Cottage Meetings

Judges 17:  ⁶ In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.

Pastor Dave Barkalow is having cottage meetings with church members in their neighborhoods.  What a great way for our new pastor to both meet members in their own setting, but also to get a pulse of the congregation.  By that I mean he's getting frank feedback in small group settings on strengths and opportunities for our church.  I found ours to be well attended, to include visitors invited by Frank and JoAnn Rankin, and full of frank and open discussion. 
One of Dave's questions was along the lines of "if you could wave a magic wand and fix one thing in the church, what would it be?"  The group started with ideas along the lines of church growth such as bringing in more young families which led to discussions about advertising, van ministry, and an elevator.  I confess a certain amount of frustration with these responses.  Not because they're not valid, they absolutely are on point, but I see them as self-limiting.  Perhaps its because of the way the question was phrased, but I was hoping for a discussion more along the lines of what is God calling this particular group of believers to do in our local community and the world?  In military parlance, I found the discussion tactically focused on small things that were clearly within our span of control and ability when the situation is one of strategic importance regarding how we can be of use to ensure that the Gospel message has permeated every nook and cranny of Fort Walton Beach and beyond that clearly requires God to work through us miraculously. 
My concern is that we've lost sight of the King of Kings - who He is and what He said He would do.  He said "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt 28:18-20).  How is our local church fulfilling this?  We can point to individual efforts unseen by most of our congregation, small group efforts, or one day of service in the year or even to our connectional ministries through the larger United Methodist Church, but how is God calling our whole church to be about this commission each and every day?  How do we discern His specific calling?
We've tried worldly ways:  committee meetings, brainstorming, focus groups, visioning conferences, etc.  The disciples tried his method as well and I believe missed what God was already doing.  In Acts chapter 1, Peter, referencing scripture, called for a replacement for Judas.  He established clear criteria, held a nominations meeting with the 120 or so members of the first church, prayed, then cast lots between Barsabbas and Mathias.  Out of that event, Mathias was chosen, then if I'm not mistaken, never heard of again.  Note the order of events.  I've always wondered if they hadn't used worldly logic to limit God's choices to 2 if they would have done things differently.  Perhaps if through prayer first, they would have waited upon the Lord because several chapters later, Jesus confronts Saul and appoints him the responsibility to take the gospel message to the Gentiles.  I've always thought the early church missed what God was doing.  Are we missing what God is calling us to do?  While we worry about a building without an elevator, are we missing a connectional ministry to the lost and hurting in FWB? 
I am worried that we're not skilled at seeing God at work and joining him in it.  Instead, we look for something we can do for the creator of the universe.  So, we put up ads, talk about how limited our vans are to carry the elderly or disbled, and worry about code violations of a two story building with no elevator.  While valid points, I find them tactical resonses to a strategic situation of a lost city.  Perhaps we're stuck in business practices we've learned on the job or through other service organizations.  I guess I find these methods worldly and "the easy way out."  God said "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. in Jeremiah 29:13.  I think discovering God's will may take hard work.  Not that He is difficult to find, but that our own stubborn pride, logic, and ideas get in the way.  It's like a shiny object and the whole school of fish is focused upon it.  I think seeking God, His will, and His ways, demands the hard work of putting aside my own selfish agenda and truly becoming open minded.  Am I really willing to do so?  Is First Church willing to do the hard work of setting aside our own personal agendas and seeking Him first?  I hope I receive some cogent responses.