Dear Friends,In an article in the Net Results magazine,
the author talked about congregations
being either "maintenance" or "mission"
congregations. When thinking of its vision
for ministry, the maintenance congregation says "We have to be faithful to our past." The mission congregation says "We have to be faithful to our future."
When thinking about growth, the maintenance congregation asks "How many Lutherans live within our church borders?" The mission congregation asks "How many unchurched people live within a ten minute drive of our church?"
The maintenance congregation looks at the community and asks "How can we get these people to support the Church?" The mission congregation asks "How can we support these people?" The maintenance congregation thinks about how to save the Church. The mission congregation thinks about how to save the world.
When thinking about change, the maintenance congregation asks "How will this affect me? The mission congregation asks "How will this increase our ability to reach others?"
The leadership style in the maintenance congregation is managerial, where leaders try to keep everything in order and running smoothly. The leadership style in a mission congregation is transformational, casting a vision of what can be, and marching off the map in order to bring the vision into reality. As we consider our future together, let us continue to pray that we may become more and more of a mission congregation.
See you in church. Pastor Dan
