15 Church Growth Factors

Phase 1 Year 1

Phase 2 Year 2

Phase 3 Year 3

1. Vision

6. Leadership

11. Parking

2. Worship

7. Programs

12. Visibility

3. Assimilation

8. Nursery

13. Accessibility

4. Outreach

9. Youth and Children

14. Space

5. Missions

10. Finances

15. Church Planting

Checklist for a Good Worship Service NOTES

Worship is one of the most important ingredients in a Christian’s life. There are several necessary items that ought to be in a worship service.

I. The Importance of Worship Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song. Psalm 95:2 Significance of worship Emphasized in the Bible Edifies participants Essential to the church Elements necessary to worship Adoration Confession Thanksgiving Commitment Supplication Proclamation Action

Worship should be... A spiritual experience so exciting that members want to invite their unchurched friends. 55% of those who go to church were first invited by someone they knew. 63% of those who do not go to church have never been invited by a friend or acquaintance. Worship

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At its peak, worship should motivate people to do something! Too often we go too long with the music and the preaching. Stop at the peak and move into ministry or allow the gifts to flow. It’s better to quit your preaching, teaching, singing, etc. before they tire of it! We need to work with people and stop with a “thirst for more” still left with them

NOTES

Requirements of Worship Leaders must be worshippers Worship must be culturally relevant Worship must be done well Worship needs a proper environment (be aware of space) Worship must be creative Worship must be innovative (e.g. dramatized announcements)

A. Worship service quality  82.7% cite the quality of the worship service as a major factor in their services. Weekly Attendance Most churches have less than 75 people on Sunday morning 80% of churches run under 200 people The average church is a small church Churches don’t stay...they will plateau and then decline

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II. An expectant congregation leads to an exciting worship

NOTES

How do you keep a congregation expectant? A. Exciting Worship Have as many people involved in the worship service as possible. Billy Graham says that for every person involved, four come to watch. I have tested this several times by taking the attendance of a Sunday morning, dividing it by four and inevitably it equals the number of people involved that morning. (Including nursery worker, greeters, worship team, pastor, etc.) How many people do you have involved in the worship service? How many in the choir? ____________ How many in the Band? ____________ How many in the Praise Team? ____________ How many singing specials? ____________ How many in the audio/video? ____________ How many in the Nursery? ____________ How many workers are in the children’s church? ____________ How many greeters, parking lot attendant, users? ____________ Other (Drama, etc.)? ____________ Total preparing for Sunday services? (Do not count duplicated workers more than once). ___________ Multiply this number by four and it should equal the number of people on Sunday?___________

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If the formula does not work, why? 1. If the people who are involved in the worship service are not excited about what they are doing and are just doing it because they have been asked, this will handicap the amount of people attending the church.

NOTES

a. Gifts and Training: i. People are more likely to enjoy what they are doing when they are operating according to their spiritual gifts rather than just filling a need. For example those who are teaching children’s church ought to have the spiritual gift of teaching. ii. Another factor that will determine whether or not people are excited about what they are doing is how much training they have had for the job they are doing. While may times it is difficult to get people to come to training they will not feel so excited about what they are doing without specialized training. I have found that not only do they need specialized training but they need a job description that not only explains the task but tell to whom they are responsible, where they can get help and resources and a specific date for when the job terminates. How many people are involved in doing ministry? ___________ How many of these are operating according to their gifts and talents? (Remember music ability is a talent.) ____________ How many have ____________

been

trained

for

their

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task?

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How many have a specific job description for the task they are doing this Sunday?_____________

NOTES Add this number up and subtract it from the number of people involved and it will show you how expectant your people are about Sunday. _____________ b. Prayer i. The more people specially praying for the service on Sunday the more likely they are to be excited and expectant as to what will happen on Sunday.

ii. Specific prayer meetings on Saturday night are a great way to get people excited about Sunday. While praying for Sunday morning before they are involved in the service is a good idea, but it never substitutes for the spiritual warfare that is done at a separate meeting on Saturday night. The biggest reason for this is that those praying are those who normally have to hurry and leave in order to be involved in the service and many times are more concerned about their involvement than the prayer meeting that they are currently in. How many people show up on Friday or Saturday to pray for Sunday services? __________ Does the pastor or a staff person explain to those at the prayer meeting what is happening on Sunday and what specifically to pray for? __________ Is there a prayer basket or a list of names and requests that those in the prayer meeting can pray over? (e.g. “Father make this be the Sunday that sister Smith gets her healing . . . make this be the Sunday that John’s brother comes and gets saved . . .” ______________

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B. Clear Vision Another reason people may not be excited with the church is because there is no clear vision as to what the church is trying to do and no specific target group that the church is trying to reach. 1.

