A Covenant Among Leaders

There is no question that the task of building God's kingdom requires that the local church must have leaders who display what it means by their words and deeds what it means to be a fully devoted follower of Christ. Leaders who set the example of what it means to follow Christ will develop followers who also want their lives to count in time and for eternity.

This passionate group of
worshippers some of whom already have leprosy
live in the middle of a Leper Colony and this church
meets in a home on the outskirts
of Bangalore India

This covenant was my attempt to put in place a basic agreement among all those who lead so that the basic requirements of discipleship are seen by the whole congregation. It will serve as an inspiration that all of us can be more than we are.

The covenant is not about perfect people but about a commitment to strive to become the kind of leader God wants us to be.

I encourage you to take this and adapt it to your local church needs. Every where "Our Church" appears in bold replace it with your churches name. Place your churches Mission/ Purpose statement at the top so everyone can see clearly that you are aligning your purpose and your leadership requirements.

A Covenant Among Leaders

"Insert Your Church Purpose Statement here

1.   Introduction:

As we seek to become everything God has intended us to be it is critical that all of us as leaders model the life of fully devoted followers of Christ. Rarely if ever will the church become what the leaders are not. All throughout scripture more is expected of leaders both in character and performance.

The leadership covenant says that we are about the ministry God has given to us here. It is not about position, power and control, but about service, example, and faithfulness.

There are many scriptural passages that emphasize this point.

1Corinthians 11:1 

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

Philippians 3:17 

Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.

1 Timothy 4:12 

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

I Timothy 4

1.   Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task.

2.   Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

3.   Not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

4.   He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect.

5.   (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)

6.   He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.

7.   He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

There are six components of leadership, which are indispensable and as such are part of the covenant.

1.   Regular In Worship Attendance.

a.   Evidence: Apart from vacation or illness leaders should be in worship weekly at our church.

b.   Scripture: “Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is. Hebrews 10:25

2.   Tithing To The Ministry Of Our Church

a.   Evidence: 10% of our current income is given to support the ministry of our church

b.   Scripture: Where your treasure is there also is your heart.

Matthew 6:21

Bring the tithe into the storehouse that there may be resources in my house. Malachi 3:10

3.   Involved In The Prayer Ministry Of Our Church

a.   Evidence: Participation in one or more of the regular prayer times at our church.

b.   Luke 18:1 “Now he was telling them that at all times they ought to pray and not lose heart” “Therefore I want people to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.” I Timothy 2:8

4.   Part Of A Sunday-School Class or Weekly Bible Study For Personal Growth And Development.

a.   Evidence: Unless we are growing in the Word we are not growing in our Christian life. Sunday School class participation and/or participation in a home Bible Study group or the weekly Bible Study service is expected of all leaders.

b.   Scripture: Study to show your self approved unto God a workman that is not ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth. II Timothy 2:15

5.   Diligence In Fulfilling Your Ministry Responsibility.

a.   Evidence: Each of us as leaders has been called to fulfill a ministry responsibility. Doing this ministry with faithfulness and diligence is our goal.

b.   Scripture. Moreover it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.  I Corinthians. 4:2

6.   Actively Seeking To Reach Your Oikos (sphere of influence) As Evidenced By Witness And Invitation

a.   Evidence: Visitors attend our church as a result of your witness and invitation.

b.   Scripture: As Paul reminded Timothy “Do the work of an evangelist” and Jesus final words to us “You will be my witnesses” Acts 1:8

Believing that God has called me to be a leader to fulfill His purposes in the life of our church with God giving me the strength I will seek to be an example of a fully devoted follower of Christ by diligently fulfilling the scriptural mandates of this covenant. This is my pray and my pledge.

_____________________            _________________

Signature                                                   Date

Will you rescue me?

In one of the greatest children's stories of all time there is a parable of life transforming significance.

All of us have probably read one or more Winnie the Pooh stories or had a stuffed toy of one of the many friends Winnie had; Tigger, Piglet, Kanga, Baby Roo, Owl and of course the forgetful donkey called Eeyore.

