Think about your church, ministry, or life. How much growth is there? Are you better than what you were yesterday? Are you where you want to be? If not, why? I have been a part of churches that always talk about growing, but time and time again their desires never materialize. One of the reasons is very much the mind-set they chose, which ultimately impacts their effectiveness. Most churches chose a mind-set that caters to consistency and comfort, ultimately, they are just afraid to rock the boat.

I was scrolling through my Instagram feed recently and a post from a group I follow caught my eye. The group is called CompTrain and their post talked about the mindset that is necessary to become a better you, especially a better athlete. Listening to their four steps, I connected with the message, because that desire, the desire to be better, is something that I have been actively pursuing. I participate in CrossFit and you often hear coaches tell you to “trust the process,” but the process is contingent on a fundamental change in mindset. CompTrainsummarizes that change comes by four seemingly simple things, which are:

1. Adopt a growth mindset

2. Get outside your comfort zone

3. Allow yourself to struggle, fail, and learn

4. Be aware of the voice inside in your head

Seems simple, but in reality, it requires a constant and conscience decision to choose the right mindset. The difference is in the results and end goal, you just need to trust the process and embrace the fact that you can’t get better if you don’t change the way you think.  It is very reminiscent of what the follower of Christ has to do every day.

In Romans 12, we are instructed to make the choice to not follow the way the world tells us is right, but by renewing our minds, present ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. That is not an easy task. We have to make the conscious effort to change the way we think to one that is in line with the Almighty, which will often lead to spiritual growth, going outside your comfort zone, and struggling to be that living sacrifice. It is something you need to want and actively choose to pursue.

We as a church need to adopt a Spirit focused mind-set if we are going to see any change. Look at the verb used in Romans 8, walk. If you want to ensure you reach your destination, you have to constantly make the decision to walk in that direction, and choose that every day. The passage shows us our walk directly reflects what your motivations are rooted in, the flesh or Christ. The most important thing we can do is choose, because until we make a choice, we cannot move forward. When we focus on the things that are not Spirit-centered and focus on the things the world says are important, financials and metrics, you will not have an organization that is moving in the right direction.

In my next post I am going explore this a little more in-depth.