From The Pastor’s Heart
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
FEBRUARY 2011
Assuredly I say unto you, he who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works he will do. John 14:12
Pulled Apart
Are we as a church doing enough or too much? Every-one has a pet project or a new idea, all good, but does it fit in the over all purpose of the church. I read the following article by Phil Cooke. See if it makes sense.
"One of the most common problems I encounter when consulting with major organi-zations is that they're actually doing great things-just too many things. In most cases, struggling organizations struggle because, over the years, they’ve been pulled in too many directions. Perhaps 10 years ago, they decided to start a new division, or a church launched a school, or they developed a handful of new outreaches. Sure, they sounded good at the time and probably have been pretty effective. But over the years, like barnacles on a ship, they started to slow you down to a crawl. Not to mention, deplete your bank account.
One of my favorite quotes is from the artist Michelangelo. When an admirer asked how he sculpted such wonderful statues, he replied that he didn’t carve statues, he "just removed the excess stone so the angel inside can be revealed." A lot of what we do is to remove the excess stone.
Things can add up until after years you are no longer recognized. You’re a mile wide and an inch deep. You do a lot of things but aren’t very good at any. Most find it difficult to cut back. Even Washington. The truth is– unless you can face the music and refocus, it will all eventually tumble like a house of cards. My advice? Step back and look at all you are doing. What are you doing?
Well and what not so well? What excites you and what doesn’t? What reflects your genuine calling, expertise, and brand, and what doesn’t? What will actually take you into the future? If it doesn’t-like Michelangelo, start re-moving the excess stone. In 2011, let’s focus LESS on what other people think is important and MORE on what your organization was really created to accomplish."
How about that! Narrowed down, what are we about. TEACHING BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES AND HOW TO APPLY THEM IN EVERYDAY LIFE. Could that be it? From the pulpit, class-rooms, every chair filled with a student or a seeker. GREATER THINGS simply means more of the same things HE did. No one was more focused than Jesus. After all, he had only three years and then he turned it over to us. Are we doing a good job?