Discovering The Truth

What do you do if you find that your church is not all she should be?  Perhaps you are doing well in a few areas, but you can admit that there is room for improvement in others.  Maybe your church has more areas of improvement than you care to admit!  You may be tempted to look for some easy solutions, but let me encourage you to take time to discover the truth.

I believe that the first thing you should do is investigate.  Do some digging and ask some people to join you in the process of discovering more about why your church is in the condition that she is in.  Through this process ask questions, search the Scriptures, talk with other churches, and look for resources that will help you determine why your church is the way she is. 

Once you determine the underlying reasons for your church's condition,  you are more likely to address the real issues that you face and confront the truth that you have discovered!

One resource I came across the other day is The Leisure Suit Trap.  In this e-book, Tony Morgan shares eight reasons why your church may be stuck.  You can get a free copy of this by going to his website, www.tonymorganlive.com.  Here is his list of eight:

1. You lack a leadership empowerment plan.
2. You are unclear about your vision and mission.
3. You blame outsiders and external factors.
4. Your structure inhibits growth.
5. You worship your past successes.
6. You focus on activities instead of outcomes.
7. You fail to equip God's people.
8. Your ministries ignore people outside the church.

His book may help jump start your thinking and help you dig a little deeper to discover the truth about your church!