Fellowship Preaching/Teaching Leadership Celebrate Recovery Discipleship Small Groups Evangelism Worship Ministry

Build the System That Produces Changed Lives

40 Days of Prayer Study Kit

Daily Hope Devotional: 365 Days of Purpose, Peace, and Promise

Building a Better Life

A ministry can have a clear purpose and still fail to produce changed lives.

Pastors see it all the time. The mission is right. The need is real. The volunteers care. The program has history. But somehow the ministry keeps running without really developing people.

Purpose is only the beginning. Once you know what a ministry is for, you still have to build the process that helps it do what God called it to do.

The Bible says, “God is not the author of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:33 KJV). God works with order. He arranges the parts of the body. He gives gifts. He gives direction. He gives people a place to serve.

So after you define the ministry, you need to build the system that produces the outcome. How do you do that?

1. Let values shape how ministry gets done

After you define the mission, ask what values are important to that ministry.

Values shape how ministry gets done. Two churches can run the same program and produce a very different culture because they value different things. Values are not decorations. They are guardrails.

If you value using people’s giftedness, you will not just plug people into empty slots. You will ask how God has shaped them. If you value simplicity, you will not make the process so complicated that volunteers need a manual just to serve. If you value feedback, you will keep asking, “How can we do this better?”

A ministry can have a full schedule and still have an unhealthy culture. That is why you need to define not only what you do, but how you do it.

2. Know who the ministry serves

A ministry also needs to know who it serves.

At Saddleback, we often talked about the circles of commitment: the community, the crowd, the congregation, the committed, and the core. Not every ministry was aimed at the same circle. Some ministries served people who were uncommitted. Some helped attenders become members. Some helped members grow toward maturity. Some equipped mature believers for ministry and mission.

That kind of clarity matters.

If you do not know who a ministry is for, you will not know how to design it. A ministry for first-time guests will look different from a ministry for trained leaders. A ministry for new believers will look different from a ministry for people preparing for mission.

One reason programs become confusing is that they try to serve everybody in the same way.

Ask: Who is this ministry trying to help? Then design the ministry around that person’s real needs, not around the way the program has always operated.

3. Create a strategy before you create more activity

A dream without a strategy is just a wish.

Ask, “Where would I like to see this ministry six months from now? Where would I like to see it a year from now?”

Those questions force you to think beyond next Sunday. They move the ministry from maintenance to development.

Then ask, “What steps could I take to improve this ministry?”

You do not need to change everything at once. But every ministry needs a next step. Maybe the next step is clearer training. Maybe it is a simpler entry point. Maybe it is a better follow-up process. Maybe it is a stronger handoff from one ministry to another.

Strategy turns purpose into movement.

4. Build a system that produces the outcome

Every ministry needs systems.

A system is simply a repeatable process that helps you produce the intended outcome. If your ministry is supposed to develop leaders, what process develops them? If it is supposed to care for hurting people, what process makes sure no one falls through the cracks? If it is supposed to move people into service, what process helps them discover their gifts and take a next step?

Systems are not unspiritual. God is a God of order.

The Spirit empowers ministry. Scripture anchors ministry. Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NIV). But depending on Christ does not mean ignoring planning, structure, and process. With Christ, you still need to think clearly about what he has called you to do.

Faith is not an excuse for confusion.

5. Put the right people in the right places

Ask, “What are our competencies? Who is gifted to do what?”

God has arranged the parts of the body. People are not interchangeable pieces in your church machine. They are members of Christ’s body, gifted by God for service.

When you define a ministry well, it becomes easier to recruit well. You are no longer just saying, “We need help.” You can say, “Here is what this ministry does, here is who it serves, here is why it matters, and here is the kind of person who can help.”

People respect that kind of clarity.

It also protects your team. Many volunteers burn out because they were recruited into roles that never matched their gifts, their season, or the actual purpose of the ministry. They were filling a gap, not fulfilling a calling.

