Momentum Isn’t Magic - It’s Stewardship

Most pastors don’t want to talk about momentum.

It feels too “business-y.”

Too pragmatic.

Too close to the idea that we can engineer outcomes.

And if we’ve been disappointed before—if we’ve watched a surge come and go without lasting fruit—it can feel safer to pretend momentum doesn’t matter.

But here’s the truth: momentum is already happening in your church.The only question is whether you recognize it, prepare for it, and steward it; or whether it quietly passes you by.

Momentum can be a blast. Or a total mess.

A Lesson I Learned the Hard Way

When I was in third grade, I got my first bike. It wasn’t new. My dad found it discarded on the side of the road, fixed it up, and it was mine. Banana seat, faded paint, brakes you worked by pushing back on the pedals. He warned me the ball bearings were shot—no idea what that meant—but I had a bike.

We lived on the side of a mountain in Montana. The neighbors had three boys I played with all the time, and the road between our houses felt like the steepest hill in the world. One day we decided to ride down to my house. Three kids on one bike, because kids are geniuses like that.

We started flying. Wind in our face. The dog running beside us. Someone joked the dog was outrunning us, and I did what any immature leader does: I tried to prove something. I stopped coasting and started pedaling hard -downhill.

At the bottom of the hill the road made a sharp ninety-degree turn. The pavement narrowed, the gravel widened, and I took the corner a little too wide. I felt the tire slip, panicked, and slammed the brakes.

The bike stopped.

We didn’t.

I woke up in a pile of kids, gravel in my face, blood on my chin, handlebars bent sideways, and pride bruised beyond repair. And the worst part? The dog still beat us home.

I learned something that day: momentum is powerful, and it is not automatically your friend.If you underestimate it—or mishandle it—it can take you places you didn’t intend to go.

What Momentum Really Is

In the simplest terms, momentum is the force that allows something to continue (or accelerate) over time.

In business, leaders study it, protect it, and build structures to support it. In church, we often spiritualize it away. We explain it with phrases that sound faithful but function like avoidance:

• “God is doing a new thing.”

• “We’re in a waiting season.”

• “It just wasn’t God’s will.”

Listen, God is absolutely sovereign. But He also calls His church to faithfulness, clarity, disciple-making, and mission. The early church didn’t grow because the world became convenient. It grew in hardship, opposition, and disruption.

So maybe the question isn’t, “Does momentum matter?”

Maybe the question is: Are we paying attention to what God is already doing and are we prepared to steward it?

Momentum Can Reveal What’s Missing

One of the most sobering things about momentum is that it doesn’t just expose what’s working. It exposes what’s fragile.

I’ve seen churches gain sudden traction and realize they weren’t ready for it.

I’ve seen growth swell while systems lag behind.

I’ve seen morale rise and then collapse because the church built everything around a moment, without building anything that could carry people afterward.

And sometimes, momentum doesn’t die because the “moment” ends. It dies because the church has no way to convert attention into connection.

That’s where many leaders get discouraged.

They did the hard work. They prayed. They promoted. They prepared. People came. And then… nothing changed long-term.

Here’s what I’ve noticed:

A lot of churches know how to create an experience. Fewer churches know how to create connection.

And connection is what sustains momentum when the excitement fades.

The Two Most Common Ways Churches Mishandle Momentum

Some churches ignore momentum altogether. They keep doing what they’ve always done and quietly hope the future takes care of itself. Nothing collapses, but nothing builds either. It’s survival disguised as stability.

Other churches treat momentum like a one-day event. They go all-in, empty the tank, work their teams to exhaustion, celebrate the spike and then crash. If there’s no plan for what happens after the surge, momentum becomes a wave you ride until it throws you onto the shore.

Both approaches miss the opportunity.

Because momentum isn’t just about attendance. It’s about what God might be making possible if the church is ready to move...

...from crowds to community

...from interest to discipleship

...from attention to transformation.

A Better Question for Leaders

If you want to grow in this, don’t start by asking, “How do we get momentum?”

Start by asking:

• What kind of momentum do we already have and what’s fueling it?

• What would it take for people to move from attending to belonging?

• If God brought us new people, could we actually shepherd them well?

• Are we building for a moment or for maturity?

Because momentum is a gift, but it’s also a test.

And the churches that grow over time aren’t always the ones with the biggest surges.

They’re the ones who know how to steward movement with wisdom, clarity, and care before the wave ever hits.

Pastor Tony Kensinger serves churches as a pastor, coach, and discipleship strategist through Fresh Ministries. He has spent decades helping churches clarify spiritual formation, build healthy leadership cultures, and move from activity to intentional discipleship. If this stirred something in you, take a moment to pray -and if a conversation would help, that door is always open.