Big Business?

I am under no obligation to be the same person I was five minutes ago. –Anonymous

How do we decide if a church is a “successful” church? What, exactly, pleases God when it comes to our churches? What sets apart the good ones from the not-so-good ones? Can success in a church be measured by “butts and bucks” (or the more G-rated “nickels and noses”)? There may be as many answers as there are churches.

The United Methodist Church’s Book of Discipline states, The mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ, for the transformation of the world. It seems to me that’s a pretty safe place to begin when deciding if a church is good at being a church.

Are people gathering to worship God together? Are we going out the door energized, filled with desire to share the Good News with others through the way we live our daily lives? Is there giving going on-- not just from our pockets, but from our hearts? Are our lives the very best “advertisement” for the Christ whom we profess to follow? Are lives being changed?

In other words, what are we doing that works? What is it that draws people in? To borrow from the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians), I can take out the biggest ad in the local paper, and buy up billboards on all the major highways—but if my life doesn’t reflect a love for Christ and for others, I am nothing more than a clanging gong, a tired old slogan. If I have not been loved by God and shared that love with others, my life is empty and silent. At the end of the day and the end of our lives, all we ever had—is Love.

Spread it around. Thickly.


Monday Change without begins in prayer within. Pray in quiet and let God’s peace fill your spirit. (It may take time.) Let peace begin with you. Numbers 6:24-26

Tuesday Pray today, by name, for a friend or family member whose life is in need of peace. Pray that God’s holy peace would fill their soul as it has filled yours. John 14:27

Wednesday Find an opportunity to do an extra kindness for someone you do not know—just because. (If you can do this anonymously—bonus!) Thank God for the gifts he has given you; ask God to reveal even more opportunities to use them. Colossians 3:15-17

Thursday Pray for our peace officers, those men and women whose vocation is to protect and serve, keeping us safe on a daily basis. Thank them in person when an opportunity arises. Isaiah 58:5-7

Friday Pray for the world. Pray for those enduring chaos or confusion, whose lives have been turned on end by earthquakes, fires and floods. How can you help? (UMCOR comes to mind. . . .) Philippians 4:4-7

Saturday Another chance to pause in silence. Remember a time of God’s faithfulness in your life and be thankful. Isaiah 61:1

Sunday Pray today, by name, for a nation in conflict (possibly our own). Pray for the Holy Spirit of peace to be made manifest in our world. Give thanks for this faith family of love and peace. Isaiah 58:9-14


Transformation is often more about unlearning than about learning. –Richard Rohr

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