Greg Finke's Blog

In just a couple of days, we will again be singing, “All is calm, all is bright,” to celebrate Christmas. And although those lyrics are beautiful and meaningful, let’s not forget that Christmas is first and foremost D-day for the rescue mission of God.

In other words, Christmas is an invasion.

As the Scriptures describe it, Christmas marks the day God got Himself born into our created world, and Bethlehem was His beachhead. By getting Himself born as a baby, He was able to launch the long-promised rescue mission that would get the Father’s world back (see John 1:14, Matthew 1:20-23, Luke 2:10-14, John 3:16, Colossians 1:19-20, Galatians 4:4-7, 1 John 3:8, Revelation 21:5).

When we sing “Silent Night,” we rightly think of Jesus being born and placed in a manger. But to the forces of hell, His birth was a strategic strike marking the beginning of their end. They knew it was coming. It had been foretold from of old. They just couldn’t stop it (see Isaiah 9:1-7, Revelation 12:1-9).

You see, Christmas was the invasion that led to the cross and empty tomb. And with Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, the renewal of all things was established as an irrevocable conclusion.

Revelation 21:5, “Behold I have made everything new!”

But, understand this: while the rescue mission of God has begun and the renewal of all things is inevitable, right now the yeast of that renewal is still spreading throughout the loaf. The Good News of God is still making its way deeper into the neighborhoods of the world. It is spreading. It will not be reversed. But there are still people who are waiting for what Jesus offers.

And that’s why you and I are invited to join Jesus in 2026. We get to be a part of His invasion of renewal.

Have you noticed the unrest in the world, in your community, or in your own family? Those are all signals that the rescue mission of God is still pressing forward and that the forces of hell are still pressing back (see John 16:33). And, wherever we notice those forces pressing back, that’s where we are invited to step in with the counter-forces of Jesus’ love, joy, peace, and Good News.

We are not only beneficiaries of this rescue mission of God; we are agents of it. Wherever peace will prevail, wherever love and joy will reemerge, wherever forgiveness begins to overcome vengeance, and wherever renewal starts to set in, know this: it’s because people like you are somewhere in the middle joining Jesus.

It all began at Christmas.

But the work is ongoing.

Enjoy your new year of adventuring with Jesus!

I was recently leading a missional training workshop, when a man raised his hand and asked, “What does the word ‘missional’ actually mean?” It was a good question. “Missional” is one of those words we can toss around so much, we lose track of its meaning.

I remember first becoming aware of the word sometime in the early 2000’s, probably at an outreach conference. The word quickly became ubiquitous. Christian leaders started slapping it on anything and everything they were advocating or promoting. The result? It soon became a meaningless prefix. “Missional-this and missional-that.”

So, what does the word “missional” actually mean? It’s not a meaningless prefix but a defining adjective.

As you can see, “missional” comes from “mission.” “Mission” is a noun meaning “to be sent with an assignment.” For instance, Jesus was sent by His Father on a mission. That is, He was sent with an assignment, which was to redeem and restore all things to His Father’s Kingdom (see Colossians 1:19-20).

And what is our mission as His followers?

Our mission is to participate with Jesus in accomplishing His mission. He does all the very difficult work of redeeming and restoring people, and we do the work that is so simple even a little child can do it: Look for people who need His love. That is our mission. In other words, as we have been loved, we now go with the assignment of looking for people who need His love, too (see 1 John 4:19 and John 4:35).

Now, when we add the suffix "-al" to “mission,” the noun becomes an adjective, just like “pastor” becomes "pastoral" or “confession” becomes “confessional.”

As you may know, an adjective defines whatever noun comes after it. So, when we say a person or thing is “missional,” we are saying the person or thing is defined by (characterized by, driven by, aimed at accomplishing) the mission of God.  In other words, the person or thing is mission-focused. For example:

A “missional Christian” is a Christian who is defined by the mission of God and pursues that assignment as a daily lifestyle.

A “missional Church” is a Church who is defined by the mission of God and makes its decisions based on accomplishing that assignment.

“Missional discipleship” is a process of discipleship [training and mentoring] that is defined by the mission of God and prepares people to participate in accomplishing that assignment as a daily lifestyle.

That’s what “missional” means. We serve a missional God. We follow a missional Savior and He invites us to join Him. May more and more of what we do as His Church be defined by the mission of our God.

As you look ahead to 2026, how can I help you redefine what your congregation is focused on? How can I help you become more intentionally missional?

