What drives Your church?
By Luke Holmes
It can't be done. That's what they told John Ericsson when he first began working on a new way to propel boats over the water in 1835. Boats had moved on wind for centuries; lately, steam-powered paddle boats had taken over. Not many saw the need for Ericsson's invention, a screw-turned propeller. And even fewer than that believed that it would work on large boats.
By 1839, Ericsson had come a long way with his new invention, and he soon gained fame as the designer of the US Navy's first screw-propelled warship, the USS Princeton. Seasoned sailors were astonished that the Princeton could beat other ships in a race. At over 160 feet long, it seemed incredible that such a small propeller could move that fast. Fast forward to today, and almost every boat, from little fishing dinghies with trolling motors to fancy bass boats, cruise ships, and battleships, are all propelled the same way. The internal engine turns the rods, which moves the propeller, and that motion moves the boat almost effortlessly across the water.
The Unseen Propeller
No matter how big the boat is, the propeller is always small in comparison. But this small piece of machinery is how the ship moves forward. It doesn't matter how deep the water is or what kind of storm the boat finds itself in; if the propeller works correctly, the ship will be moving.
We know that small things make a difference in the lives of Christians and churches. James makes this point when comparing the power of the tongue to a rudder that steers a boat. Yet there is something more powerful that can not only steer your church but serve as the power to help it move forward: the dreams of your church.
The Power of a Church's Dream
Although it goes by all sorts of names, like vision, dreams, goals, or ideas, the basic principle is the same. Your church is driven forward by what it believes it can become, and every church has a dream whether they know it or not. Some churches dream of having the best buildings in town, others about the best ministries. Some churches only dream of making it to another week, while others dream of making a difference in the community and helping others. Whatever the dream or vision of your church is, it always serves as the propeller for moving it forward. In his classic book on church revitalization, Robert Dale writes, "No church can minister effectively until it identifies it's unique ministry dream, a possible dream, and lives it out!"
When a church dreams of being a comfortable place for its members, it will structure its committees, budget, and staff around doing just that. The church that dreams of comfort will always find a way to have it, and the lost community around them will not stand in their way. Their dream of having things how they please will always move them forward, even if it moves them right into the grave. In the same way, a church that dreams of reaching its community, funding ministries, and seeing the lost saved will find a way to do it as well.
A quick way to find out your church's dream is to look at what they are on their way to becoming. A church's dream can be seen by what they do, not what they say. A godly dream that focuses on what a church can be in its community will be the propeller that moves a church forward in its ministry and mission. The church doesn't have to have a grand dream to be the next Antioch that sends out Paul and Barnabas. A small dream from God is all you need to move forward. To have a dream for the future, a church only needs to look to become something more than what it is.
That could mean starting a bus ministry to reach kids in the community, adjusting how they do things to reach more families, or changing the budget to spend more on missions and evangelism. If a church has a dream to be more than it is now, that dream becomes the propeller that moves it forward. No matter how big or small, that dream can push a church forward to grow in salvations, baptisms, and kingdom impact.
But if a church's dream is not about what it can be in the future but what it used to be in the past, then that dream becomes an anchor weighing them down, not a propeller moving it forward. Every church has a dream, but sadly, many churches only dream of returning to the glory days of the past and what they once were. Sometimes, the dreams and nostalgia of the past become so heavy that a church is weighed down by them, unable to move forward to their future because they are burdened by the past.
The Steady Movement of a God-Given Dream
When a church gets a dream for the future and what God might do in them and through them, that dream will always move them forward. Much like a ship moved forward by a propeller engine, the dream of a church should move them forward slowly and methodically towards achieving that dream. The dream of a church works slowly and methodically; after all, a propeller is not a jet engine. Many pastors at churches in need of revitalization want a church to grow quickly and fast. But just because a church has a dream does not mean everything will change overnight.
Once a church finds its dream, the real work begins to put it into action. Dreams move the church forward when a committee changes the budget to fund missions more, when it votes to remodel facilities to reach the community better, or when members consistently read their bible, pray for the lost, and volunteer to serve where needed. Achieving the dream happens in significant and small ways, but each achievement moves the church toward its goals.
The Source of the Dream: God's Vision
A dream is not the same thing as a strategy or plan. The dream of a church must always come from God working in them as they grow in discipleship and maturity in their faith. The dream of a church doesn't come from a gifted pastor or strong layperson but from a church that has been shaped and molded by the Word of God as revealed through Christ Jesus. The dream that comes to us through Christ has been enough to move the church forward for millennia. A church doesn't have to come up with its dream, as Jesus has already given every church one: to go out and make disciples of all nations.
What Does God Want Your Church to Be?
Ensure that your church's dream moves them forward to what God wants them to be. When your church has a dream big enough to see what God has planned for them, more significant than what they were in the past, any church can find new life again. When the members dream of expanding God's kingdom in the future and not just maintaining the present, the church will always continue to move forward to be just what God wants them to be. The world might be ready to give up on a church, but a dream from God can keep it moving forward.
What does God want your church to be?
Luke Holmes
Luke Holmes (@lukeholmes) is husband to Sara, father to three young girls, and pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church Duncan, Oklahoma. He’s a graduate of MBTS and SWBTS and can be found online at lukeholmes.substack.com