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Communicating Your Purposes
An unreliable messenger can cause a lot of trouble. Reliable communication permits progress.
Proverbs 13:17 (LB)In Nehemiah’s story of rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem, we learn that halfway through the project the people got discouraged and wanted to give up. Like many churches, they lost their sense of purpose and, as a result, became overwhelmed with fatigue, frustration, and fear. Nehemiah rallied the people back to work by reorganizing the project and recasting the vision. He reminded themof the importance of their work and reassured themthat God would help themfulfill his purpose (Neh. 4:6–15). The wall was completed in fifty-two days.
Although the wall took only fifty-two days to complete, the people became discouraged at the halfway point: just twentysix days into the project! Nehemiah had to renew their vision.
From this story we get what I call the “Nehemiah Principle”: Vision and purpose must be restated every twenty-six days to keep the church moving in the right direction. In other words, make sure you communicate your purpose at least monthly. It is amazing how quickly human beings—and churches—lose their sense of purpose.
Once you have defined the purposes of your church, you must continually clarify and communicate them to everyone in your congregation. It is not a task you do once and then forget about. This is the foremost responsibility of leadership. If you fail to communicate your statement of purpose to your members, you may as well not have one.
Ways to Communicate Vision andPurpose There are several ways to communicate the vision and purpose of your church.
Scripture
Teach the biblical truth about the church. I’ve already mentioned that the greatest church-growth textbook is the Bible. Teach the doctrine of the church passionately and frequently. Show how every part of your church’s vision is biblically based by giving Bible verses that explain and illustrate your reasoning.
Symbols
Great leaders have always understood and harnessed the tremendous power of symbols. People often need visual
representations of concepts in order to grasp them. Symbols can be powerful communication tools because they elicit strong passions and emotions. For instance, you would be outraged to find a swastika painted on your church wall, while an American flag brings out feelings of honor and pride.
Continents have been conquered under the sign of Christianity’s cross, Communism’s hammer and sickle, and Islam’s crescent moon. At Saddleback we’ve used two symbols—five concentric circles and a baseball diamond—to illustrate our purposes. These will be explained in the next two chapters.
Slogans
Slogans, maxims, mottoes, and pithy phrases are remembered long after sermons are forgotten. Many key events in history have hinged on a slogan: “Remember the Alamo!” “Sink the Bismarck!” “Give me liberty or give me death!” History has proven that a simple slogan, repeatedly shared with conviction, can motivate people to do things they would normally never do —even to give up their lives on a battlefield.
We’ve developed and used dozens of slogans at Saddleback to reinforce our church’s vision: “Every member is a minister,” “All leaders are learners,” “We’re saved to serve,” “Evaluate for excellence,” “Win the lost at any cost,” and many others. I periodically set aside time to think of new ways to communicate old ideas in fresh, succinct ways.
Stories
Jesus used simple stories to help people understand and relate to his vision. Matthew 13:34 (LB) says, “Jesus constantly used … illustrations when speaking to the crowds… . He never spoke to themwithout at least one illustration.”
Use stories to dramatize the purposes of your church. For example, when I speak about the importance of evangelism, I tell stories of Saddleback members who have recently shared their faith with friends and led them to Christ. When I speak about the importance of fellowship, I read actual letters from people whose loneliness was relieved by getting involved in our church family. When I speak about the importance of discipleship, I may use a testimony of how a couple’s spiritual growth saved their marriage, or how someone resolved a personal problemby applying biblical principles.
At Saddleback we have certain “legends,” stories that I tell over and over, that powerfully illustrate a purpose of our church. One of my favorites is the story of how five different lay pastors beat me to a hospital visit, and when I got there the nurse would not let me see the patient because “too many pastors have already seen him!” I’ve bragged on those five lay pastors ever since then. People tend to do whatever gets rewarded, so make heroes of people in your church when they do the work of the church. Tell their stories.
