Last year I read through a book called 7 Practices of Effective Ministry (by Andy Stanley, Reggie Joiner, & Lane Jones; 186 pp. © 2004 Multnomah Publishers) and much of what it has to say has helped me focus my own approach to ministry.
Last time I shared with you the idea of “clarifying the win”. This time I want to go on and tell you about the second “practice” – thinking steps, not programs.
What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? This is the key question facing church leaders. Does it mean I just need to come to church Sunday morning? Does it mean I come to church every time the doors are open? Does it mean I tithe? Does it mean I serve? Does it mean I join the choir? Does it mean I read my bible and pray daily? Does it mean I …???
If our purpose is “to make disciples” (i.e., clarifying the win), then how we answer this question is especially important. How would you answer this question? What would you tell someone if they asked what they needed to do in order to grow as a disciple of Jesus? How did Jesus disciple people?
Let’s go back to another sports analogy. The “win” in football is to have more points than your opponent at the end of the game. That is the overall goal. But the game breaks down much farther than that. The next goal below winning the game is crossing the goal line (scoring). But the game breaks down even farther. The goal below that is to simply get a first down. But there are even more specific steps that a coach considers when putting together a game plan, many of which vary depending on the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. The overall strategy for winning the game affects every decision…from practice routine, to warm ups, to motivating the team, even the coin toss. And all of these steps are taken before the clock even begins to tic.
The point is that a coach is going to make every effort to accomplish the overall goal…winning the game. We as the body of Christ need to make every effort to accomplish our overall goal…making disciples.
So what does this have to do with the church and programming? Typically, a church grows because it develops strong programming…usually children’s ministries, youth ministries, or strong worship and preaching. Other ministries begin to pop up as more people enter the church and are looking for ways to become involved and get to know others. Eventually you end up with a smorgasbord of ministries that people can pick and choose from. No longer can one person be involved with everything the church has to offer, and they have to choose which programs to be a part of.
This causes two problems. First, many people, especially those who have grown up in the church, have equated discipleship with participation in everything the church has to offer…going to church every time the doors are open. They begin to struggle trying to do it all, and they feel a sense of loss as they can no longer keep track of everything and everyone. Secondly, others find themselves in ministries that are not necessarily what they need in order to grow. Sometimes this is an intentional effort to avoid being challenged or to avoid commitment. Sometimes it is merely a result of being emotionally tied to programs or people in them, and not wanting to lose or strain those relationships.
The point? The church should have a step by step strategy for discipling. These steps should be determined apart from existing ministries and programs. The steps should be clear, reachable, and contribute to the purpose of the church. Once the steps have been determined, then the church should design programs and ministries that accomplish these steps.
What does this mean for our church? I wish I could say that we have it all figured out, that we have a clear step by step process for bringing people along in discipleship. What I can say is that we are moving in that direction. Our purpose is “to make disciples of Jesus Christ.” When we reworded this statement last year, we thought there needed to be more to help explain what it means to make disciples. We wanted something that was memorable yet broke down the process of discipleship into steps. We chose four key words: CONNECT, GROW, SERVE, and SHARE. These four words break down Jesus’ discipleship process into four basic steps that speak to how we should disciple people today. We should help people CONNECT to Christ and his church; GROW in their relationship with God; identify their gifts and SERVE in ministry; and SHARE their faith and ministry with others.
What is the next ‘step’? We are working to break down these four basic steps into clear, reachable, and strategic steps that will truly help us “make disciples of Jesus Christ.” It is not that “programs” are bad, it is simply that programs should be designed to take people through these steps (rather than starting a program because “it will draw people” or “people will like it”). Please pray for this process.
In Him,
Jason Cooper
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