Below is an article written a few months ago by Steven Furtick, pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. This will be the first in a two part series about excellence in the church.
At its core, ministry is about connecting people to God.
For me, that automatically brings the idea of a bridge to mind. Now of course Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross is the only bridge between God and humanity. But in ministry, we’re connecting people to Jesus, who ultimately connects them to God. So the bridge metaphor is apt.
If ministry serves as a bridge for people to connect with God, it’s necessary and vital that we are constantly evaluating the structural integrity of what we’re working with. Even the smallest gap can derail people by the way we do our ministry.
If you think that’s an overstatement or you don’t believe me, let me ask you this: If you were driving on a bridge, and there was a gap in the bridge, how big would the gap need to be before you wouldn’t want to drive on it?
The truth is it doesn’t take but one small gap in this whole enormous bridge called ‘ministry’ to prevent people from getting to where they’re supposed to go. One gap can cause the whole thing to come unbuckled.
For example, there may be somebody who has been coming to our church, and they love it. But then they try to get in a small group, and we don’t return their email. Who knows, that may be the end of the line for them when it comes to active participation in a church community. And all because of poor communication.
A small gap. A big difference.
That’s just one example. The same is true when it comes to how we’re treating first-time guests. The quality of our kid’s ministry. And even something as small as the frequency of audio and visual glitches.
Small gaps. Big difference.
What are the gaps in your ministry? What are the holes that people might fall through as you try to connect them with God?
Take a minute today and write all of them down. And then strategize and commit to fixing them. After all, the weaknesses in our churches aren’t just minor deficiencies that need to be acknowledged. They’re gaps that need to be filled.
At its core, ministry is about connecting people to God.
For me, that automatically brings the idea of a bridge to mind. Now of course Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross is the only bridge between God and humanity. But in ministry, we’re connecting people to Jesus, who ultimately connects them to God. So the bridge metaphor is apt.
If ministry serves as a bridge for people to connect with God, it’s necessary and vital that we are constantly evaluating the structural integrity of what we’re working with. Even the smallest gap can derail people by the way we do our ministry.
If you think that’s an overstatement or you don’t believe me, let me ask you this: If you were driving on a bridge, and there was a gap in the bridge, how big would the gap need to be before you wouldn’t want to drive on it?
The truth is it doesn’t take but one small gap in this whole enormous bridge called ‘ministry’ to prevent people from getting to where they’re supposed to go. One gap can cause the whole thing to come unbuckled.
For example, there may be somebody who has been coming to our church, and they love it. But then they try to get in a small group, and we don’t return their email. Who knows, that may be the end of the line for them when it comes to active participation in a church community. And all because of poor communication.
A small gap. A big difference.
That’s just one example. The same is true when it comes to how we’re treating first-time guests. The quality of our kid’s ministry. And even something as small as the frequency of audio and visual glitches.
Small gaps. Big difference.
What are the gaps in your ministry? What are the holes that people might fall through as you try to connect them with God?
Take a minute today and write all of them down. And then strategize and commit to fixing them. After all, the weaknesses in our churches aren’t just minor deficiencies that need to be acknowledged. They’re gaps that need to be filled.
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