Body: | The Key to church growth!
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The key to church growth lies in our ability to motivate and activate the
general membership to reach the lost in an avenue in which each feels
comfortable. Very few churches have even come close to achieving this. We
have a pastor system among our preachers and a passive symptom among our
members. How can we activate the entire church to be evangelistic? Answer
this question and you hold the key to church growth in your hand!
A. The process of church growth as a whole can be divided into four steps.
THE FOUR "E'S" OF GROWTH:
Evangelize the lost
Edify the new convert
Equip the willing
Entrust to the faithful
Every specific method of evangelism can be placed into one of three pigeon
holes. Every Christian's conversion can be categorized into one of these
holes:
children of members
mass media approach
personal approach.
The mass media approach employs newspaper advertising, radio and TV
programs, mail drops, correspondence courses, Bible Call recorded messages,
gospel meetings, etc. The personal approach employs a personal invitation
to those with whom we have developed a relationship, such as neighbors and
friends. It also includes the invitation of persons contacted during
door-to-door canvassing, random telephoning, and in the parks and shopping
malls.
I believe we must place most of our emphasis in the personal approach
category. Placing the emphasis on mass media approach hampers our goal of
activating all the members to reach the lost because the members are not
required to do anything personally. They are content to just supply the
money and rely upon the preacher. On the other hand, the personal approach
is wholly dependent upon individual effort. Success will be limited unless
the individual is doing his part.
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Generating Contacts (Luke 14:23)
Luke 14:23 tells us to go into the highways and hedges and COMPEL the lost
to come to the great feast. Most churches need to place more emphasis in
this area of work. Many churches have a number of members capable of
teaching the gospel. Unfortunately, the talents of capable teachers are
often not utilized because of the lack of effort in contacting people and
locating those who want to study (seekers). The shortage of seekers can
cause capable soul winners to become idle. We must recognize our deficiency
in this area and put much more emphasis on contacting and finding seekers.
It is my opinion that mass media methods such as mail dropping and
newspaper and handbills on windshields should only point in one direction
the correspondence course. I suggest, for example, that church services not
be advertised at all. Replace these advertisements with an enrollment
coupon for a correspondence course or a number for a Bible Call messages.
The personal invitation avenue of contacting seekers contains the most
potential for new contacts. It is powerful but often neglected. Three basic
categories of the personal invitation approach are: first, personally
inviting those we know our friends, family, neighbors, and fellow-workers.
The key here is conduct or letting your light shine. Second, personally
inviting anyone we run into during the normal course of the day. The key
here is alertness to opportunity. Third, aggressively inviting unknowns by
phone, door-to-door contacts, contact in the parks, etc. The key here is
boldness.
The focus of most personal invitations is best directed toward the Bible
discussion groups in the home. (Also called cottage meetings or Luke/Acts
readings. ) Begin by personally inviting those you know. However, before
long this avenue will be exhausted and you will be forced to invite those
you don't know. In order to have continued success, a change in lifestyle
will be required so that you automatically and instinctively invite
everyone you come in contact with. At this point you are only interested in
the names and phone numbers of persons interested in Bible study.
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Cultivation Studies (John 4:7-42)
Cultivation studies are an important intermediate stage between the point
of contact and a one-on-one Bible study. This stage is often overlooked.
Bible correspondence courses, Bible discussion groups, Jule Miller
filmstrips (Nos. 1, 2, and 3 only), and the 2-minute Bible Call messages
are all examples of cultivation studies.
Once we find a seeker, we need to cultivate their interest in the gospel.
At this stage you are not trying to convert them but you do have two very
important objectives. First, develop their thirst for more Bible study.
Second, allow a cold contact to become a warm contact by letting them
develop a personal relationship of trust toward you as a person and a Bible
teacher. The account of Jesus and the woman at the well in John 4 is an
excellent example of the principles behind a cultivation study. Jesus
discussed spiritual things in such a way as to develop her interest and
trust in him as a person and teacher.
All efforts to contact people should be directed toward only two Bible
study programs: the correspondence course and the Bible discussion group.
It simplifies things for a local church to have only one main program in
each of the two areas of contacting people mass media/correspondence course
and personal/Bible discussion groups.
It may be that a person is contacted through the Bible Call number
advertised in the personal column of the newspaper. They then enroll in the
correspondence course offered daily on Bible Call. After completing the
course, they check on lesson four that they want to attend the Bible
Discussion Groups. After they have attended a number of these small group
studies, set up the Jule Miller filmstrip study and show lessons 1 through
3 only. Now you are ready for the next stage of development the conviction
studies. Now, for the first time, your primary motive is for them to be
converted to Christ.
