Church Growth Through Ministry

Church Growth Through the Ministry of the Laity

Acts 8:4 “Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.”

"A Text Without a Context is a Pretext" Acts 8:4 "A Text Without a Context is a Pretext" Without examining the context in which something (in this case, Scripture) was said, one can easily (or even intentionally) misappropriate or misuse or misapply or misrepresent a text to support a position that it in fact does not support.

Acts 8:1 “Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.”

Thoughts Local church focal point of growth Success comes when you can see the right next step No growth without change You will only grow as large as your organizational plan Must use the laity to grow

Creating a “Picture of Our Future” DESIRED STATE “there” YOU ARE HERE HOW YOU GET FROM “HERE TO THERE?” YOU WANT TO BE HERE CURRENT STATE “here” New Organizational Plan

Lay Leadership Development Desired state Relationships Process Ministry Plan New vision Current state

What makes a church grow? God’s will for the church to grow N.T. is full of examples/celebrations Necessary elements: Pastor is “possibility thinker” Laity are well-mobilized Small groups and teams are utilized Effective evangelistic methods are used Church changes and gets a new perspective

The three primary tasks of spiritual leadership   EMPOWERING DEVELOPING Lay Ministers EQUIPPING RELEASING

Declare your vision --Pastor “cast” --Leaders “catch” --People “continue”

Show uncommon commitment --Learn, unlearn. and relearn --Pursue God’s Show uncommon commitment --Learn, unlearn and relearn --Pursue God’s agenda

Train local church leaders and laity --Invest the time and money to teach, coach and educate to develop skills --Reach the “now generation”

A whole new way of thinking! AREA OLD NEW Leaders delegation Pastor preacher People spectators Groups fellowship Teams acceptable AREA OLD NEW Leaders delegation multiplication Pastor preacher equipper People spectators participators Groups fellowship ministry Teams acceptable necessary

Lay Leadership Development A 12 month course

Church of God Lay Leadership Development Spiritual leadership in the local church Two levels Certificate course

Excellence for the Rest of Us The framework for excellent lay ministry The intentional process of developing leaders to accomplish Kingdom ministry through the local church An ongoing process Not event-to-event planning To order contact Leonard Albert at: lalbert@churchofgod.org

How it works Formation of Teams Four teams with three to four in each Teams are empowered to create their own ministry outreach style Each team ministers once per month Total commitment is only about three hours each month. 19

Teams For evangelism and outreach: four teams Prayer Servant evangelism Church visitation Personal Evangelism

Groups Multiply! Visit: www.cogdoe.org Group #1 (four teams) Group #2 Pastor / Leaders Group #3 (four teams) Group #4 (four teams) Visit: www.cogdoe.org 22

Discipling Strong Men in the Local Church Church Growth Through Men’s Ministry Discipling Strong Men in the Local Church How to Build and Sustain a Disciple-Making Ministry to Men in the Local Church By: Leonard C. Albert

1 Corinthians 4:15 “For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.”

“Instructors” GREEK> paidagogos (pahee-dag-o-gos'); a boy-leader, i.e. a servant whose office it was to take the children to school; (by implication [figuratively] a tutor (Strongs NT:3807)

“Fathers” NT:3962 pateer, pateras, a. The originator and transmitter of anything: Rom 4:12 b. One who stands in a father's place, and looks after another in paternal way. c. A title of honor, teachers, as those to whom pupils trace back the knowledge and training they have received: Matt 23:9

Men’s discipleship is… The Great Commission Matthew 28:20 Multiplication through reproduction II Timothy 2:2 Apprenticeship I Thessalonians 2:7-8

Men don’t follow programs Men learn “side-by-side” not “face to face.” Men follow men Men don’t follow programs Men learn “side-by-side” not “face to face.”

We Must Not Abandon Christ’s Discipleship Model We have adopted an academic model Men are not comfortable in the classroom Men are challenged by what they experience not by what they are told

When does a man become a disciple? Walks with Christ A discipleship plan Lives like Christ A mentoring process Works for Christ A personal ministry for men

God is Looking for Three Types of Men Saints A man after God’s own heart Servants A “man of the towel” Soldiers A man who will fight

My observation (after 40 years!) First, it takes a long time to make a disciple Second, it takes time build and sustain a successful, disciple-producing men’s ministry. Third, there is no such thing as “Five Easy Steps to an Effective Men’s Ministry.”

Filled all blue The “wide/deep continuum” www.maninthemirror.org All Inclusive Men’s Ministry Man Code = Environment 3 Strands = Leadership Portal Priority = Discipleship This is one of the engines that drives our “discipleship machine.” www.maninthemirror.org

The Engine Close Up Create Value Sustain Change Capture Momentum VISION: Make Disciples Sustain Change Capture Momentum The Engine Close Up © 2006 Man in the Mirror, Inc., Morley, Delk & Clemmer Used by Permission

Moral – Spiritual - Financial 3 G Growing Godly Guys Moral – Spiritual - Financial

The BIG Idea Build a seamless process to move men across the wide-deep continuum (from spectators to participators)

Three important leadership roles to look for Man in the Mirror Newest Ministry To Men Whenever God does a new work he taps potential leaders and gives them an assignment. I believe that networking leaders is the key that unlocks the door of ministry in the local church. Select a small leadership group that will work closely with you as a team. These special leaders will share your calling, burden and vision for lay activation. These will be the top leaders; the people that you think can give direct leadership to different ministries within your church. The size of the LMLT will vary depending on the size of the church, the need and the willingness of others to assume this role. Three important leadership roles to look for Salespeople. I call these people the “persuaders” because they know how to get other people excited about an idea. They are forever salespeople because it is just in them to try to persuade others to join in on a plan or idea. They are great to have on your team because, by instinct, they help others feel the excitement of the challenge and they convey the spirit of “we can do this” when it comes to ministry. Doers. These are the people who can “cut to the chase” and get the job done. They are front-line people who, as we say, can “deliver the mail.” They have the skills to deliver ministry so tasks are completed properly and on time. Administrators. These are the leaders that possess the natural talent to coordinate, plan and troubleshoot. They have the ability to see “what’s coming down the pike” and be proactive in helping solve potential problems. They not only do the work, but because they are leaders, they uphold others who also are working. www.maninthemirror.org 38

Listing of some of the Spiritual Gifts Man in the Mirror www.maninthemirror.org Church of God Men’s Discipleship mensdiscipleship@churchofgod.org Use the Spiritual Gifts survey results. Gifts are discovered through ministry rather than ministry being discovered by the identification of gifts. The evidence of the right match between a person spiritual gifting and their ministry is fruitfulness and fulfillment. Mention the two books: What You Do Best In the Body of Christ and Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow. Listing of some of the Spiritual Gifts Service Intercession Teaching Hospitality Leadership Prophesying Faith Administration: Missionary Wisdom Helps Giving Shepherding Mercy 39