The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 272
Many churches believe they’re faithfully living out the Great Commission while unknowingly drifting toward what could be called the “Comfortable Commission” – a state where maintaining the status quo takes priority over true mission and discipleship. This subtle shift doesn’t happen overnight, but its impact on a church’s effectiveness, growth, and future can be profound. Let’s explore how to recognize and break free from this pattern that affects so many congregations today.
The Subtle Drift
The journey from mission to maintenance rarely happens through conscious choice. No church plant starts out saying, “Let’s just be mediocre” – in fact, new churches must focus on mission simply to survive. Instead, the drift toward comfort happens gradually as churches age and establish themselves. Success can actually accelerate this drift, as congregations become more focused on preserving what they’ve built than on continuing to build. The danger lies in how this shift can occur while maintaining all the right language about mission and outreach. A church can prominently display a Great Commission-focused mission statement while its actual ministry decisions reflect a priority of keeping current members comfortable rather than reaching new people.
This drift often manifests in how churches approach risk and change. When comfort masquerades as wisdom, you’ll hear phrases like “we need to be good stewards” or “we should wait until we’re more stable” – reasonable-sounding statements that actually mask an unwillingness to step out in faith. The uncomfortable truth is that a completely conflict-free church isn’t necessarily a healthy one. Some level of tension often indicates that a congregation is pushing beyond comfort zones and truly engaging in mission.
Warning Signs You’re Operating on the Comfortable Commission
When a church slips into comfort mode, several telltale signs emerge. The most obvious is falling into pure management mode – where leadership becomes solely focused on keeping existing programs running rather than evaluating their actual impact. This doesn’t mean a church needs to constantly launch new initiatives; rather, it’s about whether current ministries are effectively meeting real spiritual and physical needs in the community. A church can run the same successful outreach program year after year if it’s genuinely reaching new people, but simply maintaining programs that engage the same core group indicates comfort has taken priority over mission.
Another key warning sign appears in how churches handle their budgets. When a congregation simply recycles the same budget year after year, allocating resources based on “what we’ve always done” rather than strategic mission priorities, it’s likely operating in comfort mode. This approach often leads to funding maintenance over mission, with little financial flexibility to respond to new opportunities for impact. The result is a church stuck in what some call the “Sunday to Sunday hamster wheel” – lots of motion but little forward progress in terms of reaching new people or making disciples.
Hidden Costs of Comfort-Based Ministry
One of the most significant hidden costs of operating in comfortable commission mode is volunteer and leader burnout. When churches stop growing and developing new leaders through active discipleship, they end up relying on the same dedicated group of people to maintain all their programs. Eventually, these faithful servants reach their limits. The tragic irony is that by the time a church realizes it’s burning out its core volunteers, recruiting new ones becomes even more difficult – potential volunteers can clearly see what happens to those who step up to serve.
Another devastating cost is the gradual loss of next-generation engagement. By the time a church notices it’s becoming a “graying congregation” with few young families, reversing the trend requires significant effort and change. While it’s never too late to refocus on reaching younger generations, preventing this drift is far easier than correcting it. Churches operating in comfort mode often wake up to find they’ve lost touch not only with young families but with their entire community, having slowly transformed from a mission-focused congregation to a members-only fellowship.
Practical Steps to Break Free
Breaking free from the comfortable commission starts with honest evaluation. The Malphurs Group’s Church Check-Up Challenge (https://malphursgroup.com/challenge) provides a free 7-day framework to help churches assess where they truly stand in terms of mission effectiveness, leadership development, and strategic focus. This evaluation process can serve as a catalyst for necessary change.
Beyond assessment, church leaders must be willing to initiate and model uncomfortable conversations. Sacred cows and untouchable traditions need to be openly discussed, even if they ultimately remain in place. The key isn’t necessarily changing everything but rather creating a culture where questioning the status quo is acceptable and healthy. Leaders should approach these conversations with grace and wisdom but without letting the fear of conflict prevent important discussions from happening.
The ultimate goal is to move toward “zero-based ministry” – not starting from scratch each year but regularly evaluating every program and tradition against Great Commission effectiveness. Churches need to ask tough questions: Is this program worth the resources it requires? Does it bear fruit in terms of making disciples? Are we maintaining it out of mission or mere comfort? While change shouldn’t be pursued for its own sake, maintaining ineffective programs solely because “we’ve always done it this way” is a sure sign that comfort has won out over commission.
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Scott Ball is the Vice President and a Lead Guide with The Malphurs Group. He lives in East Tennessee with his wife and two children. (Email Scott).
