I've been challenged today in how we do church ministry. Here's a great quote from "7 Practices of Effective Ministry"..."Before you start anything, make sure if takes you where you need it to go." Ministry needs to start with the end in mind.
Programs are great if they lead people to life-change. Programs usually lead to more of a "need" focus while thinking steps, you are asking, "where do I want people to go?" It is about perspective and leading people to make progress in their spiritual journey.
Jesus commanded us to "make disciples." This happens most naturally in the context of meaningful relationships.
One of the ways to hold back ministry is to give people a vision without a strategy to achieve it. This is the difficult part to me. Many times we have the “big picture” figured out for ministry, but what does it look like for an un-churched 9th grade student?
The real question is not just, “How many do we have in attendance”…but more so, “how many relationships developed while attending?
I believe this is the challenge of the church of America.
What are your thoughts?