by Rev. Dave Ficken

What is keeping your people from living out your ministry’s vision?

For a church to have traction in the mission of God, there are three important ingredients:

• Be convinced of the need for change.
• Be clear on your context and mission.
• Be catalytic for activation.

The challenge for every one of us church leaders is that Sunday is always coming, the calendar is full and we usually underestimate what is needed for each of the three ingredients. That’s where PLI can help with something that has been cooking in the kitchen for the last 2 years. Keep reading to learn more…

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Be Catalytic for Activation

Our church is feeling the urgency that things need to change so that we can impact the future of our community.

We are clear on our mission and everyone in our church can get in on it everywhere, everyday.

We have a clear strategy that trains the people of God to be the kind of disciple that is needed in your community.

How do we make this come to life? 

One of the biggest learnings coming from the church’s emphasis on discipleship in the last 15 years is that everyone defines a disciple differently. I could copy and paste 30 different definitions, including PLI’s definition, and you would probably nod your head and agree with many or dissect some of them.

But that’s not your challenge. This is not a time to see which definition you agree with most. It is time for your church to get crystal clear on what a disciple looks like for your community, not just any community.

“Disciple” has become nebulous, vague and therefore relegated to an optional persona for the few. “Disciple” could be defined in a myriad of ways. And that’s the problem! If every person in your church also has their own idea of what a disciple is, then we have almost no chance of shaping and sending the kind of disciples your community needs. If we can’t define a disciple, we can’t train them. And if our picture of a disciple is fuzzy, people won’t grow and mature into that disciple.

There is a way to catalyze and strategize this kind of mission. It includes Sunday morning, but stretches far beyond it. It depends on your teaching and preaching, but also relies on examples worth imitating. It celebrates the work of God in your building, while telling the stories of God’s promises being kept wherever they go.

We can help you be intentional in your gathering for the purpose of the sending, all while making sure it is unique to you, your church, your community, at this time, with your staff, empowering everybody, everywhere, everyday.

Check out Vision Bridge, PLI’s newest Learning Community launching this fall…because the future of your church matters to the future of your community.

We can help you:

• Build unity around the essence of the problem in your unique context.
• Craft an all-play, everyday mission that focuses and unites the leadership while activating the congregation.
• Build a new scorecard of success around the identification of your Dream Disciple and codify your unique set of transferable tools to develop them.
• Identify the key environments and practices that empower multiplication in your context.
• Couple your shared dream of the future that answers “Where is God taking us?” with an executable plan.

Check out this pdf or schedule a call with Raechel.