Lining Up with God's Vision for Us

In my last blog entry, "Ramblings", I mentioned that I had been reading a book over the last couple of weeks (I’m a slow reader) that has gotten me to really think, concerning me as a pastor, my church, and the church in general. The book is called “Comeback Churches” by Ed Stetzer and Mike Dodson. The authors looked at over 300 churches that had become stagnant in their growth or were declining and what it was that brought about a turn around in their situations. The book is geared more towards pastors (and church leaders), which is why it has been a challenging, inspiring, and convicting read for me.

The authors analyzed the pastor's approach to ministry in these churches and found a number of things that contributed to the turn around in their churches (trust me, I am taking what they said about the pastor to heart). As best as I can, here are some of the things they found about pastors/leaders of comeback churches - churches that have and are experiencing renewal, revitalization, and growth. They:

• were committed to Christ
• strongly believed in and lead by example in the area of missions/evangelism/outreach
  
• were willing to acknowledge that their church was "stuck in the muck" of stagnation or decline
• recognized that the congregation must be part of the turnaround
  
• distinguished between obvious symptoms and underlying problems
• were proactive and intentional in their planning
• shared in ministry - involved others
  
• delegated non-ministry tasks to others
  
• intentionally planned spending their time doing "people stuff" (visitation, staff management, mentoring, leadership training, counseling)
• had a clear vision on the purpose of the church and shared that vision with others often
• were patient with the process - stagnation and decline in the church took time, change will too
• helped their people grow in love for their community and the lost through preaching, teaching, and prayer, turning the church focus outward
  
• led their churches to pray, pray, pray and then act on those prayers
• set goals to their vision - planning
  

There is, of course, more, and each of these areas are dealt with using examples, suggestions, statistics and good old fashion experiential insight. You can probably see why I feel very challenged by what I have been reading!

Then the authors looked at the churches themselves (the congregations/members) and it was very interesting what they found, as well. Comeback churches:

• think and live missions/evangelism/outreach
• took prayer seriously
• had an attitude of servanthood
• cared more about their communities that their personal preferences
• valued worship and their presence in the worship opportunities
• were willing to incorporate a more contemporary than traditional style of worship (the vast majority of churches went to blended or contemporary styles, leaning more towards the contemporary but not forsaking creeds and liturgy)
  
• emphasized a celebrative and orderly approach to worship that was both informal and expressive
• lifted up biblical preaching and held to biblical principles
• tried to involve all members in ministry and new people is small groups
• didn’t just lead people to make decisions to accept Christ; they engaged them in discipleship
  

There is much more that is addressed but I think you can get the idea.

As I have been reading this book, I have been asking myself a number of questions about both myself and the church where I pastor, and even about churches I have been part of throughout my adult life. I've wondered how we/they are measuring up in these and the other areas addressed in the book. Although I feel positive about the direction I and my church have begun to head, I realize that there is still much more work that must be done. In fact, it is work that is never done but progress must be continuing.

Another book that I read some time ago that had just as much impact on my approach on ministry and how the church functions is by Kent Hunter, "Discover Your Windows". He looks at the windows through which we see the world and see the church and how that "view" impacts us. How biblical is our worldview? He looks at 10 "windows" and how they relate to how we view, approach, and act as the church.

Let me simply list each of the windows that serve as the chapter titles and their subtitle:

1. The window of purpose - your purpose determines your mission
2. The window of comfort - your comfort determines your sacrifice
3. The window of image - your image determines your impact
4. The window of priorities - your desires determine your priorities
5. The window of stewardship - your blessings determine your giving
6. The window of financing - your abundance determines your possibilities
7. The window of change - your past determines your future
8. The window of leadership - your pastor determines your potential
9. The window of teamwork - your giftedness determines your involvement
10. The window of attitude - the power of God determines your attitude

As I read through this book I was forced to address some, OK, many of my preconceived ideas about the church and my role, both as a member and a pastor, in it. And yes, I have had to make some adjustments and reframing in my philosophy and approach to ministry. But as I have, I have felt that I have become a better pastor - or, if not better, certainly more open to the leading of the Spirit and a better understanding of the purpose and call of the Church and the Christian.

I have decided that my church will begin a study of "Discover Your Windows" on Wednesday nights. I expect the discussions to be interesting, insightful, and even intense because making adjustments and reframing with what you believe isn't an easy thing.

I think it would do every church a whole lot of good if they took a serious look at these books. I think what they hold before us can change the direction the church is heading, which has been stagnation and decline.