Douglass & Associates Forums

[douglass]

The Entrepreneurial Church: Outreach on the Cutting Edge

• Resourceful
• Innovative
• Contemporary
• State-of-the-art
• Progressive
• Unconventional
• Growth Oriented
• Competitive
• Creative
• Big Picture
• Flexible
• Insightful

STRONG POINTS
• Handle crisis and problem situations adeptly.
• Are fearless risk takers, overflowing with optimism.

CHALLENGES
• So absorbed in action and the moment, they may lose sight of the long-term strategy
• Can be so bored by routine that important day-to-day activities go unattended.

PRIMARY MINISTRIES
• The new, the exciting, the adventurous, the risky.
• Involvement with new opportunities.

MINISTRY TEMPO
• Action oriented, rapid paced.

WHAT INSPIRES THEM
• Spontaneity, autonomy, challenge.

WHAT DE-MOTIVATES THEM
• Rules, regulations, structure.

UNDER STRESS
• Become excessively pessimistic about the future
• Become emotional
• Decision-making capabilities erode

DECISION-MAKING
• Use logic, analysis, cause-and-effect reasoning.

DESIRES
• A flexible, spontaneous, ever-changing environment.

PRIORITY
• Changing things for the good of others.

CHURCH ETHOS
• Easygoing and cooperative; minimally structured, unregulated.

OUTWARD APPEARANCE
• Concentration of attention and resources for quick, pow¬erful impact.

GAINS SELF-ASSURANCE THROUGH
• Connection first with the task.

FEARS
• Dealing with ambiguity and theory unconnected to reality.

Summary Statement

Entrepreneurial Churches desire to grow closer to God, other people, and learn how to practically live in relationship to God through Christ. Because they see the needs of the community as an opportunity for trying something different that has a positive impact for Christ, they create outreach events that are new, flexible, and responsive to the changing culture. They are especially adept at scanning the community to find connections with ministries that already exist so that when they add their creativity, a powerful outreach effort is created. They want their ministries to reflect their resourcefulness and desire to solve problems while making fun, exciting, and adventurous things happen. Entrepreneurial churches flourish in communities where change, adaptability, calculated risk, and competency are valued. Often these churches build their ministries on small groups where people really do know and care for each other.

Mission Statement
Entrepreneurial Churches are called by God to develop outreach efforts that anticipate the future and create new approaches to reach a wide variety of people groups including the powerful and influential in the community.

Theme verse: “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13