Other "Thinking Drafts" and writing by Keith Drury -- http://www.indwes.edu/tuesday .

 Mission Creep

In press conferences, media types like to ask Presidents about 'Mission creep.' That's when a particular military mission is gradually expanded to include tasks beyond the scope of the original mission. For instance, during 'Operation Restore Hope,' the US military wound up re-training Somali police on how to direct traffic, though it was well beyond the task of the initial mission. When 'mission creep' occurs the mission gradually expands, becoming broader and more massive than first intended. Military leaders, (who are fond of orderly procedures and clear and measurable goals) hate mission creep, though they know it is inevitable.

The church experiences mission creep too. We launch a narrowly defined, mission-driven program with clearly stated objectives. And, when it succeeds, what happens? We expand it.

For example, say you get this brainstorm one weekend about starting a program to reach the Senior High guys who hang around your Pizza Hut every Friday night. You open your church's gym and organize active basketball games. Your mission is clearly defined: you want to reach out spiritually to these youth, through basketball. Let's say you succeed. What happens next? You betcha... you'll be asked, 'But, what about the Senior high *Girls?* Smacking yourself on the forehead, you'll reply, 'Gee, sorry! I meant to start that too,' and you'll scurry about setting up another program, only to be asked that week, 'But what about the 'Junior highers -- you know that's the age who really needs attention."

You know how this story goes... if the thing is successful, you'll eventually have a full K-12 athletic program on Friday nights, the Xers will be clamoring for volleyball, you'll be recruiting 32 volunteer coaches, two part time college students, and talking about 'our eventual need for a 'minister of athletics.' This is 'mission creep.' In the military and at church it is probably inevitable -- unless, that is, your new program flops.

But 'mission creep' is not the real problem for most churches. *Mission exchange* is -- switching from an old mission to a new one. In the military it happens simply when the commander in chief changes his mind and says so. It happens in the church more gradually and imperceptibly. And it's related to 'methods.'

"Methods' you say? 'Methods are simply the neutral means to accomplishing the mission.' 'If the mission is right, it doesn't matter which methods we use.' 'Methods are neither good nor bad, they merely are tools we use to get the mission accomplished.' These are the tenets of baby boomer methodological doctrine.

But methods may be more important than we think. Why? Because methods have a way of gradually displacing our mission. Today's 'methods' often become tomorrow's 'mission.'

Consider the YMCA, as an example. In its early years, 'the Y' had a simple and clear *mission* of evangelizing Young Men, utilizing the *method* of recreation. They were good at it, thanks to Dwight L. Moody and others. The method was genius. The mission was solid. What happened? Today, in many YMCA's (I know, not all of them) the *method* gradually has displaced the *mission,* so that the new mission is now 'recreation' not 'evangelism.' Yesterday's method became today's mission.

Now I'm not picking on the YMCA, for they do wonderful work. It can happen to any organization. A little closer to home, I might point out how institutions of higher education have similar, probably worse, history.

So, I'm wondering if there's any truth to the notion, 'Today's methods can become tomorrow's mission.' If so, I wonder *which* methods, (programs, 'ministries') of today will gradually crowd out the religious mission and set themselves up as their own mission. Can you think of any examples good or bad? What do you think?

So what do you think?

To contribute to the thinking on this issue e-mail your response to Tuesday@indwes.edu