Simple but Hard -- Part 2

Last week I wrote about keeping the “most important thing” the “most important thing.” That, of course, involves knowing, first of all, what the “most important thing” really is – and it’s easy to get side-tracked.

The mission statement for the Xerox corporation is as follows: “We create document technology and services that enable businesses to manage information more efficiently and effectively, whatever the situation.”

Well and good – except there’s nothing there about profit. Are they going to just create this technology, or will they try to sell it? As a stockholder, I want to know the company is “in it” to make money. I don’t consider the development of “document” technology a worthy charity.

Of course, we know Xerox IS in business to make money; it’s just not “polite” to say that too pointedly. Our society frowns on that. But leadership has to always be aware: “THIS is why we are here – to make money. Our business is profit, and If we’re not profitable, we’ll be out of business.”

Not only leadership, but every employee and supplier has to keep it in mind too. It’s one of the reasons the American automobile companies are in such a pickle. The industry lived far too long on past glory. It failed to be competitive, “thought” things would “turn around,” but forgot that if you keep doing the same things, you’re going to get the same results. Unions and employees forgot that a company that wasn’t making money couldn’t keep paying wages and benefits. And when you forget that – you’ll go out of business and frankly, deserve exactly what you get.

So how does all this apply to the Church? Last week I asked you to think about the Church’s mission. Your vision has to be biblical, short enough to remember, and comprehensive enough to cover everything.

What did you come up with?

Here’s mine – though it is not original with me, nor is it the only possibility. “The mission of the Church is to be Jesus on the earth, and bring the world to join us.”

Simple right? Yes, but very very hard. Next week, we’ll walk through the mission statement, look at its basis in Scripture, and see how it must drive every facet of “Church.”

Simple but Hard - Part 1

The most important thing in leadership is to keep the most important thing -- the most important thing.

In business, the most important thing is to make money. EVERYTHING is subservient to that goal. But of course, you can't continue to make money if the quality of your goods or services is shoddy, so quality control contributes to the "most important thing." You can't continue to make money well if your employees are not happy, so human resources contributes to the "most important thing." You can't maximize your profits if you don't treat customers right, thus customer service is likewise a contributor. And you won't be in business long if your product or service goes out of date (so research and development are likewise important).

But never forget, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING is to make money. If you take your eyes off the goal to focus on any of these other things (research and development, human resources, etc.), it won't be long before the tail is wagging the dog and you'll be spending money and burning time rather than making money.

Now you understand the title of this post. The goal is "simple." DOING it is "hard."

It's easy to get distracted. Whether you appreciate the gargantuan paychecks of some of today's CEOs, the fact of the matter is that they make all that money because they have learned to keep all the component parts of their business running well, while never losing sight of the "main thing." (Yes, I know some of them are doing pitiful jobs and STILL getting huge paychecks, but don't let that distract you from my main point.)

So how does all this relate to the Church?

The Church has a "main thing." Our problem is: we don't have a handle on what it is. We often think we do . . . but we don't. As an experiment, try this: get a group of Christians in a room and ask them to tell you what the main purpose of the Church is. Ask them to help you compose a purpose statement and keep it to one paragraph -- no more than three sentences. This purpose must be all comprehensive, biblical, and it should be memorable (so we don't forget the "main thing").

It either won't go well, or it will be a trying experiment. And the reason is that Christians simply do not have a handle on the "main thing." During such an experiment, an Elder, pointing to a Bible, said: "There's our purpose statement." I admire the sentiment, but it was easy to see why the church was failing.

'Ok Mr. Smarty Pants,' you are thinking. 'What's the main thing for the Church?'

I'm glad you asked. Come back next week for the answer. But until then, think about it yourself. Remember: It should be phrased in one paragraph, comprehensive, biblical, 3 sentences at the most, and memorable.

Until next week . . .