Getting your ducks in a row

My youngest son is playing rugby this fall. It’s a new sport to us, but he loves it. Even though it’s all new to me, I am noticing a unique feature of rugby. As the team advances the ball down the field, their formation is very much in alignment. It’s like a diagonal across the field: as the player carrying the ball is approached by the opposing team, he laterals it off to the next player in line. If it all goes well, they can advance the length of the field to score. If the alignment is broken, their advance is stopped and the ball is turned over.

Churches can lose alignment just like a rugby team – anything from team members not doing their assigned tasks to outside forces breaking the alignment.

Alignment is the arrangement of all ministries and staff around the same simple process. Without alignment, the church will be a multitude of sub-ministries. In a church that lacks alignment, it does not feel like one body. It feels more like a building that houses a variety of sub-ministries. Simple churches intentionally fight the drift into misalignment. They insist that every staff member and each ministry embrace their simple ministry process.

Once again, Thom Rainer in his book Simple Church provides five essentials to maintain alignment:

Recruit on the process-churches that bring people on the team who are committed to their simple process are enjoying the power of alignment. Everyone’s energy is moving in the same direction.
Offer accountability-without accountability, people naturally drift away from the declared ministry process. Leaders should avoid the two extremes of micromanagement and neglect. Micromanagement stifles creativity and hampers shared leadership; neglect fosters complacency and leads to a fragmented team.
Implement the same process everywhere-a church that is committed to alignment implements the same process everywhere. All ages should be following the same process so that understanding is increased; unity is promoted, and families experience the same process.
Unite leaders around the process-if leaders are not united in the same direction, the body of Christ is ineffective. When one part wants to be a separate body, there is division, and the world is confused.
Ensure that new ministries fit-the most challenging aspect of alignment is pulling existing ministries and staff in the same direction. It is much easier to align new people and ministries to the overall direction. If they do not fit, you simply do not allow them to begin.

God’s plan is for His body to be one. A lot is at stake - Redemption. Eternity. Transformation. Unity is essential.