A Faith Issue?

Put in this perspective, congregations overcome with addictive emotional patterns have a serious spiritual problem. Like the church of Ephesus, they have not only lost their first love, they are dangerously close to losing faith altogether! Why? Because they are not willing to leave what is comfortable to follow God’s call to them. They fear separation because they really aren’t sure if God’s grace-based promise not to abandon them is really true. If they cannot be sure, then they cannot trust God’s leading.

Pushing the Envelope of Grace and Trust

In this context, perhaps one of the most important tasks for those who would seek to transform anxious organizations is to continually keep the people of God on the cutting edge of grace and trust. There are numerous ways to do this: sermons, liturgical rites, assimilation programs, and stewardship campaigns are all necessary. Tithing is also an important strategy for challenging members to trust. "Test me in this," God told Israel through Malachi. "See if I will not bless you."

Big Hairy Audacious Goals

Like Martin Luther King, Jr., who was compelled to proclaim, "I have a dream," all God’s servants have compelling reasons to have "God-possible dreams." Such dreams are those visions that can only be accomplished by God. Secular writers call these seemingly impossible dreams BHAGs.¹⁶

BHAG is an acronym for "big, hairy, audacious goal" (although some church folks call them big, holy, audacious goals). "No BHAG, No Growth," I wrote in my article "Get A BHAG" in MinistryHealth.net.¹⁷ One might also say, "No BHAG, No Faith." Scripture is a voluminous collection of BHAGs—creation, miracles, resurrection, grace; who would have ever believed it was possible? It’s just one BHAG after another. Apparently God must love BHAGs; he’s done so many of them.

Examples of BHAG

How can you stretch a congregation’s faith? How can the leadership get people into a lifestyle of grace and trust? What is one of the greatest tools for teaching congregations how to manage anxiety? Get a BHAG! Here are some examples BHAGs for congregations:

• Experiencing the spiritual renewal of a congregation that had been mired in anxiety, conflict, antagonism, and self-centered ministry.


• Moving the church to a new location.


• Totally shutting down a declining church, restructuring its worship and ministry, changing its name, and restarting it in the confidence of God’s blessing.


• Setting a faith budget well beyond the reasonable expectation of anyone and achieving it.


• In faith, adding staff to promote and extend the ministry of Jesus Christ from your church.


• Adopting extraordinary mission goals that your church has never even imagined it could meet.


• Planting a new church with the assistance and sponsorship of your congregation or a cluster of congregations.


• Personally surviving a congregational split. Overcoming temptations to commit suicide, surrender to mental illness, or resign is no mean accomplishment. It’s nothing short of miraculous. Indeed, if God were not there for us in the conflict, who could stand?


• Following the BHAG when God calls and beckons you and the congregation to stretch toward his vision.

As long as there’s a possibility for a BHAG, the church has possibility for growth. If BHAGs continue to be rejected there is a strong possibility that unhealthy, anxious emotional processes will begin—or have already begun—taking control of the organization.

16. James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (New York: HarperBusiness, 1994).
17. Thomas F. Fischer, "Get a BHAG," article no. 169, online at ministryhealth.net.