The Engaging Church

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The Engaging Church
Welcome to
1-day SEMINAR
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Content
Session 1 What is an Engaging
Church? Session 2 The Foundation for
Outreach Session 3 Connecting With
Newcomers
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Content
Session 4 Visitors A Last Minute
Check-up Session 5 Increasing Visitor
Flow Session 6 From Purpose to Process
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Schedule

• 900 a.m. - 1020 a.m. Sessions 1 2
• 1030 a.m. - 1045 a.m. Break
• 1045 a.m. - 1215 p.m. Session 3
• 1215 p.m. - 130 p.m. Lunch
• 130 p.m. - 215 p.m. Session 4
• 215 p.m. - 225 p.m. Break
• 225 p.m. - 300 p.m. Session 5
• 300 p.m. - 310 p.m. Break
• 310 p.m. - 400 p.m. Session 6

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Session One

• What is an Engaging Church?

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Goal of this Seminar
Session One

• To help you better understand the ingredients in
  an effective outreach strategy, and to integrate
  these factors into a plan that is appropriate for
  your community and productive for your church.

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The Process
Session One
Attracting
Outsiders
Connecting
Integrating
Visitors
New Members
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Seminar Sponsors
Session One

• Connection Power
• Church Growth, Inc.
• Outreach, inc.

