Enduring and zealous churches are on a spiritual and strategic journey. They willingly take a fresh look at their journeys during a sabbatical every seven years. Then every 50 years, they observe a year of jubilee.
A spiritless church is a remnant group of members who are so spiritually myopic that they cannot see the new thing God might do in or through them. There are many of them, but here are some solutions.
Let’s ban all “re-” words when talking about the journey of churches. “Re-” words are about going back, doing something again and preserving the way things were in the past.
I remember watching “The Lone Ranger” television program as a child. It began filming in 1949, and reruns are still on some television stations or streaming services.
An associational missions strategist is having lunch with one of his most faithful pastors and closest friends in ministry. During their meal the strategist says, “Next year is the year your church needs to die.”
Several years ago, I stumbled while walking down the steps from my office on the second floor of my house. I was looking down and reading a paper I was holding. My feet got tangled, and I fell down the last seven steps.
Professors get sabbaticals. Some pastors are granted sabbaticals or study leaves. Why not also allow them for churches?
Is it better for a church to be strong or soaring? Both are churches of great value to God. They approach the fulfillment of their mission and vision in unique ways…
At a gathering of pastors, the discussion turned to the leadership pipeline crisis. Specifically mentioned was the crisis of finding church staff but also the lack of church planters for new congregations or multisite campuses.
“Being a soaring church is an elusive identity. Far fewer churches are truly soaring with faith than the number that claim to be. It takes sustaining missional engagement to be a soaring church.”