I was reading Acts 17 the other day where Paul is in Athens, and, when I read verse 21, I came up short and had to laugh, “All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.”

LOL!

Unfortunately, that description of the Athenians reminded me of what happens when “missional” Lutheran leaders get together these days. There is endless talk about the latest ideas concerning mission, discipleship, and reaching a local community with the good news of God.

But despite all this exposure to the latest ideas, the leaders go home and go back to normal. The unspoken outcome of attending such gatherings seems to be thinking about new ideas, not implementing new practices.

The result? Nothing new happens because nothing new is being done.

I say this not to make us feel bad, but to help us wake up.

Do you really want to settle for being an Athenian year after year? Because there is an alternative. And it’s a lot more exciting.

In Acts 11, you will come upon that alternative: It’s what happened in Antioch.

Acts 11:20-21, “Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.”

Do you see the difference? In Athens, all they did was discuss new ideas. In Antioch, they actually did something new. They went. They talked with people different than themselves. They told them about the very good news God had for them. And, as a result, God worked through their simple actions, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

That could be happening in your community.

Athenians discuss. Antiochians do.

Your local community does not need more Athenians. It needs some Antiochians.

Be the Antiochians. Go. Talk with people who are different than yourself (they are your neighbors, coworkers, or fellow-retirees). Look for an opportunity to serve them by offering them some very good news from God.

Don’t think about it. Go have fun doing it. And you will find out in real-time what God does when you do.

If you want to talk with me about how to set up a simple, biblical discipleship process in your congregation to prepare your people for daily action, click the contact button below. Let’s do something.

In John 4:35, Jesus says, “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields. They are ripe for harvest.” The disciples must have been utterly appalled to hear Jesus say this. Why? Because they were standing in God-forsaken Samaria. To the disciples, God couldn’t possibly be up to anything redemptive in the life of a God-forsaken Samaritan.

But they were wrong.

Even in Samaria, God was at work preparing Samaritans for His love, His forgiveness, and the good news of His Son. Even in Samaria. All the disciples had to do was believe it and then open their eyes to see it.

And Jesus invites us to do the same.

Like the disciples, we too assume God couldn’t possibly be up to anything redemptive in the lives of those we consider God-forsaken Samaritans. We too are in danger of missing out on what He is already up to in the lives of people we have presumed were beyond His love. We too have convinced ourselves that it is acceptable and even holy to demonize them, hate them, call them names, and arrogantly dismiss them.

But we would be wrong.

Even in the lives of those we consider God-forsaken Samaritans, God is working to prepare them for His love, His forgiveness, and the good news of His Son. Don’t be like the disciples in John 4. The woman Jesus had been talking to wasn’t a God-forsaken Samaritan, she was someone God so loved.

And, if you are a disciple of Jesus, He invites you to do the same.

It’s an Unsettling Question

The title of this article is a blend of questions I have been seeing online regarding humankinds’ response to the fast-emerging promise and peril of A.I. (that is, Artificial Intelligence).

It’s not hard to find those advocating the promise of AI or warning against its peril. (Thankfully, AI makes such articles easy to find!)

Regarding AI’s peril to humanity: In 2023, more than 1000 tech leaders signed a letter warning that AI poses profound risks to society and humanity. A more recent letter signed by hundreds of AI researchers claimed that the risks of extinction from AI should be treated with the same urgency as pandemics and nuclear war.

Yikes…

Regarding AI’s promise, it sounds much better but still eventually begs the question in our title: When AI can do it all, what will we humans do? What will our purpose be? What will it even mean to be human anymore?

AI is Not Just Coming… It’s Already Here

Not long ago, such existential questions seemed to be asked only in dystopian movies and science fiction novels set in the far future. But not anymore. AI is not just coming; it’s already here.

Now, you might be asking, “Why is a guy whose focus is usually on Christian mission and discipleship turning to a topic like AI?” (Or, as my wife bluntly put it, “What do you know about AI?”)  

There are two reasons we need to focus on it:

Because the unsettling questions AI poses about the meaning of being human and our purpose on this planet go to the heart of the Christian message. The questions need to be answered biblically, simply, and relevantly so that we can help people with God’s good news.

AI requires Christians to further clarify what our purpose (mission) on this planet is and prioritize discipling people to participate in accomplishing that purpose (mission). A lot is at stake here. Clarity of mission and priority of discipleship in the age of AI is more important than ever for Christians.

