The title is intended to cause reflection and give you definitive direction. Is your mission, vision and strategy clear? Are you firm in what your church will do and what you will not do? This process begins with your theology (orthodoxy), which serves as the firm foundation upon which you must stand, and then moves to your practices and methods (orthopraxy). The kingdom-expanding leader lives their life with an unshakable conviction that God’s improbable ways are the only paths to accomplish God’s eternal purposes. You must be unshakable in your faith.
Together, these two items describe the Christian living out the full intention and expression of both Eph. 2:8-10 and James 2:14-19. It is a life of both orthodoxy and orthopraxy. Orthodoxy in isolation always degenerates into a lifeless debate among sterile and unproductive leaders who dominate the catechetical territory of theory without practical application. Orthodoxy is the right doctrine, and orthopraxy flows out of that truth, determining the correct practices and activities. It is not enough to know what you should do — you must do it. (James 4:17)
Truth is not a lifeless concept that is somehow contained in the pages of a systematic textbook of generally accepted orthodox opinion, but is in fact a Person. (John 14:6) This Truth, Jesus Christ, is the King of the kingdom, the Head of the church and is marshaling faith-followers to accomplish His eternal redemptive purposes. Implicit in orthopraxy is an obedient faith in the King of the kingdom. There is no “right activity” removed from the obedience of faith. Are you strong, not only in what you believe, but also in how you obey that truth?
Genuine orthopraxy is living out your orthodoxy by faith. Orthodoxy without orthopraxy becomes lifeless legalism, but orthopraxy without orthodoxy is presumptuous pursuits, personal preferences personified and problematic practices — even unbiblical. Neither orthodoxy nor orthopraxy is equipped with the life-giving power of God. There are no shortcuts here; you must be Spirit-filled to determine which ministries and activities your church should engage in, and He provides you with the strength to carry out His projects.
“Leaner and stronger” means that you know what God has called you to accomplish, and you are resolute in being obedient to His direction. Are you making disciples who make disciples, or is there a lot of frenetic and busy activity that merely keeps people occupied? Activity does not equal transformation. More ministries do not necessarily equal more people, and ministry excellence does not guarantee an excellent ministry. The issue here is that many churches rely predominantly on attendance metrics focused on the number of bodies in seats.
How do you measure success? How do you determine if spiritual growth is actually occurring? What scorecard are you using to determine whether your church is “winning” or not? Here is the challenge: just because someone attends a church program, that does not in and of itself mean that they are becoming like Christ. When you make attendance the primary metric, you turn the programs and services into the end goal, and people can check the box off their list. It is far too easy to settle for believing that maturity is just being present.
Do you have a clear path and picture of the traits and goals for every disciple in your ministry? If not, the temptation is to replace disciple-making with program management. In Church Leaders magazine, Brian Orme recently stated, “Programs are great servants but lousy masters. We live in a culture that provides unlimited choices, and some churches have matched suit with this same mentality — providing an excessive amount of programs in an effort to serve more people. The goal is good, but more programs don’t typically equal church growth.”
Dan Reiland wrote, “Most churches are busy to the point of significant fatigue. Yet, all that activity does not necessarily translate to vibrant and healthy growing churches.” The natural instinct is to offer more programs, and over time, your ministry might become more complicated; however, it will also become less effective. Dan offers this, “A leaner ministry model helps to create the margin that allows you to get better at the ministries you do offer. Focused effort on fewer ministries increases the impact of each ministry, and that results in more life change.”
This takes us back to the reality that the involvement of the Holy Spirit is essential in discerning the ministries God desires your church to offer and be involved in. This approach is not about doing less, but rather about getting better at what God has called you to do. Work on your ministries as you are willing to experiment, evaluate, improve and even eliminate some of the ministries you have. Make sure you are receiving input for your leaders, members and other ministry leaders you can learn from.
Where do you start? First, do not start any new ministries until you conduct a thorough evaluation of the ministries you currently have and their effectiveness in making disciple makers. Then you need to cast the vision for what you will do and what you will not do. In this area, you must seek consensus by creating a climate that fosters the necessary change. The third item is crucial — slow down. Sam Rainer in The Church Revitalization Checklist stated this truth so well: “It’s one thing to know what to do. It’s another thing to know how fast you can do it.”
This is particularly challenging for visionary leaders who often feel the weight of urgency, but there is also a place for patience and empathy. Never forget that change requires someone to turn loose of something they love. Leaders and workers will feel the pain of the loss of the ministry they have invested so much sweat and blood in. Be understanding and empathetic, and explain the why of what you are doing clearly and as comprehensively as possible. Programs are not bad, but they should always have a clear biblical purpose.
Think leaner and simpler, which should lead to stronger.