Eeyore was playing on the banks of the river one day and accidentally fell in. After struggling a few times to make it up the bank and finally exhausted he lays on his back and begins floating down the river anticpating that this ride will be his last. He knows that at the end of the river there is a waterfall that was sure to    be his demise.

While floating on his back and going underneath the bridge he looks up and sees his friend Winnie. Their conversation goes something like this.

"Seems you got yourself into a spot of trouble Eeyore"

"Yes" Eeyore replies.

"And it looks like you are going to drown"

"Yes" is again Eeyore's lament

Then with a pleading voice from the river comes Eeyore's cry

"If it wouldn't be too much bother, would you mind rescuing me?"

All around us are friends, neighbors, work colleagues school mates, and family who are floating down that long road leading to destruction. We are the ones on the bridge. Will we stand and watch them go over the precipice into a Christ-less eternity or will we answer their desperate need with a yes, I'll do whatever it takes to rescue you.

Who is the Eeyore in your life who's soul is crying out for that wonderful message that will rescue them from eternal separation for our loving Father?

What's Wrong With This Picture?

What’s wrong with this picture?

You’re looking at a picture of the Choluteca Bridge in Honduras. It was taken right after Hurricane Mitch devastated the Caribbean in 1998.

In November 1998, Hurricane Mitch ravaged the Honduras. 5,600 people died. 12,300 were injured and 8,600 disappeared. In addition to the loss of human life, 150 bridges were damaged or destroyed. The most modern of all the bridges, The Choluteca Bridge survived intact but suffered perhaps the greatest indignity, the river moved right out from under it leaving its builders wondering what to do next.

This bridge was the only bridge left standing after the storm swept through. The Japanese company that built the bridge was so proud of it that this picture was put on their brochures to show the strength of their construction.

There is only one problem. The storm had such force that it moved the river. The Bridge is as USA TODAY comments;

“The graceful arches of the New Choluteca Bridge stand abandoned, a white concrete sculpture far from shore, linking nothing to nowhere. The Choluteca Bridge itself is perfect… except that it now straddles dry land. Mitch changed the course of the Choluteca River, and there is water where the access roads used to be ... Now, there is no solution… it is very difficult to change the current. [The river] is in a totally different place.''

The Choluteca Bridge prior to
Hurricane Mitch's devestation

The Choluteca Bridge survived intact but suffered perhaps the greatest indignity, the river moved right out from under it.

Have you noticed how easy it is to become irrelevant? Whether in business or even the church, being a bridge that doesn’t have a river running under it is the height of irrelevancy. As the caption said, this bridge now flows “from nothing to nowhere”.

This picture brings up a host of questions, most of which are uncomfortable to ask, the answers maybe painful to accept, but absolutely necessary lest we be that bridge, well built, and well intentioned, that is irrelevant to the lost people all around us.

There is no question that our culture has shifted. Where many remember the church as being a dominant force in society and where coming to church was the culturally cool thing to do, today the church is in an antithetical position to culture where the culture is actually seeking to stamp out the church and its influence. We have moved from a time when the Bible was accepted as absolute truth to a time where now the quoting the Bible (as happened to the high school valedictorian in Las Vegas this year) is a cause for censure.

It is estimated that 300,000 of the 380,000 churches in America are either plateaued or declining. Could it be the river has moved? Are we a bridge with no river running through us? To change the phrase from the famous book “Who Moved My Cheese?” we are sometimes asking, “Who Moved My River?”

This picture has raised a variety of questions in my mind.

· What happens when you "build it, plan it, offer it, and they don't come"?

· What do you do when the culture shifts right in front of you? Hunker down or adapt?

· Does the mission really matter more than methods? What is really non-negotiable?

· Is the church in the bridge building or people reaching business? The answer to the question will determine what the future looks like!

· Is irrelevance another word for irreverence?

