The phrase "direction of the church" refers to the course or path in which the church is heading. It implies the overall goals, focus, and beliefs that guide the actions and decisions of the church as a whole. Full definition
I guess I meant the general direction of the church is guided by Jesus. (redeeminggod.com)
A place where we bring the reality of our success and our failure together for the purpose of shaping the direction of the Church. (relevantmagazine.com)
The liberal bestselling attacks on the pope and the Catholic Church are really an intra-Catholic argument about the direction of the Church today. (faith.org.uk)