A Conversation & Struggle

On Tuesday I sat with a local pastor & talked mission.  He’s been plodding along for years, working to see his church grow & for some reason it hasn’t.  Why?  Apathy, lack of leadership, the people don’t care, no resources, etc…….??  Not sure!!!

As we’ve been working together for about a month now, it has really been a mutual eye opener as to what the local church has to do to advance, equip, make disciples, etc….  I’ve been helping him think through how his local group of Christ followers (church) started, & why it is at the current state of affairs.  I love strategizing!  I loved getting the call from him saying “my first strategic meeting with 14 people rocked! Sign me up again!!”.   After their initial meeting, he’s feeling the train of leadership momentum begin to move.  They organized their thoughts well, and could be only weeks away from a mission statement that would rival the big leagues:)  But why??

Well…….you have to have mission right?  After all, your mission will drive your vision, which kicks into motion the systems you’ll put in place, so your church will actually work (grow) right.  Right?  Well, I guess that all depends on how you define church?  A building, a location, a gathering, etc….  Is that what the church is?  Is it really a building, a location, a gathering, etc….?  Just between you & me, if that is all the church is, I’m done!   I’ll go buy a taco stand in Mexico, put a mission statement together for it, & franchise out.  The goal?  Get people to become patrons of my taco stands, give them a good product, hope they come back and bring their friends, so I can develop more taco stands, and make a heck of a lot of money.  Sound good? Yeah, if you’re hungry for a taco!:)

So……….I’m having an internal dilemma, and I think I really screwed up the process of my pastor friend the other day.  We were supposed to move to step 2 in the process of developing mission.   There are steps by the way!  Well, I think we slipped off the steps.  A little tension is always good!!:)

I said, “I’m excited to see what you’re putting together.”  I said, “It really looks right, sounds good, and could potentially catapult you into becoming a mega church.”  Isn’t that the goal?  Isn’t that the model most pastors are trying to emulate?  I mean, we hear, see, & read all the success stories of church’s becoming masses of people, ultimately branching out and becoming  satellite campuses.  Isn’t that the dream? Isn’t that the point of putting an effective mission statement together? FYI, I have no problem with local church’s exploding with people, new buildings, satellite campuses, etc…..  I know you’re not feeling the vibe, but trust me, I love the church, and applaud the champions on the front lines.  You guys rock!!  I just think local church leaders really have to think through where local church’s are headed, otherwise we could sadly end up at a destination that was never God’s bulls-eye.

The reason for this conversation about mission is:  For years, I’ve personally struggled with my walk with God.  I love Him, but struggle to discipline myself to really get to know Him, and live out my relationship with Him & with others (regardless if they know Jesus or not).  I struggle to just sit and listen to God speak to me in the ways He can, and does.  I’m so busy doing at a centralized location, that I don’t take time to really know Him, as the church (the body of Jesus to the world), can.  I can’t be the only one that has struggled in this area?  Don’t get me wrong, corporate gatherings are necessary & biblical, but it really is only a small portion of what the church (the body of Jesus to the world), is all about.

Because of my personal struggle, relationship, and growth with my heavenly Daddy, the leadership of Epic Church is wrestling with revising our  mission statement for our local gathering of Christ Followers (Epic Church), that for all intents and purposes, keeps the people only focused on a centralized location.  I can’t do it!!  Our mission has to be Christ centered, lived out by the leaders that pen it, and it can’t be centralized.  I will put the boxing gloves on for this one!!!

I know I’ve only opened a can of worms, and would love to continue this discussion with those that are passionate about the Kingdom of God advancing with God’s mission in mind.  I’ll finish my thoughts tomorrow, because right now I have to finish my message for Sunday.  After all, “It’s all about the weekend Stupid!”.   Right?  Not even close!!!

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