What a probing and relevant question for our fast paced lives in the 21st century!  What a threat and challenge to our definition of ‘faithfulness’, ‘membership’, ‘leadership’ and ‘church’!  John Rogers, pastor of Asheboro FBC posed this question recently to his leadership team and church staff.  I commend his insight, foresight and courage. It’s causing me to consider it as well.  I invite you to consider, pray about and dialogue about this question.  May I invite you to consider….
•    How many church programs are in place in your church and have experienced little or no change in 5 years? 10 years?
•    What evidence is there in these programs that what they are about and actually doing is moving your church forward in accomplishing the Great Commission and the Great Commandment?
•    What percentage of your active membership is in the active leadership circle of these programs?
•    How often do families in your membership have opportunities to come to church together and be engaged in programming and worship together?
•    How often do families come to your church and go ‘their different ways’?
•    What ministries or programs are not happening because your leadership, budget and resources are tied up in existing programs that are not moving the church forward in her mission?
•    What ministry ideas continue to surface in word or prayer that has not received intentional planning by church leaders? What’s up with that?
•    …..

Determining How Much Church is Enough?

    How many times do you hear or say “I just can’t do anymore?” or “When are we going to stop some things that are ineffective in order to focus on what would be more effective?”  I hear many church and denominational leaders asking these and many other questions when it comes to leadership and programming in the church. 
    The New Testament church certainly did not have all of our programming, our facilities and management responsibilities, but they did have the same Great Commission as the business of the church.  How do we determine how much church is enough in this day and age?  May I encourage you to consider and dialogue about these thoughts and if you want to know more about “measuring what matters’ in this day and age you might check out my Spiritual Leadership in a Secular Age book where I discuss this issue in detail.
•    When key leaders have more than two church responsibilities you may be overloading your leaders and distracting them from hearing God’s leadership
•    When there’s no ‘white space’ in your church leader’s calendar you might need to downsize programs/teams or committees or broaden your leadership base.
•    When you cannot identify or enlist deacons/elders in your spiritual leadership pool because of too much expectation or unclear expectations or not enough expectation there’s likely work to be done in focusing ministry
•    When everyone is driven by their personal passions and preferences, or their personal ‘pet projects’ more than by what God is saying to the church now there may be a need to clarify vision and establish focus and priorities for leadership, budget and programming
•    ……

Having more church than is needed is often probable …..
•    When pastor /staff have no time to pray, prepare or preach powerfully because he/she is overwhelmed by expectations of pastoral care or being involved in a wide array of programming
•    When members have no time to cultivate serious relationships with non-believers, inactives or friends and colleagues in their community who might be open to Christ
•    When community people who are not involved in church are not impacted by the church or know little if anything about the church. The church needs to move beyond the walls into the community again and be given time and encouragement to minister there
•    When the family has no time together at home to care for each other, dialogue with each other and pray with and for each other because they are involved in too much church
•    When church business meetings focus more on budgets, buildings and pastoral care needs more than vision and engaging the community for Christ
•    When church councils or leadership team’s agendas are filled with ‘programming for us’ rather than ‘intentional dialogue and plans for reaching those outside the faith and church membership
•    When prayer times are only filled with prayer requests for church members needs and the lost or hurting in the community are consistently ignored

What are three to five issues you have read here that you will pray more about, engage in dialogue with others about in the next week?  What would God have you do now?
Go to http://deaconministry.ncbaptist.org for 2008 deacon training opportunities

©Eddie Hammett www.ncbaptist.org or www.transformingsolutions.org