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Growing Our Church

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Tradition Personality Finances Programs Seekers Buildings Events A Purpose Driven Church The Importance of being Purpose Driven Nothing precedes purpose Why do we exist ? – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Growing Our Church


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Growing Our Church
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A Healthy Church
  • All living things grow
  • Growth is automatic provided that it is healthy
  • Hindrances to growth need to be removed (unsafe
    environment, poor nutrition)
  • A Healthy Church GROWS. Our Church is a living
    body - if it doesnt grow, it is dying.

6
What the Bible says about Church Growth
1 Corinthians 36-11
  • I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but
    God made it grow. 7So neither he who plants nor
    he who waters is anything, but only God, who
    makes things grow. 8The man who plants and the
    man who waters have one purpose, and each will be
    rewarded according to his own labour. 9For we are
    Gods fellow workers you are Gods field, Gods
    building.
  • 10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a
    foundation as an expert builder, and someone else
    is building on it. But each one should be careful
    how he builds. 11For no one can lay any
    foundation other than the one already laid, which
    is Jesus Christ.

7
What the Bible says about Church Growth
Acts 2 42-47
  • They devoted themselves to the apostles
    teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking
    of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled
    with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs
    were done by the apostles. 44All the believers
    were together and had everything in common.
    45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave
    to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they
    continued to meet together in the temple courts.
    They broke bread in their homes and ate together
    with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and
    enjoying the favour of all the people. And the
    Lord added to their number daily those who were
    being saved.

8
What Drives our Church ?
Tradition ?
  • Weve always done it this way
  • The goal is to perpetuate the past
  • Stagnation interpreted as stability
  • Bound together by rules and regulations, not
    sense of purpose or mission

9
What Drives our Church ?
Personality ?
  • What does the leader want ?
  • Agenda driven by the leader, with all his/her
    background, needs and insecurities.
  • Agenda may not reflect Gods will or the needs of
    the people
  • What happens when the leader leaves ?

10
What Drives our Church ?
Finances ?
  • How much will it cost ?
  • Good stewardship and cash flow are essential for
    a healthy issue . but .
  • Finances should never be the controlling issue.
    The Church does not exist to make a profit
  • Not How much did we save ?, but Who was saved
    ?

11
What Drives our Church ?
Programs ?
  • Creative Activities, Sunday English Classes,
    Pathfinders, Youth Programs, New Start, Womens
    Program, Singles Ministry etc.
  • Programs are often Driving forces in the Church
  • Focus is maintaining and sustaining Church
    programs
  • Drive may shift from developing people to just
    filling positions
  • Does the program still work ? If results are poor
    it may not be that you are not working hard
    enough. What is the purpose of the program ?

12
What Drives our Church ?
Buildings
  • Paying for and maintaining the nice new church
    is the focus. Fund raising to pay off the
    mortgage is the drive.
  • Ministry suffers as fund are diverted. The tail
    wags the dog
  • OR, A church lets the size of the building limit
    the scope for future growth

13
What Drives our Church ?
Events ?
  • Event driven Church ?
  • A full calendar keeps everyone busy. Something is
    happening every night, every week.
  • A lot of activity, but not necessarily
    productivity
  • What is the purpose behind the activity ?
  • Meetings Ministry

14
What Drives our Church ?
Seekers ?
  • What do the unchurched want ?
  • The needs of the unbelievers become the driving
    force
  • We need to be sensitive to the needs and
    interests of these seekers and it is important
    to design evangelistic activities that targets
    these needs
  • BUT This should not drive the whole agenda of
    the church

15
What Drives our Church ?
Seekers ?
  • Our society is very market driven give the
    customer what he/she wants
  • The Church however has a higher calling. It
    should be seeker sensitive but not seeker
    driven
  • We can adapt our communication style to our
    culture WITHOUT adopting the sinful elements or
    abdicating to it.

16
What Drives our Church ?
  • Tradition
  • Personality
  • Finances
  • Programs
  • Seekers
  • Buildings
  • Events

17
A Purpose Driven Church
18
The Importance of being Purpose Driven
  • Nothing precedes purpose
  • Why do we exist ?
  • Until we know why
  • We have - NO Foundation
  • - NO Motivation
  • - NO Direction

19
What is our purpose ?
20
Christs Ministry on Earth
Matthew 5 14-16
  • 14You are the light of the world. A city on
    a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people
    light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead
    they put it on its stand, and it gives light to
    everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let
    your light shine before men, that they may see
    your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

21
Christs Ministry on Earth
Matthew 9 35-38
  • 35Jesus went through all the towns and
    villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching
    the good news of the kingdom and healing every
    disease and sickness. 36When he saw the crowds,
    he had compassion on them, because they were
    harassed and helpless, like sheep without a
    shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, The
    harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
    38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send
    out workers into his harvest field.

22
Christs Ministry on Earth
Luke 4 18-19
  • The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
  • because he has anointed me
  • to preach good news to the poor.
  • He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the
    prisoners
  • and recovery of sight for the blind,
  • to release the oppressed,
  • 19 to proclaim the year of the Lords favour.

