Are You Prescribing the Recommended Dose
Are you prescribing the recommended dose? Do you know what I mean by recommended dose? Maybe because I finally went to the doctor, but doesn’t it seem obvious that with a little thought every church could determine a recommended dose of activities and practices that would help the kind of people who attend their church take the steps they need to take in order to become like Christ (to grow up in all aspects into Him).
Note: It would be very important to develop the prescription with the people in mind who need it. See also, Which Customer Is Your Ministry Designed to Connect? and Raw Material + Process = End Product.
I think most of us could describe the recommended dose. It would vary slightly from church to church, but wouldn’t you already have in mind the things (the activities and practices) that would help the kind of people who attend your church?
At Canyon Ridge the recommended dose is referred to as The Path. The Path is a collection of activities and practices that we’d say everyone needs in order to grow in Christ. Our path is:
- Attend One (worship)
- Quiet Time (discipleship)
- Group One (community)
- Serve One (volunteer)
- Invest and Invite (outreach)
You can read a few specifics about The Path right here. If I was writing the description, I’d articulate it a little different, but it has most of what I’d want. See also, Essential Ingredients for Life-Change.
Clearly articulating your recommended dose can help the people who attend your church begin to see that there’s more to this than attending an occasional weekend service. Designing the steps that lead in the direction you want them to go (and only in that direction) will help them absorb the recommended dose. See also, Think Steps, Not Programs.
If we want people to take the recommended dose, it shouldn’t be a mystery. It shouldn’t be confusing in any way. It ought to be clearly marked and easy to to understand.
Is yours?
By the way, I think I first began referring to the idea of a recommended dose on a coaching call earlier this year. You can read about what happened on the call right here. See also, Determining the Minimum and Recommended Dose.
What do you think? Have a question? Want to argue? You can click here to jump into the conversation.
