The document discusses factors that contribute to church growth based on passages from Acts, including having a clear mission, emphasis on evangelism and discipleship, being open to the Holy Spirit, and sending out missionaries. It also outlines steps for growing a healthy church, such as having visionary leadership, teaching God's word, engaging worship, and developing leaders. Signs of a dying church and stages of church planting are also addressed.
The document discusses factors that contribute to church growth based on passages from Acts, including having a clear mission, emphasis on evangelism and discipleship, being open to the Holy Spirit, and sending out missionaries. It also outlines steps for growing a healthy church, such as having visionary leadership, teaching God's word, engaging worship, and developing leaders. Signs of a dying church and stages of church planting are also addressed.
The document discusses factors that contribute to church growth based on passages from Acts, including having a clear mission, emphasis on evangelism and discipleship, being open to the Holy Spirit, and sending out missionaries. It also outlines steps for growing a healthy church, such as having visionary leadership, teaching God's word, engaging worship, and developing leaders. Signs of a dying church and stages of church planting are also addressed.
The document discusses factors that contribute to church growth based on passages from Acts, including having a clear mission, emphasis on evangelism and discipleship, being open to the Holy Spirit, and sending out missionaries. It also outlines steps for growing a healthy church, such as having visionary leadership, teaching God's word, engaging worship, and developing leaders. Signs of a dying church and stages of church planting are also addressed.
9:31, 16:5, 21:20-27 What can be drawn from this scripture concerning church growth? There was growth and multiplication in the churches. Factors that demonstrate church growth • Conscious of its mission mandate and always reaching out beyond it current scope • Puts emphasis on winning of souls and discipleship to mature faith • Are not afraid of daring and step into new contexts however risking it is. • Open to the move of the Holy Spirit and manifestation of God’s power that motivates faith. • Passionate about witnessing and sharing God’s saving grace with neighbors. • Acknowledges that it is God who courses growth. • Send out missionaries to new mission frontier and support them to plant new churches • Value the work of God’s divine powers among them. • Consistent and passionate in faith. Steps involved in growing a healthy Church • John 15:1-18, Acts 2:41-47 1. Visionary strategic and flexible leadership:- must develop strong, passionate and visionary leadership with the capacity to perceive dreams, see opportunities, plan and rally for support of the vision. 2. Proclamation and teaching of God’s word:- plans on themes and topics that are relevant to spiritual and socio economic needs. 3. Lively and Bible centered worship:- Put emphasis on worship lifestyle of those being converted to Christian faith. 4. Structured sector ministries:- acknowledge the life cycle from birth, children, teens, youths adults, old and families i.e. single parents, widows, widowers, etc. 5. Pastoral care ministry:- taking care of all the spiritual, social concerns of all the church members and those outside church. …cont… Hospitality:- the culture of handling each other with respect and dignity. • Mission outreach:- focuses on reaching out the church. • Leadership development:- developing leaders guarantees ministry consistency and continuity without creating gaps and improves maturity of gifting, ownership, and participation ministry. • Budgeting:- clear budget brings into focus areas of priority in mission and avoids procrastination. It also enhances giving as away of resource mobilization. • Prayer:- acknowledges that the war is not against blood and flesh but principalities and powers of darkness. Characteristics of a healthy growing church • Empowering leadership- helping other become what God wants them to be. • Gift- based ministry-help identify gifts and nature • Passionate spirituality:-People on fire for God and committed to the great commission. • Effective Structure:- organizational structures, financial policies, service schedules, human resource policies, developmental plans • Inspiring worship service:- Everyone looks forward to the service and accommodative. • Need oriented Evangelism:- has the urgency of evangelism • Mission:- pastoral care and involvement in the lives of others. Signs of a dying church • Lack of expository preaching- has no biblical themes, systematic teaching which is relevant and practical. • Declining worship attendance. • Decline in frequency of attendance of church members • Lack of joy and vibrancy in the worship service • Little evangelistic fruit • Low community impact • More meetings than ministry • Acrimonious business meetings;- disagreement reflect obvious bitterness and anger. • Very few visitors in worship services • Worship wars …Cont..
• Unrealistic expectations of pastoral care;-view pastor and other
leaders to do all the work • Decline in giving • High level of ignorance in understanding God’s word. • Lack of interest and commitment to God’s service. • Question • 1. Giving an honest opinion, asses whether your local church is growing or dying? Church planting stages and leadership 1. Infant stage;- is a newly planted church-requires a catalytic leader who is a person that has the ability to bring something into being that didn’t formally exist. 2. Growing stage:- occurs within 5 years, is a period of great discoveries, nurturing gifts and leadership development. This stage requires an organizer kind of a leader. Organizers take a disorderly organization, bringing the pieces together and maximizing the resource available. 3. Plateau/ consolidating/ saturation stage:-this is a period of consolidation, stability in systems in terms, structures, human resources as well as material resources. The period last between 10- 80. The stage requires operators because they manage stable organization by making small changes and maintain systems at work. …cont…
• 4. Declining/ decrease stage: Starts from 60-100 years
onwards. It is coursed by failure to appreciate change of times, emerging issues, defensive and insecure leadership and loss of interest by church members. This stage requires re-organizers as leaders so that the church refocuses on the future. They help in pleasing the long time members but simultaneously build a new congregation.