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 And you won't be in business long if your product or service goes out of date (so research and development are likewise important).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 . . .