October 6, 2025 • 10 mins
Summary
In this episode of Echoes Through Eternity, Dr. Jeffery D. Skinner explores the critical transition from an inward-focused church culture to a strategic, outward-reaching mission. Through contrasting stories of two churches, he emphasizes the importance of aligning church activities with the mission of outreach and discipleship. The conversation delves into practical strategies for engaging the community, setting measurable goals, and ensuring that church resources are directed towards fulfilling the Great Commission. Dr. Skinner encourages leaders to reflect on their priorities and to commit to a mission-driven approach that prioritizes reaching those far from God.
Takeaways
Churches can drift inward, focusing on self-preservation.
A mission-driven church prioritizes outreach over maintenance.
Budgeting should reflect mission priorities.
Setting measurable goals is essential for outreach.
Community engagement is vital for church growth.
Evaluate ministries for their effectiveness in reaching outsiders.
Language used in church should be accessible to seekers.
Leaders must reflect on their church's mission regularly.
Traditions should not hinder the mission of the church.
Prayer and commitment to outreach are crucial for renewal.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/echoes-through-eternity-with-dr-jeffery-skinner--5523198/support.
Echoes Through Eternity Guiding church planters and pastors to plant seeds of prayer, holiness, and courage that outlast a lifetime. contact drjefferydskinner@protonmail.com
In this episode of Echoes Through Eternity, Dr. Jeffery D. Skinner explores the critical transition from an inward-focused church culture to a strategic, outward-reaching mission. Through contrasting stories of two churches, he emphasizes the importance of aligning church activities with the mission of outreach and discipleship. The conversation delves into practical strategies for engaging the community, setting measurable goals, and ensuring that church resources are directed towards fulfilling the Great Commission. Dr. Skinner encourages leaders to reflect on their priorities and to commit to a mission-driven approach that prioritizes reaching those far from God.
Takeaways
Churches can drift inward, focusing on self-preservation.
A mission-driven church prioritizes outreach over maintenance.
Budgeting should reflect mission priorities.
Setting measurable goals is essential for outreach.
Community engagement is vital for church growth.
Evaluate ministries for their effectiveness in reaching outsiders.
Language used in church should be accessible to seekers.
Leaders must reflect on their church's mission regularly.
Traditions should not hinder the mission of the church.
Prayer and commitment to outreach are crucial for renewal.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/echoes-through-eternity-with-dr-jeffery-skinner--5523198/support.
Echoes Through Eternity Guiding church planters and pastors to plant seeds of prayer, holiness, and courage that outlast a lifetime. contact drjefferydskinner@protonmail.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Marcus Aurelius said, what we do in life echoes through eternity?
What is your life echoing through eternity? Welcome to Echoes
through Eternity with doctor Jeffrey Skinner. Our mission is to inspire,
engage and encourage leaders from across the globe to plant
missional churches and be servant leaders. So join us and
(00:22):
hear the stories of servant leaders reverberating lives as God
echoes them through eternity. Brought to you by Missional Church
Planting and Leadership Development and Dynamic Church Planning International.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Welcome man that goes through Eternity. I am your host,
doctor Geffrey D. Skinner. What is God that going through
your life today? Well? Today our episode is entitled to
Reach or Again with a couple of stories. One is
lost and the other fald. It's a small town I
wants to visit. There was a church, gorgeous building that
(00:58):
stood for over one hundred years. Generations had gathered under
its people. The problem wasn't the structure, it was a culture.
Over time that church began to turn inward. Their meetings
were less about mission and more about maintenance. When discussions
about budget came out, the focus was almost always on
(01:18):
how to prepare the roof, how to refinish the pews
or replace them with chairs, or how to keep the
organ rutten. They even considered changing their name a couple
of times, but rarely was it about how to reach
the neighborhood around. Their vision narrowed, their priorities shifted, and
eventually the congregation dwindled. That grand building, which was echoed
(01:41):
with the Gospel of hope, became a museum of what
was even to mausoleum. They had protected traditions, but lost
their mission and as a result, they became dead inside.
Contrasts that with another church I know not far from there.
Congregation faced many of the same challenges an aging building,
(02:04):
clining attendance into shrinking budget, but they made the conscious
choice to recenter everything around outreach. They asked, if we
disappear tomorrow, would our community even notice that single question
asked by a new pastor shoot them away. They began
evaluating ministries through the lens of mission. They started a
(02:24):
tutoring program for kids after school. They opened their fellowship
hall for community mills. Their worship service began including clear
language for people who have never been in church. Before.
