“An organization should find it’s purpose and create a structure to support that purpose, rather than having a structure and trying to fit the organization’s purpose into that structure.”

This was a comment that I heard from a group of business coaches and consultants.  This comment caused me to think about my congregation who has struggled with how we live out who we are.  We are not a traditional congregation.  We are only 20 years old, we have @ 100 adult members, and we have identified 5 adjectives that say much about who we are:  progressive, inclusive, creative, caring and kid-friendly.  Our church structure is that of a traditional, large congregation. 

What is the purpose of my congregation?

What do we need to change in our structure and organization to support our purpose? 

These two questions are good for congregations to pause and think about. 

Many congregations immediately know their purpose and can easily identify areas that may need to be adjusted to more fully support the congregation’s purpose.  Other congregations will struggle with naming their purpose before they will understand how the structure works for them or against them. 

As we move toward the time of year for nominations and finding leaders to facilitate the work of the church, I will be asking my congregation to wrestle with these questions.  I am excited to see what might come from this conversation and time of discernment.   How does your congregation work with these questions?

Beth Kennett, September 2010