Specifics
Always give practical, clear, concrete action steps that explain how your church intends to fulfill its purposes. Offer a detailed plan for implementing your purposes. Plan programs, schedule events, dedicate buildings, and hire staff for each purpose. These are the specifics that people care about.
Remember, nothing becomes dynamic until it becomes specific. When a vision is vague it holds no attraction. The more specific your church’s vision is, the more it will grab attention and attract commitment. The most specific way to communicate the purposes is to apply them personally to each member’s life.
Personalize the Purposes In communicating the purposes of your church it is important to personalize them. The way to personalize the purposes is to show how there is both a privilege and a responsibility connected to each of them. Colossians 3:15 (LB) says, “This is your responsibility and privilege as members of his body.” There are both responsibilities and privileges of being a member of a church family. I try to personalize the purposes of our church by showing how they are our responsibility to fulfill and how they are our privilege to enjoy.
The purposes of the church can be personalized as God’s five goals for every believer. These goals express what God wants each of us to do with our lives while on earth.
My responsibilities as a believer
God wants me to be a member of his family. This is the purpose of fellowship stated in a personal way. The Bible is very clear that following Christ is not just a matter of believing —it also includes belonging. The Christian life is not a solo act. We are meant to live in relationship with each other. First Peter 1:3 (LB) says “[He] has given us the privilege of being born again, so that we are now members of God’s own family.” God has given us the church as a spiritual family for our own benefit. Ephesians 2:19 (LB) says, “You are members of God’s very own family, … and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian.”
God wants me to be a model of his character. This is the personalized goal of discipleship. God wants every believer to grow up to become like Christ in character. Becoming like Christ is the biblical definition of “spiritual maturity.” Jesus has established a pattern for us to follow. “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21).
In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul gives us several specific areas in which we are to model the character of Christ: “Set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” Notice that maturity is not measured by one’s learning but by one’s lifestyle. It is possible to be well versed in the Bible and still be immature.
God wants me to be a minister of his grace. A third responsibility of every Christian is the personalized purpose of service, or ministry. God expects us to use the gifts, talents,
and opportunities he gives us to benefit others. First Peter 4:10 says, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”
God intends for every believer to have a ministry. At Saddleback we are very up front about this expectation when witnessing to unbelievers. We don’t “bait and switch.” I tell unbelievers, “When you give your life to Christ, you are signing up to minister in his name for the rest of your life. It’s what God made you for.” Ephesians 2:10 (LB) says, “It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others.”
God wants me to be a messenger of his love. This is the church’s purpose of evangelism stated in a personal way. Part of the job description for each believer is that once we have been born again, we become messengers of the Good News to others. Paul says, “Life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about God’s mighty kindness and love” (Acts 20:24 LB). This is an important responsibility of every Christian. Second Corinthians 5:19–20 (LB) says, “God was in Christ, restoring the world to himself, no longer counting men’s sins against thembut blotting themout. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. We are Christ’s ambassadors. God is using us to speak to you.” We are to plead with unbelievers to receive the love he offers—to
be reconciled to God.
Have you ever wondered why God leaves us here on earth, with all its pain, sorrow, and sin, after we accept Christ? Why doesn’t he just zap us immediately to heaven and spare us from all this? After all, we can worship, fellowship, pray, sing, hear God’s Word, and even have fun in heaven. In fact, there are only two things you can’t do in heaven that you can do on earth: sin, and witness to unbelievers. I ask our church members which of these two they think Christ has left us here to do. We each have a mission on earth and part of it includes telling others about Christ.
God wants me to be a magnifier of his name. Psalm 34:3 (NASB) says, “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together” (italics added). We each have a personal responsibility to worship God. The very first commandment says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3 KJV). There is an inborn urge in each person to worship. If we don’t worship God we will find something else to worship, whether it be a job, a family, money, a sport, or even ourselves.
