Photo by Edgar Pereira on Unsplash

That phrase is not just a line from Michael Jackson’s 1987 song.  It’s actually a metaphor for one of the ways we inspire and assist our member churches.

Last week I wrote our answer to the question, “So, what do you guys do anyway?”

Here it is again, in case you missed it:

“We inspire and assist our member churches to engage their communities and expand their kingdom focus with transforming grace.”

I like to describe our processes in terms of mirrors and windows.  Mirrors help us see ourselves more clearly. If we are unable (or unwilling) to see ourselves, we will be less effective in engaging others.

Some of the tools and processes we have are like holding up a mirror for leaders–and the churches they serve–to do some self-assessment to identify strengths to optimize, weaknesses to mitigate, confusion to clarify, and missing elements to add.

Tools like the Church Health Survey and Leading from Your Strengths, and P.L.A.C.E.  have a strong mirror component.

Tools like Church Unique, the Younique Personal Vision Journey, and Dangerous Pastors also begin with a strong mirror component before moving to the metaphor of the window.

Windows help us see the world around us more clearly.  If we are unable (or unwilling) to truly see our communities, we will miss opportunities to engage with them in Kingdom pursuits.

Demographic and Psychographic studies are window tools.  

Of course, most of our tools and processes are a combination of mirrors and windows and sometimes we use multiple tools to get as clear a picture as possible.

We need both.

If we spend all our time in front of the mirror, we will become so internally focused that we will spend all our time either primping or nitpicking.

If we spend all our time looking out the window, we may miss something in us that is either a hindrance or an unrealized potential for effective ministry.

And the bottom line is that our time before both the mirror and the window should prepare us to launch out the door to where God is working around us.

So, how can we use the tools we have to help your church (and your leaders) take a good look in the mirror and through the window?

This truly is a great time to be about the work of the kingdom and I am grateful to be your partner and mission strategist.