Steve Wright is the author of reTHiNK, the Pastor of Parent & Family Discipleship Ministries at Providence Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC. Steve entered the D6 stage to handle a common perception challenge with the “Family Ministry” approach…
Targeting families could appear to be an inward focus. Some have wrongly viewed this shift as putting families over this unchurched community and world. If this model positions the church for greater missional effectiveness, what do the practical steps of transition look like?
Steve offered six practical steps to broaching the subject and successfully integrating.
Step 1: Scrap the corporate approach to transitions. Adopt the Nehemiah process for transitions. Not a business model. Nehemiah wept, fasted and prayed for days.
Step 2: Is this a fad or is it something birthed out of great theology? Ensure that the transition you desire to make is rooted in scripture. Otherwise it won’t stand.
Step 3: Is it reflected personally? Do you live it out in your life?
Step 4: Buy in from lay leadership, staff and church body. The first 3 steps are more internal. In step 4 you “come out”. Strategically seek buy in.
Step 5: Implement. Most leaders want to jump from Step 1 to Step 5. Don’t get ahead of yourself.
Step 6: See it through. Once implementation is complete its critical to give time to see it through. Determine from the beginning how long you’re going to give this and then see it through. Don’t be tempted to try the ‘next best thing’ that comes along. See it through long enough to see the fruit.
The biggest transition at Providence Church was Steve.
“We teach what we know but we reproduce who we are. If I cannot encourage a father to share his testimony with his daughter. How can I believe he will share his testimony with the muslim at work?”
Ouch. What a great statement. I appreciated Steve’s thoughts primarily because of the willingness to walk through the first 3 steps. As one who loves something new, giving God time to either solidify the vision or replace it is a level of patience and maturity I don’t always subscribe to. I value these thoughts.
