Getting to know the community that your congregation will focus on is a critical step in defining your mission. To start, work on getting answers to several key questions: What are the primary issues in your community? How do the people in the community want the church to respond to those issues? And probably most important: do the people in your community actually want the ministry you are proposing? Your congregation will be most successful if you can answer yes to this question.

Why do leaders miss the matchless thumb-print of their identity in the local expression of Christ's body?

I see six common hazards that stand out across the landscape of church life. Because all of them affect thinking, I call them "thinkholes." A thinkhole represents the quicksand-like dynamic where, at certain times and places, vibrant thinking gets sucked beneath the surface to suffocate and disappear from view. Along the great race of leadership, thinkholes are the obstacles, barriers, and danger zones that keep us from thoughtful self-knowledge.

"We're way over the top at this point, folks," Phil said, shaking his head as he reviewed the numbers. Building a new church always seems to cost more than planned. Was it indicative of churches, or just a fact of new construction? He didn't know. This was only the second time he'd been a part of a building project this extensive. But the cost overruns were going to test his leadership as pastor. Each board member had a pet project, and no one was willing to have his or her piece of the puzzle dismissed.

"So it looks like it's time to do some serious belt tightening and prioritizing," he continued, as he looked at the faces of his board.

A recent research study included a survey of 406 young adults who stayed in church during the critical ages of 18 to 22, and who have remained in church since then. What are some of the primary reasons these young adults stayed in the church?