When I was a kid, our church was full every Sunday.

But that’s just not the reality for most churches these days.

Attendance is down. Churches and pastors aren’t held in high regard like they once were. Sunday morning is no longer thought of as a day of worship—it’s just a nice lazy day meant for relaxing.

Why is this? What’s going on? And how do we fix it?

These are the questions we usually ask.  But maybe these are the wrong questions.

Maybe the questions we need to be asking go more like this…

  • What does God want to accomplish in the world?
  • How am I being invited to participate in what God wants to accomplish in the world?
  • What opportunities do we find in a world in which Christianity is thought of as just one religion among many?
  • What is my unique role in the story God is telling?
  • And what is my church’s unique role in God’s story?

What story is God telling?

I love this question. It reminds me that I am a part of something bigger than me.  It reminds me that my story is only a small part of the huge story that God has been telling since the beginning of time.

But that doesn’t mean my part in the story is insignificant.  Absolutely not.

And neither is yours. Your part matters because you are the only person who has been shaped and wired in your unique way.  Your church’s part matters because your church has been gifted and resourced in ways unlike any other church in the world.

But God’s story doesn’t necessarily mean “Bigger and Better.”

Sometimes churches believe their calling has mostly to do with getting more people to show up on Sundays.  It has to do with building more facilities.  It has to do with attracting more young families.

of course, there’s nothing wrong with these. And for some churches, bigger and better may be the way God has uniquely called them to participate in God’s mission.

But not every church.  Some churches have been called to serve the poor.  Some have been called to encourage and facilitate thoughtful art.  Some have been called to work for justice.  Some have been called to help deepen people’s faith intellectually.

What about you?

How has God uniquely wired you, your church, or your organization?  How have you been uniquely shaped to join God in God’s mission?

I would love to work with your church, your team, or with you personally to discover how your story fits into the story of God.