This is the third post in the series I promised on plumblines—“They Aren’t JUST Quirks.” I highly suggest you read the first post first. In short, plumblines are those things a leader believes about ministry that shape the way he or she leads. A leader doesn’t need to explain them or justify them all the time. Larry Osborne says, “Plumb lines don’t represent the only way to do ministry. They represent your way of doing ministry. So don’t worry if they seem somewhat narrow or controversial or even if they thin the herd…”
Let’s take a look at another Westwinds plumbline.
#10 EVERYBODY MATTERS
Because everybody matters both to God to us, those ministries that reach more people will be better resourced. Resources, after all, are almost always limited and should be allocated to those ministries that produce results.
A good case in point is our new youth center, The Hub. Ben has done such a fine job of creating momentum with youth and has such a vision for youth in our city we pooled resources and did a campaign to raise more to pour into the youth. It doesn’t mean other things don’t matter if they don’t get as much money but some things don’t have near the impact.
There are any number of things that happen in a church that are nice, or helpful, or meaningful, but they are the kinds of things Christians should be doing anyway. It doesn’t mean we should be willing to funnel money into any thing that is a kind gesture. Bigger dreams that reach more people and make bigger impacts require bigger amounts of money.
Money aside, we cannot be afraid to discontinue ministries that produce very limited results, if for no other reason that they draw on the time and energy and availability of our staff (who could be better utilized once freed from these low-return responsibilities). We often try new ministries that seem like a good idea at the time. Some are not good ideas. Some are good ideas but deserve a short shelf life. Some get reshaped and resurrected down the road. Bottom line, we are trying to reach people, not appease Christians.
As a corollary, we think that every dollar ought to get used twice (we call this the "Jesus double-dip"). By this we mean that we ought to think strategically about how to get extra use out of every purchase, every initiative, and every event. For example, our Beyond 1000 initiative operates on a triple bottom line in which every event needs to fulfill the mission, generate business-related revenue that can be worked back into the ministry, and garner some media attention—we want our Beyond 1000 initiatives to be so effective that every communication outlet in our town is knocking at our door to get the story.
This doesn’t mean we don’t spend money on little things. Our Beyond 1000 initiatives are missional in nature and we give a larger sum of money to individual ministries to make an impact. Not just buy supplies. Not simply put a Band-Aid on something.
Having a large scale Plumbline like “Everybody Matters” causes us to think things through, not spend willy-nilly, think creatively, think long-term, and think beyond doing something for the cool of it. Rather than saying “here’s some money, do what you want” we are forced to make sure what we are doing actually does make a difference in people’s lives. Rather than starting a ministry because some other church did it and most Christians expect it, we pause to think about what new things God is speaking into our culture.
