10 ways to wake up your church

8/11/2019 10 Ways to Wake Up Your Church

1/6

10 Ways to Wake Up Your Church

Meetings, committees, budgets. Is your church drowning in the details and losing sight of its mission

to reach the unchurched?

More than 1,500 pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or

contention within the Church. And although 4,000 new churches open each year nationwide, more

than 7,000 close. The details, meetings, and time it takes to run a church can often turn the Great

Commission into the drainedcommission as pastors, staff, and members physically, mentally, and

spiritually burn out.

Sound familiar? Here we give you 11 proven ways to take the lead and wake up your church!

1. Read The Bible And Fast Company .

Thats right. Read Scripture and secular magazines, books, and Web sites. Not at the same time, forthe same length of time, or with the same trust of the authors. But make sure your reading is varied

and diverse.

Have you ever met a pastor whos the real-life version of the phrase so heavenly minded that youre

of no earthly good? He or she can quote boatloads of Scripture but cant carry on a conversation with

a gas station attendant or a waitress. These pastors spend 100% of their time with Christians,

engaging in church conversation, studying the Bible, reading Christian magazines or books by

Christian authors, preparing messages, and going to Christian conferences. They have no connection

to the real world.

Of course, its essential to read the Bible every day. But its also important to spend some of your time

reading material that can prepare and equip you to reach your community. Check out some secular

books or magazines that offer best practices from the business world, and learn what you can do to

lead your church more effectively. Moreover, newspapers, movies, and books that are culturally

relevant can help you tune in to your community.

By augmenting your spiritual study with secular reading and viewing, youll likely discover new ideas

and information that can help your church. Topics often explored in-depth in secular publications

innovation, creativity, financial management, and growing an organizationtranslate well to the

church.

And youll know firsthand what many in your church and community are reading and watching, helping

you relate and connect with the unchurched people around you.

2. Eliminate Committees And Multiply The Ministries.

Ever hear of a church that had so many committees it even had a committee of committees to keep

all the other committees organized? It existsno joke. It doesnt take achurch growth expert to know

thats too many committees!

Get rid of committees and create ministry teams, who will meet occasionally to plan, reflect, set goals,

and measure performancebut their primary function will be ministry.


2/6

This doesnt have to be as radical as it sounds. Simply changing your terminology can make a

difference. The word team connotes vision, goals, purpose, unity, equal effort, and accomplishment.

The word committee is draining; it communicates bureaucracy, policy, power, status, and lots of

meetings.

If your churchs culture values people more highly in meetings than in ministry, you need to begin to

change your culture. If your church has a team mindset but uses committee instead of team, youneed to change your terminology and re-educate your congregation on the difference.

God calls us to ministry, not meetings.

3. Recruit Constantly.

As a ministry leader, one of your primary roles is to recruit continuously to build teams and help

people plug into ministry.

Always be on the lookout for new people to fill ministry roles. Plug them into ministry and help them

develop relationships that offer mentoring and discipleship. Some ministry roles need committed

Christ-followers. Some require skilled technicians. Others need servants who are available and willingto be trained.

This idea of constant recruitment may sound sacrilegious to the purists out there, those who believe

that when it comes to asking people to step into ministry, theres an appropriate path volunteers must

take. Many believe that people must wait until theyve attended a church for at least 12 months and

have taken a spiritual gifts test. Or they have to be Christ-followers with baptism certificates.

But the reality is that some people will go through the strateg ic steps youve established. Others will

never get connected in relationships and, unless someone asks them to join a ministry team, they

may never take steps toward a spiritual journey. It may be only through that volunteer experience

that they build the necessary trust with team members to ask the tough faith questions and meet

Jesus for the first time. Increasingly, people are belonging before they are believing.

Youll never have enough volunteers, so the recruitment process should be ongoing.

4. Throw Parties.

Were all two-year-olds at heart, arent we? We love to be cheered and affirmed. Even though our

hearts desire is to deflect that attention to God, it sure feels good to be appreciated.

However, when we grow up, we tend to overanalyze potential responses to any praise we might offer:

If I praise him too early, he may think the job is done and he doesnt have to finish. Or If I give her

too much praise for a small success, what am I going to do for something big? Or If I make a big

deal about this, wont it set a precedent that obligates me to do the same thing every time for

everyone?

