Cornerstone, on track? - a podcast by Nils Swanson

In reflecting upon our discussion about the health of Cornerstone and discerning God’s guidance for the church, I was reminded of the importance of prior guidance. Identifying where God has guided in the past can be important in discerning his guidance in the present.

As I looked back over some key things related to Cornerstone, I came across this quote from Peter Drucker:
“It’s just human propensity to start in a clearly defined direction then to veer off the path somehow and wind up not doing what you originally started to do… (and not do that one thing well).”

I also was reminded that an airplane 1º off at takeoff will be 10 miles off course after 100 miles of flight. Both of these reminded me of the importance of being on track and staying on track!

Here are some of the key items in God’s guidance of Cornerstone over the years:

1) We have a purpose. I realize that seems incomplete as it stands. But it is important to recognize the truth and power of that statement. It does not say I have a purpose (although that is indeed the case). It sayswehave a purpose.

2) Our Purpose is to glorify God by loving him and joining him in what he is doing. What God is doing is changing the world by touching lives in Pullman. He is doing this by making disciples (fully committed followers of Jesus Christ).

3) Our purpose is best accomplished as a body/team (we have a purpose).

4) In working toward our purpose we will discover satisfaction.

5) We have no promise of tomorrow.

You may or may not agree with these five points and each one could be expanded upon. They may not be for every church. Yet I believe these are key points for Cornerstone Community Church.

In order to stay on track we need to keep in mind the following:

Our motive—love God and people (our passion) The Great Commandment
Our mission—make disciples of Jesus Christ (our purpose) The Great Commission
Our method—live as Jesus lived (our practice) The Great Example

The result, hopefully, will be a healthy body of believers obeying the great commandment, functioning according to giftedness and joining God in accomplishing the great commission.

A healthy body has a balance of these three “M’s” which may be expressed in a variety of ways. One that I like because of its simplicity is this: winning, building and equipping. Winning has to do with introducing people to the Kingdom of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Building relates to helping believers grow in their relationship with Christ and others. Equipping involves the training necessary to be ambassadors of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God in the 21st century.

There has been quite a bit of study regarding church health in the last decade and it has been noted that the church in North America is struggling greatly. A reason for this is the tendency for churches to lack balance in these three areas. One researcher has called this the “87% problem.” In his research, out of 100 churches surveyed, 87 focused exclusively on building believers and not at all on winning or equipping. The result is that they are out of balance and thus not healthy.

Balance in this case does not mean an even split in thirds, but an intentional and prayerful integration of all three areas in the life of the church: sometimes focusing on one area or another as needed. It is a dynamic process that ebbs and flows much like nutrition, exercise and sleep which are needed for personal health. It is not that each one has to be happening every day, but that over time each one is evident in proper measure.

In light of this, my sense is that in the past 18-24 months Cornerstone might have slipped out of balance. We may have moved towards being part of the 87% problem and need to regain a healthy balance of winning and equipping along with building. Give this some prayerful thought. Talk about it with your small group and then join us on Sunday, February 8 for an all church conversation regarding this topic. See you then! Blessings, Nils

Further episodes of Fresh Bread

Further podcasts by Nils Swanson

Website of Nils Swanson