courageous church growth source: kennon callahan twelve keys to an effective church, abingdon...
TRANSCRIPT
Courageous Church Growth
Source: Kennon Callahan
Twelve Keys to An Effective Church, Abingdon
What makes a church courageous?
Church growth? more attending
Church health? Those who attend are growing
and healthy
Or church dispersion?! The church disperses out beyond
itself to change the face of its community
Community/Cultural Transformation
We’re not done till the community of which we’re a part is touched and changed by Christ through us!
No matter how fast we grow or how “deep” we think we are
You serve more people than you think!
T.P.S. = “total people served”
1. Formal members.
2. Persons served in the course of the mission of the church. (ie. Visited in hospital, funeral)
3. Constituents who participate in some aspect of church life.
4. Friends of the church who haven’t joined or won’t join.
5. People who are now elsewhere but consider this home.
6. Community folk who think well of this congregation.
Church Rallying Cries
1. We play to win.
2. We play not to lose.
3. We play to lose.
4. We are not certain we plan to leave the locker room.
“Be ye transformed by …
Not more committees, control, structure, nor by simply trying harder
But by “the renewing of your mind” p -> b -> d
perception yields behavior behavior yields destiny
Courageous Barrier Breaking means we renew our minds …
… Inside of our own spirit “change my heart, o God …”
… Within our church
… between church and community What’s our “brand” in the neighborhood?
How to break barriers …
1. Understand how you are perceived in the community.
2. Be willing to make inside-the-church changes so as to connect with the community.
Three Things that 21c People Look for in Congregations
1. Help.
2. Hope.
3. Home.
If your church does not have lots of programs, that is God’s way of blessing you!
People are looking not for more activity, but for H/H/H
Another way of saying H/H/H:
People are looking for:
Giving, Sharing, Receiving.
What people join (& don’t join):
A congregation not a denomination
A family not an organization
A community not a committee
A movement not an institution
Where people go …
People go to the church nearest their heart, not their house
Think “average trip time” and “traffic direction pattern”
Four Futures for Congregations
1. Small. 2. Middle, awkward. 3. Large, regional. 4. Mega.
No merit in any given size All 4 sizes could be “strong,”
“weak,” or “dying” #1, 3 are easiest #2 is the hardest
Average Worship Attendance Very Small:
20-34 (27% stop beneath this barrier)
Small: 35-74 (57%)
Middle/awkward: 75-149 (69%)
Large/regional 150-350 (85%)
Very large/mega 400+ (96%)
Small can be Strong
Not everything large is strong cancer
Not dysfunctional small “small for a (bad) reason” Old-timers vs. Newcomers
But: people join small/strong to regain sense of what they lost when they moved into “large” in the rest of their lives
Most small congregations have more strengths than they think they do.
Most pastors and key leaders are doing better than they think they are
What interferes with them knowing that: Cultural drive for “excessive
achievement” Occupational hazard of
“perfectionism”
What’s important, no matter size:
Add a strength
By adding strengths, any size church can courageously touch and transform its community
The 12 Keys (Listed in order of importance)
1. Mission
2. Outreach
3. Worship
4. Groupings
5. Leadership
6. Decisions
7. Program
8. Access
9. Visibility
10. Parking
11. Facilities
12. Giving
The order matters!
Better to have good parking than good facilities
Better to have access than visibility
Better outreach than worship
(Dis)satisfaction
The first 6 characteristics are sources of congregational satisfaction “We’re building something
worthwhile in God’s Kingdom!”
The second 6 are sources of dissatisfaction “I can’t find a seat/space!”
The Goal for Courageous Churches
1. Develop five out of the first six keys,
2. Four out of the second half, and
3. Nine of twelve overall.
The Plan
1. Claim your existing strengths from the 12 keys
2. Expand one or two strengths. Pick the 2 that will give you 80% of your
results
3. Do this annually for three years.
Eventually, a strong congregation will deliver on 9 of the 12 strengths
How to add a New Strength Create:
A single, one-time objective Father-daughter event
A seasonal objective Teacher work days program
A short term (3-5 sessions) Limited small group
A long term (6-10 sessions) Ongoing group
A metaphor …
Find “sprinters” to help with immediate, short-term objectives
Find “marathoners” to work on routine, regular, year-round objectives
Dying vs. Vibrant Churches
Dying congregations major in long-term and weekly/monthly marathon type events
Vibrant congregations major in one time, seasonal, and short-term events
Weak, Declining Pattern
One time events AnnualSeasonal Short term Long term
Strong, Healthy Pattern
One time events AnnualSeasonal Short term Long term
Examples – “Children”
One-time: one day Bible School during a teachers’ work day
Seasonal: doing that for the six work days during a school year
Short term: 5 week parenting class
Long term: ongoing class for parents, pre-school
Annual: VBS
Are we willing to change our churches in order to touch the world? Remember: we’re not done
till our community is changed by Christ through us!
Do we love our neighbors enough to relinquish our church preferences?
Courageous Churches unlock internal barriers so that their communities can be set free by the Gospel!
Courageous Church Growth
Dr. John P. ChandlerThe Ray and Ann Spence Network
for Congregational Leadership www.rasnet.org
Copy Right John P. Chandler, 2003