The right people in the right places create strength. The wrong people in the wrong places create strain.

6. Decide how the ministry serves people

A ministry also needs to ask, “How does this serve people?”

Some ministries meet physical needs. Some meet emotional needs. Some meet spiritual needs. Some meet social needs. Often, a healthy ministry touches more than one of those areas.

That question keeps the ministry from existing for itself. It pushes you to ask, “Are we actually adding value to the people we serve? Are we helping them take the next step God wants them to take?”

A ministry can have meetings, volunteers, and a calendar and still forget the people it was designed to serve.

7. Choose structure that serves the purpose

Structure should serve the mission. It should not become the mission.

Every ministry eventually needs to ask, “What structure best fits our statement and values?”

Sometimes a ministry needs more structure because people are falling through the cracks. Sometimes it needs less structure because the process has become too heavy. Sometimes it needs to move under a different team because it fits better with another purpose. Sometimes it needs to stop for a season because it no longer serves the church’s mission.

Do not start with the org chart. Start with the purpose.

A ministry is healthy when its structure helps it do what God has called it to do. It is unhealthy when the structure mainly preserves itself.

Pastor, good intentions are not enough to sustain a ministry. A clear purpose needs values, strategy, systems, people, service, and structure that work together.

The goal is not a smoother machine. The goal is changed lives.

So build the ministry in a way that helps people grow. Build it so people can serve from their gifts. Build it so the process is clear enough for others to follow. Build it so the structure supports the purpose instead of burying it.

When you define the ministry, you know where you are going. When you build the system, you help people get there.