· The “No Bridge, No River? No problem! (Syndrome)” – turning the bridge into a museum that is extremely meaningful to its members but irrelevant to the majority of people who desperately need what the bridge can provide.

It is said of the church in Europe, which at one point dominated the culture, that it is today, “an echo of the past not a voice in the present”.

One of the greatest dangers we face spiritually is remembering what we should forget and forgetting what we should remember. The church is not a museum for saints but a hospital for sinners. In the great book “The Purpose Driven Life”, Rick Warren begins his book with the most countercultural statement imaginable “It’s not about you!” We have a tendency to think church is all about us, and what we like, what we want, and want done. We want our gleaming bridge, shining in the sun yet we are like the Japanese builders, proud of the bridge even though no river runs though it. Maybe the answer to the question is that irrelevance is the highest form of irreverence because we are forgetting what we should remember.

Paul said he had become all things to all men that he might reach some. How does our commitment to reach lost people measure up to that? I know it seems that even the smallest changes from the status quo make us feel uncomfortable yet if we are to be a church where the river runs through us we need to move to find the river. May God give us grace, wisdom, and courage! I know the fear of us becoming irrelevant and not engaging the culture in which we live has driven me to my knees. We are living in diverse and challenging times. May the God who has promised us that He has a plan for us, a plan to give us a future and a hope, give us the grace to handle whatever comes and make an impact on the culture in which we live.

Give this story of a real bridge some thought. It’s a parable for all of us. If you want to find out more go on the web and check out either Hurricane Mitch or Choluteca Bridge for amazing stories and pictures.

May we be that bridge that leads from the nowhere and nothingness of our worlds lost condition to the heavenly kingdom where the Father awaits all who will put their trust in Christ.

Fellowship Of The Unashamed

A Navy Chaplain Baptizing A New Convert
In the Persian Gulf

I don't know who wrote this but it express my deepest desire as one who wants to be a fully devoted follower of Christ.

The Fellowship Of The Unashamed

(Only for those who want God’s best)

Today I am stepping across the line. I’m tired of waffling and I’m finished with wavering, I’ve made my choice, the verdict is in, and my decision is irrevocable. I’m going God’s way. There’s no turning back now! I will live the rest of my life serving God’s purposes with God’s people on God’s planet for God’s glory. I will use my life to celebrate his presence, cultivate his character, participate in his family, demonstrate his love, and communicate his Word.

Since my past has been forgiven, and I have a purpose for living, and a home awaiting in heaven, I refuse to waste any more time or energy on shallow living, petty thinking, trivial talking, thoughtless doing, useless regretting, hurtful resenting, or faithless worrying. Instead I will magnify God, grow to maturity, serve in ministry, and fulfill my mission in the membership of his family. Because this life is preparation for the next, I will value worship over wealth, we over me, character over comfort, service over status, and people over possessions, position, and pleasures. I know what matters most, and I’ll give it all I’ve got.

I’ll do the best I can with what I have for Jesus Christ today. I won’t be captivated by culture, manipulated by critics, motivated by praise, frustrated by problems, debilitated by temptation, or intimidated by the devil. I’ll keep running my race with my eyes on the goal, not the sidelines or those running by me. When times get tough, and I get tired, I won’t back up, back off, back down, back out, or backslide. I’ll just keep moving forward by God’s grace. I’m Spirit-led, purpose-driven, and mission-focused, so I cannot be bought, I will not be compromised, and I shall not quit until I finish the race.

I’m a trophy of God’s amazing grace, so I will be gracious to everyone, grateful for every day, and generous with everything God entrusts to me. To my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I say, "However, whenever, wherever, and whatever you ask me to do, my answer in advance is yes! Wherever you lead and whatever the cost I’m ready. Anytime. Anywhere. Anyway. Whatever it takes, Lord, whatever it takes! I want to be used by you in such a way, that on that final day I’ll hear you say, 'Well done, thou good and faithful one. Come on in, and let the eternal party begin!'"

