Tag: Discipleship

Sunday School Success

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A youth group holds on to a bible.In my first doctoral class, I wrote an exit paper on the Sunday School.  My thesis for the paper was as follows:

“Sunday School is a vital program in the 21st Century Church.”

With all the new trends and changes on the current church scene, some have chosen to downplay Sunday School.  In some instances, Sunday School has been eliminated altogether.  In my opinion, such a decision is ill-advised and potentially lethal to most congregations.  Many churches still have Sunday School-type programs although they no longer use that language.  It doesn’t matter what you call it, but the traditional functions of the Sunday School are usually more consistently and effectively carried out through this church ministry.  I believe churches must embrace certain changes, but not all changes are good changes.  Some ministries are fundamental to the health and growth of the church—I believe Sunday School is such a ministry.

As your Kentucky Baptist Convention staff, Darryl Wilson and I are committed to the improvement and encouragement of the Sunday School.  We are thrilled with the current success stories that are taking place in KBC churches, but we pray for even greater success in the future!

One of the things that I’ve observed in many churches is the need to simplify.  Churches can become so complex that it becomes “watered-down” and less effective.  Many of the ministries of the church could and should be administered through the Sunday School.  This approach allows for simplification, shared ministry, organizational structure, and accountability.

For more help with Sunday School, contact Darryl Wilson or utilize his extensive Sunday School articles.

Church Revitalization & The Great Commission

Posted in Church Consulting, Church Revitalization, Discipleship, Evangelism, PreachingLeave a comment

priorityThe past few weeks I have been privileged to travel around Kentucky and speak to several pastors at the annual gathering of their associations.  As I began to pray about what I should share with them, God laid Matthew 28:16-20 on my heart.  Although He had been teaching and modeling “The Great Commission” principles for the last 3 1/2 years with the disciples, since they were so important, He gave them a final, post-resurrection reminder!  Here’s my sermon in a nutshell:

16  Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17  And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18  And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20 (ESV) 

 Three Post-Resurrection Reminders for the Disciples

1.  He reminded them about His POWER.   Jesus had already taught and demonstrated His power to the disciples.  They were there when He gave sight to the blind.  They watched the infected skin of the lepers become perfect and unblemished.  They heard him yell, “Lazarus, come forth!”  They’re looking at him, now alive, after coming back from the dead, yet He STILL reminded them about His power.  He said “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Vs. 19).  “His authority or power in his earthly life had been great. Now it is boundless and includes earth and heaven” (A.T. Robertson).  WHY?  Why did Jesus feel the need to remind them one more time?  Jesus knew there would be times in the future when the disciples would need every possible reminder of His power!

2.  He reminded them about his PRIORITY.  In this reminder, we find the keys to unlock church growth and revitalization.  Forgetting to focus on God’s priority ensures that a church will not flourish in the eyes of God.  He told them to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Vv. 19-20).  In other words, Jesus reminded them that His priority was for them to focus on evangelism and discipleship!  When churches place priorities above evangelism and discipleship they are destined for decline.

3.  He reminded them about His PRESENCE.  He said, “….I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Vs. 20).  They spent the last 3 1/2 years with Jesus.  With His presence, they had gone through storms, faced persecution, walked on water, but now, He was going away.  Jesus knew that they needed to be reminded about His continuing presence through the Holy Spirit.  It seems to me that Matthew 28:20 links back to Matthew 1:23 where the angel announced “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us.)”  What a glorious way to begin this Gospel account and what a glorious way to close this Gospel account, GOD IS WITH US!

Churches should continually focus on evangelism and discipleship with the knowledge that God is all-powerful in helping the church fulfill His priority while assuring His presence during the process!  TO HIM BE PRAISE!!!

Plow Horses & Dogs?

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I agree with Dr. Gary L. McIntosh, that every church and every church leader needs to refocus from time to time! Every church needs to ask, “What sets us apart from other churches? What can our church offer to the community that is uniquely us?”

The truth is, that may be easier said than done. How can a church refocus? How can a church determine which ministries are unique to them? McIntosh says that it is helpful to categorize all the ministries of your church into one of four areas.

4 Ministry Categories

STARS: Stars refers to the most fruitful ministries–that is, the ministries that are responsible for bringing in the most new people or reaching the most people for Christ.

PUZZLES: This category includes the ministries that appear to be good but are not producing the results you think they should.

PLOW HORSES: The most popular ministries that do not result in many new people coming to Christ or to your church but which you must keep go in this category.

DOGS: The ministries that are draining your church of resources and produce almost no results go here. The church must deal with these ministries by retooling them, reinventing them, or by replacing them with stars.

