Over the years I have been privileged to work with many churches – both from the inside as a staff member, and from the outside as a consultant. One of the things I’ve learned through this process is that church leaders need to invest the time, energy, focus and prayer to discover their unique God-given DNA – God’s thumbprint for their church. I once heard Carey Nieuwhof say they need to wrestle it to the ground. This is a perfect analogy because it is NOT an easy process. But once settled, it provides the foundation for building a thriving, God-honoring local church. Churches need to first decide WHO they are – who God has created them (as a local church) to be. Then they need to decide what matters most – their core values. This provides the WHY behind what they do. Many leaders already know this. But then what should they do? […]