Recent Articles

Build the System That Produces Changed Lives

A ministry can have a clear purpose and still fail to produce changed lives.Pastors see it all the time. The mission is right. The need is real. The volunteers care. The program has history. But somehow the ministry keeps running without really developing people.Purpose is only the beginning. Once you know what a ministry is for, you still have to build the process that helps it do what God called it to do.The Bible says, “God is not the author of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:33 KJV). God works with order. He arranges the parts of the body. He gives gifts. He gives direction. He gives people a place to serve.So after you define the ministry, you need to build the system that produces the outcome. How do you do that?1. Let values shape how ministry gets doneAfter you define the mission, ask what values are important to that ministry.Values shape how ministry gets done. Two churches can run the same program and produce a very different culture because they value different things. Values are not decorations. They are guardrails.If you value using people’s giftedness, you will not just plug people into empty slots. You will ask how God has shaped them. If you value simplicity, you will not make the process so complicated that volunteers need a manual just to serve. If you value feedback, you will keep asking, “How can we do this better?”A ministry can have a full schedule and still have an unhealthy culture. That is why you need to define not only what you do, but how you do it.2. Know who the ministry servesA ministry also needs to know who it serves.At Saddleback, we often talked about the circles of commitment: the community, the crowd, the congregation, the committed, and the core. Not every ministry was aimed at the same circle. Some ministries served people who were uncommitted. Some helped attenders become members. Some helped members grow toward maturity. Some equipped mature believers for ministry and mission.That kind of clarity matters.If you do not know who a ministry is for, you will not know how to design it. A ministry for first-time guests will look different from a ministry for trained leaders. A ministry for new believers will look different from a ministry for people preparing for mission.One reason programs become confusing is that they try to serve everybody in the same way.Ask: Who is this ministry trying to help? Then design the ministry around that person’s real needs, not around the way the program has always operated.3. Create a strategy before you create more activityA dream without a strategy is just a wish.Ask, “Where would I like to see this ministry six months from now? Where would I like to see it a year from now?”Those questions force you to think beyond next Sunday. They move the ministry from maintenance to development.Then ask, “What steps could I take to improve this ministry?”You do not need to change everything at once. But every ministry needs a next step. Maybe the next step is clearer training. Maybe it is a simpler entry point. Maybe it is a better follow-up process. Maybe it is a stronger handoff from one ministry to another.Strategy turns purpose into movement.4. Build a system that produces the outcomeEvery ministry needs systems.A system is simply a repeatable process that helps you produce the intended outcome. If your ministry is supposed to develop leaders, what process develops them? If it is supposed to care for hurting people, what process makes sure no one falls through the cracks? If it is supposed to move people into service, what process helps them discover their gifts and take a next step?Systems are not unspiritual. God is a God of order.The Spirit empowers ministry. Scripture anchors ministry. Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NIV). But depending on Christ does not mean ignoring planning, structure, and process. With Christ, you still need to think clearly about what he has called you to do.Faith is not an excuse for confusion.5. Put the right people in the right placesAsk, “What are our competencies? Who is gifted to do what?”God has arranged the parts of the body. People are not interchangeable pieces in your church machine. They are members of Christ’s body, gifted by God for service.When you define a ministry well, it becomes easier to recruit well. You are no longer just saying, “We need help.” You can say, “Here is what this ministry does, here is who it serves, here is why it matters, and here is the kind of person who can help.”People respect that kind of clarity.It also protects your team. Many volunteers burn out because they were recruited into roles that never matched their gifts, their season, or the actual purpose of the ministry. They were filling a gap, not fulfilling a calling.The right people in the right places create strength. The wrong people in the wrong places create strain.6. Decide how the ministry serves peopleA ministry also needs to ask, “How does this serve people?”Some ministries meet physical needs. Some meet emotional needs. Some meet spiritual needs. Some meet social needs. Often, a healthy ministry touches more than one of those areas.That question keeps the ministry from existing for itself. It pushes you to ask, “Are we actually adding value to the people we serve? Are we helping them take the next step God wants them to take?”A ministry can have meetings, volunteers, and a calendar and still forget the people it was designed to serve.7. Choose structure that serves the purposeStructure should serve the mission. It should not become the mission.Every ministry eventually needs to ask, “What structure best fits our statement and values?”Sometimes a ministry needs more structure because people are falling through the cracks. Sometimes it needs less structure because the process has become too heavy. Sometimes it needs to move under a different team because it fits better with another purpose. Sometimes it needs to stop for a season because it no longer serves the church’s mission.Do not start with the org chart. Start with the purpose.A ministry is healthy when its structure helps it do what God has called it to do. It is unhealthy when the structure mainly preserves itself.Pastor, good intentions are not enough to sustain a ministry. A clear purpose needs values, strategy, systems, people, service, and structure that work together.The goal is not a smoother machine. The goal is changed lives.So build the ministry in a way that helps people grow. Build it so people can serve from their gifts. Build it so the process is clear enough for others to follow. Build it so the structure supports the purpose instead of burying it.When you define the ministry, you know where you are going. When you build the system, you help people get there.

Lead with the Gifts God Gave You

“There are different spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, and yet the same Lord is served. There are different types of work to do, but the same God produces every gift in every person.” 1 Corinthians 12:4–6 (GW)Pastor, you may begin this Monday wondering whether you have what it takes for what your church needs. Another leader seems more gifted. A ministry challenge has exposed your limits. The week ahead may require abilities you’re not sure you possess.But God never calls you to an assignment without giving you what you need to do it. When you put your faith in Christ, God gives you four major gifts.Forgiveness. You won’t lead perfectly. You’ll make mistakes, miss opportunities, and sometimes say the wrong thing. But your calling does not rest on a spotless record. Romans 5:15 calls grace and forgiveness God’s gift through Jesus Christ. You are forgiven. There is no condemnation.Eternal life. In ministry, every decision, attendance number, and unfinished task can feel urgent. But God has long-range plans for you. “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 NIV). You don’t earn your future with God through ministry success. Eternal life is a gift you receive by faith.The Holy Spirit. You aren’t expected to lead on your own strength. “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5 NIV). The Spirit produces the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control you need as you serve.Special abilities. The Bible calls them spiritual gifts. They are the abilities God gives you to do the work he has assigned to you. Your gifts may not look like another pastor’s gifts, but they come from the same Spirit and serve the same Lord.God has a purpose for your life, Pastor, and your spiritual gifts are the tools he gives you to do what he asks. You don’t need to imitate someone else’s calling or lead with someone else’s gifts.This week, thank God for what he has already given you. Then use it faithfully. God will never ask you to do something he doesn’t give you the ability to do.