The key is to not think about it. Just do it. Dont determine your action based on a predicted response.

Dont worry about precedent or patterns or what ifs. Just choose to develop a culture in your life and

in your congregation that notices and affirms the smallest successes.

Theres really no way to mess this up. Model this attitude for your church, and develop an

environment that consistently lauds people for their contributions to the mission.


3/6

5. Read Your Comment Cards.

If your church is growing, youre likely designing a weekend service to reach a certain target audience.

Whoever your audience and whatever your purpose, its essential to know if and why something isnt

working.

Unfortunately, you cant simply ask people, especially first- or second- time guests, how they feel and

expect to get an honest answer. In being kind and considerate, they wont tell you the truth.

Instead, include a reply card in the program or bulletin. Or follow up on Monday with an e-mail if they

listed an address. Title it: Tell us about your experience today. Include ample space for people to tell

you about the good and bad of their worship experience. Whether the card is signed or anonymous,

read every response.

Youll learn tons of stuffeverything from how the lawn sprinklers are spraying car windows to the

loudness of the worship band. Youll also get positive input and suggestions.

Whatever your system is, figure out a way to get some honest feedback from attendees, especially

first-time guests. Take to heart what needs to be addressed and forget the rest. And then, rememberto act.

6. Frequently Visit Other Churches And Steal Their Stuff.

Unfortunately, some church leaders dont see value in visiting other churches. They firmly believe the

Bible is Gods revealed will, and all the necessary ideas will be found in His Word. But we are to be

students of our ever-changing culture and should therefore continue trying to figure out the best way

to communicate the timeless message of the Gospel. Tens of thousands of churches across the world

are engaged in the same effort. Many of them have already figured out how to be effective in an area

in which youre looking for answers.

Jump in a car or plane to visit a church thats hitting the ball out of the park in an area where you

need help. Everywhere you go, theres something to be learned, and perhaps even stolen.

Of course, the word stolen is figurative. If you quote from a message or a book, give credit to the

author. Get permission to reprint published material or copy a logo or graphic design. Typically,

churches are honored to be asked and recognized.

Possible ideas that can be adapted from other churches:

Compassion care ministry from Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, La.

(healingplacechurch.org)

Drama scripts from Willow Creek Church in South Barrington, Ill. (willowcreek.com)

Creative theme ideas for childrens rooms from Church on the Move in Tulsa, Okla.

(churchonthemove.net)

Youth-building ideas from Resurrection Life Church in Grandville, Mich. (reslife.org;

getfloored.org)

Advertising ideas from Cedar Creek Church in Perrysburg, Ohio (aroundthecreek.com)

Video venues from North Coast Church in Vista, Calif. (northcoastchurch.com)

Weekend message series ideas from David Foster at Bellevue Community Church in Nashville,

Tenn. (hopepark.com)


4/6

Flexible auditorium design from Northwoods Community Church in Peoria, Ill. (nwoods.org)

The Purpose-Driven Church model from Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif.

(saddleback.com)

7. Fuel The Pioneering Spirit.

Church leaders often have good memories of their early days in leadership. Phrases like Everyone

was pulling in the same direction and We knew we were accomplishing something big are common.

There was a sense that God was using them and that everyone was serving and contributing because

there was so much to do. They were always looking forward to the next week to see what God would

do.

Thats a pioneering spirit, probably similar to the spirit of the early pioneers who headed West. They

saw the whole country before them, even when they werent sure what was waiting for them around

the next mountain or through the next forest. They anticipated the adventures that lay ahead.

Often, a church loses that pioneering spirit as it ages and settles in. People stop serving, excitement

wanes, and complaining becomes more prevalent than vision casting.

It doesnt have to be that way. Its possible to strategically build events or occasions in the life of your

church that innately produce momentum and motivate involvement. Work with your staff and ministry

teams to plan churchwide events, campaigns, or projects at least every six months to generate and

maintain momentum in your congregation and in your community.

Schedule momentum builders on the calendar every six months for the next two years. In his

book, The Maxwell Leadership Bible (Nelson), author/pastor John Maxwell says, Without momentum,

even the simplest tasks can seem insurmountable. But with momentum on your side, the future looks

bright, obstacles appear small, and trouble seems temporary. With enough momentum, nearly any

kind of change is possible.

