Change the Question

I have been thinking about blogging this idea for awhile. "So," you may ask, "what has kept you from it?" If you were to ask that question, you are already ahead of me. Sometimes we get stuck because we either stop asking questions OR we ask the wrong question. There are all kinds of applications to life, but I want to focus these few lines on our churches. Not long ago, I had a conversation with someone about some issues in that person's home church. Here are the some of the questions they were asking: Why are people leaving our church ... How can we get those that left to come back ... What's the problem? Now, I am not suggesting that those are not legitimate questions. I am suggesting there is a question that is more powerful. Why would anyone want to come to our church? That question is not a criticism (unless we can't come up with a single answer for it). It is a way of refocusing. Here are some other ways to ask the same question: What do we have to offer ... What do we do well ... What are our strengths ... What sets us apart ... How is God "showing up" in our church? You see, this is not just a powerful question for a struggling church. This is even a powerful question for a growing church. Imagine what we might learn if we asked a new church member, "What drew you to our church?" Do you think it might empower our people if they heard that their lives and ministry investment actually impacted someone's life in a positive way? Do you think it might help us know how to be good stewards of our resources if we found out what ministries are truly having an impact (and maybe which ones aren't)? Do you think it might assist in the assimilation process if new members saw themselves as valuable resources to help the church expand its ministries rather than new blood (and money) to support current ministries? What questions do you want to ask? What's keeping you from asking them?