Home Small Group Leaders Small Group Leaders Blogs Yielding to What is Doable and Practical and Popular

Yielding to What is Doable and Practical and Popular

Ever find yourself settling for what you’ve always done? Or settling for what is familiar rather than what might be next?

Most of us play the role we play because we have a burning desire to connect people or make disciples or help people grow in Christ. We have a bag of tricks that work to a degree, but often only to a degree.

When we are really honest, we know that there are many more unconnected people than there are connected. There are many more who remain spiritual infants who need milk instead of solid food.

But instead of trying a new thing, recognizing that “our ministries are perfectly designed to produce the results we’re currently getting,” we fall back again to what we’ve done before.

One of my favorite books is Peter Block’s The Answer to How is Yes. In it, Block calls out our tendency to settle:

We have yielded too easily to what is doable and practical and popular. In the process we have sacrificed the pursuit of what is in our hearts. We find ourselves giving in to our doubts, and settling for what we know how to do, or can soon learn how to do, instead of pursuing what most matters to us and living with the adventure and anxiety that this requires.

What if we set aside one day a month or a morning a week to zero in on what matters most to us . . . and then set out in headlong pursuit of what is in our hearts?

What if we pulled together a band of uncompromising dreamers who sworn allegiance was to do what seems beyond doable?

What if we started today? Who’s in?

Previous articleAmbition
Next articleEarly Christians and Mutual Care
Mark Howell serves as Pastor of Communities at Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas, NV. He founded SmallGroupResources.net, offering consulting and coaching services to help churches across North America launch, build and sustain healthy small group ministries. He spent four years on the consulting staff at Lifetogether and often contributes to ministry periodicals such as the Pastor's Ministry Toolbox and ChurchCentral.com.