Over the years, I began to put together a list of criteria which I would periodically hold up to a congregation to help them determine whether they were still on track with what God wanted for His Church. These criteria included: (1) growing numerically, (2) growing spiritually, (3) reproduction, (4) missions, and (5) ministry. This list set the framework for the study into the reality of what the church should be.

Unfortunately, I believe that fully 80 percent of the existing congregations in America probably could not pass this test. Therefore, this may mean that we need to help our current churches re-envision their purpose and not hamstring those moving out regardless of their size or leadership style.

God is doing a great and marvelous work amongst us today. We must get on board with His program and stop reinventing it around those criteria that make us feel or look good. I doubt anything that I will say is new. I am a practitioner. All of this comes from my own struggles with understanding what God wants for His church. Please join me in the struggle as together we seek His will.