identify yourself

what kind of ministry are you leading? I was recently reading a doctorate thesis online about spiritual formation and the following three metaphors were used and explained. I pray they will prove helpful to each of you in your assessment of how you do ministry and to what end.

some are like highly organized garages, everything ordered and in its place. almost a sterile, clinical environment. easy to find what you need to get the job done and easy to accomplish it because all of the right tools and resources are right at hand. only problem is that not much good stuff grows in a garage. over-structured and over-formalized churches aiming to be "in control" of ministry processes and environments, leave little room for the Holy Spirit to do its formative work. this type of ministry is often led by a control-obsessed leader that does not like surprises, lives on predictability, and is all about accomplishing a lot for the Kingdom. unfortunately, though this would never be stated, there is far too little emphasis or resources invested in actual reproductive and transformational growth. the concern is with doing and completing as opposed to being and becoming.

other ministries seeking to be all about flourishing become like a meadow, where there is total freedom to grow without restraint or convention. a ton of growth happens here, but the type and quality of growth is totally unpredictable. more often than not, the weeds and vines take over and strangle out any beneficial fruit-bearing plants. this is true in organizations led by dreamers and innovators who do not appreciate the value of managers and detail-oriented staff. there is a lot of movement (sometimes more like chaos) but very little lasting productivity. As a side note, it is also almost entirely "un-reproducible."

that leaves us with a solution that takes from the best of both environments while leaving the negative factors at bay - how about a green house? here there is freedom for healthy growth, but with monitoring, fertilization, pruning, and a controlled environment. maybe the most important aspect is there has to be a caretaker that knows what kinds of plants they are growing and what they should look like when they are healthy! this type of organization is led by a team of specialists that each know their plant and what constitutes health, how to care for it specifically, and the willingness to allow it to grow naturally.

which environment best represents your ministry? what steps need to be taken to transform it into a green house? what role will you play in accomplishing that transformation?