“As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him.”
–Matthew 4:18 – 20
I have a friend who is deeply committed to Christ and who believes he is being called to serve his Lord in a creative, new, and large way. I encourage him to pursue this vision, but the whole thing seems stalled around specifics. Namely, there is a lack of concrete and measurable steps toward making this dream a reality, and until a defined starting point with clear objectives gets named, I fear my friend’s dream may never achieve reality. Most days, his example reminds me of the frustrations many of our congregations face, year in and year out. Simply put, without a concrete, measurable, strategic plan, how do we ever attain the goals that we hope to reach in our service to Jesus Christ, and how do we know when we’ve achieved them?
The world of commerce has understood for a very long time that objectives seldom get realized without a clear, simple plan. Many faithful, Christ – centred congregations are well – meaning in their devotion, yet short on achievables. Truth is, when we are uncertain of what our objectives for Christ’s kingdom truly are, it’s inevitable that any old road will get us to that uncertainty.
Conversely, a congregation can begin to find new hope and energy for faithful ministry when a specific plan with measurable objectives is developed. Such a plan is not built upon wishful thinking, but a common sense Spirit – driven process which takes into account the gifts that God has intentionally given us. Every congregation is different, primarily because each one has different gifts. When we direct those unique gifts toward focused ministries of hope, reconciliation and healing for human lives, remarkable possibilities can begin to emerge. And the reason for such success is because God continues to bless those who use their gifts wisely for enduring purposes.
Sometimes we stumble and fall as congregations when we dream too small. Sometimes, we dream too big and take on too much. When Jesus issued his call to those first disciples, he made the daunting seem achievable. “Follow me,” he said to those two brothers, and since he intended a ministry of “catching believers,” he figured two fishermen would have the talents to grasp
the concept! Built upon their gifts, he began a movement that continues to grow. But if he had told them that day that they would be the foundation of a whole new order to be called “the church,” do you think their hearts would have been so eager? Instead, he invited them to explore first steps based upon their God – given abilities.
My prayer for our church in Canada is for a renewed sense of achievable purposes in every local congregation. Start small, but build it upon the gifts that are uniquely yours to offer those around you who long to be loved and cared for. And trust God’s Spirit!
