Jump directly to the Content

5 Markers of Church Progress

What had God accomplished in our church? I didn't really know until I ran out of gas on the interstate one day. My fuel gauge read full, but, in reality, it was empty.

I didn't have a clue where I was. So, I got out of my van and walked to the nearest mile-marker. I noted the number on the post and turned around with a sense of hope. I didn't know where I was, but I had a reference point. I wasn't really lost. I was now able to phone for help with the assurance I would be rescued!

Suddenly I appreciated how important mile-markers are. Even when we're not stranded, mile-markers are helpful indicators of direction and reminders that we're making progress.

Sometimes in ministry, we need mile-markers to let us know what kind of progress we're making. I began looking for mile-markers in our church's ministry.

No markers on a merry-go-round

No one intentionally decides to become the pastor of a dying church. Any church can be difficult to pastor, but who wants to be known as the funeral director ...

March
Support Our Work

Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month

Homepage Subscription Panel

Read These Next

Related
WHO CARES?
WHO CARES?
Six ways churches answer the question of personal ministry.
From the Magazine
Empty Streets to the Empty Grave
Empty Streets to the Empty Grave
While reporting in Israel, photographer Michael Winters captures an unusually vacant experience at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Editor's Pick
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
Understanding God and our world needs more than bare reason and experience.
close