A Few Thoughts On Harvest Oriented Prayer

The Prayer Grottos at Prayer Mountain in Seoul Korea
They are about 4 ft tall 5 feet deep and 3 feet wide.
You can kneel sit or prostrate yourself and have
a wonderful alone time with God

During a series of messagesI preached on prayer one of them was an introduction to an acronym ACTS. I wrote a number of prayers that we can use to help us mold our lives in such a way that the centrality of the mission of reaching a lost world will become a reality in our lives. The wonderful truth is that God wants to use each of us mightily. We are each called to be missionaries in our worlds, that is the place where God has placed each of us. In the ACTS acronym, A stands for Adoration, C for Confession, T for thanksgiving, and S for supplication. I invite you to use these prayers as a basis to expand your own prayer time and give yourself an honest heartfelt harvest orientation.

Adoration

Father, Thank you for being a merciful and grace-filled God. I worship you for your goodness towards me and for your patience towards my friends and family members who don’t know you.

Your word says you are slow to anger and that you don’t want any of these people to perish, but come to know you.

What a great loving God you are! How gracious and forgiving! I’m glad you are my Lord and that I have the privilege of being your child.

I am so grateful that you have called me to be an ambassador of the gospel. I praise you that you are ready and willing to us me to bring my lost family and friends into your family.

Confession

Lord, I’m sorry I so often fail to love lost people the way you do. You moved heaven and earth to reach them, you gave up everything when Jesus died on the cross, and yet I often resist even taking small steps to reach the people I know and care about. Even today Lord I saw an opportunity to speak but I kept quiet. I’m really sorry. You are not willing that any should perish and too often I think selfishly! Forgive me and change this attitude in me. Wash me of my sins of self-centeredness and fearfulness. Help me to know as I’ve confessed these things that you’ve been faithful to forgive and cleanse me. May my repentance bring a life change that will glorify you today.

With Dr. Cho in his office. He prayed for each of us
and all our lives were touched by his humble and
gracious spirit

Thanksgiving

Thank you for the payment Jesus made on the cross and I rejoice today in the gift of eternal life you have given me.. I’m so glad to be in your family, to know I’m forgiven, and to have the privilege of serving you. Thank you for putting your purpose in my life and entrusting me with opportunities to make a difference in the lives of people around me. Thank you that your love and grace are examples for me as I try to express my faith this day.

Supplication

Father help me catch your passion and love for those around me. Help me remember that every person I lock eyes with today deeply matters to you. May they matter to me too in ways that move me to action. Help me realize that if they don’t yet know you, they’re lost and in desperate need of the good news of Christ. Lord prepare me and give me boldness so that I’ll be able to explain the gospel and give good answers to their questions.

Help me be a genuine friend who will attract them to you and your church. Give me wisdom so I’ll know how direct to be and when to back off, so I can help them keep taking steps towards you.

Would you adapt these prayers and make a commitment that each day there will be a time when you lift up your voice to our loving Father and ask him to use you in such a way that the people he has strategically and supernaturally put in your path will come to know him.

God Still Does The Miraculous

It's really not a matter of "if "we are going to find ourselves in a situation where all human, wisdom, skill and resource will still leave us in desperate need but only a matter of "when". Three Christmas ago we had just come through what was the most dramatic time in our life as a family. Our baby grand daughter Tara was born in September that year, happy and healthy. About a week after her birth my daughter and Tara's mother took her to see a lactation specialist and within minutes of arriving a full bore panic situation arose. The nurse rushed out and within a few minutes my grand daughter was being air lifted to Huntington Memorial Hospital. An entro-virus had entered her body and was shutting down her vital organs. There was no physical chance of her living as the number of vital organs that had failed gave her a zero chance of living. The doctors had come in and told us to go and say good-bye to the baby. But God had other plans. She is today over 3 years old and the only one of 5800 children who had this condition to be alive. There was no medical protocol to understand or treat her. God fulfills each and every promise he makes. Before her birth the word from God was she would be a "mighty woman of God". Today as she grows that test will be her testimony, that mess will be her message. I have put a video I showed at our church with a testimony from my daughter as well as a current picture of this wonderful miracle of God.

