Why Am I Here?
Please forgive me as I begin this blog with a rundown of my credentials on the subject at hand. It is not intended to be self-serving, but merely a means of demonstrating some expertise in the arguments I will make here. I admit, there was a time in my recent past where that would not have been the case – a time when I was hard at work building a kingdom for myself. Today, the Lord has given me work that is worthy of His calling and the grace to live it out the words of Jeremiah 9:24.
“But let the one who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me [and acknowledges Me and honors Me as God and recognizes without any doubt], that I am the Lord who practices lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on the earth, for in these things I delight,” says the Lord.” AMP
So, I offer - as background only - the gifts and experiences He has given me to do His work, both in the church and in the culture. Whatever I have contributed to the world, I assure you it was only made possible by his grace and it is merely a fraction of the many failures His grace has overcome.
That being said, I will say I am an educated and experienced expert in organizational leadership. That is a factual, though not-so-humble-sounding, way of saying I know a lot about how organizations tick, how to turn them around when they are failing and how to help them grow when they are not. I started in this line of work as a business troubleshooter for a large corporation when I was thirty, helping revive struggling divisions across the company. That work evolved into a long and rewarding career as an organizational turn-around specialist.
This field in which I have practiced for more than 35 years, is where we get organizational concepts like mission, vision, core values, and strategy – words you may have recently heard around here at NUMC. Like most every organization in the world, we are implementing a formal approach to planning and growth, and I am very grateful for and proud of the work of our brother, Brad Williams, and the Strategic Planning Team he has been leading for about a year. In case you didn’t know, it was this team working with our amazing staff that codified the need for the renovation of Hildreth Hall as the new home of our children and youth ministries. If you haven’t been over there to see it, please stop by for a tour. It is quite spectacular.
As we venture into this process, however, I am given to pause and reflect on the question at the top of this blog – why am I here? I have done this work across the spectrum of organization types – mom and pop companies, small non-profits, Fortune 500 companies, state and federal government, private sector, and churches. Most of the projects were successful, but not all of them. I do not have any empirical data to prove my claim, but – in my experience – the group that has benefited the least from rigorous strategic planning is churches and the sharp decline in the church’s influence on our culture has been the result. It’s not because churches don’t try it. They do. Try to find a church in this area without a published mission and vision statement. So, why does it often not help?
I’ve heard many arguments, most of which attempt to draw sharp distinctions between spiritual and secular experiences and attack the folly of trying to use natural processes to effect supernatural change (which is NOT what strategic planning attempts to do). I don’t buy these arguments. I believe the answer is much simpler than all that. My theory is this – the success of any strategic plan is dependent upon the way leaders and working level members of any organization answer the critical question before us today – why am I here?
When I assess an organization, I ask participants to answer the question, “Why are you here?” I grade the answers in a range from Level 1 to Level 5 (a concept of leadership I learned in Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great.) Level 1 leaders and workers will always give answers like, “great pay and benefits,” “good working hours,” “nice people,” “close to home”, etc. As good as they might be at their jobs, these people are not truly “all-in” and will quickly change their viewpoints when the execution of strategic plans inconvenience them.
Level 5 leaders and workers will answer more like this - “I believe in the mission,” “I have found a sense of purpose here,” “I can contribute something good to the world,” “I make a difference,” and “I am called to this work in this place.” These folks are all-in.
Ask the average church member on any given Sunday why they come to any particular church and you are bound to get answers like, “I feel loved here,” “The people are so friendly and welcoming,” “The music is amazing,” “My kids love it,” or “My family feels safe and supported here.” All great answers and exactly what we want to hear from newer people - who Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians are here to be fed - but not from longer-term members who should not only be self-feeding, but feeding others, as well.
From them, we should expect to hear “This is where I have grown close to the Lord,” or “I found a place here where God can use my gifts, talents, and passions to bring the love and grace of Jesus Christ to a lost and hurting world.” If you ever hear anyone say something like that, get that person on a leadership track right away!
My theory postulates that the success of any church plan is based on the ratio of Level 5 to Level 1 participants who have been regular attenders for more than one year. That is why I have such great hope for the future of NUMC. I believe our ratio is very good! This is partially shown to me by our general response to the changes we have seen just in the past two months – and a lot has changed in that short time. Yet, with few exceptions, we have been able to set aside our individual parochial interests to accommodate the redemptive work we do - and wish to do - all across our community.
God has blessed us with people who are here for the mission. If you aren’t convinced, pay a visit to our Thrift Store, or sit down with our children and youth leaders. These people are all-in, Level 5 leaders and workers.
Thank you for being a church that is willing to take risks and break new ground for the sake of the Gospel. As we go forward, we will need everyone on the team. More changes are around the corner, I’m sure. I’m also sure our commitment to Christ’s ongoing mission here in Navarre and everywhere else will be tested again and again.
Why am I here? The short answer is to glorify God. God created us for His glory; our purpose is to glorify Him and, in this fallen world, to make Him known to others (Isaiah 43:7; Matthew 28:18–19). Of course, this is the answer that should always be in the hearts of Level 5 believers. So, our question today is one each of us should ask and pray about regularly. If you don’t want to do that, you can just wait for the inevitable day when our ever-evolving church plan brings some change that will affect you. Your response will tell you – and maybe others – exactly where you stand.
Grace and Peace!