Saddleback has equipped countless individuals to discover their “shape” for ministry. But there is a different kind of “shape” being overlooked by most church leaders today.  Do you know the “shape” of your church?  Just like people, no two churches are alike.  And just as it is important for individuals to discover and develop their unique contribution to the body of Christ, churches can be dramatically more effective by discovering and developing their unique contribution to the kingdom. 

Do you believe that you would be dramatically more effective by understanding your church’s shape? 

Consider for a moment how uniqueness permeates God’s plan. Did you know that no two snowflakes are identical?  Have you ever marveled that each sunset brings a dash of originality? Whether it’s the elements of nature, the workmanship of each human being, or every believer’s experience of grace, God is never in the mass-production business. Somehow, through His infinite creativity and untiring genius, God delights in making things stunningly unique! 

Yet church leaders act as if there is a divine cookie-cutter out there for their church. Did God roll a photocopy machine into heaven’s workshop when the church was born at Pentecost? When leaders fall prey to this temptation I call it “unoriginal sin.” 

Imagine the list of leadership blunders that comes from a failure to consider a church’s uniqueness.  Leaders will:

-- Grow tired, trying to be “all things to all people.”

-- Stay anxious, attempting to imitate what works at other churches.

-- Get distracted, unable to distinguish good ministry from great ministry

-- Feel stale, not sensing the personal voice of God.

-- Loose influence, not rallying people to a specific, local vision. 

For the last decade, I have walked alongside of pastors to discern their church’s “shape” This fruitful process is called the Vision Pathway and was unveiled in Church Unique, a book that has gained considerable traction over the past year. Any pastor, at any time, can begin to walk this pathway through the simple habits of discernment: prayer, study, asking questions and listening.  

To illustrate the Kingdom Concept, consider three brief examples. A church in Las Vegas, sees their location as a modern-day Nineveh and is driven by their calling for city transformation, A church in Austin was frustrated by the inability for parents to disciple children at home, and reinvented their entire church strategy around a home-based initiative.  A congregation in Ft. Lauderdale, realized that most of the their leaders came to Christ as adults in season of overt brokenness.  This insight led them to change the name of the church and redirect resources to have a larger recovery ministry in the community.  All of these churches are accomplishing the five purposes of the church, but each in a nuanced way; each according to their “shape.” 

What is your church’s “shape?”

Whatever the answer, the discovery process will clarify vision and release new levels of energy in your church. It’s your choice.  Do you want to be “Church Generic” and have the impact of a diffuse fluorescent light?  Or do you want to be “Church Unique” and see your mission go the distance of a laser beam? In the end, knowing your church’s shape dramatically increases your leadership influence in the congregation, and your churches impact in the community.