23
Christs Ministry on Earth
1 John 1 5-7
  • 5This is the message we have heard from him
    and declare to you God is light in him there is
    no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have
    fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we
    lie and do not live by the truth. 7But if we walk
    in the light, as he is in the light, we have
    fellowship with one another, and the blood of
    Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

24
Purposes of the Church
1. Love the Lord with all your heart
  • WORSHIP
  • Matthew 410
  • Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.
  • Worship comes before service
  • Not out of duty, but because we enjoy expressing
    our love to God

25
Purposes of the Church
2. Love Your Neighbour as Yourself
  • MINISTRY
  • We exist to minister, to demonstrate Gods love
    to others
  • To meet others needs. To Share. To be the Light
    of the World
  • Faithfulness is not just about attendance.
    Faithfulness must include SERVICE.

26
Purposes of the Church
3. Go and Make Disciples
  • EVANGELISM
  • We exist to communicate Gods word. We are
    ambassadors for Christ
  • We have a commission
  • 5 commissions in the New Testament

27
Purposes of the Church
3. Go and Make Disciples
  • Matthew 28 19-20
  • Mark 1615
  • 15He said to them, Go into all the world and
    preach the good news to all creation.
  • Luke 24 47-49
  • John 20 21
  • Acts 1 8

28
Purposes of the Church
3. Go and Make Disciples
  • What would you do if you discovered a cure for
    all cancer ? A cure for SARS ?
  • We have an even greater knowledge
  • We have the Gospel of Eternal Life to share
  • As long as there is ONE person in the world who
    does not know Christ, our church has a mandate to
    keep growing

29
Purposes of the Church
4. Baptizing Them - Fellowship
  • Part of the command to make disciples
  • Why is Baptism so important ?
  • Fellowship Identification with the Body of
    Christ. To belong to Christs family and be
    members of his body
  • A symbol of salvation and Fellowship.
  • A common purpose

30
Purposes of the Church
5. Teaching them to Obey
  • DISCIPLESHIP
  • The process of helping people become more like
    Christ in their thoughts
  • Begins when one is born again and continues
    through the rest of his life.
  • The Church is not just for the Seekers but also
    for helping Christians to mature

31
Purposes of the Church
5. Teaching them to Obey
  • Ephesians 4 12-13
  • to prepare Gods people for works of service,
    so that the body of Christ may be built up
    13until we all reach unity in the faith and in
    the knowledge of the Son of God and become
    mature, attaining to the whole measure of the
    fullness of Christ.

32
What is our purpose ?
33
Purposes of the Church
  • Worship
  • Ministry
  • Evangelism
  • Fellowship
  • Discipleship

34
Matthew 22 37-40 Love the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your mind. 38This is the first and
greatest commandment. 39And the second is like
it Love your neighbor as yourself. 40All the
Law and the Prophets hang on these two
commandments.
  • Matthew 28 19-20
  • Therefore go and make disciples of all
    nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
    and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and
    teaching them to obey everything I have commanded
    you. And surely I am with you always, to the very
    end of the age.

35
Purposes of the Church
  • Worship
  • Ministry
  • Evangelism
  • Fellowship
  • Discipleship

36
Church Growth Our Mission Statement
  • Matthew 28 19-20
  • Therefore go and make disciples of all
    nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
    and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and
    teaching them to obey everything I have commanded
    you. And surely I am with you always, to the very
    end of the age.

37
Applying Our Purpose
  • Who are our Targets for Church Growth ?
  • Mark 2 17
  • On hearing this, Jesus said to them, It is
    not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
    I have not come to call the righteous, but
    sinners.
  • Matthew 15 24
  • (Jesus) answered, I was sent only to the
    lost sheep of Israel.
  • Galatians 2 7
  • (Paul) On the contrary, they saw that I had
    been entrusted with the task of preaching the
    gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to
    the Jews.

38
Community
Crowd
Congregation
Committed
Core
Lay Ministers
Maturing Members
Members
Regular Attendees
Non church goers
39
Applying Our Purpose
  • The goal of our Church is to more people from the
    outer circles to the inner circles.
  • From low commitment and maturity to high
    commitment and maturity

40
Applying Our Purpose When ?
  • Inside Out approach ?
  • Teach and Discipline the Core first ?
  • Takes time and often results in losing contact
    with the community
  • Small Churches Often all core and nothing
    else
  • The same 50 come every week. Weve all been
    Christians for so long, we have few unchurched
    friends to witness to.

41
Applying Our Purpose When ?
  • Inside Out approach
  • Newcomers are afraid to break into or join in the
    group as it is so closeknit.
  • The core group planning a new church spends so
    much time in the small group stage that it
    becomes comfortable with it and loses the sense
    of mission
  • Fire of evangelism dies

42
Applying Our Purpose When
  • Outside In Approach
  • Start with the community not the core
  • Move the community to our crowd (worship), then
    the crowd into the congregation (fellowship),
    the congregation into the committed
    (discipleship), and then the committed into the
    core (ministry)
  • Send the core back out to the community
    (Evangelism)
  • We can and should do this NOW

43
Community
Worship
Evangelism
Crowd
Fellowship
Congregation
Discipleship
Committed
Ministry
Core
Lay Ministers
Maturing Members
Members
Regular Attendees
Non church goers
44
Applying Our Purpose How ?
  • We need to
  • Define who is our target
  • We cannot be all things to all people. No
    single church can reach everyone.
  • Ensure that EVERYONE here is involved.
  • We are a small church, we have limited people
    resources at present.

