How to Measure a Corps’ “Success” Part 1.

In my many years of corporate leadership I was challenged year after year with having to meet and exceed sales and marketing goals. Generally, the goal was to attract more customers while retaining those already committed to using our services (airline, hotels, tours).  Typically, success was measured by the increase in market share, a fairly simple procedure in that we had a large number of agencies providing regular updates on the number of travelers to our specific destinations.

Corporate budgets generally commit some 22% of their annual budget to R&D (research and development) a good portion of that was spent on corporate training, and early on I hired a firm featuring the # 1 motivational speaker in the USA at the time, Earl Nightingale. He was featured in a training film: The Strangest Secret. In it he uses a number of adages that I took to heart and subsequently used in my own corporate training seminars conducted in many countries. The strangest secret? ‘We become what we think about most of the time.’  The moment I heard the statement, now 35 years ago, my mind recalled Paul’s words, used in my Sunday morning message last week; ‘have this mind in you’ and, ‘the renewing of your mind’ (Grk Metanois) Other quotes that I took with me from that seminar were: “We will receive not what we idly wish for but what we justly earn. Our rewards will always be in exact proportion to our service”, and the adage; “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal.”

When my career path changed to teaching and preaching I often used Nightingale’s quotes as seminar themes and sermon fodder. Generally the seminars were conducted for corps and division in the USA, Canada, Sweden, and the UKT.  And a five part series on Vision was published in T he Officer, 1991-92 in, the UK,  and Sweden, I struggled to some degree in adapting the material I’d used in leading corporate seminars with employee numbers ranging from just a few dozen to more than 3,000.

The challenge dealt mostly in recognizing the difference in the make-up of the audience and my direct control in guiding the organization’s success.. One was a group where to a great extent I could easily impact (manipulate) on personnel and promotions and encourage them to be on success. If results were consistently disappointing it became a matter of shuffling chairs and with it new responsibilities, expectations and consequences. The cost of replacing key people in today’s business world runs at around 2 ½ years of the person’s annual wage. But on occasion that’s the price one has to pay.

And the challenges within the church?

There are almost 6,000 Christian organizations and church headquarters in the UK, one being our International Headquarters. They include a staggering 247 denominations, as well as 243 conference centers and 221 missionary societies! All, I pray, are constantly seeking success, missional activities in moving the UK population to return to church. Less than 18% of our friends, families and neighbors are regular church goers. 

As a corps we spoke recently about moving in a more missional direction (CSM church planting). This is an easily identifiable goal and also due its definable growth stages, easily “measurable”. It moves us from measuring the size or numbers attending our many services/programs, although they too require regular ‘success’ reviews. Watching worshippers' necessity to search for empty seats the last few weeks no doubt caused joy in your heart as it did God's.


Church Planting and Our Communal Role
A preliminary budget and marketing plan are being designed by the CO/CSM and they will provide an update at the next Soldier’s meeting in early 2011.

I shared last week what were rather startling statistics relative to church growth and attendance in the UK, Glasgow, and Hamilton in particular. Evangelical churches (corps) should seek a vision of the world that is populated with local bodies of Christ, and church planting under the lordship of Christ, can be the visible local body of Christ on your block and mine. In this divinely designated role we don't have available to us the option of using threats to remove difficult or non-productive people, although one occasionally hears of them. We rely instead on God's leading as we select, train and appoint our colleagues as leaders.

Success
How do we ‘realize this worthy goal’? By having a new mind, by having like minded goals, Grk. Koinonia. There is no single English word that is adequate enough to connote its depth and richness. Koinonia is a complex and fascinating Greek approach to building community or teamwork. The meaning of koinonia holds the idea of joint participation in something with someone or a team, in a community. There is always an implication of action included in its meaning


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Sharing our resources/talents

In classical Greek, koinonein means "to have a share in a thing," as when two or more people hold something, or even all things, in common. In the corporate world it can mean joint ownership of a company and consequently, owning a stake in its future. It implies "sharing and respecting an opinion", agreeing or disagreeing in a congenial way. Only participation as a contributive member allows one to share in what others have. When people move to a common ground Koinonia becomes real.

