Leadership

Churches have a tendency to cling to what worked in the past assuming that it will bring success in the future. That rarely happens. In order to sustain growth and health, churches need to change. Because churches are unwilling to give up on what worked for them in the past, here’s what I see:

1. Most churches get pulled in many different directions and lack a unified purpose, even though the Bible reminds us “There should be no division in the body.”
2. Most churches hold on to their structure, even though Scripture tells us “New wine calls for new wineskins.”
3. Most churches don’t define and implement strategies to accomplish God’s vision, even though the Proverbs tells us “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity.”
4. Most churches don’t embrace new leadership, even though God’s Word instructs us to find capable people and “Appoint them as leaders over groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten.”
5. Most churches fail to establish systems, even though we know “God is not a God of disorder.”
6. Most churches don’t prepare financially for the future, even though Jesus told us to “First sit down and estimate the cost.”
7. Most churches don’t welcome counsel from people with experience, even though we’re reminded that “Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.”

I could go on and on, but I think you get my point. We can’t become the church God’s intends for us to be if we’re unwilling to become the church God’s intends for us to be. To allow Jesus to lead, I have to...