When God called us to work with churches, I found many similarities to the businesses I had worked with as a consultant for many years. Businesses and churches alike seem to struggle to simultaneously build infrastructure and grow outwardly. Focusing on infrastructure usually interferes with externally-focused efforts in sales and marketing (for businesses) or community outreach (for churches). It is understandable, often even necessary, for a business to shift focus from time to time. But outreach is a primary responsibility of a church. God does not call Christians to “seasons” of outreach ministry but rather to lives dedicated to Him and to reaching others. Without sustained, effective outreach, a church cannot fulfill its purpose and cannot survive.