Yesterday I attended a seminar by a pastor named Ron Archer. He is a pastor in Florida, chaplain to the NFL, and consultant to the White House. He is an engaging speaker with an incredible story.
He was discussing vision - how to share it and how to gather people around it. He talked about gravity. Newton assessed that the force of gravity was dependent on the size of the object. The reason the Earth orbits the sun is because the sun is much bigger than the Earth. The moon orbits the Earth because it is smaller. So the force of gravity was dependent on its size.
Einstein came along and posited a new theory. Instead of being related to size, the force of gravity is dependent on density. Black holes have an extraordinary gravitational pull because they are so dense.
How do people relate to the vision of your church? Why do they stay connected to it as they follow Jesus Christ? If you are trying to attract lots of people by getting bigger - bigger stage, more programs, better coffee - then you may be disappointed. The question is how clear is your vision? How focused is your church on pursuing that laser focused vision? Trying to be all things to all people will result in a fuzzy galaxy of loosely connected stars.
Of course, you can have the wrong vision. I know many churches who are laser focused on the 1950's - how their church used to be. The primary theory of how black holes are formed is that a star dies and collapses in on itself. Very large stars collapse in and become very dense. Everything is trapped in its gravitational pull. Even light is trapped and absorbed.
A vision bright as the sun will give warmth, light, and life to those around it. The sun exudes itself and the Earth benefits. A church focused on giving to the community, not on preserving itself, will be full of energy and enjoy its life-giving power.
Big or small is not the question. Missional churches come in all sizes. The question is how clear, compelling, and mission committed is your vision? Are you a black hole or a sun?
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