210. Hedgehog and Flywheel
Vision is a mental picture of the preferred future. Every organization needs to have a compelling vision as it helps its members to see where they need to go. Our vision is to create a church unchurched love to belong. Now, what is that church? It is “House Church.” The more house churches we plant, the greater our capacity to help unchurched people find Christ and belong to a church.
We do house church ministry, not because it is a good church model (though it is), but out of the conviction that New Testament church was house church. New Testament is full of references to indicate that the churches that Apostle Paul planted were all house churches. We believe that the form of “house church” was not a circumstantial decision of early believers but by divine design.
In the famous book “Good to Great,” the author Jim Collins argues that companies that enjoyed sustained success for many years were “hedgehogs.” Hedgehog concept came from the greek parable: Foxes know many things, but hedgehogs know only one big thing. Foxes were good at many things but could not defeat hedgehog in one thing it did well: Defend. In the same way, out of all the things our church could be doing, we have decided to be laser-focused in saving the lost and making disciples. So, everything we do as a church ultimately supports and strengthens house churches where evangelism and discipleship primarily happens.
Jim also talks about the concept of “Flywheel” in his book. According to his research, companies that great companies stuck with one thing they chose to do for a long time. Imagine you are trying to spin a flywheel in the playground. It isn’t easy to get it going at first. Though you put so much effort, it seems to move very little. But when you keep at it, it slowly begins to move, and later it spins on its own with minimal effort.
House church ministry is like spinning a flywheel. Leading unchurched people to follow Jesus and belong to a church is not only challenging but takes time. Though it takes much effort to move, it will move on its own once it begins to move. That’s the power of house church culture once it is established. So, if you want to see our vision come true, start by praying for your shepherd and serving the members in your house church.
