When Success Brings Failure

Pastor Randy Corbin, Transitional Lead Pastor

A Family Life Fair.  It was a creative and novel idea in the late 70s.

Cutting edge, “creatives” on the Vacation Bible School planning committee came to me to present a fresh expression of this traditional ministry.  Insisting that culture was changing and we needed to move out of the walls of the church building, the plan was to hold a fair-like ministry in the church parking lot and lawn.

Booths were built for Bible games, short lessons, contests, and food items.  Balloons were distributed, along with clowns and other attractions.

From the very first evening it was obvious:  create a fair and the crowds will come.  We began with double what we ever had with the traditional Bible school.  The Gospel was presented to more unchurched children and adults at a record level.  Many children prayed to accept Jesus and contacts were abundant.

It was unanimous.  We had to repeat it the next year and enlarge the fair.  And so we did for three years.  Then on the fourth year, it began to decline. It was losing its impact.

Yet, because it was so effective at first, few were willing to abandon it.  However, no longer were we getting conversions and the numbers in fact declined.  But, the original leaders found it very difficult to let it go.

We became more committed to the venture than to the mission.  Honestly, the one- time effective venture needed to be put to rest.

With you, I have watched and been part of trying to resuscitate too many once effective programs:  a particular children’s program, men’s program, women’s program; revival/evangelistic meetings.

Sometimes our greatest successes have been the hindrance to the next success.  We know it worked once so we need to pump it up again.  Initial tweaking may help for a while, but we know it just does not seem to hit the mark.

Could this be why the psalmist urged us to keep singing a new song?  He calls us to creative compositions to meet the hearts of our congregation, community, and world.

So, let’s keep on listening to God and writing new songs.  But let’s not hesitate to shelf the old when they no longer reach the hearts of people.

Otherwise, our successes can become our failures.