Over the years, this outward posture brought new families, new believers,
and a renewed sense of God's spirit. The contrast couldn't
be cleared. One church lived to preserve itself, the other
(02:47):
lived to service mission. One drifted inward, the other became strategic.
When we're talking about shifting from an internal to strategic mindset,
we're not just talking about leadership bads or the latest
ministry thus word. We're talking about the heart of Jesus command.
In Matthew twenty eight nineteen through twenty he says, go
therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
(03:11):
the name of the Father and the Son and of
the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I
have commanded. You notice the verbs go, make gouys, teach.
These are all outward strategic actions. They require movement beyond
comfort zone. Nags one eight, Jesus says, but you will
receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,
(03:34):
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in
all Juda, in Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
In a DCPI curriculum, there are four phases to a
church plant and this is when you're just starting out again.
The trajectory is here is outward. Here, just as an
acid Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the ends of the earth. It's centrifugal,
(03:57):
is outward, moving beyond the king, It's moving beyond the walls.
And I was saying it a DCPI criculum of starting
a church. Fase Phase one is Macedonia. So this is
referred to as the Macedonia Man when it comes to
Paum and calls him out. This is the God that
you face, and this is your call. And vision was
(04:19):
Peter call and vision includes landmarks son and so then
phase two is Ephesus, you to the team. This is
where you gather and form the team. And then phase
three is Jerudalem the team to the church established and
birth the church. And then phase four Antioch the church
the world where you send and multiplied. And this is
(04:39):
where you start birthing new churches. And the whole point
of that is that when you plant a brand new church,
you plant it with a multiplication mindset, because we know
that churches tend to drift inward just over time. That
happens especially once you get a building, which is another reason.
I'm going to encourage that to be the very first
(05:00):
thing that a brand new church acquires is building, because
then comes with that maintenance and then an inward focus
as well. Churches that drift inward forget that the New
Testament picture of the church is not a club for insiders,
but a launching pad for mission teaching. Why churches drift inward?
Why do churches naturally turned churches naturally turn inward? Kevin
(05:20):
Harney is blind about it. An organic outreach for churches,
He says, the gravitational pool of any organization is towards
self preservation. There's a fear of loss. Members worry about
losing traditions, influence, or comfort, so they close rings. They
worry about maintenance. Mindset this it feels easier to preserve
(05:41):
what we have than to risk something new. Misplaced priorities, budgets,
and time are consumed by internal concerns keeping members happy
rather than reaching the lost exhaustion. When leaders are tired,
they default to maintaining run the vision. The result the
church forgets this w and when you forget your why,
you lose your way. So how do we align our
(06:03):
vision in planning? Without reach? Will shift from internal to
Strategic requires intentionality, and it won't be done by accident.
Reframe every question instead of asking do our members like this,
but as begin asking will this help us reach people
far from God? Budget with mission in mind. A budget
is a theological document. It tells you what you believe
(06:26):
matters most. If outreach isn't funded, it isn't prioritize three,
set measurable goals. How many people will we invite this year?
How many community touch points? What would create specific goals?
Focus energy? And when I say touch points, I'm talking
about you going into the community, not just a vacation
Bible school or a Christmas program for people to come
(06:48):
and see. You can do both or evaluate ruthlessly. Be
completely honest about what you're doing and whether or not
it's effective. If a ministry exists only to serve insiders,
that must be reached, cool for mission and released, and
it has to be effective. If it's not working, don't
do it and working. It is not just divined by numbers,
(07:08):
either is divined by faithfulness. Tell stories of missions, celebrate baptisms,
testimonies and community impacts. Story to remind people why we exist.
Strategic thinking doesn't mean becoming cold or corporate. It means
being deliberate. Jesus himself set his face forward to Jerusalem.
Paul made plans to reach draw. The strategic alignment is
(07:30):
not business talk, It's biblical obedience. Here's the practical strategies
for churches. Mission on it once a year. Gather leaders
and ask how does this ministry alive with our calmate disciples?
Community engagement. Create spaces where the community intersects with the
church family, knights, esl classes, food tribes, staff and volunteer roles.
(07:52):
Ensure at least one key leader has outreach on their
title or responsibility. Pray outward, Incorporate prayer for neighbors and
unreached groups into weekly worship and language matters. Use clear,
accessible language in worship and communication that makes sense to seekers.
