If we could pinpoint exactly what hinders movements, we could focus our attention on addressing and overcoming those factors. By not focusing on – actually deliberately neglecting – many others crying for attention, we would increase the likelihood of catalyzing a movement. This is the flip side of focusing on movement boosters, which I addressed in my previous blog.
The challenge? We lack clarity in identifying the precise factors that block movements. Even among thought-leaders no common understanding exists on these factors. That is why I set out to research these factors systematically and empirically across 147 movements worldwide in the broadest-ever movement research.
This blog presents the findings verified by this empirical research: 10 factors that block movements and how strongly each of them prevents a movement. The good news is that six of these ten are internal factors−issues within our power to change. At the end of this blog you will find a step-by-step guide to assess these 10 blockers in your own ministry.
Our journey to create more clarity
As I mentioned in the last issue, it bothered me for years that we haven’t reached more shared understanding among movement thought-leaders and practitioners regarding the key factors that contribute to catalyzing movements, and those that block or hinder them.
Determined to bridge this gap, I investigated factors that boost or block movements. Wanting to stand on the shoulders of giants, I built on the insights of others in the movement community.
In my own doctoral research (2011 to 2016), I had considered factors contributing to movement referenced by other authors (Prinz, 2016; 2022:103-104.117-118). I also considered the factors that New Generations’ “Internal Qualitative Assessment” (IQA) has researched since 2019. (These factors are in the unpublished “IQA Codebook” that we as a research team developed. IQA findings are yet to be published.)
Based on these previous insights from others, my research team and I developed a list of 21 factors. Eleven of these were grouped as “contributing factors,” and ten as “inhibiting factors.” We also categorized these 21 factors as either “internal” or “external.” Internal factors can be influenced by the pioneers themselves and their teams, while external factors are those outside their immediate control. They cannot be influenced directly (other than through prayer). Of the 21 factors, we classified 13 as internal and eight as external. The following table presents them.
Table 1: Factors Affecting Movements Categorized
| INTERNAL | EXTERNAL |
BOOSTING | Prayer Specific guidance from God Effective ministry strategy Contextualized ministry approach Compassion ministry Discovery approach/groups Raised up leaders effectively Reproducible disciple-making Signs and wonders | Prior openness to the gospel Conversions w/o human involvement |
BLOCKING | Time limitation due to family challenges Time limitation due to tentmaking Personal character issues Conflicts on team or with partners Money misuse or corrupting character Lack of funding | Lack of prior openness to the gospel Persecution by society Government opposition Key workers recruited away
|
Six of the 10 movement blockers are internal---in our power to influence.
10 blocking factors verified
The effective catalysts who participated in the survey rated, on a Likert scale of 1–5, the extent to which each factor had impacted their ministry. We asked the effective catalysts: “How much did this factor inhibit the catalyzing of your movement?” The following Figure shows how significantly catalysts assess each factor to have hindered the catalyzing of their movements. These are shown in descending order of impact. The “I” in parenthesis denotes an internal factor, the “E” an external one.
Figure 1: Factors Blocking Movements
The internal blocking factors that effective catalysts rated most highly are overall less impactful than the external ones (with one exception: lack of funding).
The following figure shows the different impacts of blocking factors on movements compared with their impact on ministries that did not catalyze a movement. Four factors show a statistically significant difference.
Figure 2: Statistically Significant Blocking Factors in Comparison
Note three observations in this graph.
Three of the four inhibiting factors in the graph are internal: the worker has a great degree of control over them.
Catalysts considered the only external blocking factor on this graph—lack of prior openness to the gospel—to be much less of an obstacle than did the non-catalysts (0.61 difference).
Looking at the graph as a whole, we see clearly that non-catalysts consistently assessed these four factors to be more hindering than catalysts did. This suggests that an effective catalyst’s mindset tends to be less concerned with hindrances than that of their peers’ in the control group. An alternative interpretation is that catalysts faced lesser degrees of these four inhibiting factors than non-catalysts. However, since participants were chosen from the same or similar ministry contexts, the latter interpretation seems unlikely.
Refuting common misperceptions
Movements don’t happen because their contexts are easier than the contexts where movements are not happening.
This data clearly challenges some misperceptions commonly held to explain why movements happen in certain contexts, and not in others.
Ministry Context. A common misperception is that effective catalysts are more effective in catalyzing movements because their contexts are easier. However, the average external inhibiting factor rating for catalysts (3.17) was only slightly lower than for non-catalysts (2.67). This difference between the two groups was not statistically significant, thus not likely to carry any real-world difference.
Fewer Internal Problems. Another assumption is that movement catalysts are effective in catalyzing movements because they have fewer internal problems. To some extent this is true. According to the survey data they face fewer personal character issues in their ministries and fewer issues of money corrupting character. They also have fewer conflicts on their teams and with their partners. However, because all of these factors are internal, it means they can be directly influenced by the catalyst. Thus, effective catalysts do not simply have fewer problems; rather they seem able to deal with their problems more effectively.
Assessing the blocking factors in your current ministry situation
Your assessment will yield the most reliable results if you do it with your team or partners. Assess how strongly each factor listed in Table 1 above has so far impeded your ministry fruitfulness, rating it on a scale from -1 to -10 (-1 denoting “not at all significantly”, -5 denoting “moderately significantly,” and -10 denoting “very significantly”). In your assessment, try focus on how it has actually hindered fruitfulness in the past, and less on how it may appear as intimidating issue for the future.
Identify the factors with the highest rating and circle them. These highest blocking factors are your bottlenecks. Focus on addressing one, maximally two, bottlenecks initially. Identify ways to mitigate this factor. Develop an action plan with specific ways forward.
Coaching questions: assessing current realities
How would I describe in my own words what this factor looks like at the moment? Try to describe this in two or three sentences.
What is at the core of this factor? What aspects can we influence and change?
Which external aspects do we need to embrace?
Exploring options
What could be done to address this factor? Come up with several options.
What needs to be changed in the gatherings/churches of the movement?
What should the disciples change in their everyday life?
What should the leaders change in their everyday life and ministry?
Be as specific as possible about the change you want to see.
Determining action steps
Of all the options we have now listed, what are the few that will be most impactful?
Who will contribute to implementing these most impactful action steps: me personally? Our team or partners as a group? Others?
What are suitable ministry situations (or challenges) in which we can take these action steps in the coming weeks?
What will be the greatest challenges or obstacles we will face as we take these action steps? How can we address and overcome them?
What action steps are we committing to before the Lord?
You can learn more details about these 10 movement blockers in my upcoming book, What Actually Starts Movements, due to launch on May 28. In the next blog post, I will share answers to the question, “Who can start a movement?” Stay tuned for more pre-publication releases on this channel.
Toward action
I would love to hear back from you! What is your experience? Leave a comment below. If you prefer to private message me, you can use the contact form.
Learn more about the Best Practices of effective catalysts in my book Movement Catalysts. You can order your copy here.
If you found this blog helpful, who in your network would benefit from your sharing it with them?
Emanuel Prinz – Father’s Beloved & Movement Activist
Sources
New Generations IQA Research Team. 2022. “Internal Qualitative Assessment Code Book: Codes and Subcodes.” Los Altos: New Generations. (Unpublished).
Prinz, Emanuel. 2016. “The Leadership Factor in Church Planting Movements: An Examination of the Leader Traits and Transformational Leadership Competencies of Pioneer Leaders Effective in Catalyzing a Church Planting Movement among a Muslim People Group.” Doctoral dissertation, Columbia, SC: Columbia International University.
Prinz, Emanuel. 2022. Movement Catalysts: Profile of an Apostolic Leader. Walsall: Amazon.