Great Commission-Driven Church

David Mays

 

How we would recognize a Great Commission-Driven Church?

·        A Global Ethos.  The look, sound, feel, and touch of the church - its leadership, programs, ministry, and decoration - convey an integrated awareness of a global church with a global purpose in a global context.

·        Congregational Involvement.  A large proportion of individuals are personally involved in local evangelism and cross-cultural outreach, going on missions trips, giving, and in other ways contributing to global outreach.

·        Strategic Ministry.  The church supports strategic cross-cultural ministries through finances, prayer, sending their own people, and support role involvement by individuals at home.

·        Communication.  Global evangelism is communicated by a multitude of means through all ministries to all ages, in ways that develop world Christians at all levels of spiritual development.

·        Prayer. Congregation members regularly and naturally pray for lost people at home and abroad.  They are knowledgeable of and pray for the expansion of the Kingdom, including, for example, the least reached in the world, people groups, mission organizations and strategies, missionaries and national workers, and for believers in difficult circumstances world-wide.

 

How do we reveal our church priorities?

·        Finances – budget allocation, goals of major funding campaigns

·        Calendar – where most of our time is spent

·        Quality, consistency, and extent of promotion and education.

  • Hiring – What jobs we hire staff to do. 
  • Expectations - Job descriptions and training

·        Limits - What we conclude we can’t do because of what we think we have to do.

·        Delegation - What we take responsibility for ourselves at the highest level of staff and elders vs. what we delegate to committees.

·        Quality - What we insist be done consistently, with excellence, and on time (regardless of the number of volunteers and extent of commitment) vs. what we let run on its own.

·        Event priorities - What we put first in recruiting, training, and overseeing volunteers (number, capability, and commitment) and what we allow to get the remainder.

·        Conversation - What we spend a lot of time discussing in staff meetings and elder meetings.

  • Worship Services - What happens in the pulpit
  • Prayer - What we pray about
  • Activities - Selection and preparation for church activities
  • Ethos - The look and feel of the church
  • Goals and plans, curricula and activities for discipleship and every other ministry
  • Ministry reports and evaluations
  • Programs to add, change, or drop

 

How could we implement a Great Commission-Driven Church?

1.  Every staff member and lay leader understands that the purpose of his/her ministry is to make the maximum spiritual impact on the world.

2.  Every program is designed to make the maximum impact on world evangelism.

3.  Every program or ministry is evaluated regularly in regard to its impact on world evangelism.

4.  Every leader is evaluated regularly in regard to the same.

5.  Every staff member is hired with this understanding.