One of the most Important Mission Questions Is

When we work with a church the first question we ask the leadership is, (Who in your church is willing to own a community ministry and are you as a church willing to partner with them as your lay staff) “Who, in your congregation is involved in a community ministry and would be willing to be on the ministry staff representing that ministry?” Most pastors are not real sure what to do with lay pastors.

Dimension One: Base of Operation Ministries And Dimension Two: Target Group Ministries Compared and Contrasted

When you think about how to create a ministry friendly environment think of the contrast between base ministries and target ministries. The consumer church turns target ministries into base and it quickly begins to limit it's ministry and effectiveness.

There are just two comparisons:

Both are part of the same church. They are interdependent parts of the larger whole.
Both have leaders are accountable to church leadership if moral or doctrinal issues arise in their ministries.

Here are ten contrasts:

1. The ministries in the Base of Operation are determined by the staff and are staff led, (or led by someone recruited by the staff).
Target Groups are determined by the ministry passions of the lay people and are lay led.
2. The Base of Operation is more organizational, if a Home Base leader leaves the
church will replace him or her.
Target Groups are organic, if a Target Group leader leaves and no takes their
place, the ministry will be allowed to die.
3. The Base of Operation is the church’s “place to stand”
Target Groups are the church’s place to “move the world”
4. The ministries at the Base of Operation have a lot less freedom to fail
Failure in the Target Groups is not a problem, (in fact it should be celebrated).
5. The number of Base of Operation ministries is limited by the number of people a
church is willing to hire and/or recruit.
The number of Target Group ministries has no limits; there are Target Group
possibilities with both Need Groups and Affinity Groups, (there over a 100
groups potential Need and Affinity Groups see unleashingthechurch.com)
6. The Base of Operation is largely tied to the church’s facilities
Target Groups may or may not use the church’s facilities
7. The Base of Operation is financed out of the church’s budget
Target Groups are positioned to tap into funds that normally go to community
charities. Target Group should not expect funding through their church budget.
8. The Base of Operation is legally tied to the church’s corporation papers.
Target Groups may or may not have additional non-profit corporations.
9. The ministry at the Base of Operation is determined by the expectations that
Americans have when attending a church, it is designed for consumers.
Target Group ministries are determined by the “ministry callings” of the church’s
pew people, and is focused on both Need and Affinity Groups
10. The Base of Operation is much more stable and predictable
Target Groups are both flexible and potentially volatile.

Base of Operation and Target Ministry: A New Way of Looking at Churches

A church’s Base of Operation is what we have traditionally thought of as the whole church. It is a group of people with similar Christian beliefs who purchase a facility and meet regularly. There are typically eight to ten basic ministries that churches naturally start in order to be recognizable as a church: preaching, music, youth, children, nurseries, women and men. Plus there is a Missions program which translates into primarily a Missions Budget. There are two kinds of staff, ministry staff who oversee the Base of Operation ministries and the support staff, maintenance people, who also are focused on the Base of Operation.

If a church is able to hire a multiple staff, the first person hired is usually a senior pastor. Next, they hire an associate who can work with either music or youth or both. A normal staff is filled out when someone is paid to oversee the basic ministry categories. If a church isn’t able to afford a paid staff to oversee all the basic ministry areas, they typically recruit volunteers to oversee them.

As churches grow, their staffs become more sophisticated, e.g. paying a Nursery Coordinator, or a Pastor for this or that. And the single secretary becomes a bunch secretary’s. There are variations but the basics of the Base of Operation have remained remarkably the same for several decades.

Churches have thought of themselves in the context described above for a long time. It won’t be easy to expand our basic understanding of what a church looks like. We need not reduce the eight or ten ministries that churches are expected to do. All the basic ministries are important. But if churches are going to become places where everyone’s ministry calling can be recognized and valued, a Second Dimension, i.e. Target Group Ministries must be added to the mix.

Target Group Ministries are very different than Base of Operation Ministries. While the Base of Operation is made up of ministries and services that the culture expects in a church, there are no such expectations for the Target Groups. I am pulling for the second dimension not to be drowned out by the desk jockeys.