Every group, team, organization, and community has a force that drives it.
I live in Las Vegas, and many people think entertainment drives our city. Actually, it’s really the hospitality industry that drives our community. (There is a subtle difference.)
Churches also have a driving force.
For several decades, the American church has relied on the Sunday morning service as its driving force. Our work with hundreds of churches has taught us that this is no longer enough.
That’s why one of the core frameworks of ChurchOS® is The Great Commission Engine® (GCE), a driving force designed to help churches understand and carry out Jesus’ mission.
So, what exactly is the Great Commission Engine?
The GCE is an analogy that draws on three key scriptures: Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:42-27, and Luke 15. It creates six clearly defined buckets for conversations, analysis, planning, and decision-making. Each component is grounded in biblical purposes and is designed for churches to effectively carry out the Great Commission.
- Piston 1 – The catalytic power of the gathering – is all about getting people together for preaching and worship. It creates a unique space for the Holy Spirit to work transforming hearts.
- Piston 2 – Life-changing relationships – is about people developing meaningful relationships. The New Testament writers doubled down on the importance of living life with and for “one another.”
- Piston 3 – Mobilization – is about mobilizing people to invest their time, talents, and resources in God’s work and the mission in the world.
- The Engagement Pathway – is a systematic way to connect the lost to Jesus, your church, and one another.
- The ONE-Aware Filter – is about being biased towards those not yet connected to Jesus or his mission.
- A prayer focus – is about making prayer a central part of your church’s missional activities.
So, how do you use the GCE?
The GCE is used to prompt thorough discussions about the Great Commission effectiveness of your church. Here is an exercise that you and your team should do to start using the GCE as a discovery tool.
- Discuss, study, and understand the Biblical purposes of each component. These are the same across all churches.
- Establish a sense of your church’s ONE. Who is the ONE that we will have in mind as we move into our analysis of each component? (A simple way to discover your ONE is to discuss a family in your community or an individual who recently came to faith in your church.)
- Establish a sense of vision. Where should your church be in terms of Great Commission effectiveness–making more and better disciples—in one year?
- With the ONE and a one-year vision in mind, discuss each piece of the GCE, hunting for an honest evaluation of its performance. Is each one healthy and effective enough to power us toward our vision?
- Make a list of what is right, wrong, missing, and confused in each component.
- Finally, look for threads of continuity across your analysis and organize your team to tackle the most important in the next 90 days.
Your church has incredible potential and was meant to advance! The Great Commission Engine® is a simple way to find actionable items to advance your church this year.
So, what’s the next step? Check out this video where I explain The Great Commission Engine, or better yet, download the GCE tool and lead your team through the exercise described above to evaluate your church’s driving force.
