This morning, I was listening to a podcast about leading churches. The interviewee was talking about the need to develop appropriate systems for hiring staff; he was speaking from mega-church experience. One of the phrases that he used was “systems create behavior.” That phrase stuck with me. As we are developing a process of discernment, we are walking through a process that is changing behavior. Ultimately God is changing behavior, but I think the system has something to do with it.

The tendency is to meet, talk through an issue, and decide. Most of the time, this happens in one or two meetings. The discernment process that has been developed by the MSG at First Baptist requires much more. Because we took the time to develop a listening strategy, much more energy will be put into this decision. We spent time praying in worship on Sunday; an all church survey was distributed this week. Team members are doing appropriate research in our community and among other churches. We will spend twenty-four hours praying for God’s direction; some will fast during this period. All of these actions will affect how we approach the decision.

It is no longer about personal preference, we have a sense that God is going to speak into this decision. The system of decision-making is changing the way that people behave. I am looking forward to observing more as we progress.