Into Thy Word -

 

Preparing the Pastor and Church Leadership to Grow! 

A Primer Designed For Use In Leadership Training.

 

            This Primer will direct you through the basics of how to prepare your church for growth, and to be your best for His glory. You may use this personally, to train your leaders, or use with your people to reveal Biblical precepts and ideas on how to run your church effectively. It could also be used for a Leadership Training Retreat.

The goal is to find the heart of the church, what has God called us to do and why! This includes the focus of our purpose and direction, things to avoid, and methods to make it work. This Primer is not necessarily about numerical church growth, but growth in the faith, and growth in Christ, leading to the prime directive for church, which is to worship Christ! When a church becomes strong in the disciplines of the faith and is contagious with Christ, then people will be attracted to that church. The result will be real growth and glory to our Lord. 

            The church does not exist in and for itself. It is the vehicle to lead and manage the people of God through discipleship, evangelism, missions, spiritual growth, and other programs all pointed to His glory and worship. The quintessential reason for the church to exist is to worship God. Worship is not just to be done during the Worship Service, but is to be a lifestyle. In other words, when we worship (as a lifestyle as opposed to just a gathering for a service) and are obedient to Christ, we will be demonstrating His love and character in how we relate to others. This will be the hallmark of our churches to be attractive for visitors and keep the people we have. This will also be the characteristic for both spiritual and numerical growth! The church provides the means of growth in teaching His direction for worship. Thus, all we do, all we are, must move people toward worship. What often happens is we become so caught up in programs, we forget why the programs are there. If you are the Senior Pastor, the Elder, or the Youth Pastor, you need to ask yourself, “What is the focus of this ministry? Is it toward worship, or is it to function in and of itself?“

This tutorial is primarily for the Pastor and leadership of the church. A suggestion is that a retreat be scheduled with the Leadership Team, using this study and one-third of the time spent in prayer! Give your team an opportunity to read this Primer and pray over it first. Then, come together at a time where there are no other distractions, and go through this primer, keeping the focus on how Christ is working and what He is calling you to learn and do. Once this has been worked though with prayer, study, and discussion, the Pastor and/or church leaders can make the study available to the rest of the church. Remember, you cannot lead where you have not been! 

Principle Scriptures: Leviticus 27:30; Psalm 34:3; 122:1; Proverbs 11:27; Isaiah 23:3; Matthew 22:36-40; 28: 19-20; Luke 14:23; John 10:10; 15; 17:1-26; Acts 1:8; 2:1-47; Romans 5:19; 12; 15: 5-7; 1 Corinthians 1:10; 16:2; 2 Corinthians 13:5; Ephesians 2:19; 4:1-16; 29; Philippians 1:3-7; 27; 2:20-21; 3:1-16; Hebrews 10:25; 13:17; 2 Thessalonians 1: 2-4; James 1:8; 1 Peter 1:22; 4:10. 

Opening Message:

Our Faith Is the Most Important Item We Offer 

This statement is “a must” to know and yield to, before you can venture into the arena of “authentic church growth.” You have to know whom you are and what you are in order to do what you are called to do. In other words, you are saved by faith because of what Christ has done, then, you are able to communicate that to others around you. All that we are, and have to offer, is faith. It is faith that will build the church and will be the catalyst to attract others to it.  Faith is the prototypical aspect of growing a church God’s way.  

            God’s Word tells us in the book of John the incredible wonder and power of the Incarnation. God Himself became one of us. The Creator of the universe, who transcends space, time, all that ever was, is, and will be, loved us enough to give up His throne and position to become human. No mere illustration could ever come close to explaining this truth. Even saying that the President of the United States would give up his position to become a toilet scrubber at a bus station would never, ever come close, yet God did exactly that. God sought entrance into the lives of mankind for His wonder: “The Word became flesh…”