45
Acts 2 42-47
  • They devoted themselves to the apostles
    teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking
    of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled
    with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs
    were done by the apostles. 44All the believers
    were together and had everything in common.
    45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave
    to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they
    continued to meet together in the temple courts.
    They broke bread in their homes and ate together
    with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and
    enjoying the favour of all the people. And the
    Lord added to their number daily those who were
    being saved.

46
Applying Our Purpose How ?
  • Our Target
  • Demographically
  • Young families, Young families with children
  • Geographically
  • Local families within the Epping Community

47
Applying Our Purpose How ?
Evangelism - Attract New Members from the
Community
  • Meet the community, be involved in the community
  • Identify and meet the needs of the community
  • Work to our strengths - Target Young families
    They need to be aware that Epping Church exists
    and what we offer.
  • Raise our profile within the community e.g.
    letterboxing pamphlets, local papers, community
    radio stations

48
Evangelism - Attract New Members from the
Community
  • Adventurers / Pathfinders
  • Outdoor activities camping, fishing,
    bushwalking
  • Vacation Bible School Vacation activities /
    crafts
  • Family Movie Nights
  • Health Workshops Asthma, COPD, SARS,
    Hypertension, Back Injury.

49
Worship - Moving the Community into our Church
  • How do we meet the Spiritual Needs of those
    seeking Christ?
  • Simple straightforward services that addresses
    issues relevant to the non church goer. Gods
    plan for your life, Questions you always wanted
    to ask God, Gods family and your family
  • Services given in a practical interesting way as
    Christ did.
  • Childrens Ministry. Introducing children to the
    concept of a loving caring God.
  • Engaging our Youth in Church based activities
    e.g. website development, video ministry. Youth
    involvement in Childrens Ministry

50
Worship - Moving the Community into our Church
  • What attracted large crowds to Jesus ministry ?
  • He loved them (Matthew 9 36)
  • He met their needs (Matthew 15 30, Luke 6
    17-18)

51
Worship - Moving the Community into our Church
  • Loving unbelievers like Jesus did
  • Creating an atmosphere of acceptance. Do I feel
    welcome here ?
  • Accepting without necessarily approving

52
Fellowship Becoming Part of our
Congregation Inspiring Commitment
  • Small cell groups which addresses and discusses
    personal needs on a more intimate basis. Small
    group bible study.
  • Commitment required
  • No point being an inactive or non-participating
    member
  • Growing into spiritual maturity
  • Using individual talents

53
Discipleship Achieving Spiritual Maturity
  • Active or leading out in small groups
  • Childrens Ministry
  • Addressing the needs of Young Families
  • Learning to minister to others
  • Skill building and leadership training
  • Pastor plays a very important role here

54
Ministry The Core Group Realising Gods Purpose
for our lives.
  • Lead and serve in the ministry
  • Lay ministers, Lay evangelists
  • Deacons, Sabbath School Teachers
  • Run Evangelistic Programs
  • Pastor needs to help nurture, train and sustain
    this group

55
Community
Worship
Evangelism
Crowd
Fellowship
Congregation
Discipleship
Committed
Ministry
Core
Lay Ministers
Maturing Members
Members
Regular Attendees
Non church goers
56
Where do we want to be in 5 years ?
  • A Balanced Church Soul winning, worship,
    fellowship, bible study and teaching all
    prominent
  • A growing church
  • A large core group active in the ministry and
    evangelism
  • A larger group of committed members
  • A established presence in the Epping, with a
    reputation for fulfilling the needs of the
    community.

57
Where do we go from here ?
  • Work from Outside In. We need to do it soon.
  • Feedback on this proposal
  • Where are you willing to help ? What are your
    talents and skills ?
  • Discussion Paper to be circulated
  • Forum for feedback to be held within a month

58
1 Corinthians - Chapter 12
  • 12 The body is a unit, though it is made up
    of many parts and though all its parts are many,
    they form one body. So it is with Christ.
  • 18God has arranged the parts in the body,
    every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
    19If they were all one part, where would the body
    be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one
    body.

59
1 Corinthians - Chapter 12
  • 27Now you are the body of Christ, and each
    one of you is a part of it. 28And in the church
    God has appointed first of all apostles, second
    prophets, third teachers, then workers of
    miracles, also those having gifts of healing,
    those able to help others, those with gifts of
    administration, and those speaking in different
    kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all
    prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
    30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in
    tongues? Do all interpret? 31But eagerly desire
    the greater gifts.
  • And now I will show you the most excellent
    way.
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