Oct
20
2011

Ministry Systems: Where are You Going?

An article by Matt Comments

Over the last few weeks we have been talking about the importance of systems in the church. Through the years, I have found that the church has no shortage of vision. There are plenty of pastors casting inspiring visions… the issue is actually implementing that vision. Last week we spoke of how systems are the road map used by a church to achieve their vision. This week I want to talk a little bit about how I have helped churches develop this road map (Jeff Elkins does a great job of explaining the need for the road map here).

When walking through systems with churches, I will generally begin by asking a few simple questions… that can be pretty tough to answer. My goal is to more fully understand the vision of the church, why it is critical, and what defines success. With this knowledge, I can help the church develop the road map that they need to implement the church’s vision. Here is where we start:

Philosophy. Why are you doing this? Why is your vision something that you can’t not do? Hearing the heart behind a ministry is exciting to me. It helps me understand who a church’s leaders are, and get a sense of why a particular church exists. The why question also helps develop an initial understanding of a church’s philosophy of ministry. Asking “why?” is one of my favorite things to do (at times Theresa is convinced she married a four year old) because it helps get to the foundation of a church: the underlying assumptions that govern how it operates.
Outcomes. If I were to start attending your church this weekend, what will be different in my life three, five, and ten years from now? I ask this to get an understanding of what practices, skills, and habits a church is looking to build into the lives of its’ congregation. From this list we understand the end point of our road map as it describes a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ, or desired outcome, from which we can work backwards to develop the ministry structures and systems needed to make the outcomes a reality.
Priorities. What are the three most important desired outcomes from the list that we developed? This question helps to clarify the current priorities of the church, and gives it a series of waypoints from which to track its’ progress on the journey. Knowing a church’s “big three” allows the church to refine their programming, placing a priority on developing the ministries that will instill the big three into the lives of their members. Over time the big three will change as the church enters different seasons of ministry, but the discipline of knowing your church’s big three will help you to be constantly focusing time, resources, and energy into the ministries that are most important to your church during that particular season.

Understanding a church’s philosophy of ministry, desired outcomes, and ministry priorities is a huge step towards developing the systems needed to empower a church to engage in sustainable, Kingdom expanding ministry.

What are YOUR church’s philosophy of ministry, desired outcomes, and ministry priorities?

Next week I am going to walk through what this has looked like in the ministries that I have been involved in.