Salguod has posted some thoughts on People as Projects.

The only thing that I can add is that this appears to be the result of an imbalanced emphsasis on growth over maturity. It is not unique to the ICC, but in fact appears in certain cell church stuctures. If the goals are to the grow the group, split it to plant another group, and keep growing, it is inevitable that those that are not 100% ‘with the program’ are going to be treated as someone that needs to be fixed. The heart may be to help the person, but it is only heart enough to get them ‘on track’ and nothing more. (In this case, I’m talking about consistently demonstrated lack of enthusiasm and participation, not an off-week.)

This is treating a person as a project in much the same way we look at a leaky faucet or a picture crookedly hung on a wall.

The answer is also not to love them more. This is only a different approach to fixing the problem. The difference is that it is wrapped in a soft teddy-bear covering, but it is still just an approach to fix some perceived problem with a person that is not ‘on track’.

What is the answer? Not to harken images of a C- movie, but sometimes you need to ask the right question. If there is someone in your small group that isn’t as excited about growth as everyone else, the issue may not be the indvidual. Think about it, if you have to ‘love up on them’ to figure out what’s wrong, then the group hasn’t been functioning the entire time. That makes the question more about what the group is supposed to do instead of what needs to happen to fix one member of the group.

Want a real mindbender? Sometimes there is no problem at all. Each person is trying their best to meet needs and reach out to the community, the group is meeting together and active in each other’s lives, but the results are not particularly stellar. It’s not a problem to be fixed. Instead of thinking about what-if scenarios, sometimes the answer is that there is no question. In other words, there isn’t a problem at all. In the parable of the sower, it is God that makes things grow. Ask any farmer – there are some days when you cannot do anything but wait.

Just some thoughts, read his article, it is better.