            To illustrate this point, a group of elderly people came together in a rest home, each one disillusioned, angry and bitter from a life of hash trials and tribulations. They each said God has no idea what they went through. One Man who was particularly angry with God suggested they hold a mock trial and put God on trial for all the unfairness that they went through in life! The rest of them agree to this, and one by one they each listed their grievances against the Almighty God. First was a man who was a holocaust survivor from a Nazi concentration camp. He suffered mercilessly for no reason. He was angry and cried out in anguish and said, God you do not know what I have been through! The second was another man who worked so hard with honesty and virtue all of his life only to be ridiculed and disrespected. The third was a women who worked so hard too all of her life to raise her children and give them all that she could only to have her beloved children become selfish and lock her away and do not even visit her. Then another man came in who saw all of the commotion and jumped in with his grievance. He said that he was in politics; he worked hard and was honest and rose in power only to be kicked out of office and desecrated by malevolent political rivals who planted false incriminating information about him to the press. Finally there was a former pastor who served his parish all of his adult life only to see his flock gossip and slander one another and treat his earnest Biblical counseling and messages with contempt. Then their was silence as the pastor realized what all that the others have said and he knew that is exactly what Christ did for me. Then he turned to the others in tears and said to them, that is what Christ did for you.

Our Lord seeks us to be His “change agents,” the presenters of the wonder of His message, His Gospel. The people of the church are the front lines that wage not just the battle, but also the marketing of the message. How we engage in this endeavor will be the biggest testimony for the message of faith. This is where “the rubber meets the road.” The local church is the display case that presents the marvelous wonder of Christ’s love through faith. If the display case is dirty, the Wonder is hard to see. If the case is broken, or if there are other things occupying the Wonder’s space, the Wonder becomes cloaked and the viewer’s perspective becomes skewed. The message is the eternal truths of our Lord, the reality of life, and the purpose of existence. The Wonder is Christ Himself desiring to live and work in our church and us! The Wonder is the Christ who suffered mercilessly, who went through false accusations, sufferings and rejection, not because He was forced too, but because He chose too on our behalf.

            How do the people of the church, the visitors and the neighborhood, see your case (church)? How are you displaying the wonder of His message? How does God see His wonder in you? Is there stagnation, a case (church) that is filthy, where junk, such as pride and political agendas, sit in the place of the Wonder, and where the people cannot see the message, so the message does not go out? On the other hand, is the case (church) clean and crisp, a display that lifts up, honors, and cherishes His most precious wonder? The message must be lit with vibrant and growing awe because of who He is. The Wonder is a living message that must be displayed and used in a living and vibrant body. It sees Christ as who He is, and then responds in gratitude and passion.  

·        Spend a significant amount of time in prayer. (For prayer ideas and plans see our Prayer channel!) 

 

Session 1. Displaying the Wonder of Faith 

1.      How have you been transformed by His wonder (such as grace, faith, Holy Spirit)?

 

2.      Is your faith the most important item that you share?

 

3.      Do you know how to lead yourself and others to bring the church deeper in the heart of God to worship and glorify Him?

 

We need to be willing to discover what weaknesses are within us, keeping us from being in and responding to His glory.

 

4.      How do you offer your faith?

 

The people of the world need the wonder of the message. They have to see it displayed, working, and real before they can accept it. How your church engages in this display will determine its faith and its expectance of the faith. It must be real and authentic; Christ has to be formed in you, and growing  with passion, conviction, and wonder.

 

5.      Does your church model the message that it teaches? Do you live the walk and not just talk the talk? Do you practice what you preach?

 

Concern for the people in your midst will usually determine your love for the Lord. Because we love Him, we desire to serve Him. Our service does not earn us our salvation; it is a response to what He did for us, and the rewards to come in eternity. 

 

6.      What burns within you and your church? What is your desire?

 

7.      Does concern burn in your heart for the people in your church and neighborhood?

 

8.      Why? If not, what is in the way?

 

9.      Read Matthew 16:26. How does this apply to your church and its collective desires?

 

10. Read Luke 5: 4-11. Do you fish? Do you try to fish without casting a line?

 

We may have the desire to model the Wonder of Christ, but doing is more than just desiring. We have to realize that God loves us so much He would have gone to the cross for just one of us. Should we not have a mere fraction of that love flowing from us to those around us? Should we not have just a small fraction of that love for His “other” people?

