Becoming Missional: Start Small

“Becoming a force of nature doesn’t mean that all of our aspirations must be ‘grand.’ First steps are often small, and initial visions that focus energy effectively often address immediate problems. What matters is engagement in the service of a larger purpose rather than lofty aspirations that paralyze action. Indeed, it’s a dangerous trap to believe that we can pursue only ‘great visions.’”--Peter Senge, et al., Presence: Human Purpose and the Field of the Future[1]

Small steps can lead to great strides. Several years ago, Jessica Jackley, co-founder of KIVA.org, a micro-investment program, spoke at Willow Creek Association’s Leadership Summit. In her interview with Jim Mellado, President of the WCA, she said, “Don’t be afraid to start small.” KIVA’s founders didn’t apologize for starting with just seven entrepreneurs. Jackley pointed out that you can talk all you want about an idea, but once you begin and actually do something—even if it’s small—people respond to you differently. The best way to create big change is to have the patience and attention to focus on one particular area and to serve that area as well as you can.

Where is a good point to start in your church? The beginning point may be acknowledging in some way those who are already actively involved in ministry in the community even if it is not an “official” church ministry. Another possibility is to start thinking about putting more time into people development (coaching, mentoring, instilling spiritual disciplines) than program development. Perhaps it involves getting the staff to read and discuss a book on what it means to be a missional church. It may mean identifying one thing the church is doing that is no longer needed and invest that time and energy into a new outwardly-focused ministry.

Our initial efforts may not show remarkable success but at least we will be moving in the right direction. We may make mistakes, but we may also discover the Spirit of God speaking to our congregation in a special way.

(This blog post is adapted from material in For Such a Time as This: Aligning Church and Leadership for Missional Ministry by Ircel Harrison. The book is available from Amazon.)

[1] New York: Currency Doubleday, 2005, Kindle location 1943.

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