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…

Be Clear on Your Context and Mission

Why does God have us in this community?

Church leaders typically answer this question as it relates to our ministries, our buildings, our programs—and all of those things are part of the equation. But when the people in our churches walk out the doors late Sunday morning, not to return for another week (or a few weeks for many Christians), do they see themselves as active participants in the mission? The mission—and everyday people engaging in it every day—is a primary motivator for almost everything we do.

What are we sending the people of our church to do to serve our community?

Imagine this: Everyone. Everywhere. Every day. Engaged in the mission of God while living life. Imagine our churches as equipping and sending stations for each person.

Is that even possible? Can our mission be crystal clear and possible for every believer (not just your staff) to live out every day of the week?

Not only is it possible, but it’s powerful. Imagine a unified church (not just a few of your committed leaders) high-fiving, celebrating and telling stories around “You won’t believe what God did this week” or “This wasn’t as scary as I thought it might be!” Imagine the impact of your ministry being intentionally multiplied into many different places around your community, not just in one building on Sunday. It’s Kingdom power beyond your building, beyond your staff.

One of the biggest obstacles?

The church’s mission and strategy is worded and implemented with a heavy dependence on the staff to execute. Maybe that’s unintentional, but it’s very common. Most people you see on Sunday are thinking, “Good thing we hired such a great pastor and staff to do that!” Few Christians can see how what they do Monday through Saturday can even matter in their church’s mission. And because they don’t correlate their Monday-Saturday lives with their church’s mission, they just go with the flow, letting their lives run them, instead of stepping into their lives with intention shaped by your church’s mission.

Our friends at Clarity House have this litmus test. Try it this week: 

1. In your casual conversations with folks around your church ask them first if they can articulate the mission of your congregation.
2. Then ask them who does it.

If your church’s mission statement makes it sound like it is the staff’s job to do that, we’d love to help you clarify a mission that invites all believers to be activated, and not just on Sundays.

Vision Bridge is a new PLI Learning Community launching this fall. Click the buttons below to learn more about Vision Bridge or to schedule a call with Raechel.