The early Christian community saw theirs as a relationship with the Holy Spirit. ‘In this context, koinonia highlights a higher purpose or mission that benefits the greater good of the members as a whole. The term "enthusiasm" is connected to this meaning of koinonia for it signifies to be imbued with the Spirit of God in Us.’

Our corps fellowship ought to constantly seek a communal loving bond that  overrides each individual’s pride, vanity, and individualism, fulfilling the human yearning for belonging where we share the common experience of joys, fears, tears, and divine glory. And koinonia is always linked to action, not just being together, but also doing together.


Over many years and in many countries when seeking to bring corps folk together of differing talents and abilities I hear the same defensive ego response from leaders, claiming that their culture is strong and healthy when, in fact, some will tell me that it is the very opposite. Many leaders do not truly understand what culture is, how it develops, how to measure it, how it directly impacts performance and how to change it. In the same sense as a ‘corporate’ culture exists, a SA and corps ‘culture’ exists; simply: “how things are done. Our corps is uniquely gifted, and led. We have both opportunity and obligation to examine and define our culture.

In this respect I think specifically of those persons responsible to link our worship services together. There is no question but that there are a multitude of corps struggling in their search for qualified, faithful section leaders. And perhaps some are even seeking ways to garner their resignation. That’s where success measure differ from those employed in the corporate world.

The presence of talented music section leaders, such as the three serving in the Hamilton Corps are a key factor in a corps’ success (realization of a worthy goal); linking our fellowship, and moving us to action. Conversely, without such leadership we would be poorer as a corps, and God’s plan would suffer adversely.

In addition, we also have a seasoned, veteran Commanding Officer who very much depends on a koinonia vision and commitment if we are to fulfill the Great Commission in our wee corner. The CO, as do our section leaders, devotes a great deal of time and effort in the design and execution of our corporate worship services. Beyond the countless hours spent in research, Bible study, and prayer in preparing the sermon, is searching for the appropriate chorus and songs that will bolster God’s message to us each Sunday. Of course there will be interruptions and unexpected events that the devil hopes will disturb God’s holy koinona presence, however, working toward a communal, connectedness, assists the CO more than words can express.

Next Week; Part two

PUTTING LIFE IN OUR MEETINGS


Sven Ljungholm


The above post is in part a response to the many unsolicited comments received following last week's blog article. In retrospect it's clear that I should have monitored the responses earlier. (I visit the blog a few times a week, generally when posting a new article) When I did take time to monitor the blog I was surprised at the general irrelevance to the article, and the sometime subjective and critical style of the comments.  The comments were mostly from the greater Glasgow area, with 2 from Manchester and 2 /3 from London.  Most were from persons who made judgments without having full knowledge of the circumstances as they weren't present in our meeting, yet people with long-time corps and/or SA history. Their heartfelt concern is both understandable and commendable. 


I found myself in that proverbial situation; between a rock and a hard place. Do I delete? Do I attempt to add relevance? Do I hide under a rock? Or do I take the slings and arrows of outrage? If I offended any one by my few comments I apologize, but as a key figure in the reason for the debate (flow of the Holiness Meeting) I felt I needed to share my view; 'the CO deleted 2 songs from the planned program, including one that I deemed key in linking the congregation with the message'. True, I could have spoken directly to those involved, however, we all know from experience 'private' comments often develop a life of their own .


If the time comes when every blog visitor sings the praises of ours', it will mean that we have denied or deleted any and all comments, or, the articles lack substance, relevance, or do not encourage visitors to think outside the box.


Someone, in the USA, pointed out to me that all of the persons who have designated themselves as 'regular' blog visitors are not directly members of the corps. My response? I'm pleased that readers near and far find the blog to be of value. And, to those in the corps who encourage me on a weekly basis, I thank you as well. It's a time consuming commitment that is our corps' window to the world.


And, the floor is always open. If you'd like to share your opinion and witness to your commitment to the corps, the church, the Lord, etc., and to a wide audience, we welcome your thoughts. And, as I tell the CO quite often, "could you please give the blog responsibility over to someone else? I've got another blog demanding 15-20 hours a week, the Latvia project, and I need time to focus on my retirement plans..." Her response: 'yeah, yeah, yeah...' 


Many blessings...