 

11. Read Luke 13: 3-9. What needs to be dug around or out of you and your church?

 

12. Read Luke 14: 11-31. Whom do you invite?

 

A church cannot, must not, seek a limited “target.” This is unbiblical! We can emphasize age groups and seasons of life such as youth, older singles, etc., but we must never exclude people, saying we are not targeting them. (I once consulted a “Dutch” church that would only target other Dutch people, and refused to honor Scripture and the call of our Lord. That church was dead.) When we exclude the people we do not like, we are excluding our Lord! We do the same when we focus on a specific target and exclude those not in the target. You can focus on targets such as Gen X, but when the neighbors start attending and they are older, of a different ethnicity, or of a different social economic status, you cannot, must not, swish them away like a stray cat.

 

13. Read Luke 14: 15-23. Do you set up the banquet tables, only to forget to send out the invitations?

 

Numbers are not the focus of the church; trust and obedience is. However, numbers are important because people are important. Our passion to grow our church must not depend on the increased numbers we may receive, but rather on the love, care, and discipleship of the people He brings us.

 

14. Read Luke 15: 8-10. Do you look for the coin?

 

Sometimes we will not find the coin. Finding is the goal, but the purpose is to obey the One who sends us. Our seeking and looking are what matter. We are responsible for the effort, but not for the results. We are called to be creative, compassionate, and courageous to the people God brings us. We need to be creative and innovative with Evangelism. However, it is not enough to just do it; we have to know why. We need to be our best for His glory, to be the best display and model of His character as we can be. It is not enough to pass out tracts and invite people to crusades; we have to pour out our hearts to His glory. We have to literally seek out the hurt, the lonely, and the lost to find ways to care for them. We need to have the acceptance of the people we do not consider a part of us to become a part of our family. Evangelism does not always bear fruit, so, sometimes we give up and say it is too time consuming and expensive. Nevertheless, take careful note of this; it is our call to evangelize even if there are no results. It is His call to present Christ, not to achieve results. Remember Jeremiah was perhaps the most unsuccessful person in the Bible, yet one of the most obedient! Would he last more than six months on staff at your church?

 

15. Read Matthew 9:36-38. Is your church willing to step up to the plate to be the laborers?

 

16.  Read Matthew 10:14. We need to know that we are not responsible for the results; we are just responsible to obey and to do!

 

17. Read Matthew 13: 3-9. Do you sow? Do you reap? If so, how? How can this be improved?

 

In the church growth world, numbers are everything. However, in Scripture, numbers are not everything. Our obedience and willingness to serve, and our reaching out are the important things. We are never to focus on the quantity over the quality. We are not to reach out merely for the sake of gathering and storing more sheep. We are to reach out to grow and mature more sheep, to love, care, and teach those sheep.

 

18. Read Matthew 18: 11-14. Do you ‘ditch’ your sheep?

 

It is God’s Will that our churches be alive and vibrant. When the church refuses to honor its call and becomes stagnate, it slaps the Lord who loves it. The local church must have the passion, vitality, and excitement to be the displayers of the Wonder. We are not to ditch the sheep! We are not to be a tree that does not bring forth fruit. We are not to proclaim our Lord without responding to Him. We are not to forget to be harvesters and reapers. We need to look for the coin, set the banquet table, and invite the guests. We are to dig out the rot that is in the way in our lives. We are to be fishers and casters for His wonder. We are to have a heart and a desire that burns to serve Him. Our hearts and desires must burn for the lost; what grieves Christ should also grieve us. We are to be transformed by His wonder so that our faith is the most important thing we share. Then we can do it with love and passion because we are walking the walk, and living the faith.

