Acts 1:8
Church Growth Workshop
UNIT 1
Where are we?
Where is your Church?
(What is the state of the church?)
• Where are we?
• Not compared to another church but compared to
what God wants for your particular church.
• Where do we need to go from here?
• A vision from God (results)
• What changes/key steps need to be made?
WHERE ARE YOU?
LEADER’S
Personal
LIFE
Family
LIFE
Leadership Team
LIFE
Church
LIFE
Where are you as a Pastor?
Proclaim
Care
Lead
Strategic Planning
A pastors work is never done
The word Pastor(s) is used 9 times in the
Bible. (KJV)
_8_ times in Jeremiah
_1_ time in Ephesians
Our Calling ‘Jeremiah’
• JER 1:4 Then the word of the LORD came
unto me, saying,
• JER 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I
knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of
the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained
thee a prophet unto the nations.
Our Calling ‘Jeremiah’
• JER 1:6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I
cannot speak: for I am a child.
• JER 1:7 But the LORD said unto me, Say not,
I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall
send thee, and whatsoever I command thee
thou shalt speak.
Our Calling ‘Jeremiah’
• JER 1:8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am
with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
• JER 1:9 Then the LORD put forth his hand,
and touched my mouth. And the LORD said
unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy
mouth.
• JER 1:10 See, I have this day set thee over the
nations and over the kingdoms, to root out,
and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw
down, to build, and to plant.
Our Calling
• JER 3:15 And I will give you pastors
according to mine heart, which shall feed
you with knowledge and understanding.
• JER 10:21 For the pastors are become
brutish, and have not sought the LORD:
therefore they shall not prosper, and all
their flocks shall be scattered.
Our Calling
• JER 12:10 Many pastors have destroyed
my vineyard, they have trodden my
portion under foot, they have made my
pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.
• JER 12:11 They have made it desolate,
and being desolate it mourneth unto me;
the whole land is made desolate, because
no man layeth it to heart.
Our Calling
• JER 23:1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy
and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the
LORD.
• JER 23:2 Therefore thus saith the LORD God
of Israel against the pastors that feed my
people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven
them away, and have not visited them: behold,
I will visit upon you the evil of your doings,
saith the LORD.
Church Leadership table
Positional
Leader
_______
Pastor
Positional
Leader
_______
Positional
Leader
_______
Positional
Leader
_______
Leadership table
Influential
Leader
_______
Influential
Leader
_______
Jesus
Influential
Leader
_______
Changing the Status Quo
• Two ways or avenues we have as leaders to
change the status quo.
• Position
• What are some issues that you would use your
position to change? (Example – Doctrinal)
• Personal Influence & sharing of
knowledge
• What are some issues that you would use your
Personal Influence & sharing of knowledge to
change?
Changing the Status Quo
Power of Position
4.
Change in Group Behavior
3.
Change in Individual Behavior
2.
Change in Attitude
1.
Change in Knowledge
Degree of
Difficulty
Power of Personal Influence
Time
Changing the Status Quo
• Jeremiah 3:15 “And I will give you pastors
according to mine heart,
• which shall feed you
• with knowledge and understanding.”
• Is this positional or personal influence & the
sharing of knowledge?
• I Peter 5:3 “Neither as being lords over God’s
heritage, but being examples to the flock.”
Where is your Church?
(What is the state of the church?)
• Where are we?
• Not compared to another church but compared to
what God wants for your particular church.
• Where do we need to go from here?
• A vision from God (results)
• What changes/key steps need to be made?
Where is your church?
–
–
–
–
–
–
Growth
Numbers
Health
Fellowship
Reproduction
___________?
Church History?
Pastors - Church ACP report
BT II Planters - please work the evaluation
handout. (It will be covered and discused in
unit 6)
SO, Where is your Church in light of the facts?
Surveys
• Characteristics of a Growing Church?
• Faith Formula for Growth
• Evangelism – Engel’ scale
– are you moving folks along down the scale?
• How do you choose a church?
• Bell curve (Next slide)
Ministry
Nostalgia
Questioning
Structure
Polarization
Goals
Beliefs
Dream
Dropout
Robert Dale
In
To Dream Again
Characteristics of a Church
Ministry
Structure
Nostalgia
Nurturing
Rational Parent
Questioning
Adult
Goals
Belief
Dream
Creative
Child
Critical
Parent
Polarization
Dropout
Refocusing
On Evangelism
and outreach
Reenergizing
Deal with some
internal issues &
refocus on outreach
Restructuring
Large internal
changes & refocus
on outreach
Ed Stetzer
In
Comeback
Churches
Restarting
Where are we as a Church?
Every Church ought to be a
healthy, soul winning, caring,
reaching, teaching
reproducing church!
Would you agree or disagree?
A Healthy Reproducing Church
Servant
1Cor 1:18
1Cor 2:1-5
1Cor 3:1-3
1Cor 3:5-6
Evangelism
Nurture
1Cor 4:1 1Cor 3:7-9
1Cor 3:10-16 1Cor 4:6, 17
Leadership
....: :.. ...
Task
Steward Encourager
Partnership
Parent
Discipleship
Witness
Lordship
Friendship
Emphasis
Discipler’s
Role
.::.::
::.::.:.:::
.:.:..
.:.:.:.:.:.:
…. ...
.::::.
:::::
Discipling Equipping Supporting
Master Builder
Every Church ought to be reaching the Lost.
WHY?
