WHAT IS OUR PURPOSE?

 

How do you define success? The internet says it’s “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose;” “the attainment of fame, wealth, or social status,” or “a person or thing that achieves desired aims or attains fame, wealth, etc.”

If we look at these definitions and consider how they relate to the church, what do you think? The first seems a little more church than the others—at first glance. We do like to achieve a purpose, even as a church. We like to be able to start a ministry or help someone, or worship as a congregation.

I attended a webinar yesterday led by Michael Batts, and have started reading his book, Church Finance. Sounds terribly exciting doesn’t it? Well, the first thing the book talks about is determining the mission and purpose of your church. What is your specific church called to do? This is more than the mission statement that appears on the front of your bulletin (when we can have them again), or on your church’s website or in the monthly newsletter. Because none of us can do everything, we have to figure out:

·         What is it that God is calling your specific church to do and to be?

·         What are your assets—people, money, building, talents, etc.?

·         What are you good at?

Then the webinar and the book goes on to talk about building your budget (a/k/a ministry plan) around that mission and purpose. In other words, when you have figured out your mission and purpose (not an easy or quick task), then look at each program, etc. that you currently have and compare it to that mission and purpose. Does it support it? If so, keep it. If not, let it go. Then look at other needs in your community, in the church and in the world. What of those fit your mission and purpose? Once you have all of those programs narrowed down, figure out what you can do. That will depend on your dream, but also the money, the people, staff, volunteers, property, etc.

Then build your budget to support those programs that support your mission.

For me, as an accountant, this is exciting stuff! It may not seem exciting to you, but let’s leave the whole concept of budgeting out of the discussion and look at mission and purpose.

Do you know what the mission and purpose of your church actually is? This takes conversation and study. Look at the history of the church and the community. Look at the gifts and graces of the people in your congregation, both volunteer and paid. We won’t all have the same mission. Maybe your mission is helping the poor in the community, or it’s evangelism, or it’s foreign aid, or something else. Keep in mind that once you figure out the “big” idea, then you can figure out HOW you’ll accomplish it.

As a basic example, helping the poor in your community can involve free meals, backpacks with school supplies for children, tutoring children, child care or senior care, or using land to build affordable housing, or allowing space in your building to be used by new start-ups in the community that can’t afford normal commercial rent, but could afford a more nominal rent. HOW can you accomplish your purpose?

Those are just a few ideas that I came up with off the top of my head. Another book that I just finished is The Coming Revolution in Church Economics – Why Tithes and Offerings Are No Longer Enough, and What You Can Do About It, by Mark Deymaz with Harry Li. That book contained a lot of ideas about ways churches can leverage the assets they have to support their budget, certainly, but, more importantly, to accomplish their mission. I am working on a workshop to study his book, his ideas and look at how it can help each church.

We need to open our minds to whole new ways of “doing” church. But before we can do that, we need to look at what we have, figure out what God is calling us to do specifically, and then DO the ministry that will fulfill our God-given purpose. Amen? Amen!