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: (27% stop beneath this barrier) Small: (57%) Middle/awkward: (69%) Large/regional (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 AnnualSeasonalShort termLong term

Strong, Healthy Pattern One time events AnnualSeasonalShort termLong 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. Chandler The Ray and Ann Spence Network for Congregational Leadership Copy Right John P. Chandler, 2003