Your Church’s History Can Strengthen Its Future

Pastor, your people need to know where your church is going. They also need to know where it has been.After a few years, a vision can become just a slogan printed on a wall. New people hear it, but they may never learn about the faith, sacrifice, setbacks, and answered prayers behind it. Keep telling them what God has done in your church.The Living Bible paraphrase says, “God . . . by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes” (Ephesians 3:20).When you look back and realize God did more than you imagined, don’t keep that history to yourself. Tell it. Your church’s story can build faith for whatever God asks you to do next.Tell people how the vision beganOn March 30, 1980, I preached our first Saddleback message to about 60 people at a trial-run service. Most of us had never met before.I described a dream of a place where hurting, hopeless, discouraged, and confused people could find love, acceptance, help, hope, forgiveness, guidance, and encouragement. I talked about sharing the Good News with our community, helping thousands of people grow toward spiritual maturity, sending missionaries around the world, planting churches, and eventually building a church campus.It sounded crazy. We didn’t have the people, money, land, or track record to make any of it happen. Some people probably thought, “Fat chance!”But our small beginning didn’t limit God’s plan. Great things often come from small beginnings when God is in them.Your church may have started around a kitchen table, in a rented school, or through the prayers of a handful of people who saw a need in their community. Those beginnings matter. They remind your congregation that somebody believed God and took a step of faith.Show people what God has already doneSeven years after that first service, Saddleback still had no permanent home. For three years, we had searched for land and examined nearly 30 properties.At one point, we spent more than a year working toward the purchase of 72 acres. We invested money in permits and zoning, only to have the owners sell the property to a developer. That hurt.Then another opportunity appeared: 306 acres with room for the ministry we had imagined years earlier. We gathered on that property, and I asked the church three questions:Why are we here?Where have we been?Where are we going?One of our campaign leaders reminded the congregation that the plans in front of us reflected much of the vision I had described at our first service. What had once sounded unrealistic was beginning to take shape.That gathering connected God’s past faithfulness with our next step of faith.Don’t leave the setbacks outDon’t clean up your church’s story until it no longer resembles what happened. Tell people about the doors that closed, the plans that failed, and the seasons when you didn’t know what God was doing.Romans 8:28 assures us that God works in all things for the good of those who love him. That doesn’t mean every event feels good. Losing the first property certainly didn’t. But the disappointment became part of a larger story of God’s provision.If you leave out the failures, people may think faith means every plan works. It doesn’t. Faith keeps obeying when the plan falls apart.Someone in your church may need to hear the part of the story that didn’t go according to plan.Bring new people into the storyWhen people join your church, don’t hand them only a doctrinal statement, a list of programs, and an organizational chart. Give them the stories too.God has given your congregation a unique history. People need to hear how he answered prayer, provided resources, changed lives, opened doors, and carried the church through hard seasons. They need to know why your church values what it values.You didn’t do those things. God did. He worked through ordinary people for his purposes, and those stories deserve to be passed on.That’s why we taught pastors to include the legends and stories of their churches in membership classes. You can also tell them in worship services, leadership gatherings, anniversaries, and conversations with new volunteers. Stories help people see that they are joining something God has been doing for years.Use the past to lead your church forwardThe point of remembering is not to live in the past. It is to trust God with the future.This week, think again about those three questions: Why are we here? Where have we been? Where are we going? Choose one story from your church’s history that helps answer them, and tell it to your people.Remind them what God has already done. Then show them the next step of faith in front of them.Your people don’t need a perfect history. They need an honest reminder that the God who led your church then is still leading now.

