What if Instead?

There’s a piece in the book The Multiplying Church that struck me as I read and I wanted to share it with everyone. The part in the book is where Bob Roberts is discussing different motivations for starting churches in Chapter 4. He believes that transformation is really the only viable reason to start a new church because he feels that it will inevitably incorporate all of the other good motivations. As he (Roberts) is reflecting on his motivations for starting his church he asks “what if instead of dreaming of a 7,000 seat worship center, I dreamed of clinics, schools, and community centers in the inner city? What if instead of envisioning 150 – Acre campus, I saw orphanages around the world and micro-enterprises? What if instead of longing for about 100 full-time ministry staff, we had 1,000 staff located all over the world? What if instead of wishing for half the community to attend our local church, the community threw parties to thank our church for all the things it was doing in the community?” What a powerful thought. I wonder…what would be our “what if instead?” in this community.