What’s the Answer?

So, what is a biblical, relevant answer to our question: What will we do when AI can do it all?

The good news is that we already have the answer because Jesus has already given us the answer in the gospels. What? Yep. The purpose of Jesus’ teachings and His work on the cross is to redeem and restore humanity’s true identity and purpose which God created and established in the first place. Jesus answers the questions of what is the meaning of being human and what is our purpose on this planet?

That means, no matter what happens with AI, no matter how it transforms or disrupts, no matter how good or bad it is, no matter whether it liberates us or enslaves us, Jesus-followers can know who we are and what we are placed on this planet to do. In fact, according to God, we are simply irreplaceable. AI notwithstanding.

Your Irreplaceable Purpose

Here’s your irreplaceable purpose, “You shall love,” Matthew 22:37. There you go. Simple but powerful. Your purpose on this planet is to love God and love your neighbor.

And where do we get this love? “We love because He first loved us,” 1 John 4:19. “As I have loved you, love one another,” John 13:34. Abundant, unlimited love, comes from God (1 John 3:1 and 4:7). From God, to us, through us to the people around us who need His love so badly.

And exactly what kind of love is this love? It is self-sacrificing love. Agape love. Christ-like love. Redemptive and restorative love. In other words, grace. (See Ephesians 5:2.)

AI may be able to conceptualize what Christians are here to do, explain it, mimic it, and even create art that represents it, but it can’t actually DO it. Only humans in relationship with God through Christ can embody God’s love to people who need to experience it.

Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, this is who we humans are and this is what we humans do.

Martin Luther once put it this way: “A Christian passively receives God’s grace in Christ by the Spirit through faith, and a Christian actively lives out God’s grace in Christ by the Spirit for others in love,” (“Freedom of a Christian,” 1520).

Boom.

In other words, according to God, we are simply irreplaceable. AI notwithstanding.

The New Temptation of AI is Nothing New

The temptation that lies within the power and potential of AI is the same old temptation we have fallen for over and over again throughout time. The temptation is this: we want to be limitless; we want to know all; we want to be able to call our own shots. AI is the latest tool to supposedly help us fulfill this temptation. Will there be consequences? There always are. Such was the temptation of Adam and Eve, of the people who built the Tower of Babel, of the Israelites when they demanded a human king rather than God to be King, and on it goes. It never actually works out.

And it continues in our so-called “modern” times. With the advent of every new advancement, the temptation flares up again. (“We don’t need God. We can be gods.”) It flared up when we began navigating across oceans, or seeing into space, or conquering with superior weapons, or spreading ideas with the printing press, or healing diseases. More recently, it flared up with the advent of broadcasting, computers, the world wide web, and now AI.

Whether in the Bible or today, when we humans develop a new technology, we are tempted to again cry out, “We don’t need God!” Until, of course, it turns out we do. Then we cry out, “God, help us!”  And, of course, He does in His mercy and grace. Back and forth it goes like the Israelites in the days of the Judges.

Do You Have Some Good News for Us? (Yes, and a Purpose)

The good news is that God, in His grace, continues to answer that cry over and over with His redemption and restoration through Christ. We Christians are not only beneficiaries of His grace, we are now agents of His grace to the people around us who need it so badly, too.

This is who we are. This is what we do.

According to God, we are simply irreplaceable. AI notwithstanding.

Let’s get busy and have some fun spreading hope and good news to those who need it. AI notwithstanding.

(A special shout out to Pastor Chris Asmus from Vertical Church, St. Paul; and the Concordia Journal for its recent articles on AI.)

The frustration in the room was high.

The leaders of this congregation all wanted to see more mission-fruit. That is, they all wanted to see more lost people coming to faith and coming to church.

Commendable.

But how to get there?

Some thought the answer was better programming. Some thought the answer was better participation in the programming they already had. But they were all missing the real problem; and, therefore, the real solution.

So, I asked the leaders this question, “Please give me the name of at least one person you are personally investing in who is living without the grace and truth of Jesus.”

Silence.

No one had a name because no one was currently investing in such a person.

Then I said, “Now, multiply your response out to the rest of the congregation and is it any wonder your congregation isn’t reaching lost people?”

I continued, “I’m not saying this to make you feel bad but to help you wake up. Your congregation is either waiting for your programs to reach lost people or complaining because your programs aren’t reaching lost people. But the problem isn’t the programs, the problem is that you have a whole congregation of people unprepared to reach out to lost people in their daily lives. No lost people are being reached because no one is personally reaching out to lost people.”

