What Got Us Here Won’t Get Us There

In the early 2000s, Disney was on the brink of collapse. Shareholders were revolting. Morale was at an all-time low. The board finally forced out longtime CEO Michael Eisner.

Here’s what makes that story fascinating. Eisner’s first decade was historic. His last was abysmal. Same man. Same company. So what changed?

Disney grew. Eisner never grew with it. Every decision, every ride, every film had to run through his micromanaging leadership. That style worked when the company was smaller. It was destroying them two decades later.

Enter Bob Iger. In his memoir, The Ride of a Lifetime, Iger describes building his entire vision around three clear priorities. That vision transformed the company. Iger understood something Eisner never did: what got Disney here wouldn’t get Disney there. They didn’t need an updated Mickey. They needed an updated method.

Churches face the same tension.

By God’s grace, our church is growing. But the win isn’t a bigger crowd. It’s deeper formation. People embracing the practices of Jesus. Generational patterns changing. Men and women stepping into their calling.

And that kind of growth forces an honest question: can the methods that got us here faithfully take us there?

Part of the fear around growth is legitimate. Growth can veer into vanity. A pastor gets an ego, a church chases numbers, the mission gets lost. That danger is real and worth guarding against.

But there’s another challenge we don’t talk about nearly as often. Growth creates complexity. More people means more stories, more needs, more questions. It’s like moving from two kids to three. You go from man-on-man to zone defense.

So how does a growing church organize itself around spiritual formation? Paul answers that exact question in Ephesians 4.

Serving Grace

Everything hangs on one sentence: “Grace was given to each one of us” (Ephesians 4:7).

In the first half of Ephesians, Paul celebrates saving grace. That’s what most of us think of when we see the word. Without it, we’re separated from God. It comes by His mercy, not our merit.

But here, Paul shifts to serving grace. Saving grace gives us a place in God’s family. Serving grace gives us a purpose in God’s family. We aren’t just recipients of grace. We become participants in it.

And who receives this serving grace? Each one of us. Not the professionals. Not just the staff. Every follower of the Way.

Paul even quotes Psalm 68 with a twist. The original says the King received gifts from people. Paul writes that Jesus gave gifts to people. This King isn’t just here to receive. He’s so generous, He distributes His ministry through His whole Body.

Five Ways of Seeing

Then Paul does something surprising. Instead of listing abilities, he lists people: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.

Notice this isn’t a list of the ministers. It’s a list of the equippers. The leaders equip. The saints minister. Without that understanding, churches make attenders, not disciples.

Here’s one way to grasp these five gifts. They can all walk into the same church, look at the same people, and notice something different. The apostle says we need to build and multiply. The prophet says we need to hear from God and pursue holiness. The evangelist says we need to reach the lost. The pastor says we need to care for and protect people. The teacher says we need to understand and live God’s truth.

None of them are wrong. Each sees a different part of what the Body needs. The problem comes when we assume what we see is all there is to see. The prophet needs the shepherd. The evangelist needs the teacher. We need each other because the Church needs all of Jesus.

Your Next Step

This is why we’ve built a Discipleship Pathway around teaching, community, and practice. It’s not a shift away from anything. It’s a step further in. The goal is simple: deepen your discipleship and develop your gift for the Body.

You can’t choose your gift. You discern it. Through prayer, practice, and community, you discover where God has empowered you to serve others.

So here’s the question worth praying over: what’s your next step on the pathway? Formation doesn’t run through a handful of people at the top. Grace was given to each one of us. Including you.