Dead Horse Syndrome

When the Horse is dead, Dismount

The tribal wisdom of the Dakota Indians says when you discover you’re riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount. However, in professional ministry, because of the relationships and emotional attachments involved, other strategies are often tried with dead horses, including: * Buying a stronger whip.

• Changing riders.
• Threatening the horse with termination.
• Appointing a committee to study the horse.
• Arranging to visit other sites to see how they ride dead horses.
• Reclassifying the dead horse as “living-impaired.”
• Harnessing several dead horses together for increased speed.
• Doing a time management study to see if lighter riders would improve productivity.
• Declaring a dead horse has lower overhead and therefore performs better.
• Promoting the dead horse to a supervisory position.
• Buying a stronger whip.
• Changing riders.
• Threatening the horse with termination.
• Appointing a committee to study the horse.
• Arranging to visit other sites to see how they ride dead horses.
• Reclassifying the dead horse as “living-impaired.”
• Harnessing several dead horses together for increased speed.
• Doing a time management study to see if lighter riders would improve productivity.
• Declaring a dead horse has lower overhead and therefore performs better.
• Promoting the dead horse to a supervisory position.

The KELLYGRAM 12/02/07 |

Source: Church Leaders Intelligence Report - 03.26.08 Email