Once you’ve clarified the mission and vision of the church, strategy comes next. This involves the how. How will the work get done? In 2003, Gene Mims wrote a book that lays out the five functions of how a Kingdom-focused church works. The functions he identifies are evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, ministry, and worship. Some have improved his functions by adding one additional function—prayer. Although churches do many things, the mission of the church requires these six functions. Transformational leaders must lead their churches to engage in these things.
Every organization, if it is to be in alignment with the mission and vision of the church, must identify with one of these six functions. Sunday school, small groups, preschool, children, students, men and women groups must have a purpose related to one of these six functions. Preschool, children, or student ministries that don’t have the expressed purpose of evangelism, discipleship, and fellowship are only child-care services. Men and women’s groups that aren’t engaged in evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, ministry, worship, and prayer are no different than secular civic organizations.
Not only should every organization in your church be aligned with one of these six functions, but any activity they engage in should be supportive of one of the functions. The church will cease to be the church if it fails to fulfill these functions. Leaders of the ministries within your congregation need to understand this and see it as their primary objective. In the same way the church’s mission and vision need to be clear, organizations within the church must engage in the same exercise and clarify their mission and vision. Any ministry within the church needs to be in agreement with the mission and vision of the church.