Barnabas File

Regular readers of this blog will note that on more than one occasion that I have shared my doubts about long range strategic planning.   When major companies have adopted planning cycles of only six months, it would seem that the church, which is supposed to be responsive to the leadership of the Spirit of God, should be flexible in its planning as well. This does not mean that I think visioning and planning processes are unwarranted, but I do believe that such processes should focus on understanding the church’s ministry context, its resources, and ways to prepare its people for service that allow a rapid response to a changing world rather than developing inflexible action plans that may hamper ministry. This was on my mind when David Cates, our church’s minister to students, preached last Sunday on Luke 12:35-38:   “Keep your shirts on; keep the lights on! Be like house servants waiting for their master to come back from his honeymoon, awake and ready to ...

As parents who have faced the task of putting together a toy on Christmas Eve can attest, “some assembly required” is an understatement.   The job usually takes much longer and produces more sweat and frustration that we expect.   My friend David Cates used this illustration in his sermon yesterday, challenging us to the task of “being builders.” David’s sermon and illustration got me to thinking about the fact that all of us have the opportunity to build something—a life, a family, a church.   Often we have the chance to do all three.   As we do so, we discover that there are both internal and external aspects to building. Internally, we have to do the hard work of clarifying our purpose in life—as a person, a family, or a church. This comes as a result of knowing our values, discovering our strengths, and then setting our course.   As we do the hard internal work, we achieve external results. At the same time, there are external concerns we must...