5. Begin casting an outwardly focused vision.
After a number of members are involved in ministering to others, they will become receptive and even eager to embrace a vision to reach and minister beyond themselves.
Begin to paint a word picture of what a true Great Commission church could look like.
6. Avoid attacking “sacred cows” if possible.
There are traditions and other areas of the church many members hold dearly. It might not make sense to the leaders why they hold on to a seemingly silly item, but the reality is it has deep emotional attachments for some.
Attacking those sacred cows usually creates unnecessary conflict and takes the focus off the outward focus.
7. Celebrate small victories.
In the early stages of turnaround, celebrate almost any victory toward an outward focus, regardless of its overall impact on the congregation. That will send a message of what is really a priority in the church.
8. Keep reasonable metrics.
Many churches have moved away from focusing on metrics such as attendance, conversions and people involved in ministry for fear the statistics will become ends in themselves.
But a reasonable focus on some of those metrics will be a regular reminder of the progress the church is making toward becoming a Great Commission church.
