The Right Questions

It was like drinking from a firehouse! That’s what I felt like when I darkened the door of graduate school in Southern California. My head was spinning with new insights and knowledge. I had never read so much nor learned so much at such a fast rate. The abundance of knowledge did something to me. Returning back to school awakened me to just how myopic my paradigm and world had become. It was a great reminder to me as a Pastor that knowledge is out there ... and plenty of it! It dripped from every book, leaked from every discussion, and rained from every lecture. I had professors who were so smart I thought the classroom would tilt.

It was clear that there was no shortage of information, data, facts, or smart people. I simply realized that somewhere along the line I had stopped asking questions … and the right questions.

It happens to everyone who settles for the status quo in life, and yes, even the status quo in church. “That’s not only a personal challenge but also a corporate challenge for the local church”, according to Tony Morgan, Executive Pastor at West Ridge Church, right here in Georgia. “Sometimes it’s not about the size of our faith as much as it is the barriers that need to removed in our ministries in order for us to be effective in our mission.”

He has shared his top ten questions he feels churches need to address and consistently revisit in order to maximize their ministry in today’s culture. Here are the questions:

1. Is your church creating a buzz in your community? If people aren’t talking about what’s happening at your church, they’re not inviting their friends. What are you doing to create dialogue and make people think “I need to check that out and see for myself”?

2. Do volunteers own the ministry of the church? A church cannot hire enough staff to accomplish all of the needs to be accomplished in a growing church. There must be a culture created where the volunteers are empowered, believed in, and inspired to be a part of the greatest enterprise on earth.

3. Do you exceed the expectations of your first-time guests? Whether we like it or not, our guests are consumers before they’re convinced they should become learners, worshipers, or servants. That means they’re walking into your doors for the first time with high expectations that reflect the quality of their community and culture.

4. Are you attracting the very best talent? This isn’t just about staff, but about the kind of volunteer team being developed. Quality attracts quality. Ministry success begins with gifted people who are committed to the vision. Are you getting and keeping the best?

5. Are people having fun? You have to give people hope, encouragement, and lots of chances to laugh. This is centric to understanding how people relate and the type of environment they are attracted to. We live in a fast-paced, stressful culture. If people can’t find health and balance in your church, they’ll find it someplace else.

6. Does your church and volunteers know, embrace and champion the church's vision and values? People need vision. They need targets. They need tracks on which to run. Resources will follow vision. If you aim at nothing you’ll always hit it.

7. Do people accept change as normal? Believe it or not, even churches can develop a culture where change is both expected and embraced. And change is certainly critical in a culture that is continually morphing. Has the church settled for the status quo of what they are used to and personally prefer at the expense of something more effective?

8. Are you addressing the real issues of real lives? People are looking for more than a three-point message that exegetes the Biblical text. They’re trying to parent their kids, save their marriages, deal with losses and illnesses and addictions. They’re trying to find purpose and fulfillment in their lives. Is your message relevant to their lives?

9. Are you as committed to developing effective systems as you are to innovation? As churches grow, they need to move from a purely entrepreneurial approach to one that also values the development of effective systems, strategies, and structures for programming, policy, staffing, technology, and finances.

10. Is your church building a church, or a church of leaders? No one person can do it alone. It takes a team of empowered leaders to take ministry to the next level. Is the church structuring itself to multiply and release the leadership potential in the church? And, are you creating an environment where high-capacity leaders are welcomed?

As Lead Pastor of BridgePointe, I am committed to challenging what we do and why we do it. We have to boldly be willing to ask the questions in which we fear the answer. There is no shortage of knowledge, answers, or solutions to our challenges. We just need to be willing to ask the right questions.