Imagine a church where every detail— from the logo to the color palette to the typography—speaks to a greater purpose. Each element is carefully chosen to inspire worship, serve the community, and facilitate supernatural connection with God and His people. Now, what if you could design your life with the same intentionality? Just as churches need purpose-driven design in order to fulfill their God-given mission, we, too, need to design lives of professional and personal significance that align with Kingdom-minded values and Heaven-inspired goals. In this article, we will explore how church design principles can help us craft a life that brings both purpose and alignment with the mission we are meant to fulfill.
I’ve been learning in this season that many things are important, but few things are actually urgent (read Luke 10:38-42 for further exploration into this notion.)
Good church design often follows the principle of “less is more.” It avoids clutter by focusing on the most urgent elements to communicate the message effectively without distraction. A clear, well-organized layout allows the audience to focus on the key points while still having impact.
Do our lives reflect this same idea?
While there is nothing inherently wrong with living a busy life, I do believe the Lord is grieved by a busy soul. Rest - upholding and maintaining rhythms of sabbath - mattered deeply to Jesus while He was here on earth. And if it mattered to Jesus, it should matter to us.
In a world filled with distractions and competing priorities, it is important to design lives that regularly commune with the One who gives us life. Whether that is a morning routine that begins by reading the Word or simply choosing to listen to worship music as you work your 9-5, we must ensure we are cultivating connection with the only connection that truly matters: Jesus. When we do this, all the lesser things - our jobs, relationships, desires, etc. - will fall into place.
Upon completion of my graduate degree, I worked for several years as a Career Counselor. Within this role, I worked directly with college-aged students - many of whom knew exactly what they wanted to do, but also many who had no idea what they wanted to do. In my conversations with this latter population, they would often ask me “How do I decide what I want to do?” and “How do I choose a career path for me?” I would usually prescribe them a few career assessments to take, encourage them to talk to people in fields they were interested in, and challenge them to shadow a few professionals.
But above all the advice/guidance I would give them, I would always ask them “What breaks your heart?” I would ask them this because I am of the mindset that if you know what breaks your heart, you know who you’re meant to serve.
Ministry Leaders: What breaks your heart? Is it first-generation believers? Is it the de-churched? Whoever it is, does your church and its design lend itself to this mission?
In order to advance whatever mission the Lord has placed on your heart, you will need an effective system that revolves around consistency. A successful church is a consistent church. Consistency not only helps reinforce the church’s identity and makes the message easily recognizable, it also builds trust and reliability.
This same principle applies to our professional and personal journeys. By consistently aligning our actions with our core values, we cultivate a personal brand that is both clear and dependable. Just as design uses consistent elements to create a cohesive brand, your decisions, behaviors, and goals should align to create a passionate, God-centered life. We can practically ensure this alignment through continuous self-reflection, a passionate prayer life, accountability from Christian community, and above all else, growing in deeper devotion to the Lord.
By framing our lives’ design around these principles, we can actualize our professional and personal development in a way that leads to deep-rooted fulfillment and Kingdom advancement.
