The purpose of your church

This year I have been invited to some of my Area churches that are celebrating their 175th anniversaries.  A couple of my churches have celebrated their 200th anniversaries in the past couple of years.  While it is exciting to think about all that God has done in the lives of these churches I sometimes wonder what the current members see as their reason for existence.

Regardless of the age of your church, at some point a group of people came together because they believed they could accomplish more together than apart.  They wanted to meet with like-minded people to worship God and to serve Him and their communities.  As pioneers pushed west they established churches in every community for similar purposes.  I get excited as I read about the trials that many of these churches had to overcome in order to fulfill the vision they believed God had for their churches.  I laugh at some of the silliness I read about in the histories of local churches, but I am also amazed at how they were able to survive some of their challenges, and I often wonder about the impact these churches have made in countless lives of individuals and families throughout their existence.

But, that is all history.  The important question for the church today is what is our current purpose?  What is the calling of God on our church in this day and time?  I am convinced that many churches could not answer that question.  They might be able to give a stock answer such as "to advance the Kingdom of God" or "to reach the unchurched" or "to do good deeds and promote social justice," but I am not certain that some churches could clearly explain exactly what the purpose of their church is today.

Rick Warren rocked the church world several years ago with The Purpose Driven Church.  He challenged congregations to identify God's purposes for their churches and then to pursue that purpose in all they do.  There are few books I would say every church leader must read, but this would be one of those books.  I only wish he had written that book when I began my pastoral ministry instead of near the end of it.  I would have been much more focused in my ministry than I was.

Part of my concern is that too many in the church today see the purpose of their churches as taking care of their needs.  Too many are willing to attend a church as long as it ministers to their needs, and if that stops happening they will leave and find one that will cater to them.  I believe the early churches were more focused on meeting the corporate needs of the community rather than the individual needs of each person.  The attitude then was "What can I do to help?"  Today the attitude is "What's in it for me?"

To become healthier churches better able to minister we have to begin with a clear understanding of God's purpose for our church.  What is one thing that you bring to the community that no other church can bring?  What special way does God want to use your church to impact the lives of others?  These are important questions each church needs to answer.  The fall is a great time to begin planning for the new year, but your planning should begin by asking, and answering, these questions.