While each of our churches has many things we can celebrate, if we’re honest, we know some areas where we have unmet redemptive potential. For instance, if they’re honest, a church that is strong in fellowship may discover that they are much more passionate about welcoming each other than seeing new people join the family. A church excited about providing food to people in the community might realize that they aren’t breaking past the surface to share the Gospel during most of those opportunities.
Throughout Scripture, we see God giving churches and leaders a wake-up call. Every church and leader needs many wake-up calls throughout our lifetimes. For a church, regular wake-up calls and responding in obedience are essential to maintaining vibrance, health, and resilience. The same is true of individual leaders.
There are three Biblical components for churches and leaders to maintain their vitality, effectiveness, vision, and passion.
1. Life-giving relationship must come first.
God did not create us to be alone. He designed us to glorify him and to delight in a life-giving relationship with him. We begin to enjoy this relationship when we are born again, and God intends for us to abide daily in him throughout our lives. However, when we become selfish and harbor sin, we can isolate ourselves from the life only he can bring.
Spending time with him, confessing sin, and asking him to help us fully abide are essential to our spiritual vitality.
God also wants each church to enjoy the fullness of a passionate, life-giving relationship with him. This means staying rooted in Scripture, authentically praying together, and staying free of idolatry. With today’s cultural headwinds, this can be a challenge.
2. Honest assessment is essential.
As we seek God, we must embrace honest assessment. Spiritual leaders must embrace opportunities to see themselves the way God sees them, even if that involves some pain.
Church families also need to examine themselves at the surface, systems, and heart levels to understand their strengths, weaknesses, and sins needing to be confessed. Assessments of ourselves as leaders and our churches need to happen in a supportive environment, and it can have the most impact when trusted friends are involved in helping us take the assessments and interpret the results.
3. Jesus invites us on a transformational journey.
Jesus loves us so much! He meets us where we are while loving us too much to leave us there. Whether individually or as a church family, God uses honest assessment to invite us on an exciting new journey with him. This will involve change, adjustment, and sacrifice, but it is worth it! We see churches being invited to journeys of transformation throughout the New Testament, and God continues to extend his invitation to each of us today.
IBSA would love to serve as your guide. As you seek God’s wake-up call for you and your church, your IBSA Health Team of pastors, associational leaders, and IBSA staff stand ready to serve you. We offer relationships, encouragement, prayer, and various honest assessments. We can also help guide you on a transformational journey toward achieving your God-given potential. Let’s continue fully pursuing God together.
Scott Foshie serves Illinois Baptists as IBSA Health Team Leader.