There is a temptation in my mind to be very pious, and repeat the oft-sung lines from an old hymn, "the Church's one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord!" I'm going to refrain from this, however, it being entirely self-evident that this will not come as any surprise to Rick Warren. He has absolutely no pretensions otherwise, and it's easy to see that his view of a church is entirely based on a relationship with Christ, and if I were to make that kind of a comment I'd be doing nothing more valuable than being smart. So let's get on with the chapter!
In a personal anecdote Warren discusses the importance of a foundation in a building. In this he doesn't have to convince me at all, because I grew up in a home in which the foundations had not been correctly laid. I can remember vividly one rainy night in which my father had to divert the streams of runoff water away from a couple of piers, and several months of mucking around with rolled steel joists were necessary to rectify the problem. So I understand (as few do) how important it is to have a good foundation on a building.
The size and strength of a building are entirely dependent on the foundation. And Warren holds that the way to build a church's foundation is to spend some time "clarifying in the minds of everyone involved exactly why the church exists and what it is supposed to do."
I can remember a few times in the history of Sanctuary (and BHCF before that) when we all knew its purpose statement off by heart, and I can attest to at least some of the benefit this offers. Warren quantifies this by pointing to five specific benefits of a clear purpose:
1) It builds morale.
1 Cor 1:10 shows a link between purpose and harmony. Warren suggests that a clear purpose is really good for ensuring people work in harmony. This actually links really nicely with a story told by Max Lucado, when he and his family were on a fishing trip. The weather was unsuitable for fishing, and after a while the family began to squabble. From this experience Lucado gleans the neat little gem: "When those who are called to fish don't fish, they fight. But when those who are called to fish fish, they flourish!" And if people are to "fish", they need to be certain about what they are doing. "A church without a purpose and a mission eventually becomes a museum piece of yesterday's traditions."
2) It reduces frustration.
A clear purpose both helps you to know what you do and what you don't do. "The secret of effectiveness is to know what really counts, then to do what really counts, then forget the rest." Wow! What a great call! It fits with an americanism I like - "Don't sweat the small stuff. And it's all small stuff!" In yesterday's chapter, we began with a nightmare church meeting, in which everyone has their own idea about what the church should do. A clear purpose would really sort that meeting out - every idea is simply compared against the purpose. If it fits, we do it, and if it doesn't we don't! Decision making is easier.
3) It allows concentration.
A science example here - laser light is actually no different to regular light. It's the same photons, the same wave/particle duality. Same everything. But whereas a 10-Watt light bulb is barely enough to read a book, a 10-Watt laser could burn clean through a book! The difference is concentration - in the light bulb, we have light of all wavelengths travelling in all directions; but in the laser, it's light of a single frequency, all travelling the same way! Similarly, a small church can have an impact beyond its size when it's concentrated. Sanctuary has experienced this many times - when we've run Carols, for example. What if we were to clarify our purpose to the point where everything we did was done with concentration and focus? Warren says most churches do too much, and it's certainly true of Sanctuary. A good phrase which we all say is "Do a few things well". Programs are not intended to last forever, and churches should periodically clean house.
4) It attracts cooperation.
People WANT to join a church that knows where it's going. If a church has a clear understanding of what it's about, this allows people who also believe this purpose to be important to join, knowing exactly what will happen. Equally, it allows you to ensure that negative people don't impact what you're doing; whiners cannot set the agenda. It is important to ensure people know what the purpose of the church is BEFORE they join.
5) It assists evaluation.
If your purpose is clear it becomes much easier (or perhaps even simply becomes POSSIBLE!) to determine how the church is going. One encouraging remark for Sanctuary: A bigger church is not a better church. A church can be big and strong, or it can be big and flabby. A church can be small and strong, or it can be small and wimpy. Bigger is not better. BETTER is better.
Okay, so if we want to be a purpose-driven church, there are four steps to the transition:
* Define your purpose.
* Communicate your purpose.
* Organise your church around your purpose.
* Apply your purpose to everything the church does.
One thing - we're talking about a process that may take months or even years. Don't be discouraged!
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