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Assumptions
Session One
1. Outreach means proclaiming Jesus Christ as
Lord and Savior, persuading people to become his
disciples and responsible members of a local
church.
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Assumptions
Session One
2. You are here today because you want to make
disciples for Christ and see your church grow.
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Assumptions
Session One
3. Church leaders can work hard and still not
reach people.
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Session One
What is an Engaging Church?
1. A church that has the highest priority for
making disciples.
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Session One
What is an Engaging Church?
2. A church that is willing to meet and connect
with unreached people where they are.
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Session One
What is an Engaging Church?
3. A church that prioritizes relationships
rather than programs.
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Aha!!!
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The Foundation for Outreach
Session Two
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Six Building Blocks of Identity
Session Two
1. Mission Why do you exist?
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Six Building Blocks of Identity
Session Two
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Session Two
A Churchs Lifecycle
Attendance
years
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Session Two
A Churchs Lifecycle
Mission
Attendance
years
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Session Two
A Churchs Lifecycle
Institutionalization
Mission
Attendance
years
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Session Two
A Churchs Lifecycle
Institutionalization
Mission
Disintegration
Attendance
years
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Session Two
A Churchs Lifecycle
The longer a church exists the more concerned it
becomes with self-preservationand the less
concerned with its original purpose.
Attendance
years
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Lifecycle characteristics
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It is for the missionout there that the local
church exists. If it's not happening out there
it doesn't matter what we're doing in here...it's
irrelevant!
- Lloyd Ogilvie
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The Church exists for mission...as fire exists
for burning - Donald McGavran
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The Mission ofthe Church
Session Two
See Appendix B (p. 29)
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What is your Great Commission Conscience?
Session Two
See Appendix C (p. 32)
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Session Two
Session Two
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Session Two
Six Building Blocks of Identity
3. People Who has God given us?
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Session Two
Six Building Blocks of Identity
3. People Who has God given us?
See Appendix A (p. 27)
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Session Two
Six Building Blocks of Identity
3. People Who has God given us? 4. Resources
What do we have to work with? -
places - things
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Session Two
Six Building Blocks of Identity
5. Program What activities do we engage in?
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Session Two
Six Building Blocks of Identity
In terms of inward-focused vs.
outward-focused ... how do we allocate our
people resources programs
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Session Two
Six Building Blocks of Identity
5. Program What activities do we engage
in? 6. Image How do others perceive us?
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Session Two
Image includes your
church name logo
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Session Two
BEFORE
AFTER
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Session Two
Image includes your
church name logo
signage brochures web site
communication materials building
high-visibility events/publicity
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Coffee Stretch Break
15 Minutes
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Session Three
Connecting With Visitors
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Session 3 Overview
I. Integrating Visitors
II. The Spiritual Imperative
III. The SEVEN LAWS of Assimilation
IV. Question Answer
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Session 3 Overview
I. Integrating Visitors
II. The Spiritual Imperative
III. The SEVEN LAWS of Assimilation
IV. Question Answer
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Stages of Ministry
Pre-Evangelism Warm them to Christ
Evangelism Win them to Christ
Assimilation Win them to the church
Spiritual Formation Resource them to grow
Ministry/Mission Empower them to serve
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The People Dynamic
Pre-Evangelism Sense of Relevance
Evangelism Sense of Need
Assimilation Sense of Belonging
Spiritual Formation Sense of Progress/Change
Ministry/Mission Sense of Purpose/Fulfillment
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II. The Spiritual Imperative
Stewardship is the Key Spiritual Issue
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Biblical Empowerment
Rule One Dont do it alone
Rule Two Church Growth is no mystery get the
parts working
Rule Three Empower the pastor to function in
the Biblical office
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III. The SEVEN LAWS of
Assimilation
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Law 1
Visitors represent 100 of your churchs growth
potential
Exercise What does your church do that shows you
believe Law 1
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Law 2
Visitor Retention is between 10 to 20 times
more significant than Visitor Volume
Exercise What does your church do that shows you
believe Law 2
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Leading Growth Indicators
1. Your Visitor Volume rate
2. Your Visitor Retention rate
3. Your Back Door rate
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Forecasting
Leading Growth Indicators can be used to
predict the future growth or decline of a church
The Church Growth Calculator provides an ability
to run what if scenarios
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Church Growth Calculator
Average Attendance
600
Previous Quarter
Present Quarter
610
20
Monthly Visitor Volume
Monthly Visitor Retention
2
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Given these Leading Growth Indicators, projected
attendance over FIVE YEARS
652
Year One
What happens if we add 1 family unit to Visitor
Volume?
697
Year Two
Year Three
745
Year Four
796
Year Five
851
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Results from Adding 1 Family Unit to Visitor
Volume
1 Visitor Volume
669
652
Year One
Year One
697
Year Two
Year Two
719
Year Three
Year Three
745
774
Year Four
796
Year Four
833
Year Five
Year Five
851
897
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What happens if we add 1 family unit to Visitor
Retention?
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Results from Adding 1 Family Unit to Visitor
Retention
1 Volume
1 Retention
737
Year One
Year One
669
Year Two
858
Year Two
719
Year Three
Year Three
999
774
Year Four
Year Four
1164
833
Year Five
Year Five
1355
897
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Growth Comparisons
Old Projected Attendance
1 to Visitor Volume
1 to Visitor Retention
669
652
737
Year One
Year One
Year One
719
858
Year Two
Year Two
697
Year Two
Year Three
Year Three
774
999
Year Three
745
Year Four
Year Four
1164
Year Four
833
796
Year Five
Year Five
Year Five
1355
897
851
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Defining Church Growth Obstacles
1. Visitor Volume problem
_____________________________
2. Visitor Retention problem
____________________________
3. Back Door problem ______________________
_______
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Solving Church Growth Obstacles
1. Low Visitor Volume ________________________
_____
2. Low Visitor Retention _____________________
_______
3. High Back Door ____________________________
_
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Law 3
It Takes People to Reach People
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Law 3 Rules
Rule One Involve your lay people they are
more effective Enables the guest to be
more at ease
Rule Two Put your volunteers in control of
their involvement flexibility to serve at
home, ability to accept or reject calls,
and control the number of assignments.
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Law 3 Rules
Rule Three Find the right people for the
right place have a wide spectrum of volunteers
to match your visitor profiles match involvement
with spiritual gifts, experiences and passion.

• Rule Four Advertise for the right core
  characteristics
• The core characteristic for assimilation team
  members is compassion

