The Brethren Church

More. Bigger. Better. Faster. Sharper. Smoother. Stronger. Louder. Longer. Higher. Purer. Deeper.

Our world’s obsession with success conjures up all sorts of things to compare. In the church world, the size of our budgets, buildings, or programs often get trotted out as signs of success. Or lack of it. Who hasn’t secretly thought, “Mine’s not as big as yours” or “Mine can beat yours with one hand tied behind…” as we compare notes with other pastors or church leaders? We can find ourselves in the pride trap, especially when our “thing” comes out on top in the comparison. Or, just as bad, we get into the super-spiritual trap when our “thing” doesn’t match up to someone else’s. Which is really just a clever disguise for the pride trap anyway.

Andy Stanley said this to a group of pastors and leaders: “Your church’s strategy is PERFECTLY designed to get the results you are currently getting.” That should cause a few of us to wake up and listen. Are we focused on strategy, or results? If we aren’t getting the results we want, what needs to change?

Rather than getting caught up in comparing the size of our strategies, methods, or inputs (depending on what you want to call them), shouldn’t we spend more energy focusing on the desired outcomes of those strategies? Do we know the desired results of what we’re doing? If so, how are we doing at achieving those results?

Think it through. Are we striving for more classes, more small groups, bigger worship spaces, better praise teams, larger meeting attendance, and so forth? When examined more closely, though, we should honestly see those things not as the desired results, but as the means to the results we truly want. As followers of Jesus, what we should really want to see are more people fully connected to God and more lives fully transformed into Christ-likeness. Focusing on those kinds of results and measuring our effectiveness are what a Natural Church Development (NCD) journey is all about.

There have been twelve Brethren churches participate in this NCD journey in some form over the last few years. A few of those are ready to take their next steps on that journey by remeasuring their effectiveness. A few others are just about ready to start their NCD journey. Many more of us need to change something, based on the desired results.

Perhaps your church is ready to shift her focus from strategies and methods, and take the journey toward producing more of those desired results. Get started now by contacting Gary Diehl at the National Office for more details, 877-289-1708!