8. Never Launch A Ministry Without A Leader.

How many times have you heard someone in your church suggest, sometimes strongly, that the

church establish a new ministry? Maybe its a ministry for more community outreach, a new program

for single parents, or an initiative targeted to the next generation. For most churches, each one seems

like a valid ministry initiative; however, many times, the people recommending them arent prepared

or skilled to step up and lead them.

Many excellent ministries may fit your churchs mission and vision, but if God hasnt also helped

identify a leader for that ministry, its probably not the right time to launch. Often, ministries begun

prematurely end up on a staff persons plate. Unless you plan to remove another ministry function

from your or your staffs responsibilitiesand thats a valid considerationdont commit to starting a

program without first selecting a leader.

If you determine that a new ministry fits the churchs purposes, identify someoneoften a layperson

to lead it. Select a leader only after youve chosen someone on your management team, paid or

unpaid, to oversee that new initiative. For example, to begin a divorce-recovery ministry, choose one

of the senior management team pastors to oversee the effort, and charge a staff or volunteer leader

to run point and execute it.


5/6

Identifying leaders before starting new programs forces you to focus on the Churchs primary

purposeto fulfill the Great Commission. Dont just evaluate every ministry proposal, weighing

whether or not it fits the churchs mission, vision, and values; determine if theres someone to

effectively lead this ministry.

9. Create A Church Culture That Expects Volunteers To Do Ministry.

Want a foolproof way to stop ministry from happening in your church? Each time a task must be

completed, hire a new staff person to do it.

In any church, growth and outreach require pastors and staff to empower volunteers to do the

ministry. Your church will never have enough money to employ people to fill every key ministry role,

so only hire people when unpaid servants cant accomplish the task.

In October 2002, Granger Community Church in Granger, Ind., had more than 1,800 people

connected in some form of ministry, either through small groups or task teams. Thats more than 50%

of the weekend attendance. With only 35 full-time equivalent employees on staff, attendance growth

would have stalled a long time ago had the church not released ministry to lay people.

On any given weekend at church, Granger has nearly 1,000 children from birth through fifth grade

involved in the childrens ministry, which is staffed by only three people. Obviously, these three people

cant come close to touching the lives of these kids on their own. Instead, the church has 255 active

volunteers in the childrens area who serve from week toweek.

These volunteers have grown accustomed to the practice of encouraging people to attend one service

and serve during a second service.

Some volunteers check children in. Some prepare art projects, lead music, or direct dramas. Others

provide care for children as they form small groups. Some volunteers teach. Several key lay people

oversee entire age groups in significant leadership roles. The list goes on.

The three people on the childrens staff are the vision champions, ensuring that the childrens ministryteam is focused on fulfilling the churchs mission. They build teams and equip volunteers to carry out

the ministry.

Its a simple strategyvolunteers need to do it first.

10. Tell Stories.

Announcementsyou may call them family time or strategic concerns. Often people are arriving,

getting settled, and taking off their coats as announcements are made. After three or four minutes,

people finally begin to focus and see that someone on stage is talking.

But what if you and other speakers enlisted the compelling art of storytelling during theannouncements or other parts of the service? A personal story may last only 60 to 90 seconds, but it

will get their attention. For example, if youre announcing sign-ups for childrens camp, tell a story of a

camp you attended as a child and how it made a difference in your own life.

Stories keep people focused. Moreover, they remember them. After all, Jesus primary style of

communication was storytelling and anecdotal.


6/6

When practiced consistently, these 10 strategies have the potential to raise morale, build momentum

for life change, involve more people in ministry, and wake up your church to reach the world outside

its doors.

Tony Morgan, is the pastor of ministries at West Ridge Church near Atlanta. Hes also a strategist,coach, writer, speaker, and consultant who equips leaders and churches to impact their communitiesfor Christ. Follow Tonys ministry atTonyMorganLive.com..

Tim Stevens, serves as executive pastor for Granger Community Church in Granger, Ind., one of thefastest-growing churches in the nation. Tim has written/co-written several books on church leadership.Read Tims blog atLeadingSmart.com.
http://www.tonymorganlive.com/http://www.leadingsmart.com/http://www.leadingsmart.com/http://www.tonymorganlive.com/

10 ways to wake up your church

Documents