Less "Ought to Do" and More "Gonna Do"

There are many ways to measure health in a church. One measure of improving health in a congregation might be when people hear fewer "ought to do..." statements and more "gonna do..." statements.

Few churches have any shortage of "ought to do" conversations. The choir ought to do this, the pastor ought to do that, the finance committee ought to do the other thing. Pastors and staffs say that congregation members ought to do various things, but the people aren't given the training and equipping to do them, and, in some cases, aren't given the freedom to pursue the ministries to which they are called. Church members tell pastors and staffs what they ought to do, expecting paid leaders to do all the ministry for everyone. Sometimes church people make "ought to do" statements to ministry staffs because church folks don't know how to get involved in disciple-making ministry, and giving direction to the staff is the only way they know to signal the desire to activate. As long as pastors, ministry staffs, and church folks throw "ought to do" statements at each other, the atmosphere in churches remains adversarial and protective of turf. Worse, energy that should go outward toward making new disciples becomes drained on internal confusion.

Churches that are growing in health keep their eye on the prize - the mission of making followers of Jesus out of those who are living far from God. Paid leaders in churches partner with volunteers in exploring and enacting strategies to reach that prize. It's less a matter of pointing out what others in the venture "ought to do," and more a matter of each one of us realizing that for which the Holy Spirit has equipped each of us. Our energy then goes to what we each are "gonna do." We then help each other, encourage each other, guide each other, and celebrate each other, as we act on our own "gonna dos."

By the grace of God and the work of the Holy Spirit, I see evidence of this in the congregation of which I am a part. Even in these post-Easter days, our church is involved in a gesture of God's grace toward our community that is involving dozens of our folks. From the originators of this ministry to the ones working out the smallest details of it, people didn't just say, "That's a good idea. Somebody ought to do that." Instead, many, many people said, "I'm gonna do that."

I'll see you around the next bend in the river.