Purpose Driven congregations have 12 essential characteristics

We’ve seen church after church dynamically transformed by simply adapting Purpose Driven methods into their overall strategy. Since every congregation is unique, there are always a variety of factors that contribute toward the health and growth of any given church. However, we’ve found that there are always 12 essential characteristics present in successful, balanced Purpose Driven congregations:

1. PD congregations create a purpose statement describing (in their own words) their commitment to building the church around the five New Testament purposes: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and missions.
2. PD congregations are intentionally purpose driven in their strategies to fulfill their purpose statement. Although different terms can be used, a Purpose Driven strategy is designed to introduce non-believers to Christ, encourage them to join his family, guide them toward maturity, equip them for ministry in the church, and then send them out on a life mission in order to bring glory to God. The PD strategy is based on two assumptions: people grow best when you allow them to make gradual commitments, and you must ask for those commitments in specific ways.
3. PD congregations organize around a Purpose Driven structure -- keeping a balance and equal emphasis between all five New Testament purposes. PD churches are team-based rather than hierarchical in structure. They organize around purpose-based teams, (at least five -- one for each purpose) composed of lay leaders and staff, with each team responsible for a specific purpose and target group (such as the community, the crowd, the congregation, the committed, and the core).
4. PD congregations develop ministry strategies by purpose. They have at least one game plan for fulfilling each of the five purposes: they evangelize the community, gather the crowd for worship, fellowship in the congregation, disciple the committed, and equip the core for ministry and mission.
5. PD congregations staff by purpose. Every purpose has its own champion. PD churches begin by finding volunteers to lead and serve on each purpose-based team, and then they develop full-time, paid positions as needed.
6. PD congregations are led by pastors who preach by purpose. Sermons, including series, are planned so that the congregation receives a balanced emphasis on each of the purposes.
7. PD congregations form small groups on purpose. The Purpose Driven DNA is implanted in every cell of the Body of Christ. Each small group helps members live out the five purposes, so that every member is encouraged to live a purpose driven life.
8. PD congregations calendar by purpose. The purposes are the determining factor in deciding what events are scheduled. Every event must fulfill at least one of the five purposes or it isn’t approved.
9. PD congregations budget by purpose. Expenditures are categorized by the purpose to which they relate.
10. PD congregations build by purpose. Church buildings are seen as ministry tools not monuments. They must serve the purposes and never become more important than the purposes or the people a congregation is trying to reach through the purposes.
11. PD congregations evaluate by purpose. They regularly ask: “Are we balancing all five purposes? Is there a better way to fulfill each purpose?”
12. PD congregations are best built from the outside-in, rather than from the inside-out. It’s far easier to turn a crowd into a core than it is to turn a core group into a crowd. You build a healthy, multi-dimensional ministry by focusing on one level of commitment at a time.