"Clarify the Goal"

  • Derek Staples
  • | Dec 14, 2008
  • | Series: Monday Morning Manna

“But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." 
(Matthew 22:34-40)
 
 
North Point Community Church began on Sunday evenings at the Galleria Convention Center in Atlanta. When the marquee outside advertised they were there; the Galleria engineer could not get the entire church name on the sign, so he took the liberty of editing the name of the church. When Andy Stanley drove to church that night the marquee read: “No Point Church.” The electronic faux pas became the joke of the night. Andy used it to remind people that a lot of churches have lost their point; they lost their vision, their mission, and their reason for existence.
 
Andy Stanley and Bill Willett (Director of Group Life at North Point) ask, “So what’s the point?” What’s the point of your church? What’s your mission? What’s your goal?” When North Point began, they addressed “The Big Three” in clarifying their goal as a new church. Here is their response to the big three:
 
What is the point of your church? (People growing in their relationship with Jesus Christ)
What do we want people to do? (Pursue three vital relationships: their intimacy with God, with insiders, and with outsiders)
            Where do we want people to go? (Into a small group)
 
Their conviction: “Clarifying what you want people to become will ultimately define your church’s mission!” 
 
As I have reflected on the application of these insights of our vision as a church, I have come to the conclusion that our vision and strategy must be clear to our leaders at both campuses. Crystal clear!
 
Jesus summed up the law and the prophets with these two imperatives to the Christian community: Love God; Love your neighbor! Genuine love of the Lord must be paramount in our lives and in our ministries. You and I must understand that loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind involves thought, sensitivity, intent, and action. 
 
When we gather as a church family corporately for Bible study and for worship this truth must supersede all things (music preference, scheduled meeting times, etc.). We must never lose sight of this truth: God desires to be worshipped by us! I have always been captivated by a question posed at a conference several years ago by Pastor John Piper, “Do you feel most loved by God because he makes much of you, or because he frees you to enjoy making much of him forever?”
 
Jesus went on to say, “Love you neighbor as yourself.” Please note that the second commandment involves the same virtue as the first: LOVE. We must apply the same kind of genuine love for God into our relationships with others. When I am hungry, I eat; when I am thirsty, I drink. Why? Because I am consumed with myself, and sometimes too much! You and I must apply that same intentional, active imperative to our relationships with others in our sphere of influence.
 
Now I hope you see the motive behind the meaning of our eight-word vision statement: “Connecting people to Christ and to one another!” Our goal is to see people connected to Christ through vibrant worship, and connected to one another through small groups designed to develop genuine Christian community. It is easier to serve once these vital relationships have been established. 
 
Andy Stanley calls on churches to clarify their vision. If the goal of a church is not clear it is very hard for a church to stay focused on what God has called us to do. I pray ours is clear. Crystal Clear! 
 
Clarifying the goal,
 
Dr. Derek