Article By Teresa Chang
Just as God is excellent in everything He does, we should have a value for excellence in everything we do on a practical level. We as church leaders can help our members become excellent stewards in every aspect. Living a lifestyle of excellence on a practical level encompasses a person’s resources, destiny, careful management of finances, avoidance of debt, etc.
On the corporate level, we need to run our churches in a way that doesn’t overextend our resources—which isn’t always easy to do because we are called to live by faith. We are people of faith who want to walk by faith even when God directs us to take a risk. Yes, there will be times when He asks us to leave “practical” living behind, but here is a good principle to keep in mind: To the extent that a word from the Lord violates sound counsel and the standard structures of administration, it is good to make sure you are actually hearing from Him. Get the word confirmed before you take that next step.
Think about it like this: In the Kingdom, we find rules and exceptions. The rule needs less guidance, while the exception needs more. In other words, we need exceptional guidance when we are seeking to “break the rules” and do exceptional things.
How to Build a Lifestyle of Excellence in Your Church
1. Raise up the vision.
Why is it important to have a vision for excellence? Because we want to model our Father’s character and nature every opportunity we get! Pursuing excellence is one of the ways we do this. He has called us by His own excellence, as 2 Peter 1:3 says (NASB):
His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
2. Identify and remove challenges.
What do you value? How do you prioritize those values? Do your values and priorities line up with your calling as a church?
Look at how you manage your money, spend your time and allocate your talents; this will show you what your priorities really are. Does anything need to be adjusted in your personal life? In your church? As you are faithful to make those adjustments, you’ll see a spirit of excellence begin to flourish.
3. Model your vision for excellence.
Incorporate the pursuit of excellence deeply into your own life. Take the time to do things well. Go before God and ask Him to show you what excellence looks like in your personal life. Everything you want to bring to your church has to be real inside of you before you can replicate it in others.
Preach on building a lifestyle of excellence, and encourage people to celebrate those who are organizing their lives well. Encourage excellence in every context, whether it is in people’s homes, home groups, Sunday morning services, workplaces, government spheres or even at the grocery store. Highlight the people who are gifted administrators and those who are making adjustments in their lives so they can walk in a spirit of excellence.
