Leaders often compare the church’s ministry to a journey. There’s a destination, fulfillment of Christ’s Great Commandment and Great Commission. There’s also a pathway for reaching said destination, revealed in the teachings of Christ and the apostles as recorded in scripture. And provision for the journey comes through the Holy Spirit as Christians faithfully commune with Him through the spiritual disciplines. These base elements, though described differently by different sources, are universal for all congregations. Any difference comes from context. In the same way a hike through the Piney Woods of East Texas differs from one up a mountain in Colorado, the path to fruitful ministry will look different from one congregation to the next.
An essential question for every congregation, then, is “What’s your next step?” What is the next decision you must make together so that your church proceeds along the pathway God has placed it on?
Failure to answer this question leaves a congregation stuck. For more on this, read my previous series of posts Getting Unstuck.
How does a congregation determine the next step?
First, you must remember your destination. Many congregations don’t understand their mission. Oh, members can quote you the Great Commandment and Great Commission. But they often are unclear about what this means. So they fill calendars and budgets with tons of activity, but show little movement. I recommend asking this question: If our church was fully faithful and fruitful for the Lord, what would that look like? The answer will reveal how you understand your the destination.
Second, you must follow a path leading to your destination. Today even Southern Baptist churches, once know for their commonalities, are as different as are the persons who comprise them. Consider the infinite variety of music, Bible studies, programs, and disciple making tracks now available. The question is, do the ministries of your church construct a clear path to the destination? Or, are they simply a hodgepodge of spiritual activity? As stated above, the scripture provides us with the essentials, among them corporate worship, Bible teaching, accountability, fellowship, equipping, and deployment. Which of these elements, if any, are missing in your church? And is the way you employ them fruitful?
Finally, you must know where your church is located along it’s developmental path. I realize I am using the language of the journey in two ways. There is the journey people take through your church by which they become disciples and disciple makers. Then there’s the path your church follows in becoming a disciple making church. Some churches remain on the trailhead, having yet to define their destination or pathway. Still others have begun the journey, but have run into obstacles along the way. Every journey has it’s rest stops, refueling stations, course corrections or repairs to make. As your church seeks to fulfill Christ’s mission in your context, where are you?
When you know these three things, you are ready to ask, “What is our next step?” Because your church is in a different context and a different place along your path, your next step is likely different from the congregation down the street. But it’s important. It’s necessary.
Because no church will fulfill God’s purpose until their next step is taken. And then there’s the next, and the next, then the next.
Your ministry journey, after all, occurs one next step at a time.
Bro. Jim