PASTOR’S NOTES – FEBRUARY 1998
“…The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.”
- Ephesians 4:11-13 (NRSV)
While
we can’t point to many specific scriptures that speak of the mission of the
church, it is clear from our own experience that none of us individually can
continue the work of Christ in the world.
But while churches might have formed originally to be faithful to the
work of Christ, we usually seem to drift into a kind of institution bent only
on maintaining itself. I’ve been in
meetings with pastors and lay leaders of several churches, and when they are
asked what their church needs, the number #1 and number #2 answers are these:
1. More members.
2. More money.
Kennon Callahan, in his book Twelve Keys to an Effective Church,[1] draws on his experience as a church consultant to suggest that churches need to look at several things in their church to determine how faithfully we are serving Christ, not just at our number of people and our finances.
Here is his list, roughly in
order of importance, of those characteristics that lead to a sense of
satisfaction in the church:
1. SPECIFIC, CONCRETE MISSIONAL OBJECTIVES.
2. PASTORAL AND LAY VISITATION.
3. CORPORATE, DYNAMIC WORSHIP.
4. SIGNIFICANT RELATIONAL GROUPS.
5. STRONG LEADERSHIP RESOURCES.
6. STREAMLINED STRUCTURE AND SOLID, PARTICIPATORY DECISION-MAKING.
There
are other characteristics of the church that do not themselves draw people to
the church, but if they are not present, there is a high level of
dissatisfaction in the church:
7. SEVERAL COMPETENT PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES.
8. OPEN ACCESSIBILITY.
9. HIGH VISIBILITY.
10. ADEQUATE PARKING, LAND, AND LANDSCAPING.
11. ADEQUATE SPACE AND FACILITIES.
12. SOLID FINANCIAL RESOURCES.
For
me, this listing is helpful because it puts a lot of what goes on in the church
in perspective. For as much as more
money, more parking space, building improvements, and more programs might seem
like the things the church needs most, they are not the kinds of things that
lead us to growth in our faith and witness.
Far more important for us is to look first to our groups, our worship,
our visitation of each other, and our sense that God has a purpose for us here
now at the corner of Avondale and State.
We could look at this as a way of saying instead of “What’s wrong with this church?” asking, “What’s right with this church?” and building on that. To be faithful to each other and to what God has in mind for us and this community demands that we be open to where God is already trying to encourage us along. My hope is that we can rejoice more in the wondrous gifts that God has already given us and follow in the direction He sets. The other things like numbers and money will more likely come when we are ready to allow them to glorify Him.
Peace,
STRATEGY FOR LONG-RANGE
PLANNING:
1. Realistically assess the
present standing of the congregation.
2. Make fundamental decisions
as to the primary direction for its future.
3. Ask, “What are our present
foundational strengths, given from God?”
4. Study these strengths in
relation to the central characteristics of effective churches.
5. Ask, “How can these
strengths be expanded to serve God's mission more effectively?”
6.
Ask, “What foundational strengths
can be added, that we might more effectively serve God's mission?”[2]