When you make any decision in life you usually think it through. Well...maybe ony the wise think it through. When you make a decision in haste or without weighing the pros and cons or consequences of that decision, it can always come back to haunt you. I've made those mistakes before. I don't want to be "that guy" again.
It's been bugging me this week as I think about the church today. Do we strategize? Do we think through our decisions and all of their ramifications before we act? Is our mindset on maintenance or forward motion? I feel that this is the worst of times for the church to "rest on her laurels" and not be active for the Kingdom.
Gone are the days when churches could count on the unchurched wandering into our midst based on the vague conviction that they are "supposed to". Without personal contact and repeated invitations (and I mean repeated) the church today cannot expect to see people just flying in the door to meet Jesus. To reach the lost today, church leaders need to think--at certain times and in certain circumstances--like marketing gurus hawking the latest and greatest product. After all, we have the greatest product in the world (God's grace) and people actually need it!
Similar to a missionary on foreign soil, congregations today need to know who their main demographics are and how to strategically reach them. This does not mean that we must blindly submit ourselves to every cultural whim to stay "relevant". But it does mean being more purposeful and serious about communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ in ways that are heard, understood, and impressed on the lost.
We must demand more from ourselves, Christians. The status quo church of 1998 is not reaching the lost person of 2010. The principles of the Bible will never change, but the methods for reaching and pricking the hearts of lost people should always change. Look at the example of Paul in the New Testament. He was always leveraging culture and methodolgy to his advantage. We must do the same.
Let us not forget also to do everything with excellence in our churches. Let us demand excellence from our staff, ministers, and elders. Let us strive for high standards in the programs and ministries we produce. Let us aggresively steward financial and spiritual resources. Let us think strategically about the communities we serve and how to reach them. Let us taste like salt that never loses it saltiness and work hard at the gospel. Let us think strategically about our churches and their outreach. And then...let us act!
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