The Church on the Horizon (part 4 of 4)
- jimstrecker
- Aug 5
- 3 min read
Asking the right question is important. Socrates built his whole school philosophy on asking questions, but more importantly, asking the right questions. Socrates also believed that if you ask the wrong question, you would get wrong answers or worse, wrong solutions. When we look at the church on the horizon, it can be difficult to see past the trends of decline in church attendance and the growing divergence between cultural values and biblical values. Some have even begun asking questions about the survival of the church. But what if we took the question of survival off the table? What if we trust Jesus' words in Matthew 16:18, that not even the gates of hell will prevail against His church? Might we begin asking questions about what it will take for the church to thrive? Might we stop wincing in defense and cease living with a scarcity mindset? It is time to revive the church on the horizon by refocusing on Jesus' mission for His Church.
There are hundreds of thousands of church buildings scattered across the United States. Most of those churches have a mission statement written in a document, on a wall, or even tiled into a walkway. Many of us would assume that these statements represent the lived mission of the church. However, too often these well-crafted mission statements are inept at mobilizing congregations. Too often, mission statements are overly generalized, written in aging language, and offer limited metrics. However, mission statements are extremely important. Knowing why Jesus called His followers, current or past, to gather as a local church is critical. Still, answering the question "what is the mission of the church?" may have a greater impact on our lives when communicated through an articulated plan or strategy rather than a poster on the wall.
To discover the mission of your church, you need to ask three smaller but very strategic questions. The first question is why us? Why has God brought the people who make up your local congregation together at your church? What are your strengths? What are your opportunities? God has always worked through people, so how does God want to work through the people He's gathered together as your church? The second question is simply a question of location. Why is your church located where it is? What is unique about the opportunities at the intersection of your location and your community's needs? The third question is why mission statements don't work well on walls-they age out. We must ask, "Why now?" What is going on in your community? How is God calling your church to promote reconciliation, bring justice, and call people into a relationship with Jesus Christ in your location today? Why us, why here, why now? Answer those three questions, and you will know the mission of your church, for today.
If the leaders within the Western Church can learn to ask, Why us? Why here? Why now? There will be hope for the church on the horizon. Hope that the church on the horizon will thrive as Jesus' followers engage in mission, do the work of reconciliation, and help people find and follow Jesus.
Want to dig deeper into helping your church REVIVE? Check out my new book: REVIVE: Leading Change - Igniting Movement, available in paperback and digital.
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