Values: Part 2
Recently our church rolled out a set of four values that define our mission. These are not new values, just updated ways of expressing the principles that have guided us since our inception in 2002. In this series, we’re asking two key questions:
- How does an inside-the-walls ministry (like guest services) fit in an outwardly-focused church?
- How should a specific ministry check its own identity to make sure it fits the church’s overall mission?
The Summit’s second value:
We do whatever it takes to reach all people.
In the intro, I alluded to the fact that I was worried that our team’s tasks wouldn’t match our church’s values. But this one…well, I think you’d agree that this one is an easy win. Serving guests and Whatever it takes go together like peanut butter and jelly.
But there are at least three underlying guardrails that we must pay attention to:
1. The order of the values matter.
If value #1 is We prioritize the gospel above all, then that means Whatever it takes can’t contradict the gospel. We can’t compromise biblical truth to be more palatable to the masses. We shouldn’t rely on gimmicks to get people in the door.
2. “Whatever it takes” will cost us far more than money.
Whatever it takes is a gospel mindset. Jesus did whatever it took – giving his very life – in order to redeem us. As I said in the last post, we must be willing to fund, staff, plan, and evaluate our ministries with our guests in mind, not just our insiders.
But note this is not about a budget’s bottom line. Whatever it takes will force us to reckon with our comfort, our normal, and our known. We will have to experiment with new and creative ways to reach people with the gospel message, and that includes the way we welcome guests on the weekend.
3. “All people” means “all people.”
We can’t be satisfied to reach people who look like us, act like us, think like us, talk like us, spend money like us, and vote like us. If the gospel was given to all, we must make it available to all.
That means we have to get comfortable with our discomfort, because a whatever it takes mindset will force us to have worship styles we may not necessarily like, get rid of ministries we didn’t necessarily realize were ineffective, and change course on plans we don’t necessarily want to change.
See all posts in the series:
- Values: the Intro
- Part 1: We prioritize the gospel above all.
- Part 2: We do whatever it takes to reach all people.
- Part 3: We make disciples, not just converts.
- Part 4: We send every member.
- Values: the Outro
design credit: Jason Mathis
