Simplicity and Focus

I'm on staff as one of the pastors at our church. We wrestle constantly with how we are doing (How do we define success?) and I love it! There is a term commonly known in the church world as "holy discontentment" which suggest that we should be content in the present while at the same time anxiously restless for God and his future. That is, all that we have is a gift from God for sure. The fact that we get to do what we do, have what we have, and see what we see is all about God and is amazing Grace. He loves us, He protects us, He provides for us, and to adequately put into words how grateful we are to Him that He allows us to participate would be next to impossible, yet we make our best effort to do so.

Still, we realize that God wants to do so much more in and through us in this world so we live with an urgency and expectation that anticipates God's next movement and so there is this seemingly restless spirit in us that is arguably healthy and needed amongst church leaders. Holy discontentment. Not the point of my conversation, but certainly the back-drop, that should be understood, for where I'm going.

Success is a process. Consider this bottom line statement: I want everyone in our city to receive the transforming Grace of Jesus Christ. If God allowed our church to be used to connect each person in our city into a kingdom realization, how exciting would this be? This is what I want. However, even more so than this is our desire to see each person in our city "transformed" into the likeness of Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit in and through our lives. Enter the complexity for ministry planning because the reality is that every person in our city is at a different point in this journey. Some are at one end and are fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ and some have yet to begin moving through the journey's process. Either way, each person in this city stands on this journey's trajectory line. Our work as a church is to consider where God is working and simply participate. So what is God calling us to do and how will we know we are doing the right things? How do we define success? The Bible gives provides an answer.

Consider Micah 6:8 "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with you God." Most churches are good at building plans (disclaimer: "Building" and "executing" are two understandably different concepts) to "walk humbly" (bible studies, worship, spiritual disciplines, etc). These are tangible elements inside of the church that we can wrap our hands around. But, what does it mean to "act justly and to love mercy"? How do we define success in these areas?

One way to navigate this question is with another question? Bishop Vaughn McLaughlin, pastor of the Potter's House in Jacksonville, Florida, asks a sobering question: "If your church were to pick up and leave the city, how would the city feel?" In other words, what impact, does your church have outside of the church walls and into your city? We need to consider, in our effort to define "success" what impact outside of the church walls is being felt.

Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson ("The Externally Focused Church") suggest a model for measuring success. They ask us to consider, as a measurement for success, the percentage of people that are engaged in each of the following areas?

Where is your church on the Micah 6:8 blueprint? What percentage of your congregation is involved in each column?
1. Walking Humbly:Addresses the spiritual lives of those who come to church
Personal salvation
Spiritual disciplines
Seeking the Lord
Worship
Becoming a devoted follower of Christ

2. Loving Mercy: Addresses individual symptoms of those outside of the church.
Acts of kindness
Showing compassion. (Giving people "fish" to eat)
...Shelter
...Groceries
...Clothing
...Medical care
3. Acting Justly: Addresses causes that create symptoms.
Teaching people to fish rather than simply giving them a fish to eat.
...Evangelism/discipleship
...Tutoring/mentoring
...Job training (or partnership with a like organization)
...Livable wages
...Home ownership

We need to understand and accept that the "success" conversation never ends. The reality in this context is that our own fear and understanding prevents us sometimes from actually beginning the conversation. I'm happy to be blessed to be a part of a group of men and women that are passionately pursuing the life God has for us and the people of our community. Seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness involves the entire person to be sure. What are we doing to involve ourselves as the soul of the community? Stay tuned for what is next. If only God knows, I'll be sure to stay close to Him.