Here we grow again

The Fellowship of the Believers

 

As we grow it hard to try and maintain balance between what we do now and what we must do to grow as God continues to add to our church. We have over doubled in size in less than 6 months and god is continuing to grow our congregation. So how do we keep our family and grow past 200???

Here are 10 things we must look at for us to continue to reach the lost God sends. (Not just to church but in your life)

Things to avoid

1. We can’t be afraid of growth (People are afraid it will ruin their fellowship)

Acts 2:41 (ESV)  

 Don’t be afraid you won’t know everyone. If that’s the case, we will never grow beyond 200 because after that, it’s impossible to know everyone. Since the average person knows just 67 people. It is imperative to get involved in a ministry with others of like calling and get involved in a small group and/or teams. For us to grow we must first decide to grow – it really begins with desire. Get committed to growth.

2. Don’t be afraid of Change. Gal 6:11-18, John 5:1-14

Traditions are not necessarily bad; we make things repetitive because they work.  It’s dangerous when we make methods sacred. It’s also dangerous when we forget WHY we do things. When the horse is dead, GET OFF! Let dead things/programs die, if not we lose ground on the Great Commission. We must not be afraid of change! Confronting the barrier of traditionalism was Jesus’ greatest challenge. We must always ask, “Is this fulfilling its purpose. The hardest thing to change is what’s working. But if we want more maximized results, we have to change it before it stops working. (Like pruning rose bushes; pruning takes place before all the roses have died.) We cannot use yesterday’s tools in today’s ministry to meet tomorrow’s challenge.

3. Legalism. Matthew 23:25 (ESV)  

This happens when we are more interested in keeping rules than winning people to Christ. We must build a climate of acceptance. Start where people are and engage them on their slow journey of faith.

4. We might need more Services. Acts 13:1–4

We might have to start multiple services, even before another one is needed, we give more people opportunities to connect and get involved. It’s like putting more hooks in the water. Secret: Only pastors really like large church services!

5. We can’t stay in the same old building. Rev 21:22

 Project what our needs would be if God allowed us to reach the next level of attendance, then plan for it and move that direction. An over-crowded, or even a comfortably full, facility will plateau a church. But we need to be sure the facility is multi-purpose.

6. We can’t appeal to everybody. Luke 5:30–32, Acts 10:34–35 (ESV)

We must define our target, the Cowboy and the western heritage culture, then accept the fact that not everyone in the community will connect to our church.

We need to stay focused on these things

1. You need to bring friends to church. Acts 2:47 (ESV)

 We can’t grow until we have visitors. People won’t just find us. We as Christian’s are command by Jesus to seek the lost and reach them. As leaders it is our Job to create an environment that you want to bring your friends to

2. Keep the team concept and serve on those teams. Acts 6:1-7

 Empower others to make decisions regarding their area of ministry. The pastor (that’s me) must deliberately change his role from being the sole source of ministry to releasing others to minister and make decisions; otherwise, he becomes the bottleneck. There is a limit to how many people can be shepherded by one individual.

3. We must make the most of “Big Days”. (Acts 2:14 Peter preaches at Pentecost)

We must deliberately break attendance barriers on days when it is more likely others will come. We must Plan a big event on special day and the numbers will go up. The numbers will go back down afterwards, but not to the place they were before the event. Big holidays are an obvious time to concentrate on events.

4.  We must have small groups. Acts 2: 45-46

People with real needs tend to fall between the cracks and drift away from church when the source of care is centralized around the pastor’s office. Failure to feel cared for is a common complaint among churches that do not encourage small groups. By intentionally training new leaders and encouraging everyone’s participation, creating a climate of small groups, the body will become self-responsive – people ministering to one another’s needs out of relationship rather than being assigned by the church office.



Pastor Chris