Rebuilding Your Organization Looks Like Destruction (But It Isn’t)

I sat in a church service recently where my former youth pastor was honored for 30 years in ministry. That’s a long time to serve in ministry.

Statistics show 50% of pastors will quit ministry within the first 5 years. Only 1 in 10 will retire from ministry. So, let me give Pastor Rick South a huge shout out and congratulations for his years of faithfulness.

Construction vehicle in a field cleared of trees

Photo By Sebastian Grochow

During this service, Pastor Dusty mentioned the state of Abundant Life Church in Wyoming, Michigan, the church Rick is currently pastoring. The church is going through an expansion. This means things are messy.

When you look at any rebuilding project, the process looks like destruction.

Everything is everywhere. Things are scattered about. Pieces are broken or in the wrong place.

An outsider looking in would see pure chaos. Pure destruction.

The Rebuilding Process

There are times when things need to be rebuilt in your organization. The sales process may have changed. A new software system has been implemented. Or new people were brought into the organization.

The new processes, ideas, and systems all require a change. This change necessitates a rebuilding phase.

Your organization is going to look messy. For a time.

At Abundant Life, things looked messy outside. Trenches were dug. Dirt, metal, and wood were everywhere outside of the building. It looked like something had been destroyed.

This is the cost of rebuilding. Of taking the time to get things fixed.

You have to crack a few eggs, make a little mess before you can see order again.

But, with the hammer, things begin to fall into order. The mess becomes beauty.

Rebuilding The Destruction

The hammering process changes the look of destruction. When you begin to use the hammering process to rebuild, things will fall into place. The destruction will become something better.

You may feel like your organization is in disarray because of the rebuild you’re going through. You may feel the organization is going to collapse under the burden of construction.

Hold onto your hats. You can make it through this. The look of destruction is but for a season.

To get through the destruction, you have to look at the end outcome.

What is it that this rebuild is going to accomplish? Your rebuild may:

  • Decrease the efficiency of your team for a month but will increase their efficiency for years
  • Make your website harder to navigate for a week but will make your user interface much easier to use
  • Slow down the pursuit of your vision only to speed up the next 5 years of your business

The destruction will give way to something much better. You have to be willing to go through the destruction to get from good to better to best.

When Rick South‘s church is completed, they will have ample room for their congregation, youth ministry, daycare, and more. They’re going through a time of destruction but they have their eye on rebuilding the destruction. When all is said and done, the destruction will be a faint memory in their mind. In its place will be a beautiful new addition to their church.

If you’re willing to push through the destruction, you will come out at a better place. Your organization will be stronger, faster, more efficient. You cannot have this if you’re unwilling to get dirty for a while.

Be willing to have the look of destruction in your organization during a rebuild. It’s part of the process. One you need to go through to get to where you’re going next.

Question: Have you ever gone through a rebuilding phase? Do you remember the destruction that had to happen? Do you recall what happened after the destruction? Share your stories in the comments below.

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