Dying to Goal Orientation and Life in the Gospel

God’s Word, His story, His Gospel frees us to die to goal orientation and to live as the people of God. I have spent ten years in ministry and one of the largest obstacles to being on mission is the notion that mission is simply about goal orientation.  Goals are not wrong, they’re fine, but what happens is that we allow them to box us into projects, events, and programs which can be measured and then labeled “success” or “failure”.  Goals easily become works of righteousness in which we find identity. This can make “works”, “goals”, “ministry”, however noble, idols.  We have incorporated missions, we’ve made it another commodity to consume.  Plan a trip, hold an event, do a project, without ever being the people of God, not really caring about what God ultimately cares about.  Biblical mission will not happen until we stop focusing on doing and start focusing on being.  Being the people of God, being part of the grand narrative of God’s story of redemption. 

GTN will stand or fall upon the Gospel and, as one leader has written, “the fact that Jesus plus nothing equals everything.” I will seek diligently to no longer use guilt and fear as motivation for giving, praying, or doing the ministry of GTN, even if it means less donations and less volunteers.  Instead I will seek to motivate from that which is sustainable, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  And the Gospel will not be a platitude for gaining the support of religious folk, it will be the engine from which we function. The gospel frees us. “Because Jesus was strong for me, I am free to be weak; Because Jesus won for me, I am free to lose; Because Jesus was Someone, I am free to be no one; Because Jesus was extraordinary, I am free to be ordinary; Because Jesus succeeded for me, I am free to fail.” Because I am known by Jesus I am free to be unrecognized by others. Because Jesus served me, a nobody, I am free to serve everybody. Freedom in the Gospel will motivate GTN.

I will no longer direct a ministry that focuses on goals, I will direct a gospel ministry that focuses on God, and consequently, on those whom God has given us to serve, love, share grace and good news for the redemption of all things.