LAKE FOREST, Calif. (PD)--How do you introduce the concept of accountability to a congregation that has spent years sitting and soaking up grace-based messages? That's one of the questions pastor Chris Nelson of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minn., put to a room full of peers at the 2005 Purpose Driven Church Conference at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif.

"At Bethlehem Lutheran, we became a Purpose Driven Church in 1996," Nelson told his audience. They'd been hearing about "this church in Southern California" that was successfully attracting people in a fresh way. In fact, Nelson quipped, they were hearing "Saddleback" so much, "we started getting Saddle-sore!" Realizing there must be something to it, Nelson and his colleagues decided to check it out. They discovered there was a system behind Saddleback's winsome ways, signed on to the Purpose Driven program and have never looked back since.

Yet while pastors all over the world are embracing the Purpose Driven Church model, transferring those ideas to an established body of believers often turns out to be more challenging than they thought. So how does a laid-back Lutheran become a Purpose Driven participant? The answer, from a pastor's perspective, begins with knowing your church and modifying the Purpose Driven concepts to fit.

Theology was the first thing Bethlehem Lutheran confronted. Where did they disagree with Saddleback's teachings and where did they agree? Sometimes, Nelson said, it's just a matter of recognizing that where Rick Warren might use the word "salvation," the Lutheran will say "sanctification." Tackling this topic upfront helped bring the resistant people across the line.

Mike Foss, pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville, Minn., has said, "In the name of grace, we have institutionalized commitment." So to help mobilize a complacent body, Nelson's church found it effective to consistently raise the bar. People respond when a call to excellence is sounded.

Saddleback's "baseball diamond was just too cute for our congregation, so we used a Star of David," Nelson explained. Nelson encouraged participants to, "Be creative. Find out what works for you."

Preaching, Nelson said, is the first and easiest thing to change. "Since we became a PDC, all our sermons have become application focused." But when you make a dramatic change to your content, isn't there a risk of losing members? Bethlehem's record is the answer: Since 1996, church roles have swelled from the mid-700s to over 1300 this year. "People are looking for help in how to live the day-to-day Christian life," Nelson said.

In developing your own Purpose Driven messages, Nelson suggests:

• Offer relevant, applicable tools for life
• Cast a vision -- one that shapes the DNA of the congregation
• Preach the five purposes; be creative with the words; find what works for your church.

Using the five purposes as a filter for decision making has also revolutionized Bethlehem Lutheran's operation. "All our decisions are based on whether or not the program fits one of the five purposes," Nelson said.

Adult discipleship takes a little more time in a comfortable church. After all, longtime members don't think they need discipling. Here's how Nelson describes the Process of Faith Transformation:

• From forum to formation
• From information to transformation
• From program to process
• From sermons to discipleship opportunities

Nelson explained to a room full of heads nodding in agreement, "Most Lutherans who've been around a long time are people who have church working perfectly for them." And minds made up don't like to be changed! In many churches, the preaching is designed for the core -- for those people who've been there for years and aren't looking for challenge. Newcomers are likely to feel like outsiders and may not come back. Pointing to the concentric circles of commitment model, Nelson encouraged his listeners to first answer the question: At which ring is your Adult Discipleship program aimed?

At Bethlehem Lutheran, the small group model became their answer for delivering discipleship at a whole congregation level. Information is delivered in the classroom, but in small groups, "people engage with their faith."

What ultimately works for churches like Bethlehem Lutheran is to change the congregation from the inside out. The idea is not to give them everything they'll ever need but to get them excited about growing in Christ. How does the establishment within this church respond? Fortunately, said Nelson, "our 'old guard' has been very flexible in understanding you can't do church in 2005 like you did in 1965."

Can traditional worship be used in a Purpose Driven way? Yes, if you begin by asking yourselves two questions: 1) What is our core competency -- what are we good at?; and 2) Does it match our target? At Bethlehem Lutheran, their previous traditional worship was good, but it wasn't hitting its mark with new attendees. So they've redesigned it in a way that offers time to connect with one another and with the teaching pastor. In short, said Nelson, they've become more hospitable.

Governance is the last thing you do, according to Nelson. At Bethlehem Lutheran, they simply acted like they were Purpose Driven. Applying the SHAPE principles helps get rid of ineffective committees -- and gets people working in ministries that excite them. When meetings are necessary, Nelson advised, do not use them for business. Instead, use that time to focus on the big picture, keep an eye on the balance of the five purposes, and nurture and develop leaders.

Bethlehem Lutheran's leaders are required to demonstrate a commitment to maturity through such assignments as reading The Purpose Driven Church, regular worship, tithing (or at least growing towards it), involvement in discipleship and service, and demonstrating a passion for the mission of the church. Pastors and staff model that commitment.

"Maximize ministry and minimize maintenance" is one of several slogans Nelson's ministry has adopted to help keep Bethlehem Lutheran's focus on a Purpose Driven lifestyle. He probably won't mind if you want to use it, too.

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