Every once in a while, I’ll be talking to a friend about one of our two family cars, well, family vans. The question sometimes arises, “Who drives THAT one?” They are referring to our old, beat up minivan that I refuse to give up until it does. It’s just a little embarrassing to drive (my kids would say a lot), especially to school. This afternoon, I was talking to my 17 year old about driving the van, making sure he took care of it, checked the oil, etc.
In today’s post, I want to ask the question, posed by Dave Browning in his book, Deliberate Simplicity, “What drives your local church?”
Check out this quote from the book:
You cannot do work that matters until you define what matters. A leaders job is to clarify and simplify so everyone understands what’s truly important….
President Calvin Coolidge believed that ‘no enterprise can exist for itself alone. It ministers to some great need, it performs some great service, not for itself, but for others; or failing therein it ceases to be profitable and ceases to exist.’ Perhaps that statement summarizes the reason why many churches are sick and dying….
Some of the organizing principles that churches adopt (maybe unknowingly) include:
TRADITION. A church driven by tradition finds itself looking to the past for guidance for the future….
PERSONALITY. A church driven by personality finds itself directed by a key figure or figures….
FINANCES. A church driven by finances finds itself looking at the budget for direction. If it’s in the budget, we can do it. If it’s not, we can’t….
PROGRAMS. A church driven by programs defines itself by the programs it offers….
BUILDINGS. A church driven by buildings finds itself in constant pursuit of bigger and better facilities….
EVENTS. A church driven by events finds itself regularly gearing up for its next concert or pageant or bazaar. While events can be an effective part of any church’s strategy, left unchecked, events can grow to be the ministry….
SEEKERS. A church driven by seekers finds itself trying to get into the mind of ‘the customer.’ Surveys are taken. The results are evaluated. The church’s ministry is driven by polling data. The energy of the body goes into being culturally relevant and seeker friendly….
PURPOSE. A church driven by purpose finds itself evaluating what it does in relation to its sense of purpose. It has a philosophy of ministry that begins with the question, what is the church supposed to do? The church’s goals and objectives become the ruler by which efforts are measured.
What is the driving force behind your church?