My encouragement to all of you is this. The word impossible is not in the Divine dictionary for with Him all things are possible. Keep trusting keep believing. It's always too soon to give up hope. It's alway good to replace your fear with faith.

Playing With Real Bullets

What is it that makes CSCU unique. There are many schools of theology; several are here in California where our home campus is. Classrooms are filled where lofty discussions  “about” the power of prayer, "about" the Bible, and "about" the Gospel of Christ. Sadly though, there is little or no prayer actually going on; there is no actual training in sharing the Gospel. In fact, some funding entities forbid real-time ministry to take place in the classroom. At CSCU we are training Christ followers to engage at the community and local church level. We believe leaders need to know not only the "what" but also need to know the "how". Dr. McFadden, one of our professors, Ray Bennet one of our 2nd career students and myself discuss what makes CSCU unique in this short video clip. We believe deeply in our purpose; "Training Godly competent leaders who will change their worlds for Christ". Character development, Biblical competency, and missiological effectiveness are the three core components of our mission and ministry.

Do You Have The Right Growth Mix

This quarter at CSCU I'm teaching a course on 4 great models of Church life. Consider the fact that in North America between 80-85% of the churches are either plateaued or in decline and approximately 50% of the churches did not record a single conversion addition to their church. America is now the world's 3rd largest mission field in terms of unreached and unchurched persons. I believe it's time for us to reconsider our practices and look at what God has been blessing. Donald McGavran my mentor and friend talked about Biblical pragmatism by saying we should look at what God is blessing and do that.

So on this post I want to explore the 4 models that have proven effective in reaching persons with the gospel and the principles that they use are transferable to any church wanting to move their church to the next level.

The first model is what could be called the Cell Model. Utilized by the largest churches in the world the cell model has been called the best way of both reaching new people and caring and discipling the Christian community. Here is a list of the top 25 churches world-wide. Note that numbers 2-21 are all regional house-church cell models and all have a combined attendance weekly of over 250,000. Numbers 22-25 are in countries around the globe and all are cell based churches.

1. Yoido Full Gospel Church, Seoul, Korea (900,000 Plus) Yoido is considered the largest church in the world and beyond the home campus there are satellite campuses around the city of Seoul. In the last couple of years since Dr. Cho's retirement they have been releasing these churches to function on their own

2-21. Regional house church networks around the globe (Over 250,000)
22. Works and Mission Baptists Church, Abidjan, Ivory Coast (150,000)
23. Yotabeche Methodist P. Church, Santiago, Chile (150,000)
24. Mision Carismatica Internacional, Bogotá, Colombia (150,000)
25. Deeper Life Bible Church, Lagos, Nigeria (120,000)
Last year while visiting Yoido Full Gospel Church with a group of our students we examined their cell group structure and found in the previous12 months 170,000 persons had come to Christ from an unchurches/unreached background.
Another church that is cell based and also in the city of Seoul is Myung Sung Presbyterian Church. In the last 12 months they reached 17,000 people with the gospel. Their church averages approximately 100,000 people a week in the prayer services as well as the cell groups. It is listed as the largest Presbyterian Church in the world.Their founding and current pastor is Dr. Kim Sam Whan. We had the privilege of visiting him and this wonderful church last year with our students.

The second model has been called The Purpose Driven Model. Pastor Rick Warren has led Saddlebacks ministry since its inception. So great has been the impact that 1 out of every 9 people in the Saddleback Valley call the Saddleback Church their home. The priority of bringing people from the community to the crowd to the congregation to the core has mobilized 10's of 1000's of people to use their gifts talents and abilities to spread the gospel. Through the PEACE plan the gospel has been taken to the neediest parts of the world by these well discipled brothers and sisters.
Pastor Warren has outlined their philosophy of ministry and strategy for impacting their world in his book The Purpose Driven Church. He has developed resources and conferences to assist other pastors in America and around the world. Today literally 1000's of churches have adopted this model and their ministries are reaching more people with the gospel as a result.
The third model is what I've called the Seeker Model.