Don't just use inside baseball caps. Some application for questions
(08:15):
and leaders for answers. Turn the mirror on ourselves, ask leaders, pastors,
and believers. We must wrestle with these questions. How do
each ministry in our church reach the laws? If our
church closed this stords tomorrow, would our community notice? Are
we spending more energy keeping insiders comfortable than reaching outsiders
(08:37):
with the gospel. What traditions or programs might we need
to release in order to embrace mission. I'll remind you
here that sacred cows make excellent him. It's not enough
to just agree with the philosophy. The Spirit calls us
to examine honestly, are we strategic or are we drifting?
My prayer for you guys today is that begin to
(09:00):
ask yourselves. You know or tell yourself that Jesus is
the head of the church, and so ask him to
forgive you for the times that you've turned inward. Focus more,
and you have focused more on your comfort than on
your commission. Confess when you have slipped into maintenance mode
(09:20):
to preserving traditions while forgetting your mission, and then commit
to renewing your hearts. Pray for the Lord to help
you align your vision and your budgets, and your ministries
and your lives with your great command to make disciples
of all nations. To send you out in the power
of the Holy Spirit, and remind you that you're not
(09:42):
clubbed for the save the permission outpost for the lost.
Well that's the end of today's episode. Well, we hope
you enjoyed this. If you're listening today, Please share with
your friends and neighbors and family members if you found
this valuable here and as always asked yourself, what is
God that going three door life today?
Marcus Aurelius said, what we do in life echoes through eternity?
What is your life echoing through eternity? Welcome to Echoes
through Eternity with doctor Jeffrey Skinner. Our mission is to inspire,
engage and encourage leaders from across the globe to plant
missional churches and be servant leaders. So join us and
(00:22):
hear the stories of servant leaders reverberating lives as God
echoes them through eternity. Brought to you by Missional Church
Planting and Leadership Development and Dynamic Church Planning International.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Welcome man that goes through Eternity. I am your host,
doctor Geffrey D. Skinner. What is God that going through
your life today? Well? Today our episode is entitled to
Reach or Again with a couple of stories. One is
lost and the other fald. It's a small town I
wants to visit. There was a church, gorgeous building that
(00:58):
stood for over one hundred years. Generations had gathered under
its people. The problem wasn't the structure, it was a culture.
Over time that church began to turn inward. Their meetings
were less about mission and more about maintenance. When discussions
about budget came out, the focus was almost always on
(01:18):
how to prepare the roof, how to refinish the pews
or replace them with chairs, or how to keep the
organ rutten. They even considered changing their name a couple
of times, but rarely was it about how to reach
the neighborhood around. Their vision narrowed, their priorities shifted, and
eventually the congregation dwindled. That grand building, which was echoed
(01:41):
with the Gospel of hope, became a museum of what
was even to mausoleum. They had protected traditions, but lost
their mission and as a result, they became dead inside.
Contrasts that with another church I know not far from there.
Congregation faced many of the same challenges an aging building,
(02:04):
clining attendance into shrinking budget, but they made the conscious
choice to recenter everything around outreach. They asked, if we
disappear tomorrow, would our community even notice that single question
asked by a new pastor shoot them away. They began
evaluating ministries through the lens of mission. They started a
(02:24):
tutoring program for kids after school. They opened their fellowship
hall for community mills. Their worship service began including clear
language for people who have never been in church. Before.
Over the years, this outward posture brought new families, new believers,
and a renewed sense of God's spirit. The contrast couldn't
be cleared. One church lived to preserve itself, the other
(02:47):
lived to service mission. One drifted inward, the other became strategic.
When we're talking about shifting from an internal to strategic mindset,
we're not just talking about leadership bads or the latest
ministry thus word. We're talking about the heart of Jesus command.
In Matthew twenty eight nineteen through twenty he says, go
therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
(03:11):
the name of the Father and the Son and of
the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I
have commanded. You notice the verbs go, make gouys, teach.
These are all outward strategic actions. They require movement beyond
comfort zone. Nags one eight, Jesus says, but you will
receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,
(03:34):
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in
all Juda, in Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
In a DCPI curriculum, there are four phases to a
church plant and this is when you're just starting out again.
The trajectory is here is outward. Here, just as an
acid Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the ends of the earth. It's centrifugal,
(03:57):
is outward, moving beyond the king, It's moving beyond the walls.
