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How are you?
- Are you sleeping okay? Do you have somewhat of a network of supportive friends who help you keep to your life goals, especially when things get rocky?
For me, it has been one hell-of-a week.
- On top of fears about West Nile in Los Angeles County, and rage about the actual overturning of Roe v. Wade, we had another trip to urgent care for one of our sons. (He is okay, thankfully)
Perhaps, at some point, I will address all of these things in further detail. But, today, given everything, I would like to re-iterate the point that ministry can help people to:
- Sleep better and have hope for a brighter future, or the opposite, or anything in between.
This brings me to mention something I learned this week:
- HÄSTENS is a mattress company. Their cheapest is about $15,000 – their most expensive is $500,000. Inside, is 18 layers of horsetail hair, among other things.
I found out about it reading about innovation in mattresses and it got me to this week’s Essential:
- The ministries of the future will focus on the quality of the effect they have on people, not necessarily that of what goes into it.
Make the mission statement matter
At some point in the church leadership world, making the right mission statement became a big thing.
- Business books, leadership gurus, and church consultants all said to start with that – that and alignment.
I, too, think that it is important. But, for all that we have put into them, what do we see most of the time?
- We see mission statements based on what we believe, not necessarily what people need.
The mission statement should be about results and not beliefs.
Here’s what a typical church statement looks like:
- “Our mission is to (action word) the (belief point) for (people group) in (area).”
Here’s what I think it should look like:
- “Our mission is to develop and provide the (solution) for (people group) who are (experiencing a particular need).”
One of these mission statements presumes the value of thousands of years of tradition and the authority of those who uphold it.
- The other mission statement emphasizes the effect it is trying to bring about for the “crippled,” the blind, the imprisoned, the immigrant, the woman at the well, etc. etc. etc.
Ministry is like a mattress
Listen, I am not someone who can afford a $500,000 mattress, let alone a $15,000 one.
- But, as a busy person as well as a skeptic, whatever it costs and has inside of it, it has to do what it says it can do for me: get me better sleep.
The same goes for Christian ministries in the 21st century.
- People are already busy and skeptical – they care less about what goes into a ministry and more about what it can help bring about in their life.
What this tech-driven era has done is given regular people the opportunity for instant proofing – it either works or it does not and there is not much time for it.
- The ministry of the future must not only explain how it is good or better for people – it must also surely show it in their own life.
Thanks always,
James from PASTORIA
The New Ministry Essentials is a weekly newsletter – subscribe now here.