by Zac Veron
In my past three columns I have argued that the Diocesan Mission is in jeopardy if we do not ask for a high commitment to our local churches.
Just like a first grade team has no hope of winning the premiership if each player does as he chooses, in the same way, our church will not come close to fulfilling the dream God has given us unless we are really serious about:
"¢ Heaven/hell;
"¢ Jesus' imminent return;
"¢ The gospel, which the church declares, being the hope of the world; and
"¢ God's grace through Jesus alone.
The Diocese now has a "God-sized' goal. We will fail to see this eventuate unless church-goers stop considering themselves the centre of their lives and see Jesus and his church as the central focus.
You may be thinking, "That's all well and good but if we raise the bar so high some people will leave the church!" You are spot on! Some will leave. People often walked away from Jesus when they heard what was required of his followers. Why should your church be any different?
Jesus said in Luke 9, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God " No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." How high do you think Jesus set his bar?
The more narrowly you define what is expected of members, the more exclusive you become. However, others will hear about the high standard in your church and flock to be a part of it. People these days are looking for strong and vibrant communities to join, they are not looking for a directionless social group existing merely to preserve beautiful old buildings.
How much more beautiful is a united church of 25 members firing on all rockets, as opposed to a church of 120 attendees that is lukewarm. Guess which will be the larger church in 5 years?
I would encourage you to:
1. Teach and follow the expectations Jesus had for all believers.
2. Raise the expectations bar at your church. You may not be able to easily change who can take part in an annual vestry meeting but you can change the culture of expectations among your church members for the other 364 days of the church year.
3. Call for structural reform so that only "committed' members may be involved in decision making at the local church.
4. Support your minister to be trained in transformational church leadership following his theological education.
5. Set "God-sized' goals for your life and for your church.
6. Ministers, meet over the next year with your lay leaders (and a trained facilitator), in order to develop a common mission, vision, values and strategies for your church, and then implement your own strategic plan.
That's my view from the trenches!