Light bulbs started to pop on.

I pointed out, “Programs aren’t bad. It’s just that everyone is tempted to delegate their personal responsibility for joining Jesus to the programs. People think, ‘I don’t have to live a life on mission, because we have a program for that.’ On the other hand, what if every week your current programming was designed to prepare people to go out and live a life of love while joining Jesus on His mission? Think about it: If you have 100 people attending various programs and every week you send home 100 people better prepared to love a lost neighbor or co-worker, what would the result eventually be?”

Now, their heads were nodding.

Once they had identified the real problem, they could start identifying the real solution. And the real solution wasn’t better programming to reach lost people, but doing a better job of using their programming to prepare their people to intentionally love lost people.

With that clarity, they began to see how they could use every program gathering - every Bible study, ministry team, adminstrative meeting, rehearsal, or fellowship group - to better prepare their people to look for those needing God’s love in their daily lives.

By the end of the day, the leaders had gone from frustration to excitement because they had a simple solution that the Lord could use to produce much more mission-fruit.

Would you like your leaders and congregation to go from frustration to fruit? Let’s talk. I still have a few weekends available in October and November. Contact me at finkeonthemove@gmail.com or 281-844-7644.

Your congregation is perfectly calibrated for the mission-fruit you are currently producing.

Are you seeing lots of people in your congregation investing in friendships with people in their neighborhoods who are living without the grace and truth of Jesus?

Are you seeing lots of people from those neighborhoods coming to faith and wanting to be baptized because of the love and conversations they are having with the people of your congregation?

Are you seeing so many people from the community now becoming a part of your congregation that your congregation is increasing weekly?

No?

There’s a reason why.

Your congregation is probably mistaking church-activity for mission-accomplishment.

It’s easy to do if you don’t know where you’re going or how to get there.

There are two simple but profoundly important questions the leaders of every congregation need to answer if they want to end up with abundant mission-fruit:

Where do we want to end up? (We want to see abundant mission-fruit being produced frequently, consistently, over and over again!)

How will we get there? (Here’s a simple, biblical, proven plan…)

However, if you don’t have a clear understanding of where you want to end up or how to get there, it is likely that you will fall back into a hodge-podge of church activities: programs, services, groups, and meetings galore.

Your congregation will be busy, busy, busy. But will all that busyness produce mission-fruit? Well… what have you been seeing so far?

Wandering in circles and getting nowhere is easy to do if you don’t know where you’re going or how to get there. And continuing to do what you’re already doing – only faster and with more enthusiasm – will simply get you nowhere faster.

For instance, this weekend, I am supposed to be at a congregation in Kansas City running a leadership retreat. If I want to end up at the correct place, I need to answer two questions correctly:

Where do I want to end up?

How will I get there?

Once I settle down and focus on answering those two questions, everything else is pretty simple.

Where do I want to end up? At the congregation in Kansas City. How will I get there? I will take an Uber to the airport, get on the flight to Kansas City, rent a car, and follow the map to my destination.

Simple.

You know what would turn something simple like this into something not so simple? If I knew I was supposed to be at the congregation, but I didn’t know where the congregation was or how to get there. (I actually have nightmares about that. I dream that I have to be some place, but I don’t know where it is or how to get there. Awful.)

You know what might be even more awful? Knowing where you WANT to go, but not knowing how to get there. As a leader, maybe you have a fruitful destination in mind. You've been dreaming of it, praying for it, preaching on it, having meetings about it. So, why aren’t you seeing the fruit?

It’s not what you’re doing, it’s what you’re missing.

Let me help.

Together, we can craft a simple, biblical, doable plan for how you will see your congregation producing abundant mission-fruit frequently, consistently, over and over again.

It’s time to settle down and focus on answering those two questions. I look forward to our conversation.

“The time has come.”

-- Jesus in Mark 1:15

“So, how’s Jesus been messing with you lately?” I was asking this of a pastor I had just met. His response? A knowing smile.

I get that a lot.

My name is Greg Finke, and my wife, Susan, and I have a ministry called Dwelling 1:14. It is a ministry dedicated to helping congregations disciple their people to be neighborhood missionaries. We help leaders connect their people for seeking God’s Kingdom and joining his mission in the places they live, work and go to school. It’s a lot of fun. The name “Dwelling 1:14” comes from John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” The name reminds us that in order to join Jesus on his redemptive mission, we need to actually be with (dwell with) people who don’t yet know him.