 

19. Read Acts 4:1-20

 

Remember we are empowered by the Holy Spirit. Through Him we can be all that we are called to be!

 

If you desire revival to take place in your church:

a.      What would it look like?

b.      What must you do?

c.      What must happen first?

 

How much time must be spent in prayer? 

 

Session 2. Determine the Needs of the Church 

This is where you do an honest assessment of what is needed in your church, whether it is spiritual growth, programs, facility improvements, leadership training, discipleship, or teaching….  

1.      What is the principle purpose and reason for your church to exist?

 

2.      What are the needs in the church? Try to list 20. Include such things as discipleship training, fourth grade Sunday School class, etc.

 

3.      Now rate the importance of each of those needs, keeping in mind Biblical priorities over personal ones!

 

4.      What are the demographics of your congregation, such as age, education, social and cultural makeup, etc.?

 

5.      Now take a careful look at the various ministries of your church, even if they are not yet started. Ask what the needs are for each one. You can use our list below or simplify it into four categories:

1. Worship Services, including teaching and prayer

2. Fellowship and Pastoral Care

3. Discipleship and Sunday School classes

4. Evangelism and Missions.

Here is a list of most of the main ministries. Add your needs as God directs.

1. Prayer
2. Doctrine
3. Worship
4. Teaching
5. Discipleship
6. Bible studies
7. Leadership training
8. Fellowship
9. Missions
10. Community relationships
11. Staff encouragement and development
12. Outreach
13. Youth Ministry
14. Children’s ministries
15. Singles
16. Married couples
17. Elderly ministry
18. Sports
19. Internet
20. Administration

 

6.      What programs are already in place? Which ones are needed? Which ones are strong? Which ones are weak?

 

7.      What are the top five programs? Do not neglect the others if they are real and Biblical!

 

8.      If these ideas were implemented, how would the church look, and how would it be benefited?

 

9.      What would happen if these ideas were not implemented?

 

10. Brainstorm how you can meet the needs! Determine the type of programs that can meet those needs.

 

How much time was spent in prayer? 

 

Session 3. Determining Needs Of the Community Around the Church 

1.      Determine the demographic makeup of your neighborhood (age, education, social and cultural makeup), and what you need to do to reach them. Are you in a city, countryside…?

 

2.      What do you think God placed your church in this neighborhood to do? (Most church growth people say to move your church to your people, but this is not Biblical, unless there are compelling reasons. The church is to be where God called it to be, to reach the people in its vicinity. If the neighborhood has changed and people are commuting, then plant another church to reach them before you move out. Ideally, it is better to stay and minister. Most church moves have been a disaster to the neighborhood from which they moved, because rarely does another successful church move in!)

 

3.      Why would people in your neighborhood seek to be involved in your church?

 

4.      When you came to the church, how did you feel? What needs where met for you? Would you come as a visitor, and become involved if you were not already a part of this church? Why, or why not?

 

5.      What are the needs in your community? Try to list 20, including daycare, loneliness, etc.

 

6.      Rate the importance of each of those needs, keeping in mind Biblical priorities over personal ones!

 

7.      If these ideas were implemented, how would the church look, and how would it be benefited?

 

8.      What would happen if these ideas were not implemented?

 

9.      Brainstorm what needs are evident and how you can meet them! Determine the type of programs that can meet those needs.

 

10. How can your leadership and church direct others in order to bring them deeper in the heart of God to worship and glorify Him?

How much time was spent in prayer? 

 

Session 4. Determining the Purpose of Your Church

We have explored some of the basics of what God is calling the church to do. Now we need to study the Scriptures and immerse ourselves in prayer to determine the purpose of our church, what our point is in being and existing. This will clarify what we do, why we do it, who we are in Christ, and His call for us.

