I’m at one of my favourite places (the Orange Conference) with some of my very favourite people. (If you’re not at Orange, catch glimpses of it online here).

Conferences are often places for information and ideas.  And I’m a strategy wonk for sure.

But what I love about Orange10 is that this year, it feels like God is trying to do something in us.  This conference has felt even more personal than usual…more like God was trying to speak to me and in me.  Which is so helpful.  Often we just want God to do something through us. But God usually won’t do anything through us until he does something in us.

One way I know where I’m at spiritually is how I feel when I sing the words to a worship song.  This year, I’m not only singing the words, I’m feeling them.  There’s a sense of awe and wonder that’s returning to my heart and life that is so refreshing. I’ve had those moments where I think "If only everyone could get this"!  Inspiration is the rocket fuel that propels action, and when you are actually inspired, it can bring life like nothing else. 

So…Orange leaders….what’s your experience been?  What is God doing in you?  What’s been your biggest "God is doing this in me" experience so far?

At Connexus, like at many North Point Strategic Partnerships, we relentlessly ask this question:  how do we know we’re winning?  It’s another way of saying ‘how do we know we’re accomplishing our mission?

That’s a very different question than "are we growing?"  or "are we meeting budget?" or "do we like what we’re doing?"  (three easy questions to ask).  

Primarily we ask these three questions: 

- Are we creating a church unchurched people love to attend? 

- Are we leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ? 

- Are we helping parents and families win at home?

The first answers our vision statement, the second, our mission statement and the third, our family ministry philosophy. 

But I find as a leader I am tempted to dump these questions in favour of this question:  Did I try really hard?  I find this to be true: the more I invest in a message/series/project/venture the more likely I’m going to declare it a win whether it’s a win or not. 

I am constantly tempted to measure organizational success by effort rather than results.  I think it’s one of the key ways organizations get off track.  It’s how 50 very sincere Christians can end up building a church no one but them wants to attend.  It’s how artists produce music no one wants to listen to or preachers pour their hearts in messages that have little relevance.  It’s how a great organization can become a once-great organization.

Our entire team can work relentlessly hard on a project, but if we fail to reach unchurched people, don’t help people grow in their relationship with Christ or avoid helping families win at home, we’re engaged in a heartfelt exercise in missing the point. That’s not why we started the church.  It’s not why we exist. 

As we plan for 2010, we are focusing increasingly on measuring outcomes.  As I regularly share with our staff, staff spend 99% of their time planning for ministry and 1% evaluating ministry.  The congregation and community do exactly the opposite – they spend 1% of their time planning and 99% of their time evaluating.

How about you?  Do you find it easy to keep focus?  What helps you stay focused?  How do you measure what really matters most?