“In our Conference, if we did not reach the goal of baptism, they threatened that we would lose our job and, if we did not reach the goal of magazines that we had to sell, they would deduct them from our salary. For that reason, when they asked us to set a goal for baptisms, we always tried to put it low, so it would be easy to reach.”
“Once we reached the goal, we wouldn’t report more than we needed to and would keep the extra baptisms for the following year.”
“One of my colleagues would go to the cemetery and look for names of the dead in the tombs to report as baptisms.”
“One of the pastors baptized his mother-in-law every time he came home for the holidays.”
These are horror stories told in Adventist pastoral circles and they all have to do with established goals and the fear with which many of these pastors had to minister for years outside of North America. These stories disgust me, and I feel very bad knowing that many of my colleagues suffered and some still suffer this type of abuse from some church leaders. I think this is madness and it hurts our missionary movement.
It is interesting to note that here in North America similar things, perhaps not so extreme, have also happened with many pastors who resent the way the goals have been arbitrarily used against them in the past if they resist to establish goals that can be measured in numbers. This has resulted in church members who have never experienced the joy of bringing a friend or relative to Jesus through baptism, into churches that have not baptized and discipled a person in years and frustrated pastors feeling it is impossible to baptize and make disciples in our North American context.
Sometimes I get the impression that talking about numbers in some parts of our Division is almost anathema, as if each of those numbers does not mean a person who has been saved, a member who has become a disciple, or a new congregation that has been planted. I have heard some speak against baptisms and in favor of discipleship, as if there was an antagonism between the two, perhaps not realizing that to make disciples, there is a process that includes, "baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Matthew 28: 19-20 - NIV). I also think it's interesting that Jesus said it in that order and not the other way around. There is no discipleship without the public acceptance of Jesus as personal Savior, just as there is no growth if there is no birth.
Personally, I think that the imposition of goals and the use of threats and fear tactics for them to be achieved is a madness that must be rejected; I also believe that it is a devastating madness for churches, faith organizations, and mission leaders to spend years without setting goals for which to pray and work with God's blessing. This mentality, if not corrected soon, can lead many of our churches to the cemetery.
Why is it necessary to set goals?
A goal is a desired result, conceived by a person or organization, that must be reached in a certain amount of time. Some goals are annual, others are quinquennial, some may even take a lifetime to be achieved. But the important thing is that we have them, we pray for them, we plan, and we fight to achieve them. It is essential to set goals because:
1. They help us stay focused on the priorities: A goal that is maintained before the leadership and the members of the church or organization can regularly provide a sense of direction and help the team not be distracted by things that do not contribute to achieving the goal. A good question that each church should ask when establishing its targets is: “Why does this church exist?” And it should establish goals that are directly related to the answer to that question.
2. They help us maximize our time and resources: When we have defined goals, it is clearer to where we should put our time, and resources. There are churches and organizations that suffer because they do not have clear goals. Not knowing what they want to do results in spending a lot of time, and their best human and financial resources, on things that are not priorities. This may cause confusion, exhaustion, a defeated feeling, frustration, and members leaving the church.
3. They help us measure progress: I have heard some people say, "If you value something, you will evaluate it.” If we do not measure the progress of our work in relation to our goals, we will never know how effective we are being. If there is no growth goal, the leaders and members of the church or organization will never know the exact situation they are in—if they are growing, stagnating, or dying. The evaluation of the progress can motivate the team to identify what is not working and to correct the areas where there are failures to be able to advance in achieving the goals.
4. They help to motivate us and keep us united: Although the motivation to help save others should always be there, there are times when as leaders and members of a faith community, we forget the missionary reason why Jesus instituted the church. Reviewing the great commission and establishing goals that help us reach our communities with actions and transforming words can be very refreshing and motivating. At the same time, the desire to work together to achieve a great goal can galvanize and unite a church extraordinarily. For this to happen, the vision must be shared, and the targets must be sought in consensus, not by imposition or fear. Our church in North America does not work like that. Goals must be individual before they are collective.
My dear Pastor, where do you want to see your churches next year, or in the next five years? What do you think you can do to achieve it? Do not expect someone to come and set a goal to your church or district. Meet with your leaders, with your members, and work on a plan with them that has priorities and goals for this year, and the next, and for the future. Your church will appreciate the process, and you will be able to see a difference. Your ministry, with the blessing of God, will have a chance to experience growth.
What would happen if…?
In conclusion I ask myself: What would happen in North America if every Adventist pastor would meet with his entire church, or district, and together they would set goals, and objectives for the year, and for the quinquennium? If together they’d decide: "During the year 2019 we will baptize ___ children, friends and family, make ___ disciples, train ___ leaders, and establish ___ small groups in our church.
What would happen if each church in North America with more than 150-200 members agreed, together with their pastor and Conference leaders, to plant a church during 2019, and even more churches during the quinquennium? What would happen if all the leaders and churches prayed and asked God to give us great things to do for Him and for His church in our communities? What would become of our churches, if instead of small goals we would set great goals that are only possible with the miraculous intervention of the Holy Spirit, and the united hard work of the pastors, the leaders, and members of the church?
But these things will never happen unless someone dream about them, share them, proclaim them, and, with a united church, work hard to implement them with the blessing of God.
Written by José Cortes Jr.