part two

Before you can reverse declining trends in your church (or other organization) you must first realize the need for reversal and understand the reality of your situation – the brutal reality of where your organization is indeed. We live life in a bias and we see our current reality through rose colored glasses or in a bias. It is difficult for us to desire to see the true unpleasantness of any situation. We tend to focus on the pleasantries of our situation. Thus we remain in a comfort zone. Our natural inclination is to avoid circumstances that may stretch us beyond where we are comfortable.

Jim Collins in Good to Great states that it is impossible to make a series of good decisions without first confronting the brutal facts of your situation. In other words, before you can truly begin making decisions that will assist in reversing declining trends in your church, you must first have a Vigorous Face to Face Summit with the reality of your situation. This is one of the main focus points of the Reaching the Summit resources.

Some of the things you will look at in your vigorous face to face summit with reality include historical data, behavioral patterns, church trends, church character traits, core values, inclusion, and community assessment. Just as every person has behavior patterns so every church has behavior patterns. The same is true with character traits and core values. Everything we do is an outward manifestation of an inner belief (core value). If we do not hold something as a core value we will not act on it. It cannot become a behavior pattern for me to share my conversion story with others if it is not a core conviction.

A vigorous face to face summit with reality will reveal deep and noble as well as ignoble things about your ministry and your church. Once you have examined your ministry in this fashion every decision you make should be predicated on the findings of your summit. From this point forward prior to making any decision you must qualify it by weighing each option against the findings of the vigorous face to face summit. Perhaps a finding in your summit is that your church has never attempted ministry to people who live to the right side of your driveway. Each decision now needs to carry the question, “Does this decision allow us to fulfill the Great Commission to those communities God placed to the right of our property?” If so, Go Right Young Man! If not, rethink. You cannot make a series of good decisions without first conducting a vigorous face to face summit with reality.

This is how you set the course for reversing decline in your church. For more information on conducting a vigorous face to face summit or reversing decline in the church, purchase a copy of Reaching the Summit or contact SonC.A.R.E. ministries.