When Pastor Bill Hybels saw that most non-Christians had no interest in the Christian faith he began Willow Creek Church with the goal of developing a church to reach the unchurched. He shifted the Sunday Services from a primarily meeting for Christians to a service that the unchurched would love to attend. This was based of the most obvious of findings. He asked unchurched persons if they wanted to go to church what would be the best time. When they said Sunday morning he made Sunday morning the time sacred to reach the unchurched. He was the first church in America to have a weekly attendance in excess of 30,000. He with his key leaders wrote one of the best evangelism training tools in the world called The Contagious Christian. Books such as The Contagious Church, and The Contagious Christian have provide insight and help to hundreds if not 1000's of churches. The Willow Creek Association was formed with resources and conferences to train other churches and their pastors and leaders. Also developed was a unique plan to develop a turn-key kit to help plant new churches. All the resources including nursery equipment, chairs, lighting, information and coffee center, all the audio visual materials etc. put into a trailer or 2 and it can be used to set up church in any rented facility or school to establish a church. I personally know of church planters who have used this kit and the Willow Creek model and have built great churches in a few years because of this help and training.
The fourth model is called the Oikos Model. Its doesn't matter if the church has been growing or not. The reality is that 90% of all the persons who join the church will do so as a primary result of a friend or relative (the greek word oikos). The model is the intentionalizationOikos model organizes itself around equipping its members through all it does to reach their oikos.

This principle is seen most clearly in an examination of Scripture as the oikos principle is found all throughout the New Testament.
Donald McGavran observed it on the mission field and wrote about it in The Bridges Of God. Win Arn popularized the concept through seminars and his book The Masters Plan and a church training kit by the same name. He also produced a film called For The Love Of Pete. Literally 1000's of pastors and churches took the materials he developed, and have as a result, intentionalized this oikos principle with the result in a greater number of Christians being involved in the greatest task of all, changing their world for Christ. Thousands have come to Christ as a result of simply identifying their God ordained circle of influence and doing whatever it takes to see them come to faith.
In the last few years the best model of this principle has been the High Desert Church led by Pastor Tom Mercer. This church in a small High Desert community has grown to an average weekly attendance of over 12,000 people. The church has grown by over 4000 people since last year. This growth is all the more remarkable since it primarily comes from 1st time adult conversions. Pastor Tom has developed a book, OIKOS: Your World Delivered as well as additional small group materials to help churches train their members how to reach their oikos. His book has already been translated into Korean and Pastor Tom has been released by his church for a limited amount of time to travel and help other churches. He is in high demand as a speaker and trainer. As he likes to say, "the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing."
As I looked at each of these 4 models the first question I asked was what is it that makes a model effective. The following are the criteria I developed for a model to be considered

1. Be effective in accomplishing it’s stated mission
2. It must have identifiable principles and practice
3. It must be duplicatable (others can use it)
4. Culturally relevant and transferable (It can meet the needs of a variety of target audiences)

Each of the 4 mentioned models meet each of these criteria and as such are worth the study of any church desirous of increasing its missional effectiveness.

What is even more interesting is that each of these churches they have 5 ingredients in common and these 5 need to be part of the DNA of every church seeking to grow by conversion. In my consulting practice I noticed these 5 common denominators in every church that was growing primarily by conversion and was impacting its community in a significant way.

What are these 5 Common Denominators

1. They have a clearly understood and communicated understanding of their mission. The Southern Baptist Church studied churches that grew each year by a minimum of 5% by conversion growth (The growth came neither from biological growth or transfers)

· They have clearly articulated statement of mission and that mission statement keeps the church focus. It outlines for them what they should be doing and what they should not be doing. It is what helps them keep first things first.