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Law 4
Set Expectations and Meet Them
Must read The Effective Guest Center
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Law 4 Rules
Rule 1 Be honest with your visitors about
your intentions from your first contact with
them.
Rule 2 - Set expectations that you are a caring
church and then fulfill them with loving
contacts. It works!
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Law 5
Be Proactive to Connect People
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Law 5 Rules
Rule 1 - Without intentional effort, a church
will become more and more focused inward on its
congregants.
Rule 2 It takes intentional leadership to
transform a church from a passive mindset to
a proactive posture towards outsiders.
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The PASSIVE-INWARD Focused Church
Pulpit Announcements
Bulletin Inserts
Visitor Center
Follow Up Call
Church Mailings
EXTENT OF VISITOR OUTREACH
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The PROACTIVE-OUTWARD Focused Church
Proactive Personal Contacts
Needs Identification
Linking Resources with Needs
Sustained Follow Up
Effective Data Management
EXTENT OF VISITOR OUTREACH
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Law 6
It Takes Time to Connect People
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Law 6 Rules
Rule 1 The research shows the more a visitor
visits a church the greater the odds are that
they will eventually become a part of that
church.
Rule 2 Churches will receive a far greater
return on investment in 2nd and 3rd and
subsequent visitors.
Rule 3 Protracted follow up is essential
to effective visitor assimilation.
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Rule 4 Timing is Critical
Contact guests within 48 hours of their visit.
HIGH
Visitor Return Rate
LOW
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
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Visitor Retention Rates
Slow Growing Churches
Fast Growing Churches
1st Time
15
34
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2nd Time
31
52
78
3rd Time
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Initial Issues
PROCESSES
CONNECT
INTEGRATE
WEEKS
1-20
21-33
1-6
Fallout
STAGES
Honeymoon
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Integration Issues
INTEGRATE
PROCESSES
21-33
42-54
34-41
WEEKS
Lull
Do I Fit? Exodus
Fulfillment? Exodus
STAGES
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Law 7
Listen to Your Visitors
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Law 7 Rules
Rule 1 It is impossible to see yourself in
the same way that others see you.
Rule 2 There is often a stark contrast
between the way outsiders and insiders view
the same church.
Rule 3 Establish a reliable feedback
mechanism.
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Lunchtime!!
1 hr. 15 min.
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Session Four
Visitors A Last Minute Check-Up
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Session Four
What Do You Call Them?
Visitor
a person who resides temporarily one
who goes or comes to inspect one who makes a
short stay at a place for a particular purpose.
Guest
a person welcomed into ones house a person
to whom hospitality is extended a person held in
honor who is due special courtesies.
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Session Four
What Do You Call Yourself?
Greeter
one who meets or extends welcome in a
specified manner one who gives a formal
salutation at a meeting.
Host
one who receives or entertains socially one
who opens his or her home for a special event
one who takes particular care and concern that
guests are well accommodated.
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What Are Visitors/Guests Looking For?
Session Four

• Friendliness and warmth of the church
• Character of the worship service
• Place for children
• Adult program
• Church building
• Reputation in the community

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What Are Visitors/Guests Looking For?
Session Four
FOCUS GROUPS But, what did you really think?
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Session Four
How do newcomers determine the friendliness of
a church?
The number of people who talked to them
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Session Four
When do newcomers determine the friendliness
of a church?
The first ten minutes followingthe conclusion of
the service
After-service hosts
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Session Four
Where are your hosts?
After-service hosts

• Parking hosts
• Lobby hosts
• Class hosts
• Service hosts
• Coffee hosts

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Session Four
Evaluating Our Churchs Welcome
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Session Four
Discussion Question
What are our visitor welcome procedures? How
satisfied are we? What could we do to improve?
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Increasing Visitor Flow
Session Five
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Four Principles of Attraction
Session Five
Principle 1 Use strategic timing
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Session Five
When is the best timing?
? Religious holidays
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Session Five
When is the best timing?
? Religious holidays
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Session Five
When is the best timing?
? Secular holidays
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Session Five
When is the best timing?
? Secular holidays
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Session Five
When is the best timing?
? Shared Cultural Experiences
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Session Five
When is the best timing?
? Key events in peoples lives
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Session Five
When is the best timing?
? Key events in peoples lives
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Session Five
Four Principles to Increase People Flow
1. Use Strategic Timing 2. Identify a
Receptive Audience
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Resistance Receptivity AXIS
Session Five
RECEPTIVE
RESISTANT
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Session Five
Who are your most receptive people groups?
People in proximity to you and your church
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Session Five
Who are your most receptive people groups?

