Keeping what you already got....

The vast majority of churches are solely focused on keeping the people that already attend their church. Rather than designing ministry to reach new people, the focus is on keeping the people that already attend. Think about the typical church. List all the church programs/ministries/events in two columns. Label one column “for people who are already here” and the second column “for people who aren’t here yet.” For the typical church (including churches that the world sees as being seeker-sensitive), almost all of their programs, money, staffing, etc. are focused on providing ministry for the people who are already convinced that Jesus is our Lord and Savior. If you agree with that, then you have to ask the question: “Does it matter if people leave a church to find another church where they can go deeper or be fed more?” In the big picture, I would argue that it doesn’t really matter to God where people grow. And, in my opinion, there are already lots of churches that are designed to, at their best, disciple Christians, and at their worst, keep Christians happy. There are very few churches, though, that are truly missional in words and in actions. There are few churches that are designed to do whatever it takes to reach the lost. That concerns me because I’m convinced it really matters to God that there are people who are lost and separated from him.From Tony Morgan