A. To seek and see them saved:

How is Business?

Is the church where Jesus added you:

Growing

On a Plateau

Declining, the next generation of torch carriers are not Sanctified TO Christ.

Looking Terminal within the next Generation or two.

Get, look at, and pray over the growth or non-growth or terminal churches in your denomination and/or area.

What can be done to improve business?

 Be the Wife or Bride of Christ.

We plan together as church officers to provide specific training in the Word:

Leadership & Team Work

Soul Winning Skills

Knowing & Using Your Spiritual Gifts

Attack Strategies To Community Awareness of our Church

Bible Overview

Bible Study Tips, Techniques, and Tools

Planned Efforts for Corporate and Individual Bible Study

Prayer, Tithing, Applying Bible Truths, etc. Some

Reported Small Church Problems

1. Not enough Set Apart TO Christ Workers

2. Now enough work done OUTSIDE the church and their families

3. Little or no investment in other churches, Christian works, or community

4. Not enough Bible learning Opportunities presented or not in enough variety of methods

5. Government not Team structure as Acts of Apostles commands. Often one or two make the

decisions and many times in parking lots, over the phone, etc. –Not in planned efforts.

6. “Come and bring someone with you,” main evangelist effort.

7. Evident needs are not addressed with Bible classes, trainings, etc. (Preaching according to leading and Sunday School classes with pre-determined subject matter main training.)

8. Church is seen as the one inside that building—from Christ’s world view.

9. Church is ruled a lot on shared history-not by Bible set up.

People obligations (like going where pastor preaches) are more met than Christ’s church’s obligations of feeding hungry, clothing naked, visiting sick or imprisoned, etc. Few ministries outreach to other churches, conference events, or trainings.

Loss of Focus.

Lots of talk about who is NOT doing or what is NOT getting done. Little planned positive.

Short range, service by service, little long range planning.

Fiery and loud is seen as more ‘spiritual’ than Bible teaching and deep study.

Too often there is a ‘my way’ or ‘no way’ mentality somewhere damaging ‘The Work.’

Often, members say aloud they do not want a job or to help in work. Morale low.

Count of number at altar or baptized has more emphasis than where they are 6 months later.

Dwell on number present in a service; not, the number who truly are set apart to Jesus- changed.

Messages typically have fewer than 10 hours.

Laity attitude toward change, learning, working generally negative.

Tendency to think earthly and why it can’t be done; rather than apply their ‘talk’ that Jesus

        can do ALL things.

Past failures, rather than VISION, seems to get attention.

Like baby birds in a nest, too many want to ‘stay in the nest’ instead of fly. They are happy

‘sitters’, comfortable. They live for themselves and the Great Commission is #2. No Vision.

Not enough Set Apart TO Christ people.

 

Plan. Plan. Plan. Emphasis we are a CHURCH answerable to God for DOING His will. Have all pray, and study the Bible about church duties, then call a meeting of all interested in getting about the Lord’s business. Get statistics on your church’s growth or decline over the last years. Also, compare with data on other churches in the area or denomination. Announce the date and time at least a month ahead and tell all to come ready to seek Jesus’ will for His church. Prepare a place such as the fellowship hall or even borrow one if you don’t have one at your church. Have refreshments on hand and available throughout the meeting. Re-state that you are a Branch Office of Heaven and should be doing exactly what the Bible says you are to be doing.

Reality. You need to look at your own reality and how it compares with what the Bible says you are to be doing. Based on the past 20 years, where will the church be should the Lord tarry another twenty. Do you need a Bible Growth and Maturity Plan? Who WANTS to work for Jesus? Will they put prayer, Bible study and hours into words to make them a ‘walk’? What needs to be ‘put in order’? Don’t make a lot of changes-just plan and study. Conclude with a

commitment to prayer, study, and sharing with those who didn’t attend. List them and assign

someone to give them a ‘come aboard’ invitation. Set the next meeting at least a month ahead

and announce it, with a summary of tonight’s thoughts, in writing. Get someone to help you

prepare it in a professional way, if need be. Begin setting a higher standard now. Discuss asking

someone from outside your church to attend the next meeting and help you plan.

