Reactive churches are led by “fireman” leaders. That is, their leaders spend their time “putting out fires” rather than casting vision and raising up leaders. Keeping the congregation happy today consumes more energy than preparing them for tomorrow…. expectant churches are led by “ignitor” leaders. That is, their leaders see their responsibility as igniting fires among the congregation. They ignite a passion for God, a fervor for evangelism, a burden for the world, and a desire to achieve the church’s vision.

The Bible is a story of expectations: an expected Messiah who would crush the serpent (Gen. 3:15), an expected people from Abram (Gen. 12:1-3), an expected new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34), an expected return of Christ (Matt. 24:29-30), and an expected new creation (Rev. 21). Faith, in fact, is about expectation – the “reality of what is hoped for” (Heb. 11:1, HCSB).

Many churches, though, live in reactive mode rather than expectant mode. In my book, Discipled Warriors, I compare these churches.

REACTIVE churches . . .

• have no recognized vision. They may have a vision statement, but it is simply a sentence on paper. With no clear direction, the congregation wanders in multiple directions.
• are led by “fireman” leaders. That is, their leaders spend their time “putting out fires” rather than casting vision and raising up leaders. Keeping the congregation happy today consumes more energy than preparing them for tomorrow.
• try seemingly every program available. Every new approach is considered a “fix” for the church’s concerns, and leaders change their approaches recurrently. Members are program-weary….

EXPECTANT churches . . .

• have a clear sense of vision. Staff and lay leaders alike know and affirm the church’s vision. That vision factors into every budgetary and programming decision the congregation makes.
• are led by “ignitor” leaders. That is, their leaders see their responsibility as igniting fires among the congregation. They ignite a passion for God, a fervor for evangelism, a burden for the world, and a desire to achieve the church’s vision.
• plan strategically in using programs. Programming decisions are not made quickly. Leaders do their homework to evaluate whether a program fits the church’s culture and vision. They devote energy to making programs effective….

[Editor’s note: This article is incomplete. The link (URL) to the original article at Church Answers is unavailable and has been removed.]