Today I had a thought during a conversation with our staff. "The organization/institution of the church exists to serve the gospel and not the other way around." The whole reason for an organization or institution is to serve the mission of that organization. Every system, structure, strategy, plan, goal, budget, staff, and program is there merely to accomplish the mission of that organization. The mission of our organization is to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth and make passionate followers of Jesus who say yes to God with their whole lives. Whenever we start to make the mission slave to the organization we have missed it! Whenever we sense the prompting and leadership of the Spirit of God and can't move that direction because our organization won't allow it we have a BIG PROBLEM! This is the reason we have so many dying churches and denominations, because they became about the protection of their institution and organization. Whenever a Christian organization starts to propagate its institutional agenda over the gospel it starts to head towards extinction. I don't want to be the kind of leader or church who is always trying to push some kind of organizational agenda on people every conversation I have. I want to be the kind of leader that is radically in love with Jesus where the potency of my life is contagious. I want every conversation and interaction to be about challenging people one step closer to living God's best for their lives. I don't want to be the kind of leader who looks at every person and thinks, "how can I get this person to accomplish ___________ task for me?" I want to be the kind of leader that looks at people and sees the potential God has placed in that person and inspire it out of them!!
One more thought and I will get off my soapbox for the day, every organization must consistently and constantly be renewed around its mission. The organizational values drive the change of structures and systems, while heading in alignment towards a vision that is God given and centered around the Great Commission given by Jesus to his disciples! Let's renew ourselves to the cause of the gospel and getting this message to the ends of the earth. Let's build our churches, our businesses, our families, and our man made institutions around the cause Jesus has already given to us and not give up and till we finish the call!
