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March 30, 2009

Mission vs. Maintenance

I suppose it's an age old leadership question, but it's always relevant: How do you balance the tension between mission and maintenance? This question comes up commonly in an overall organizational sense. For instance: Do we invest our time maintaining existing small groups even though many of our current groups seem like the frozen-chosen or, do we pour our time and energy into developing completely new small groups even though our group failure rate may be high because of the lack of equipped leaders?

The easy answer is to say: "Do both maintenance and mission." And, I think at some levels, you probably can focus on both. But, the question of maintenance vs. mission has fewer easy answers in the context of individual relational ministry. Try a few of these situations on for size...

- There's an individual that you have a heart for and have been doing life with for some time, but never seems to be able to make that next growth step or overcome that sinful pattern. Do you "move on," or keep giving grace and time-intensive accountability?

- As the leader of a small group that's trying to multiplying into two groups, you have a few disgruntled individuals who don't think the group should be "split-up!" Do you delay multiplying until everyone is unified and on the same page (which might never happen) or push ahead at the risk of alienating some folks?

- Or, what about that person in your group who ministers along side of you in leadership, the one who never seems to be on the same page as you and the rest of the group. Do you keep giving grace to their ever-shifting mind-set, or do you ask them to step out of their leadership role for the benefit of the group's energy, time and mission?

You might have a bias in one or more of these situations, but the truth is there are no easy answers to these questions. You might say that each of these situations is unique and must be handled case by case. The truth is that I've been in these situations before and sometimes what I would do changes even conversation by conversation!

What the Lord is teaching me through my own local community of believers right now is to find joy and grace and purpose in the journey as much as the destination; in the seeking as much as the answering. Remember, the seemingly endless struggles of working through the mission vs. maintenance tensions are worth it, for two reasons: 1) relational ministry (even the tough stuff) is a high and noble calling of every believer, and 2) what seems like unfortunate tensions and struggles actually are fortune in disguise; because when we don't know what to focus on, it puts us in the position where we have to focus on the Lord.

Listen to what the Lord told His people: "The truth is that you will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you, says the LORD." (Jer. 29:10-14)

There seems to be no end to the tension between mission and maintenance when it comes to relational ministry, but the tension is worth it, for no other reason that it draws us to the Lord for wisdom and grace - where else can we go? It's the one thing we can do when we don't know what to do!

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posted by Dan Lentz on March 30, 2009 7:44 AM