My privileges as a believer
While fulfilling the five purposes of the church are a responsibility of every Christian, they also provide spiritual, emotional, and relational benefits. In fact, the church provides people with things they cannot find anywhere else in the world: Worship helps people focus on God; fellowship helps them face life’s problems; discipleship helps fortify their faith;
ministry helps them find their talents; and evangelism helps themfulfill their mission.
State It Over andOver Don’t assume that a single sermon on the church’s purposes will permanently set the direction of your church. Don’t suppose that by printing your purposes in the bulletin everyone has learned them, or even read them! One widely known law of advertising is that a message must be communicated seven times before it really sinks in.
My Church Family Gives Me
- God’s purpose to live for (mission)
- God’s people to live with (membership)
- God’s principles to live by (maturity)
- God’s profession to live out (ministry)
- God’s power to live on (magnify)
At Saddleback we use as many different channels as we can think of to keep our purposes before our church family. I’ve already mentioned that our purposes and vision are communicated in each monthly membership class. Once a year, usually in January, I also preach an annual “state of the church” message. It is always a review of our five purposes. It’s the same message every year; only the illustrations are updated.
Many pastors do not understand the power of the pulpit. Like a rudder on a ship, it will determine the direction of a church either intentionally or unintentionally. If you are a pastor, use your pulpit on purpose! Where else do you get everyone’s undivided attention on a weekly basis? Whenever you speak, always look for the opportunity to say something like, “And that’s why the church exists.” Don’t be afraid to repeat yourself, because nobody gets it the first time. I call repeating things over and over in fresh ways “creative redundancy.”
On the opposite page you will find a chart that shows several different angles I’ve used to present the purposes of the church. Feel free to use any of these outlines. They are just different ways of saying the same thing.
In addition to communicating our purposes through preaching and teaching, we’ve used brochures, banners, articles, newsletters, bulletins, videos, and cassettes, and we’ve even written songs. At the entrance to our worship center, our purposes and corresponding verses are etched into the glass foyer for all to read as they enter. We believe that if we keep saying the same thing in different ways, one of those ways will capture the attention of every member. Often, after presenting the purposes in a new way, someone will say that they just understood for the first time. Our goal is for every member to be able to explain our purposes to others.
The vision of any church always fades with time unless it is reinforced. This is because people become distracted by other
things. Restate your purposes on a regular basis. Teach them over and over. Utilize as many different media as you can to keep them before your people. By continually fanning the fire of your purposes you can overcome the tendency of your church to become complacent or discouraged. Remember the Nehemiah Principle!
Explaining the Church’s Purposes
Purpose: Outreach Task: Evangelize
Acts 2:42-47: “…added to their number daily those who were
being saved.” Objective: Mission Target: Community
Life Component: My Witness
Basic Human Need: Purpose to Live For The Church Provides: A Focus for Living
Emotional Benefit: Significance
Purpose: Worship
Task: Exalt
Acts 2:42-47: “They devoted themselves to…breaking of bread
and prayers…praising God.”
Objective: Magnify Target: Crowd
Life Component: My Worship
Basic Human Need: Power to Live On
The Church Provides: A Force for Living
Emotional Benefit: Stimulation
Purpose: Fellowship
Task: Encourage
Acts 2:42-47: “…devoted to the fellowship…all the believers
were together…they ate together”
Objective: Membership Target: Congregation
Life Component: My Relationships
Basic Human Need: People to Live With The Church Provides: A Family for Living
Emotional Benefit: Support
Purpose: Discipleship
Task: Edify
Acts 2:42-47: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’
teaching.”
Objective: Maturity Target: Committed
Life Component: My Walk
Basic Human Need: Principles to Live By The Church Provides: A Foundation for Living
Emotional Benefit: Stability
Purpose: Service
Task: Equip
Acts 2:42-47: “They gave to anyone as he had need.”
Objective: Ministry
Target: Core
Life Component: My Work
Basic Human Need: Profession to Live Out
The Church Provides: A Function for Living
Emotional Benefit: Self-expression