Do you want to build a big church (or organization),
or do you want to change the world?
or do you want to change the world?
I am convinced of the following. If you focus on building a big church or organization you will rarely if ever actually change the world -- because the primary question you will ask yourself is - will this help me grow my organization or church. If that is your bottom line, you will do those things that grow your church or organization whether or not they change the world.
HOWEVER, if your bottom line is -- I want to change the world -- then the size of your organization/church becomes irrelevant and you will primarily do those things that will actually change the world. At the same time, you may or may not, grow your organization.
Everything in the west pushes us to grow bigger churches and organizations. I used to go to large conferences for pastors and church leaders. When you met new people, within 5-10 minutes you would get the "a-b-c-" questions -- attendance, buildings, cash. In other words, people wanted to know how many people came to your church, what facilities you had, and what kind of budget you had. THEN, after establishing those 3 things, they knew where you stood in the pecking order. The larger your attendance, the better your buildings and the bigger your budget, the higher you were in the church leadership pecking order.
NOBODY, ever asked me how our church was changing the world. The result of these conferences and much of the church in the west is clear -- lots of people, attending church in beautiful buildings giving lots of money to get more people to come to church in even better equipped and bigger buildings. BUT, has the world changed?
My suspicion is that if we focused on doing what changes the world -- standing up for righteousness, for justice, for the poor and the oppressed, for the orphan, the widow, the disenfranchised -- for those Jesus focused on -- the world would be a different place.
The trouble with focusing on changing the world, is that we may never build big churches or organizations -- and we may never become well known or famous -- or rich.
Instead, God's kingdom may come, and His will may be done on earth as it is in heaven.
My commitment in 2009 is to invest my time, resources and energy into changing the world -- whether or not it results in a bigger ministry or fame or fortune.
HOWEVER, if your bottom line is -- I want to change the world -- then the size of your organization/church becomes irrelevant and you will primarily do those things that will actually change the world. At the same time, you may or may not, grow your organization.
Everything in the west pushes us to grow bigger churches and organizations. I used to go to large conferences for pastors and church leaders. When you met new people, within 5-10 minutes you would get the "a-b-c-" questions -- attendance, buildings, cash. In other words, people wanted to know how many people came to your church, what facilities you had, and what kind of budget you had. THEN, after establishing those 3 things, they knew where you stood in the pecking order. The larger your attendance, the better your buildings and the bigger your budget, the higher you were in the church leadership pecking order.
NOBODY, ever asked me how our church was changing the world. The result of these conferences and much of the church in the west is clear -- lots of people, attending church in beautiful buildings giving lots of money to get more people to come to church in even better equipped and bigger buildings. BUT, has the world changed?
My suspicion is that if we focused on doing what changes the world -- standing up for righteousness, for justice, for the poor and the oppressed, for the orphan, the widow, the disenfranchised -- for those Jesus focused on -- the world would be a different place.
The trouble with focusing on changing the world, is that we may never build big churches or organizations -- and we may never become well known or famous -- or rich.
Instead, God's kingdom may come, and His will may be done on earth as it is in heaven.
My commitment in 2009 is to invest my time, resources and energy into changing the world -- whether or not it results in a bigger ministry or fame or fortune.
1 comment:
I like this.
Roxie Christopherson
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