Shift - Clarity

Been doing way more twittering than blogging lately (y'all on twitter yet)?  But I do have a few thoughts that take more than 140 characters to express...so I'm resurfacing....

I've been thinking about shifts that we'll see (or that we'll need to see) in the church in the next five years, and I want to outline a few that I'm wrestling with.  Some of these shifts are already underway - some might yet need to happen. Would love to hear what you are wrestling with too.  Some of these are really thinking in pencil.   But the church and culture are always moving and changing.  Sometimes it's hard to spot the trends ahead.  So hereogoes.

Shift One - Clarity
We're exposed to a wider variety of choices every year, but is more always better? There's a growing opinion that excess choice leads to paralysis.  Faced with ten options, people start to feel overwhelmed and end up either doing nothing or making an ill-informed choice.

And yet companies like Apple, Toyota and Honda, who offer surprisingly little choice when compared to their competition, are gaining market share, not losing it.  Increasingly it seems like people would like fewer choices among quality products rather than a sea of mediocre options.

How does this translate into church leadership?

 People can't follow a fuzzy calling, random messages or muddy strategy.  Here are three shifts I think need to happen in churches:

• Our call needs clarity.  There can be a temptation to play to bigger and better.  But you can get there by shuffling Christians out of a church that is slightly less hip or relevant than yours.  Bad move.  Ultimately, if I am not over the top crazy in love with Jesus and the people Jesus died for (read 'the general population), I probably ought to quit.  I am struggling more with this call now than I have in a while, and I think that's a good struggle.  You can play to an audience in the church or give your life to loving and serving the world for which Jesus died.  He usually doesn't call people into ministry to impress the already-redeemed. 

• Our message needs clarity.  Too many of us have walked out of a 40 minute message and asked what on earth it was about.  The application isn''t clear or (often) is non-existent.  In the guise of being "deep", the content is over people's heads or obscure.  Maturity is sometimes defined as being able to sit through long sessions of these.  I know as a preacher I am constantly being challenged to be clearer, simpler and more direct in the messages I give.  It's much harder to be clear than to be fuzzy, but I think people would be so much better served if we shifted to clear, applicable and easier-to-follow messages.

• Our strategy needs clarity. As ministry leaders, we often let random things happen in our ministry because we have no clear plan or path in mind and don't like saying no.  If you pick up a church program or browse a web site and no clear path is in place, how do we expect people to make progress?  If you're not sure where you're going, any path will take you there.

What's your take on the need for clarity?  Do you agree?  Where else might we need to become clear?