck than before.
2. We launched new models of gatherings for young adults. Each had a season of excitement and momentum before fizzling out—after which we’d launch a “new and improved” version that would end in the same results.
3. We began to just declare how much young adults mattered and that they were part of the church in hopes that we’d see it work out by sheer will.

But in the end, it wasn’t until we got some fresh perspective and new ideas that we started to see something change. 
 

The value of fresh perspective

That fresh perspective came in the form of church consulting from the Fuller Youth Institute. Our church had already experienced FYI’s Sticky Faith and Growing Young cohorts, but we knew we needed extra help really looking into this particular situation. Together with our consultant, Jake Mulder, we developed a plan that included a day of staff training and application of the Growing Young assessment for our congregation. Jake lent his voice and expertise at a midweek church service and gave us ongoing guidance on listening well through focus groups and learning to experiment with new ministry efforts. 

Through these efforts, we began to hear older generations in the congregation speak up about how much they value young adults, and they began investing time in mentoring programs and offering their homes for gatherings and meals. Staff leaders started being intentional about finding new ways to hand over the “keys” of ministry to young adults—as many of them had received when they were young adults at Granger. And possibly most exciting was what we heard from some of our young adults in focus groups: they loved everything going on at Granger, including worship, community missions, serving opportunities, and even the emphasis on family ministries (which they looked forward to participating in someday). They just wanted help finding each other.

What a relief! The greatest need our young adults experienced was help finding one another and connecting in community so they could journey through all the great ministry steps our church had to offer with peers. 
 

Is your church feeling stuck? 3 questions to ask yourself.

One of the most valuable tools that helped us get unstuck was our consultant's willingness to come into our situation with a fresh perspective, listen well, ask great questions, and help us maintain disciplined attention to our goal of once again engaging young adults as a vital part of our church community. 

Are you in a tough season where you’re trying to discern if your ministry might be stuck? Ask yourself these questions:

1. Does it feel like you're spinning your wheels, wondering why what used to work isn't bearing fruit anymore?
2. Have you been trying to build new momentum but nothing seems to really stick?
3. Do you find yourself pushing with everything you have each day, but still feel like nothing’s moving forward?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, then I just want to encourage you, first of all, to remember that Jesus is the one who promised to build his church; this season might be an invitation to abide in him and trust that he will move the ministry forward in his timeframe. Remember, too, that we are never meant to go it alone in ministry. We’re meant to be supported by the fullness of the body of Christ. Look for relationships in your church and those in local ministry networks that can walk alongside you. And finally, getting a fresh perspective on your ministry can be immensely beneficial—so consider reaching out to the team at FYI to see whether consulting or coaching might be a great fit for you and your ministry.
 

Move from stuck to thriving with a clear path forward and the right steps to get there.

As a ministry leader, you have goals for change in your church, but turning them into action can be a struggle. You want your church to be a vibrant community where people of all ages find community, grow in faith, and thrive. But it’s not always clear how to get from where you are to where you want to be.
Let Fuller Youth Institute’s experienced church consultants come alongside you as you build a team, clarify your vision, and create the unique strategy and timeline so your church can move into the future it longs for.

Find out more