Somebody Trusted You Before You Deserved It

Look two years down the road at your church. Somebody who fills a role that matters right now won't be filling it then. That leader will move, wear out, step back for a season, or God will send them somewhere else.Say it's the woman who’s taught the same third-grade Sunday school class for six years, the one you never worry about because you've never had to. Then her husband’s job moves them in the spring, and she tells you on a Sunday morning between services.At that point you'll do one of two things. You'll scramble, begging somebody else to take the class, or even teaching it yourself. Or you'll turn to a person who has been quietly getting ready for the last year and a half, and hand it to them.Which of those happens has mostly already been decided. It gets decided in ordinary weeks like this one.Somebody trusted me before I earned itI was still a teenager when Dr. W.C. Bryant hired me to lead the youth ministry at First Baptist Church of Norwalk. I had no track record. There was nothing on my résumé that could tell him I'd be able to do the job, because I hadn't done anything yet.Here's what he said to me: "I wouldn't have invited you to be a part of this staff if I didn't trust you. The very fact that I trust you means you are free to do whatever it takes to get the job done. I will back you 100 percent."I would have charged hell with a squirt gun for that man.That year we baptized more than 100 students. It wasn't because I was gifted. It was because we tried things that had never been done before, and I knew that if they flopped, he wasn't going to drop me.Notice what he did. He didn't give me the youth ministry because I had proved I could handle it. He gave it to me so I could find out. The proof of trust isn't what you say about somebody in a staff meeting; it's what you're willing to put in their hands.Paul trusted Timothy the same way. He sent that young man to represent him to the church at Philippi, confident that Timothy would care for those people and bring word back to him: "I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare" (Philippians 2:19-20 NIV). If you don't trust someone, you don't have confidence in them. And without confidence, nothing of real value ever gets done.Mistrust will keep your church right where it isMistrust creates stagnation. If you wait for proof before you trust somebody with real responsibility, you'll wait forever; the only place that proof can come from is the responsibility you're withholding.So the same four people carry everything. Your most reliable volunteers get more tired, the willing ones out on the edges never get asked, and the bench stays empty. Then a chair opens up and there's nobody standing behind it, not because your church is short on people but because nobody was ever handed anything they could fail at.Aim for one good mistake a weekIn my years at Saddleback I told our staff I wanted everybody making at least one good mistake a week. As long as it wasn't the same mistake twice.That sounds careless until you think about the alternative. When nobody in a ministry is making mistakes, it usually means nobody is attempting anything. If there are no mistakes, there's no creativity, and people will only be as creative as you allow them to be.Everybody makes mistakes, and Scripture is clear about it: "For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again" (Proverbs 24:16 NIV). Even a righteous man falls, and he falls more than once. What marks him is that he gets back up. Every volunteer and staff member in your church will need to do the same thing.Somebody once asked Thomas Edison about the 200 chemicals he had tried that didn't work: Wasn't all of that a failure? "No," he said. "I've had an education." Don't call it a failure. Call it an education.We did more things at Saddleback that didn't work than things that did. I would rather attempt something and fail than attempt nothing and succeed.So when the new teacher you handed that class to tries something and it lands flat, you have a decision to make that morning. You can treat it as evidence you moved too soon, or you can treat it as tuition on a leader your church is going to need. Leave her free to keep trying, and she may end up teaching that class better than you would have taught it.Start with one name this monthDon't wait for a vacancy to make you develop somebody. Pick one person this month, maybe the man who sets up chairs or the woman who always fills in at the nursery in a pinch. Then hand them something new, a class or a team, for example. Something with their name on it that they could genuinely do badly.Then tell them what Dr. Bryant told me: “I trust you. You're free to do whatever it takes, and I'll back you.” Say that last part out loud, because they will not assume it.The bench you'll wish you had in two years is the one you start building this week.

At Pastors.com, our passion is to have healthy pastors leading healthy churches for the global glory of God.