At a wonderful gathering many years ago, I learned from Christian spiritual and strategic experts about how congregations can effectively fulfill the Great Commission.
The gathering highlighted the value of congregations forming heartfelt connections with their communities and embracing the diverse people groups among whom God called them to make a spiritual impact.
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It encouraged them to bond with their surroundings and gain a deep understanding of the people’s lives and spiritual needs.
One of the leaders declared, “The purpose of the Church is to make the community context and people groups served more loving and Christlike.” One attendee verbally challenged this, saying, “What? I believe the Church is about reaching people for Christ and growing congregations!”
The response was, “Keep listening and learn more about this approach.”
The gathering emphasized how congregations can truly thrive. It highlighted that if congregations lose touch with their community or the groups God has called them to serve, they risk stagnation, decline and eventual death.
How does this relate to congregations who soar with faith?
Soaring congregations place more emphasis on the growth of God’s Kingdom as external to their congregation.
They continually ask this question: Is the community context, including the people groups we serve, becoming more loving and Christlike?
Strong congregations emphasize the growth of the local congregation as the key sign of success. They ask: Do we annually engage more people in the Christ-centered ministry of our congregation, and is our attendance growing?
Clearly, these questions hold significant importance. Soaring and strong congregations often assess their ministry through questions. But have you ever wondered what questions they ask most frequently? What questions bring them joy when the answer is yes? What saddens them when the answer is no?
Think about the questions your congregation uses to gauge the success and importance of your ministry. Which questions do your leaders encourage the congregation to ask more often? When the congregation finds wonderful answers to their questions, do they feel the joy of seeing God’s empowering vision come alive in their fellowship?
What are some exploratory questions?
Consider the difference between soaring and strong congregations with these questions. They might show the need to pivot toward soaring.
Strong Congregations: When a congregation is growing numerically, does it also wonder if this growth is positively influencing the Christlike spiritual culture within its community and among the different people groups it reaches?
Or are the congregation’s members living in spiritual isolation, primarily showing interest in numerical growth through a strong focus on evangelism and outreach?
Is the personal faith of congregational members deepening? Still, have they failed to figure out how to impact the context or people groups with the same love and compassion they are experiencing?
Do they spend the most time supporting, pondering, praying and engaging with what they hope will always be a vibrant, growing congregation?
EDITOR’S NOTE — George Bullard spent five decades in Baptist congregational and denominational ministry. His ministry roles included three churches, three associations, three state conventions and one national entity. He began as a columnist for TAB Media Group’s publication The Baptist Paper in 2022. Bullard now serves as a strategic thinking mentor for Christian leaders through his ForthTelling Innovation ministry. TAB Media Group published his new book “Soaring with Faith: The Difference Maker for Congregations” — available on Amazon.
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