• The Bible has told us so . . .
Psalm 119:105
“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet
and a light unto my path”
• If this is true…
‘what do the following passages tell us?’
Matthew 28:17-20
“When they saw him they worshiped him
…Go ye therefore, and teach all nations
(Ta Ethne- ethnic groups), baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you: and, lo, I am with you
always, even unto the end of the world.
A-men.” KJV
Five mandates
Worship
When they saw him, they worshiped him… (28:17)
Ministry/Missions
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations (ethnic groups) ...
Evangelism
...Baptizing them...
Discipleship
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you...
Fellowship
And remember, I am with you always (28:20)
ACTS 1:8
" But you will receive power,
when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be my witnesses
in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.”
What must we do? Acts 1:8
• We must seek to understand our communities
• We must focus on reducing lostness
• Effective evangelistic churches will operate as
missionaries
• Missional evangelistic pastors lead their flock of
99 to reach the 1
• Missions and evangelism can no longer be two
separate disciplines in Oklahoma
• Churches must seek to bring transformation to
their community rather than grow in numbers by
transfer.
Scan US – demographics
Focus Group
• Population Change?
– Population growth or decline Treads
– Racial Trends
• Male-Female balance?
• Age trends?
• Households?
– Family
– Non-family
• Income trends?
– Work sheet
Oklahoma Counties % of Population in 2000 at Christian
25.0%
churches on any Given Weekend
Washington
31.2%
Cimarron
34.0%
23.4%
Texas
Beaver
30.6%
27.7%
Harper
Woods
28.0%
23.0%
20.0% 19.3%Ottawa
18.2%
Kay
40.6%
Grant
Nowata
Craig
Alfalfa
17.0%
Osage
26.3%
Woodward
23.4%
33.9%
Ellis
45.3%
Dewey
Roger Mills
22.5%
Tulsa
30.2%
27.4% Kingfisher 15.4%
Logan
30.5%
28.1%
Beckham
Oklahoma
18.2%
15.1%
25.3%
Greer
20.0%
Pottawatomie
Grady
26.7%
20.4%
Comanche
24.0%
Jackson
23.0%
22.7%
Pittsburg
Pontotoc
Garvin
20.2%
26.4%
9.4%
Le Flore
18.3%
Coal
25.3%
Murray
31.0%
24.6%
Cotton
Carter
24.6%
24.2%
Johnston
20.5%
Jefferson
Marshall
22.7%
Love
19.5%
Latimer
23.9%
25.2%
Stephens
27.2%
Tillman
Haskell
Hughes
McClain
Kiowa
0.0% to 20.5%
20.5% to 25.3%
25.3% to 46.3%
Sequoyah
30.6%
Seminole
19.4%21.2%
32.2%
Harmon
21.9%
Cleveland
Caddo
25.0%
8.1%
16.9%
McIntosh
Okfuskee
27.7%
Washita
Adair
Muskogee
Lincoln
18.4%
16.1%
14.2%
Cherokee
20.1% 24.3%
Okmulgee
28.1%
Canadian
8.6%
Wagoner
17.2%
Creek
21.0%
Custer
Delaware
Mayes
19.8%
Payne
Blaine
26.9%
25.4%
15.8%20.7%
Rogers
18.1
%
Pawnee
Noble
Garfield
Major
26.2%
22.0%
20.8%
Pushmataha
Atoka
20.1%
Bryan
20.6%
Choctaw
23.0%
McCurtain
Acts 1:8
• Who are the unchurched people in my community?
• Who are the people groups in my community?
• Do the people in my community know that we love
them?
• Why would a lost person come to my church?
• Who am I counting on to not show up at my church?
• What are some of the reasons my church may be
becoming distant from its communities
• What ministries is my church doing to show our love
to our community?
What has happened?
Our churches have set wrong priorities.
A lot of churches look like they are hunting for
souls but are a lot like this guy.
A lot of churches
are fishing in
dry holes!
A lot are not
fishing
at all!
Sometimes we stick our nose into others
business. I Peter 4:15
Some of our Churches are fussing and fighting
Some Churches...
Any ole way will work!
Some Church leaders
are Lazy!
Have you seen churches do something like this?
• How could they have prevented this?
• Planning?
•This is why were are in this meeting.
So.... Where are you?
•
•
•
•
After looking at your ACP report?
After working the surveys?
In relation to the great commission?
In relation to your community and focus
group
The Process of Planning
Out of God’s Great commission (BIBLE) comes the Church’s
Purpose
Out of the church’s Purpose comes our dream
Out of our dream come our goal (expected results, FAITH)
Out of goal comes Action Plans
Out of Action Plans comes a need for a
Calendar of Activities, People to work and a Budget
Out of Work come God’s given results
– James “Faith without works is dead”
From these scriptures:
“What is the Purpose of the Church?”
My church exists to:
___________________________________
___________________________________
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Original Dream
Dreaming New
dreams With the
ability to Change
Out of God’s Purpose comes a Dream
• What kind of Christians do I dream of?
• What kind of Church program must I develop to grow that
Christian?
• What kind of leadership team – volunteer and/or paid must
I develop to produce my dream?
• What kind of minister must I become to gather my dream
team
• What kind of support system do I need… family, peers
• WHERE THERE IS NO VISION, THE PEOPLE PERISH
Proverbs 29:18
Out of God’s Purpose comes a Dream
• My dream (VISION) for my church is ...
• OR -- Next year I see my church ...
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