The purpose of the church is God’s purpose, not personal whims, or desires! That purpose will be revealed solely through Scripture and prayer. The core of your purpose will be what Christ has called all churches to as found in the Great Commandment and the Great Commission in Matt 22:36-40; 28: 19-20! These two imperatives contain our relationship to God and one other, what ministry is, that evangelism is a priority; incorporating and discipleing the people God brings us. In addition, look for other Scriptural precepts for your call.

Your purpose will be the unique way, your identity, and style, in which you proceed. This will convey the passion of the Gospel and the love for the people in your distinctive “style.” Objectify the point and direction of your ministry through understanding God’s call, challenging yourself, and being creative with a Purpose Statement. This can be a simple slogan from Scripture, an acronym, a set of priorities, or an all-encompassing action plan. Try to keep it short and to the point. You need to know and be able to communicate this clearly to the congregation.  

1.      What is the principle purpose and reason for your church to exist?

 

2.      Ask yourself, each leader, and each member this question: “What do you see as the purpose of this church?” Take into account the last three steps! “Why do we exist, and why are we needed?” Spend a significant amount of time seeking input from each person, and praying. (You may use our survey forms or ask people individually).

 

3.      Does the average person in your church understand the purpose for which your church exists?

 

4.      Does your congregation understand the general purpose of the church in light of God‘s call?

 

5.      While serving on staff of two churches that have been faithfully serving the Lord for generations, I saw one church celebrate its hundredth anniversary, and the other 125 years of existence. How will your church be remembered 100 years from now?

 

6.      What makes your church unique?

 

7.      What makes your church attract or not attract visitors?

 

8.      Why should the congregation be active in the life of your church?

 

9.      Why should the community come and become members of your church?

 

10. What programs do you have or have you had that have been successful, that people in the church and neighborhood liked?

 

11. Do people in your church want others from the neighborhood to come in and be a part of their family?

 

12. If not, what growth and teaching needs to take place to prepare them?

 

13. Read the following passages and see which one(s) applies to your niche, style, and purpose. Which Scripture could be your Position Statement? You can go over them all at once and list some basic observations, and then one by one carefully, through prayer, seek the one that best fits you, or that God has given you. Also, consider other passages that God gives you.

1. Matthew 16:18
2. Matthew 28:19
3. Mark 12:29-31
4. Acts 1:8
5. Acts 2:42-47
6. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
7. Galatians 2
8. Ephesians 2:1-9
9. Ephesians 4:11-16
10. Philippians 3
11. Colossians 3:12-16
12. Colossians 4:5-6
13. Hebrews 10:24-25
14. 1 Peter 2:1-5; 9-12

What others can you list?

 

14. Now, consider your response to the previous questions together with what you learned from the Scriptures. What do you think our Lord wants your position statement to say? What is He revealing to you?

1. Write a simple paragraph with a key sentence containing what God is saying to describe your church.
2. What do you consider success? What does God consider success?

 

15. Take a careful look at the various ministries of your church, even if they are not engaged. Ask what is distinctive and unique about them. Include:

a.      Prayer

b.      Doctrine

c.      Worship

d.      Teaching

e.      Discipleship

f.        Fellowship

g.      Missions

h.      Community relationships

i.        Staff

j.         Outreach

k.      Youth Ministry

l.         Children’s Ministry

m.    Singles

n.      Married couples

o.      Elderly ministry

p.      Sports

q.      Internet

r.        Administration

Which ones are strong programs? Which ones are weak? 

 

16. Fine-tune your Purpose Statement. Make sure that it is Biblical and has your style, philosophy, and unique family personality. Keep it simple so people can remember it.

 

17. Can you list a series of statements or write a summery paragraph?

 

18. Expand your statement into a Mission Statement, which contains your purpose statement with added detail and specifics. Keep it to one page if possible. For larger churches, more pages may be needed.

 

19. Remember worship! You must know how to lead the church deeper in the heart of God to worship and glorify Him!

 

Remember to pray a lot. You are creating a philosophy of ministry that will be a template for how and why you do ministry. This will keep the focus on the main thing, and hone your energies to the target needs. This focuses the energies of the church to what God has called them to do, so that they do not find other things to occupy them, such as the diseases that corrupt and destroy.

