"By the grace of God has given me; I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be sh own for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work."

                                                                                                          -1 Corinthians 3:10-13

Relevant ministry is impossible without first establishing a firm footing.  There is a difference between relevant and recent.  Which one are you? Here are 7 points of foundation to consider:

1. FOUNDATIONS ARE LABOR INTENSIVE (Don't take short-cuts with your ministry, don't be lazy)
2. FOUNDATIONS ARE NEVER SEEN BY OTHERS; My wife is a customer service coordinator with a home builder.  She deals with the complaints of people that had just bought a home. They complain about the paint, tile, water temperature, the fact that the "christmas package" is not working right.  The one they they don't complain about is the foundation, something they don't see. 
3. FOUNDATIONS ARE COSTLY (An average building will account for 1/2 of the total cost of the building. You must invest more in the foundation so that the building can stay strong (Luke 14:28-30)
4. FOUNDATIONS CAN'T BE REDONE
5. FOUNDATIONS ARE PRECISE. THEY DEMAND FORESIGHT, VISION, AND A PLAN
6. FOUNDATIONS ELIMINATE THE UNSTABLE EFFECTS OF THE GROUND
7. FOUNDATIONS STAY STRONG DURING MOVEMENT AND CHANGE (Especially true to change of leadership)
8. FOUNDATIONS CARRY THE LOAD OF THE STRUCTURE
9. FOUNDATION DETERMINES THE ULTIMATE SIZE OF A STRUCTURE

Bret L. Allen