When Millenials (who are church outsiders) look into the church and see a building, a program, thought process, an approach to its neighbours, a dress code, technology that looks like it hasn't changed since before they were even born, they honestly think – that place isn't for me. That's not a place that understands the current culture. That's not a place that understands what I'm going through.

Every church wants to be relevant - there’s just one thing that usually stands in the way. Most churches don’t take the time to define what “relevant” means.

In some office environments, you can put a sign on the door that says "do not disturb," or you can interrupt someone mid-sentence and say, "I don't have time to hear this story right now. But in a church office, that's rarely something that is done. And church office interruptions aren't usually short bursts of time; they're often emotional moments that require a little bit of time to come down from after.

We know that your mission is your purpose, and the method is how you're accomplishing it. But something you need to identify in every meeting is how each one manifests itself during a conversation. 

When I meet with churches to discuss mission and method, I'll start by listing a series of ministries or traditions that happen in that church, and I'll ask the group if they think that thing is a mission or a method of the church.