Well, maybe I do have an idea. Perhaps it is because leaders of the church do so little strategic thinking. It is interesting that we think about transforming people but hardly ever have a thought about transforming the church.
Michael Porter, a professor at Harvard Business School, was a speaker at the Willowcreek Leadership Summit and spoke about "How do we do good well?" His premise was that it is easy to do good, but to do it well requires strategic thinking about and answering four questions:
- Have we defined our goals clearly?
- What set of needs shall we address?
- How do we deliver goods/services that meet those needs?
- How do we get alignment or how do keep everyone focused on the answers to the first three questions.
I struggle with pastors who are called to ministry but have no idea concerning the answers to those four questions about their particular church.
As I read & reflect on scripture, I find again and again that God has very clear and perceptive answers to those questions for the universal church.
I will continue to pray for the leaders of the churches I influence.
2 comments:
Rex, I am reading an interesting book right now by Alan Hirsch called "The Forgotten Ways". He explains the transformation that his church in Melborne, Australia, called South Melbourne Restoration Community (SMRC) went through. He argues that the contemporary church is a consumer church where people come to be taken care of rather than a place where they come to learn how to be disciples. Places where no more than 20% of the participants actually do ministry. The other 80% are passive attendees, not even discipling others or reaching out to the lost. He is advocating smaller cell groups that are challenged to integrate scripture into their lives, hold each other accountable to grow in Christ, and have as a requirement reaching the lost. What do you think? Have you read his book?
Here's a little more of what he says in the beginning of the book. Later on he will elaborate on the implementation.
1. The basic church unit must be small enough for the active:passive ratio to flip from 20:80 to 80:20. He calls this cell-based. Each cell is an ecclesial unit in its own right.
2. Core practices and a covential relationship, rather than ministry philosophy or mission/vision statements is implemented. The difference is the embodiment of practices in the group (demonstrated core practices).
3. Spiritual discipline - growing more Christlike - using a model with the acronym TEMPT: Together We Follow, Engagement with Scripture, Mission, Passion for Jesus, Transformation.
Post a Comment