Chapter 1

[Chris]

After reading the first few pages of the first chapter I believe that
church leaders have more than made up for the price of the book. The
illustration that White uses about the train companies not
understanding what business they were in is a visible reminder for
today's church. They thought they were in the train business, but in
reality they were in the transportation business. This narrowing in
their focus called them to not be able to see the bigger picture.
Because of the railroad baron’s narrow focus, it caused them to be
left behind.

Famous business guru, Peter Drucker, often says that there are only
two questions in business that really matter. The first question is,
“what business are you in?” and the second question is, “how’s
business?” A foundational issue for today's church is to understand
what business we are in. This goes to the very core of the church,
what is our purpose?

Rick Warren, in his book, The Purpose Driven Church, talks about a
survey that Win Arn conducted in which they asked nearly one thousand
churches the simple question, “Why does the church exist?” Of the
church members surveyed, 89 percent said, “The church’s purpose is to
take care of my family’s needs.” Only 11 percent said that the purpose
of the church was to win the world for Jesus Christ.” The survey also
asked the pastors of those churches the same question, to which the
pastors responded just the opposite, with 90 percent saying that the
church’s purpose is to reach the lost for Jesus Christ. It is
imperative that the church understands what our purpose is. If
leadership is going in one direction and the laity is going in a
different direction then two things will happen. First, nothing gets
accomplished. Secondly, everyone gets frustrated. We must be focused
outwardly to complete the Great Commission as well as inwardly to
prepare people to focus outwardly. The church must become/remain
missional instead of being in maintenance mode.