When is a Congregation Finished With Transformation?

Actually the answer is never. Congregations must be continually transforming to be in full, active response to the pull of God in the direction of their full kingdom potential.

A better question is, when is a congregation successfully transforming? To that question there are several great answers.

• When a congregation leans continually into the future rather than into the past. It honors the presence of God in the past, and celebrates the presence of God in the future out of their emerging understanding of that future.
• When a congregation is captivated by an empowering future vision into which it is seeking to live.
• When a congregation hardwires into its culture continual transformation, with special focus on making significant transformation every seven to nine years.
• When a congregation thinks it is more important to reach people under 40 than it is to care for people over 60.
• When the leadership of the congregation is appropriately balanced by age and tenure demographics.
• When the spiritual strategic direction of the congregation, its future story, or it felt vision is the primary criteria for determining the goodness or rightness of decisions and actions by the congregation.
• When so much passion is focused on fulfilling the Great Commission in the spirit of the Great Commandment that there is insufficient room for unhealthy conflict to take hold in the congregation.
• When impacting lives with the love of Jesus is more important than the success of specific programs, ministries, and activities.
• When financial generosity is a hallmark of the congregation that blows totally past the struggle to get people to tithe because they are committed beyond the tithe to kingdom ministry in, through, or because of the ministry of the congregation.
• When having a kingdom impact is more important than growing this specific congregation. Growth is likely to be a side benefit, in many congregations, of a kingdom impact focus.

Well, these are ten to get started. When do you feel a congregation is successfully transforming?