At a graduation party yesterday, a friend of mine and I
found a quiet corner table to talk. He told me the story of a recent
meeting with a church leadership team. Even though he did not use these
words, he discussed their lack of passion, energy and vision.
The church,
while in a rapidly growing area, had not experienced numerical growth in
decades. It appeared the pastor was content with just getting in another
10 years and retiring. He then asked, “What would you tell them?”
Sadly, this is not an unusual situation. I encounter
similar church environments on a daily basis. Without any sense of
context, here is what I would say to such a church leadership team:
We have made church growth too complicated.
Yes, it is important we have demographic studies, great
systems, quality services, excellent children and youth ministries, diversity,
inspired preaching, and community outreach. If some of these items seem
out of reach for whatever reason, any pastor or church leadership team can take
these 3 Simple Steps To Increase Attendance:
1.
Growing Churches Are Led By
Spiritually Growing Leaders –
You can’t take people where you have not been.
I ask church leadership teams, “How are you growing in your relationship
with Jesus? Tell me about a fresh word you have gotten from Him recently.
What are your quiet times like? Describe for me something God
showed you in His Word in the last week. What have you been convicted
about recently? Is there unrepentant sin in your life? Tell me
about something breaking your heart which is also breaking the heart of God.
What did you do with these new insights?” If a leader is growing
spiritually, I then get to ask my final question in this area, “When is the
last time you personally shared your faith with a lost person outside of your
pulpit ministry?” Spiritually growing leaders are actively sharing their
faith.
2.
Growing Churches Are Led By Personally
Growing Leaders – Your personal leadership growth is your
responsibility. What books are you currently reading? What podcasts
are you currently listening to? What conferences are you attending?
What people are you meeting with? What blogs are you reading?
What questions are you asking? Forrest Gump famously said, “Been
there. Done that.” That is a cute Hollywood statement. It is
a terrible leadership statement. Yes, growing leaders have been there and
done that. But they are more focused on going there and doing that.
Personally growing leaders focus on taking new ground by advancing the
mission and vision of their churches.
3.
Growing Church Are Led By Leaders Who
Invite Unchurched Friends To Church – Once again, do not make
this too complicated. Churches grow from an increased number of visitors.
A person is most likely to visit your church when invited by a friend.
I look at each person around the leadership table and ask, “When is the
last time you brought an unchurched friend to church?” So goes the
leader, so goes the church. When the leadership are inviting friends to
church, the congregation will do likewise and your church will grow.
For a church to grow, it is important to have the systems
and all the programmatic functions in place. If not, you will experience
expansion and contraction.
But if you really want your church to grow, do not
make it so difficult. Be a group of growing leaders, spiritually and
personally, who invites their unchurched friends to church.
It is not that complicated.
Source:
This article originally appeared here.
No comments:
Post a Comment