Below are a few more practical suggestions for upgrading our systems to stay aligned with the truth:

3. Evaluate your cultural language. Is your lingo and style appropriate for your target audience? Are you speaking in a form of “christianese” that people don't understand? (For example, do you freely throw out terms like “justification” or “sanctification” without defining them?) Is the language you use in church world different than what you use Monday through Saturday? (Consider phrases like, “hedge of protection,” or “traveling mercies,”) If so, why are you using them? Are there better ways to communicate the unchanging truth than using “christian jargon?” Furthermore, are the stories you share in church world relevant to the cultural issues of today or do they only relate to a world of the past? Truth must always be incarnational (Jesus came to us on our level as a baby) and pragmatic (applicable to current situations we're going through) to be transformational.

4. Regarding leadership, do you have an ongoing leadership development program that is broad enough to include all ages and both genders? Are you equipping everyone for something? Discipleship is a lost art. And what we often consider discipleship is little more than pumping minds full of biblical data and facts. Leaders are people of action—they apply what they're learning. So are you equipping everyone to influence those around them in positive ways?