 

How much time was spent in prayer? 

 

Session 5 How to Develop and Cast your Vision  

A vision is the comprehensive statement that tells the leaders of the organization what direction they should move, and what they should accomplish so they can motivate the people under them. The church should be and strive toward a preferred future, not just to a dream! 

People often ask if the vision comes first or if the purpose of the church is determined and the vision honed from it. Both can, and should be done. With the above precepts in mind, can you say in a sentence or two to what God is calling you, or at least the direction He has for you? If so, great! That may be your vision. If not, great too, because then you have to take your blank idea or your fined tuned idea though this process to see if it is just and true. Take those thoughts and go through the process to hone and confirm or to change and rethink until you are certain you are going in the right God-directed path! As leaders, you must be firmly convinced before you can sell it to others!

The Vision takes the purpose and mission of the church and refines it to a simple statement that acts as a guide or slogan for your church. During the Reformation, there were several key phrases that were, and still are Visions such as “Grace Alone,” “Scriptures Alone,” “Christ Alone,” and “Glory to God Alone.”  Churches today need more than just a word or two. Those words of the Reformation did not stand by themselves; they hooked together as an

            all-encompassing phrase that captured the richer, fuller meaning they represented. Then they galvanized and motivated the people in the proper direction for the church to go. Vision gives the motivation and the momentum for the equipping ministry of the church. Vision is essential, not because of its captivating aspects, but for what those aspects do, which is to motivate and direct. Then people can be headed in the right direction for God’s glory and purpose. Why is this is necessary and essential? Because, if you are planning to lead a church, you must know the direction in which you are going!  

Ideas in writing your Vision:  

·        Read Nehemiah 1:11; 2:1-18; 4:1-8; 6:15-16! Notice how Nehemiah’s Vision begins, develops, includes, and then how it involves others for clarification and confirmation! How does Nehemiah’s Vision compare with yours? What do you need to work on?

 

·        Make sure you have a good grasp on the precepts and principles of Scripture.

 

·        A Vision cannot be written from your will, but only from His! The Vision must be God’s!

 

·        Remember sin, and our sinful nature and that Salvation is solely by what Christ did on the cross!

 

·        The Vision needs to be simple, yet concise, and fewer than 100 words, so it can be remembered and followed!

 

·        Vision propels us to move where God is taking us. 

 

·        Do your homework. Observe, diagnose, ask good questions, know your church, and know where God wants you through studying His Word. This is an exhausting process! Your Vision needs to be well researched, thought through, and prayed about. You may not be able to finish it at a retreat; it may take months!

 

·        Vision is a realization of and a reaction to the working of God!

 

·        Vision requires us to stretch, learn, and change, and even more stretch by the church to learn new skills and to do things out of their comfort zone.

 

·        Vision requires you to be a risk taker and have more faith!  You may receive criticism from other well meaning Christians, leaders, and denominational officials. Listen and educate them on the Biblical precepts and your process.

 

·        Do not just copy your Vision from another church. You, the leaders, and then the church must go through the honing process. The Vision must fit your church and neighbourhood. This makes every Vision unique in character, even though the words and principles may be similar.

 

·        Churches that are being planted or are stagnant and need revitalizing must have a new Vision to take them to a new season.

 

·        One of the top 10 healthy and influential churches in the world, that sends more missionaries (over 200, not including short term and part timers) than most denominations, has this simple Vision: “We are followers of Jesus Christ, ministers together, empowered by the Holy Spirit and guided by God's Word.” And their value statement is, “We are committed to honoring God through worship and personal lifestyle, caring for one another, equipping one another for ministry and communicating God's love to the world.” This church (Lake Avenue Church, Pasadena, Ca) has over 6,000 members and 35 pastors following this simple decree! Remember simplicity; do not make your Vision or purpose so complicated that people cannot follow it even though it may be great stuff!