And I was saying it a DCPI criculum of starting
a church. Fase Phase one is Macedonia. So this is
referred to as the Macedonia Man when it comes to
Paum and calls him out. This is the God that
you face, and this is your call. And vision was
(04:19):
Peter call and vision includes landmarks son and so then
phase two is Ephesus, you to the team. This is
where you gather and form the team. And then phase
three is Jerudalem the team to the church established and
birth the church. And then phase four Antioch the church
the world where you send and multiplied. And this is
(04:39):
where you start birthing new churches. And the whole point
of that is that when you plant a brand new church,
you plant it with a multiplication mindset, because we know
that churches tend to drift inward just over time. That
happens especially once you get a building, which is another reason.
I'm going to encourage that to be the very first
(05:00):
thing that a brand new church acquires is building, because
then comes with that maintenance and then an inward focus
as well. Churches that drift inward forget that the New
Testament picture of the church is not a club for insiders,
but a launching pad for mission teaching. Why churches drift inward?
Why do churches naturally turned churches naturally turn inward? Kevin
(05:20):
Harney is blind about it. An organic outreach for churches,
He says, the gravitational pool of any organization is towards
self preservation. There's a fear of loss. Members worry about
losing traditions, influence, or comfort, so they close rings. They
worry about maintenance. Mindset this it feels easier to preserve
(05:41):
what we have than to risk something new. Misplaced priorities, budgets,
and time are consumed by internal concerns keeping members happy
rather than reaching the lost exhaustion. When leaders are tired,
they default to maintaining run the vision. The result the
church forgets this w and when you forget your why,
you lose your way. So how do we align our
(06:03):
vision in planning? Without reach? Will shift from internal to
Strategic requires intentionality, and it won't be done by accident.
Reframe every question instead of asking do our members like this,
but as begin asking will this help us reach people
far from God? Budget with mission in mind. A budget
is a theological document. It tells you what you believe
(06:26):
matters most. If outreach isn't funded, it isn't prioritize three,
set measurable goals. How many people will we invite this year?
How many community touch points? What would create specific goals?
Focus energy? And when I say touch points, I'm talking
about you going into the community, not just a vacation
Bible school or a Christmas program for people to come
(06:48):
and see. You can do both or evaluate ruthlessly. Be
completely honest about what you're doing and whether or not
it's effective. If a ministry exists only to serve insiders,
that must be reached, cool for mission and released, and
it has to be effective. If it's not working, don't
do it and working. It is not just divined by numbers,
(07:08):
either is divined by faithfulness. Tell stories of missions, celebrate baptisms,
testimonies and community impacts. Story to remind people why we exist.
Strategic thinking doesn't mean becoming cold or corporate. It means
being deliberate. Jesus himself set his face forward to Jerusalem.
Paul made plans to reach draw. The strategic alignment is
(07:30):
not business talk, It's biblical obedience. Here's the practical strategies
for churches. Mission on it once a year. Gather leaders
and ask how does this ministry alive with our calmate disciples?
Community engagement. Create spaces where the community intersects with the
church family, knights, esl classes, food tribes, staff and volunteer roles.
(07:52):
Ensure at least one key leader has outreach on their
title or responsibility. Pray outward, Incorporate prayer for neighbors and
unreached groups into weekly worship and language matters. Use clear,
accessible language in worship and communication that makes sense to seekers.
Don't just use inside baseball caps. Some application for questions
(08:15):
and leaders for answers. Turn the mirror on ourselves, ask leaders, pastors,
and believers. We must wrestle with these questions. How do
each ministry in our church reach the laws? If our
church closed this stords tomorrow, would our community notice? Are
we spending more energy keeping insiders comfortable than reaching outsiders
(08:37):
with the gospel. What traditions or programs might we need
to release in order to embrace mission. I'll remind you
here that sacred cows make excellent him. It's not enough
to just agree with the philosophy. The Spirit calls us
to examine honestly, are we strategic or are we drifting?
My prayer for you guys today is that begin to
(09:00):
ask yourselves. You know or tell yourself that Jesus is
the head of the church, and so ask him to
forgive you for the times that you've turned inward. Focus more,
and you have focused more on your comfort than on
your commission. Confess when you have slipped into maintenance mode
(09:20):
to preserving traditions while forgetting your mission, and then commit
to renewing your hearts. Pray for the Lord to help
you align your vision and your budgets, and your ministries
and your lives with your great command to make disciples
of all nations. To send you out in the power
of the Holy Spirit, and remind you that you're not
(09:42):
clubbed for the save the permission outpost for the lost.
Well that's the end of today's episode. Well, we hope
you enjoyed this. If you're listening today, Please share with
your friends and neighbors and family members if you found
this valuable here and as always asked yourself, what is
God that going three door life today?
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