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Conviction Studies (Acts 24:25)
Cultivating their interest may require several months. You have developed a
relationship with the seeker. They trust you as a teacher and respect you
as a human being. Now, your purpose is to convict them to bring them to a
point of decision about becoming a Christian be it positive or negative. A
good example of this kind of study is when Paul tried to teach Felix about
righteousness, self-control and judgement in Acts 24:25. Paul brought Felix
to a point of decision. Felix replied, Go away for the present and when I
find time I will summon you. Ever heard that before?
Although a number of conviction study sequences are available, such as Ivan
Stewart's, Charles Goodall's Same Hour Of The Night, Bradford/Nerland
question/answer series, and the McDonald system, there is very little
available to choose from. Much more thought and energy needs to be put into
this important area. I am amazed at how few evangelists have tried to
develop their own study sequences. It is like a salesman who never develops
his own sales pitch. The main thing to keep in mind with whatever you use
is that the entire church is going to be taught how to use it. Some of the
basic subjects addressed in most study sequences are: the Bible and
authority, covenants, the New Testament church, denominationalism, the need
and plan of salvation, and what it will cost to become a Christian. There
is a need to have both a single and multilesson series prepared.
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Grounding Studies (Matthew 28:18)
The fourth stage is most commonly called follow-up. We all know that we
neglect follow-up, but when are we going to start doing something about it?
We are losing souls every year. It is like someone who smokes. They say
they should quit and know it harms their body, yet they keep smoking year
after year. We know the virtues and importance of grounding studies yet we
keep neglecting them. An example of this kind of study is found in Acts
14:21-23 when Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Derbe
strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in
the faith. Another example is in Acts 15:36 where Paul said, Let us return
and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word to see
how they are. Matthew 28:18,19 says we are to make disciples (conviction
studies), baptize them, and teach them to observe all I have commanded you
(grounding studies).
The best way I have seen to follow-up a new Christian is by using a
combination of two methods. First, have a rotating new converts class on
Sunday morning. The one we had in Lethbridge, Alberta, had about 30
lessons. By rotating, I mean that if a babe in Christ enters the class at
lesson 20 they will continue through the end of that series of classes
(lesson 30) and up through lesson 19 in the next series. After completing
the 30 lesson series they will join the regular adult class. The 30 lesson
series is taught in a cycle over and over. Every cycle has one teacher and
an apprentice. During the next cycle the apprentice becomes the teacher and
a new apprentice is selected. Great experience for the men! Watch it spark
life into the church.
The second follow-up method has the babe in Christ studying one-on-one with
someone every week ideally, with the one who taught him the gospel. This
develops a close friendship and provides an opportunity to give him the
personal attention he needs at first. The revolving class and the
one-on-one studies will provide for almost every need of a new convert.
Generally, the revolving class has doctrinal lessons while the one-on-one
lessons are exhortational. The kind of follow-up I have suggested here is a
big project but one that is long overdue in every church.
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Training Studies (2 Timothy 2:2)
This is the stage where you teach them to fly on their own, take the
training wheels off, and where you produce producers. Most Christians are
capable of teaching the gospel after receiving some training; therefore,
everyone who is going to be involved in teaching the lost and grounding the
new converts needs to go through some kind of training. Both men and women
should be involved in the training studies. (Remember, most of the new
converts are women. So train the women to convert and ground other women.)
Some of the men who progress through the training studies are the
evangelists of tomorrow! It is the church's job to train men for full-time
service.
FOUR GENERATIONS OF 2 TIMOTHY 2:2
Paul: The things you learned from me
Timothy: "you"
Faithful men: Entrust to faithful men
Others: Who will in turn teach others
Training studies can be broken into two basic levels:
LEVEL 1:
Train Christians to teach the gospel to the lost; then train them to ground
the new converts they have led to Christ. Prepare the outlines for the
conviction study sequence and the grounding lessons. Make these outlines
available at the building or some other central place that has 24-hour
access.
LEVEL 2:
Every growing church will need to develop new leaders. Now you instruct
mature Christians to TRAIN younger Christians to teach the lost and the new
converts. This is exactly what 2 Timothy 2:2 says to do, The things you
(Timothy) have learned from me (Paul) entrust to others, who will in turn
be able to teach others also.
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Summary
At the outset, we asked how we can motivate the general membership to reach
the lost. As you can see, it is hard work and will require us to change the
way we have been doing things. Church growth can be broken down into two
parts:
Part 1. Three C's before baptism:
Contact them
Cultivate their interest
Convict them
Part 2. Three T's after baptism:
Teach them (grounding)
Train them to ground others
Train them to train
Relative time for maturity
.
contacting
cultivating
convicting
grounding
training
newspaper mail drop posters
1 month + money or manpower
2 years
2 months
1 year
1 year
telecomputer
1 day
2 years
2 months
1 year
1 year
Steve Rudd
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