As my wife and I travel around the country with Dwelling 1:14, we have the opportunity to meet pastors and people from all types of congregations and communities. And during our initial conversations we often pose the “how’s-Jesus-messing-with-you” question. It is a question designed to make them stop and think.

It might help you to know that the phrase “messing with you” is a phrase we use here in the south where I live. It’s not a phrase that assumes Jesus has been bullying or picking on someone. It’s more along the line of, “How’s Jesus been trying to get your attention lately? What’s he been showing you? What’s he been stirring in you? How has he made you uncomfortable with your status quo?”

And do you know what I’m finding out? Jesus is messing with a lot of us.

People struggle to put it into words, but we’re sensing that Jesus is up to something, showing us something new, inviting us to perceive what he is doing next.  It seems to be right there in front of us and yet still just outside our ability to see clearly or articulate fully. We are like the blind man in Mark 8:22 who is beginning to see but cannot quite make out what he is seeing. It is frustrating and exhilarating all at the same time! We know we are beginning to perceive new things (exhilarating!) but we do not yet have the perception we need to clarify what we are seeing (frustrating!).

Can you relate? You are not alone.

There is a growing sense among the leaders I am talking with that Jesus is up to something, that he’s messing with our presumptions, calling us to something more than what we have settled for. He is giving many of us a holy discontent with the status quo so that we will look up from what we are doing, pay attention to him and start to wrestle with what he is currently showing us and asking of us. I hear it as I talk with twenty-somethings in places like Houston, New York City and Portland. I hear it as I talk with retirees in the Midwest and the Deep South. I hear it as I talk with the white pastor in Minneapolis; the Native American pastor in Alaska and the black pastor in New Orleans.  I hear it as I talk with congregational leaders from small towns and big cities, from new churches and 150-year-old churches.

Something is coming to a close and something new is coming upon us.  And Jesus wants us paying attention.

It’s unsettling and uncomfortable.  And yet, I think because we sense it is from Jesus, people are also stirred, excited, like an adventure is about to begin. And an adventure is about to begin – the adventure of joining Jesus on his redemptive mission to our own community. However, if we’re going to be able to follow Jesus into his next adventure, he needs us paying attention to him. Jesus messes with us so that we stop and look around. He wants us to take note of what he is already doing around us. He wants us to look up from our routines and notice that the world is changing and he is already on the move in response.

And why does Jesus need our attention for that? Because he intends for us to join him. [excerpted from chapter 1, “Joining Jesus on His Mission”] 

How Can I Help Your Congregation Get Started?

Getting started is as simple as 1, 2, 3:

1) Prepare

Prepare the congregation for action by walking them through my book, “Joining Jesus on His Mission.” Hope goes up and anxiety goes down. People are inspired, motivated, and ready.

2) Equip

Equip the congregation to take action by having me come for a “Joining Jesus Weekend.” People gain clarity and craft personal plans to start living as everyday missionaries.

3) Support

Support the congregation as they implement their plans over time. People are invited to join me on monthly Zooms where I encourage, coach, and then help facilitate their next steps.

It’s a common story. A year ago – or maybe 10 – your church utilized the book, “Joining Jesus on His Mission” in a sermon series or with your groups. It was well received. Enthusiastically, even. People loved its simplicity and resonated with its language.

And then?

Well, then your church did what it usually does. It moved on. There was a new sermon series to introduce, a new focus, a new book-study.

But you know what there wasn’t? Fruit. 

It’s a common story because it’s a common blind-spot. We think preaching and studying something is how you will see fruit. It is not. Preaching and studying is first. But it is not all. We need the insights studying offers but we also need someone to help us implement the insights.

Why? So that we actually start to see fruit.

Studying seed and understanding seed isn’t how fruit is produced from a seed. Fruit is produced when the seed gets into the ground. Then the seed does what only the seed can do. It germinates. It grows. It produces a full crop of fruit.

You’ve done the study (or you’re planning to). You’ve gained insights and inspiration from the book, “Joining Jesus.” Do you want to see the fruit?

Then let me help. The meat and potatoes of what I do is not writing books or giving talks at conferences. It is helping congregations and their leaders start to implement what is described in the book.

