Writing for the Alban Institute, Bob Sitze says:
Most likely your denomination or association has restructured itself several times within its lifetime. The promise of restructuring is that a new way of doing (God’s) business will result in fresh approaches, new energy, and new identities. If you haven’t restructured in awhile, your congregation might also benefit from that kind of hopeful work.
I’m suggesting something a bit different, though: that you restructure with simple living as the core of your identity, activities, and mission.
It’s possible that much of your congregation’s mission is not easily understood by most congregation members. It may also be possible that, after years of structuring your congregation toward classic ministry outcomes, you’re still not gathering the attention, interest, or emotions of most congregation members. Only you know whether you’ve come to a point of utter weariness about the seeming futility of these efforts.
Sitze’s article is about the virtues of simple living, and how these might be applied to congregational living. While that is a worthy topic, what struck me is the notion that there might be large numbers of congregations out there that are largely unaware of their missions. What do you think?