McIntosh says that some churches find that they have zero stars. If that is the case, the church should focus on starting one new ministry each year for the next 5 years because new ministries tend to reach new people. Programs and ministries become less effective with age. New ministries are the most fruitful.

For more information about Church Revitalization, see the following posts:

Please contact the Church Consulting & Revitalization Team at the Kentucky Baptist Convention if we can help your church in any way.

There’s Hope for Your Church

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Gary L. McIntosh recently published a helpful book aimed at Church Revitalization called There’s Hope for Your Church. In his usual style, Dr. McIntosh provides practical, realistic coaching advice for pastors who are embracing the difficult task of helping one of the 75% of American churches that are plateaued or declining. In the next few posts, I’m going to share some of the key teachings from the Dr. McIntosh’s book.

Chapter 1 – See the Potential

If you are currently serving as a pastor in one of the 75% of churches that is on a long-term plateau or declining, THERE IS HOPE! There is hope for renewal, hope for growth, hope for new life! Dr. McIntosh says that there are at least three key reasons for such hope.

3 Reasons There is Hope for Your Church

1.  God wants your church to grow. The first mention of the church in the Bible contains God’s promise that his church will grow: “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Matthew 16:18). Today there are approximately two billion Christians in the world. Compared to the small band of believers that met together in the upper room in Acts 1, the world-wide church makes it clear that Christ’s church has grown. God has kept his promise. God wants your church to be fruitful and multiply as well. Acts 12:24 reports that “the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.” God wants his church to grow and multiply across the world as new believers accept the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ.

2.  God revitalizes & restores churches. The New Testament records several beautiful pictures of restoration, such as the return of the prodigal son in Luke 15 and the call to the church in Revelation 2 & 3. The implication in Revelation is that God will restore churches that hear and repent.

3.  God is revitalizing churches right now. Dr. McIntosh points out that for the last three decades he has observed churches throughout the United States and Canada being renewed and revitalized. As a Kentucky Baptist pastor for over 23 years, I have been privileged to lead three churches to varying levels of revitalization. I have also been amazed to observe other pastors do so as well.

In a recent Western Recorder article, I read the amazing revitalization story of the Hillvue Heights Church in Bowling Green, Kentucky where Dr. Steve Ayers serves as Senior Pastor. When he came to the church, only a handful of people remained. Under his 21 years of leadership, the church has baptized over 7,000 new believers and grown to an average weekly attendance of 4,000. Although Hillvue’s story is not typical, it is a vivid testimony that THERE IS HOPE FOR YOUR CHURCH!

Resolutions

Posted in Discipleship, Evangelism, Ministry, Worship1 Comment

My friend, Dr. Paul Chitwood serves as the Executive Director of the Kentucky Baptist Convention.  He recently published a very well-written challenge that I would like to share with you.  I echo the following words of Dr. Chitwood as we seek to magnify and honor the glorious name of the Lord Jesus in 2012:

With this first 2012 post, I’m hoping a New Year’s resolution list for Kentucky Baptists will be well received. I offer no earth-shattering new insights. I simply challenge us to be faithful to the basic call of Christ upon our lives and obedient to the fundamental teachings in God’s word. If every Kentucky Baptist would commit themselves to the following resolutions, our churches would flourish, every lost person in the Commonwealth could hear the gospel, and the cause of the Great Commission would be rapidly advanced.

First, would you resolve to walk closely with Jesus through concerted prayer and daily Bible reading? Our Lord exhorts us in John 15:4, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” The first call of the gospel is the call to be in Jesus Christ. He is the source of spiritual life and spiritual power. Apart from him, we will remain powerless.

Second, would you resolve to obey Jesus in all things? Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it” (Luke 11:28). Matters like sexual purity, financial stewardship, personal honesty, sobriety, and refraining from gluttony are not negotiable for those who have confessed Jesus as Lord of our lives.

Third, would you resolve to share Jesus with at least one lost person each week? The command to be witnesses and the promise of the Spirit’s empowerment to that end are clearly stated in Acts 1:8. As for the lost, “how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard” (Rom 10:14)? Yet, multiple studies and surveys reveal most of us never take the initiative to tell lost people how to be saved. Pray that God would give you the opportunity to share the gospel with just one person each week.

Fourth, would you resolve to love and serve Jesus’ bride with more passion than ever before? Your church isn’t perfect but it needs you. And you need the church. We simply cannot be faithful followers of Jesus apart from his church. Love and serve her.

Fifth, would you resolve to commit more of your resources to Jesus’ Great Commission? The sin of greed has captivated us. Rather than starting with a tithe and giving generously beyond that, the average church member gives less than 3 percent of their income. If we merely gave a tithe, church ministry budgets and the Cooperative Program mission budget would triple, resulting in an exponential harvest of souls in Kentucky and around the world.