Insight >>>> Implementation >>>> Fruit

Here are a couple stories of people who are seeing fruit in their daily lives because their congregations engaged our training:

From a recent email exchange

Church person: My neighbors seem to have crossed a threshold this year into more familiar and meaningful communication and connection. It’s clearer to me that Jesus really is doing something here! Please pray with me that He will now work to deepen our relationships.   

Me: I am so thankful for the continued work Jesus is doing through you and in your neighbors! They needed to know some good news from God. And you have been offering it to them, over time, as cool sips of water.  God's love, through you, is powerful and effective!

Church person: Thank you, and yes it really was just cool cups that Jesus poured for me and a few other Christ-followers in the neighborhood to give to our neighbors. Through that he has dramatically increased interactions and connections here over a number of years, and especially this year. We are enjoying each other! However, I’ve found that a deeper, more personal connection has been needed for me to share the reason for my hope here, without forcing it. Thank you for inspiring and training me to go out with Jesus every day!

Wouldn’t you love for your people to see fruit like this?

From a recent text that a congregational leader sent to his small group on July 4th

“Happy Independence Day our Joining Jesus brothers and sisters! We have so much to be thankful for - family, friends, freedom, health, food, a roof over our heads, and so much more. Most importantly, we have Jesus, who loves us and walks with us, forgives us and saves us.  

Are you still seeing things differently? Do you see through the eyes of Jesus? Is there someone today you can show a little more love and consideration than maybe they deserve?

We have this great gift we can share with others who so desperately need Him. Pray for the chance to share the love of Jesus today. The harvest is plentiful!”

Wouldn’t you love to see your leaders effectively leading others like this?

Again, let me help. This is what I do.

My fall schedule is quickly filling up. But I still have weekends available to help train your church to implement a lifestyle of joining Jesus on His mission. And, if not this fall, then in 2026.

Let’s start a conversation. Click the button below to contact me or text me at 281-844-7644.

Only 25% of U.S. adults report having a clear sense of purpose which they can easily articulate. 

That does not surprise me.

As I listen to people, Christian and non-Christian alike, I regularly hear haunting questions like:

What is my purpose?

Why am I here?

What is the point?

If people cannot easily articulate their purpose, they settle for lesser things… like throwing themselves into the daily rush of “keeping up” with tasks and deadlines. Without a greater sense of purpose, they substitute activity for accomplishment. And the fruit of all their efforts is often only exhaustion, frustration, and anxiety.

Sound familiar?

Not surprisingly, most congregations struggle with the same question of purpose/mission. After all, if you gather a hundred people who have no clear sense of purpose into a local congregation, what can you expect?

A congregation who cannot easily articulate their purpose will also settle for lesser things… like throwing themselves into the weekly rush of “keeping up” with services and programs. Without a greater sense of purpose, congregations substitute activity for accomplishment. And the fruit of all their efforts is often only exhaustion, frustration, and anxiety.

And, worse, the community is left untransformed by the congregation.

The Good News is that because of Jesus’ death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins, your individual purpose, as well as your congregational purpose/mission, is clear (and easily articulated):

Your purpose is to be loved and forgiven by the Father through Jesus, and then to go find people who need His love and forgiveness, too. (See 1 John 4:10-11, 19; John 13:35; John 3:16; John 15:12-13; Matthew 22:34-40.)

Jerome (who lived around 400 A.D. and translated the Bible into Latin) tells a powerful story about the elderly Apostle John. In his commentary on Galatians, he wrote: “The blessed John the Evangelist lived in Ephesus until extreme old age. His disciples would carry him to church but he could not muster the voice to speak many words. During individual gatherings he usually said nothing but, ‘Little children, love one another.’ The disciples and brothers in attendance, because they always heard the same words, finally said, ‘Teacher, why do you always say this?’ He replied with a line worthy of John, ‘Because it is the Lord’s commandment and if it alone is kept, it is sufficient.’”

How clear and simple is your congregation’s purpose/mission? Is it as clear and simple as John’s?

Try an experiment this Sunday: during coffee hour, ask your friends what all the programs, classes and services are for? Do you think you will hear something like this, “The purpose of all our programs, classes, and services is to remind us that we are loved by God and to prepare us to go find people who need His love, too.”

If not, I can help. 

I offer Next-Step Leadership Retreats that result in leaders gaining the clarity they need to evaluate and retool the congregation’s programs, classes, and services so people are prepared each week to live with greater purpose.

To start the conversation, contact me via the button below.