The Scriptures are clear–nothing of vitality can rest on words alone, whether it be a life or a movement. Movements need more than men and women of words; they need men and women of practical action. James challenged early Christ-followers to be doers of the word, not hearers only…for if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in the mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. James asks the early church to be made up of doers who act…to be people of faith and works.
Fortunately, the early church possessed practical men and women of faith AND works. Thumb through the Book of Acts and you’ll find method. You’ll find strategy. You’ll find staffing, resource management, processes, policies and procedures.
The early church didn’t just commit ideologically to being witnesses first in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. They pulled out a map, charted the route, selected and trained men and women to go, gathered resources, and sent them out. In each location, these first missionaries put what remained in order, and appointed elders (or we might call them local movement builders for they were both men of the word and men of action) in every town (Titus 1:5). Before too long, a small, highly organized, deeply committed group of Christ-followers began to turn the world upside down (Acts 17:6)
All movements need organizers, implementers, leaders–practical persons of action. We should not be surprised that the local movements we are building require the same.
First: don’t fear to plan, to implement, and to manage. Sure, we need to pray at all times. But we also need to obey. Prayers and hope filled thinking alone wont reach our city, our neighborhood, or our office. They wont build a spiritual movement. We also need to do what Jesus tells us to do. What he himself modeled.
Second: develop the skills of the organizer. Bite the bullet of preparation and planning. Staff, chart, strategize, appoint, delegate, challenge, call, implement, develop funding, write resources, put processes in place, etc. Become men and women of practical action