Steering Slowly Toward The Great Commission with VISION, without which we perish.

Focus on needed changes but remember People change slowly. Cars off the road can’t be

jerked back on quickly or it will wreck. You have to pull it back on the highway slowly. So it is

with a church. Focus on the Great Commission and Bible orders to the church. Some things

you could think on doing by the twos or threes or as a class or team: praying, Bible reading,

studying the same chapter at home, then sharing in a prayer service, teaming and visiting in the

community or the elderly, team on some ‘reach out’ services in the next year-cook outs with

singing outside and playing games, etc., visit other churches in the area, plan classes on subjects

that would improve knowledge in needed areas.

Improve Stewardship or Investing in People

Relate to crisis or need in the area like homes burning, floods, a sister church building project.

Invest in the lives of church and their families: births, weddings, deaths, anniversaries, give out

books like New Testaments on special days. Card ministry started-don’t think narrow.

Schedule one build Sunday each month. Offer special Bible experience like Hyssop Tea with the

scriptures or offer seed to sow Sunday and give out tiny Bibles for them to share.

Announce services with the Bible truths, like Communion and Foot Washing. Tell how this was

a pivotal day in Christ’s life and that the church will re-create it. Offer handouts with the

scriptures. Stress they will do what Jesus did on His last night on earth.

Teach tithing as what it is: a contract with Jesus to invest in His work here on earth and that

He promises to see you never need and that your children won’t go hungry. A privilege.

Use everything you can to teach Bible. Take nature walks and find Bible items, have a hunt an

animal in the Bible week and post all the names and who found them, have a ‘make a card’

prayer service and draw a name to make the card for. Search the minds of the people.

Look at your church sign. Is it old or has been the same for years. Who reads it any more? Does it need a face lift, a light, new special words-something to say, “We’re doing

something more and new in Jesus.

Check your property. Is it inviting? Drive and look at other churches near. How do you

compare?

Encourage true Humility=Depending on Jesus to do the job.

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Encourage true Holiness and being Set Apart TO God in your life, finances, work, and ALL.

Paint a picture of how good things can be and put your church in the picture.

Offer Jesus. Life Him Up.

Offer Jesus. Life Him Up.

Offer Jesus. Life Him Up.

Offer Jesus. Life Him Up.

There are those who associate with the church and call themselves believers; but, who strongly oppose the church growing into a true New Testament with, Jesus as the One and Only Star, mode.

You will have to pull into the passing lane, and let them decide whether they’ll stop or come along.

Preaching is not all there is to Leadership.

Being ‘called’ gives you a license to learn and speak. You are not stamped, ‘Finished’.

You’ve just become a lifelong learner and responsible to teach and preach to others.

You can’t truly be a leader if there is nobody following.

You’ll never learn all there is about being a good pastor, preacher and leader. Keep trying.

An attitude of not wanting to learn or be taught is not good.

Having the title of Pastor doesn’t make you a shepherd of the sheep. Being a shepherd makes you

a shepherd.

Open your mouth and He will fill it is only true in ‘Instant’ seasons and after you’ve studied to

show yourself approved unto God.

Expose yourself to proved leaders and train under them, like the disciples with Jesus or younger

ministers with Paul.

Employ your people (all you can), as often as you can. List all who attend and try to get their

interests and gifts in use for Jesus. Growing churches have been proven to use 65% or more

of their people. Find ministries and jobs for Jesus for them to do.

Having only Know How is a Laborer.

Having Know How and Being Able To Show Others How is a Teacher.

Having Know How, Showing Others and Getting Them To Do It is a Manager.

Having all three above and Inspiring Others to Work is a Leader.

Leadership = Influence

Trainings Available

Bible Overview

45 min. In Service or Workshop

Beginning Independent Bible Study

4-45 min. Workshop Sessions

Knowing and Using Your Spiritual Gifts

1 hour Workshop

Leadership Training

4-45 min. Workshop Sessions

Teamwork

1 hour, Service or Workshop

Being a Better Team Mate

4-45 min. Workshop Sessions

Soul Winning

1 hour Service or Workshop