• Demographic proximity
• Geographic proximity
• Spiritual proximity

Relational proximity
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Session Five
Who are your most receptive people groups?
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Session Five
Who are your most receptive people groups?
Focus here
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Four Principles to Increase People Flow
Session Five
1. Use Strategic Timing 2. Identify a
Receptive Audience 3. Present a compelling
message
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Session Five
A compelling message will
? Get their attention ? Capture their
interest ? Prepare their minds/hearts to
hear the gospel
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Session Five
Four Principles to Increase People Flow
1. Use Strategic Timing 2. Identify a
Receptive Audience 3. Present a Compelling
Message 4. Communicate with an Appropriate
Method
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Session Five
What is the best kind of communication for your
target group?
? ____________ communication
Personal
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Session Five
Personal Communication works best
with friends, relatives associates
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Session Five
What is the best kind of communication for your
target group?
? ____________ communication ? ____________
communication
Personal
Mass
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Session Five
Personal Communication works best
with friends, relatives associates
Mass Communication works best
larger, regional church support personal
direct
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Session Five
What is the best kind of communication for your
target group?
? ____________ communication ? ____________
communication ? ____________ communication
Personal
Mass
Direct
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Session Five
Personal Communication works best
with friends, relatives associates
Mass Communication works best
larger, regional church support personal
direct
Direct Communication works best
for reaching a specific geographic or
demographic audience
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Session Five
The two proven rules of communication
Redundancy Multi-sensory
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Session Six
From Purpose To Process
Fulfilling Purposes Through Healthy Processes
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5 Signs of a Healthy Engaging Church

• understand their purposes

• understand ministry processes

• achieve purposes through processes

• know how to develop and implement good
  processes

• know how to troubleshoot and improve ministry
  processes

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Worship
Purposes
Ministry
Discipleship
Evangelism
Fellowship
Creating Fully Devoted Followers of Jesus Christ
Processes
Congregant Acquisition
Congregant Maturation
Out- reach
Biblical Knowledge
Kingdom Service
Christian Character
Connection
Integration
Children
Youth
Sunday School
Women
Men
Small Groups
Church Departments
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DEFINITION Ministry Processes
Ministry processes are a collection of formal
and informal policies, procedures and
established practices that determine the manner
in which a church conducts ministry.
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10 Things You Need To Know About Processes
1. Every church has a ministry process.
The only question is whether they are healthy or
unhealthy
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DEFINITION Healthy Ministry Processes
Healthy ministry processes are those which are
consistently effective at helping a church
obtain its ministry objectives/purposes.
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10 Things You Need To Know About Processes
2. Ministry processes are the turf that is most
resistant to change.
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10 Things You Need To Know About Processes
3. All church processes are not necessarily
ministry processes.
We often see churches engaged in processes that
do absolutely nothing. They serve no purpose.
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10 Things You Need To Know About Processes
4. Ministry processes are interrelated systems.
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Key Ministry Processes
OUTREACH
CONNECTION
ADOPTION
INTERVENTION
EVALUATION
INTEGRATION
PARTICIPATION
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Two Key Questions
Question 1 Which processes can be safely
eliminated if one is going to fulfill the
purposes of the church?
Question 2 Which processes does your church
excel at and which ones represent areas for
growth?
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10 Things You Need To Know About Processes
5. Effectiveness is more important than
efficiency in ministry processes.
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10 Things You Need To Know About Processes
6. Ministry processes are not spiritual they are
practical.
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10 Things You Need To Know About Processes
7. Every church can Learn and Improve their
ministry processes.
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10 Things You Need To Know About Processes
8. Few churches are Process-Oriented enough to
excel at more than one ministry process.
Most churches are department oriented.
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10 Things You Need To Know About Processes
9. Ministry processes are the key to a church
fulfilling all of its purposes
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Worship
Purposes
Ministry
Discipleship
Fellowship
Evangelism
Creating Fully Devoted Followers of Jesus Christ
Processes
Congregant Acquisition
Congregant Maturation
Out- reach
Biblical Knowledge
Kingdom Service
Christian Character
Connection
Integration
Children
Youth
Sunday School
Women
Men
Small Groups
Church Departments
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10 Things You Need To Know About Processes
10. Ministry processes can be measured.
Take a free online Connection Assessment
www.connectionpower.com
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