· The mission statement is clearly outwardly focused. Just as Jesus said He came to seek and save the lost so the mission statement of these churches keeps their eye on the primary mission Christ left for us as his body.

· The mission statement is regularly communicated. That which is important to be kept, as a priority in the life of the church and its members must be extolled persistently and consistently

· It is consistently used in decision-making process. A purpose statement has the wonderful ability to help us be good stewards of our resources of people, time, and treasure but only if used as a filter in the decision making process

· It is regularly reviewed. A purpose statement must be affirmed again and again. They by review and by examining the scriptures have affirmed that yes indeed this is what God is calling us to be and do.

As Pastor Tom Mercer states over and over again “The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing”

Peter Drucker the great management guru and a friend to churches and all not-for profit organization said, “More failures arise because of an ambiguity of purpose than any other reason".

2. A worship experience that both edifies the believer and gives the seeker/unbeliever an opportunity to be brought into the family of God

• In our culture most first time visitors touch the church through the worship experience first and the decision of first time visitors about ever coming back is made before they leave the first time
• There is little instruction in scripture related to worship styles but the instruction that is given is given for the sake of the stranger, or unbeliever present (See 1st Corinthians 14) There is no style or form in worship that is more important in priority than reaching the lost
• Most churches and Christians tend to be preference driven rather than purpose driven. This self-centered attitude has led to the numerous worship wars that occupy so much energy that should be put into our mission of reaching the lost.

3. An Effective Cell (Small Group) system

• A church never outgrows the capacity of the infrastructure To be big enough to make an impact you have to be small enough to care for the individual

• To grow beyond the single cell or the saturated single cell (most churches fit here) this principle must be implemented

• Putting small or cell groups in as a church program will ultimately fail. It must move from program to essential a critical part of the DNA

• These cell groups become an important part of both the evangelistic and assimilation strategies and are essential. The world's largest churches in their worship are a gathering of the many cell groups that comprise the church

• It reflects the New Testament model of “the Temple” and “from house to house”. When Saul sought to destroy the church he went house to house. He knew the real strength of the church was in the cells not the public gathering. The church in China when public worship was prohibited thrived. Churches who put their primary emphasis on the size of their worshipping congregation have a very fragile number if not under-girded by the cells.

4.A way to develop and deploy leaders in/for ministry

• Every study in leadership has concluded that the majority of failures arise as a result of character not competence. Churches who are impacting their communities with the gospel know the quality of their leaders is as essential as the quantity

• Many training programs if present at all only deal with the skill The spiritual development as well as the skill level of leaders both need attention

• John Maxwell has rightly stated; “leaders are the lid!” The church will not rise above the level of its leaders

• Research done by Church Growth Inc shows that growing churches everywhere have a greater % of persons deployed in meaningful ministry.

5.The Intentionalization Of The “Oikos” Principle

• All additions to every church are 90% dependent on this principle. It’s true whether the church is growing or not. It explains growth it doesn’t cause growth

• It is called different things by different people: Your oikos, your 8-15, your fishing pond, an extended family, your circle of influence. Regardless of the term used it recognizes that Jesus is the planter and he has placed each one of us in a field (our world) with 8-15 people who he has supernaturally and strategically placed there.

• When intentionalized it moves evangelism from the world (overwhelming) to my world (doable) Evangelism moves, for the average believer from the scary and unnatural to the natural and productive.

• Since the 8-15 people in our oikos know us and whether the testimony we give is real or not oikos evangelism integrates who we are and what we say.

• The blessing of having persons in the church who have the gift of evangelism is that those who have it can harvest easily and frequently outside of their personal oikos. The gifted evangelists create new “oikos” and the church can continue to flourish.

I want to conclude this rather lengthy post with asking these questions.

Which of the 5 essential ingredients would you say you do best right now?

What of these 5 essential ingredients is missing and needs attention?

Someone much smarter than me observed that stupidity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. What needs to change if your church is to become everything God intended it to be?