NOTES

In the Vision Workshop it was determined that every church must have a clear vision to a specific target audience. Remember no church can reach everyone. Even Jesus, when training his disciples, sent them only to the house of Israel Matthew 10:5.

Does your church have a clear vision? _____________ Does your church ______________ 2.

have

a

specific

target

audience?

Does the worship service include music, programs, and personnel that help it reach this target audience? For example, if you are targeting youth, are some youth involved on the worship team? Are some youth involved in the church band or orchestra on Sunday? Are some youth active in dramas? Are some youth involved as greeters at the doors?

Who is your church targeting? _________ Does the worship service include elements to reach this target audience? (e.g. if you are targeting youth, one or two of the numbers need to be done by the youth for the youth, to excite the youth, etc.) __________ 3.

Another factor that determines the excitement of a worship service is where or how the announcements are placed in the service. Remember announcements are to inform; they hardly ever get volunteers. Volunteers are acquired one on one. Therefore if announcements are given they are to be given in a way as not to distract from the worship service. They are best done through Power Point presentations before and after service and sometimes during the offering.

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Do the announcements in the church service excite the people about this worship service along with informing them about what is announced? _______

NOTES 4.

If announcements are done during the service they ought to be done in such a way as to excite the congregation about the service that they are currently in and inform them about the announced event. Dramas, videos, and special power points are some of the best way of getting announcements across.

What method are you using to give announcements? ________________________ What do you plan to incorporate into your announcements to help excite the congregation? ______________________________________ C. Church Acceptance The term, “user friendly,” needs to be applied to the church. How easy is if for the visitor to find the church? How easy is it for the visitor to find the entrance into the church? How easy is it for the visitor to find out what time the service starts? How easy is it for the first time visitor to parking near the door? Is there someone in the parking lot that greets the visitor and makes them feel welcome, and helps them find a good parking spot near the front door? Are there greeters at the door that have the gift of encouragement to help the visitor feel welcome? Is there a way of knowing who the visitors are without embarrassing them to stand or sit or anyway to recognize them without making them “stand out like a sore thumb.” D. Seating Visitors like to sit in the back rows of the church so that they can get up and leave if they need to. How many isle seats are available in the back row of the church for visitors that do not have a sign that says, “for visitors only?” Reserve signs can be used as long as there are ushers who will take visitors to those assigned section and remove the reserve sign for them.

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Has your church been trained to leave the back seats open for visitors? _____________________________

NOTES

E. Worship There is a lot of debate as to whether a church should have a “seeker service” or a believer service. A 2001 ABC pole states that 95% of Americans believe themselves to be Christian and only 36% regularly attend church. Therefore, the idea of a seeker coming to church is not as likely as a believer coming to church. Therefore, a church service needs to be geared towards believers who are backslidden or do not understand what Christianity is really all about. A church would need to cater to the majority, not the minority. If this is the case, church service needs to be geared toward the believers. Another important factor in this regard is Paul’s admonition to the Corinthian church in which he says that when a sinner or unbeliever comes into the worship service and hears a prophetic word or revelatory word the thoughts and intents of their hearts will be made clear and they will fall down and worship (1 Corinthians 14:23-25). Paul was telling the church that a service like what he describes in 1 Corinthian’s 14, where believers are allowed to practice their gifts, will cause sinners to acknowledge God.

1. Length of Ministry A good worship service always gives enough music, preaching, and ministry that people long to come back next Sunday for more. I should never go on so long that people tire of what is happening and are therefore not excited about coming back next Sunday.

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2. Songs and Hymns Whatever the church decides to sing, the worship team should present it in such a way that it is irrelative whether the congregation participates. It is not the job of the worship team to make the congregation sing or worship. The way to get people to sing and worship is to demonstrate what is expected of them through the worship team. Great worship done by the worship team draws the congregation into worship and praise. The excitement demonstrated by the worship team is contagious. The joy of worship demonstrated by the worship team is also seen and becomes contagious. Therefore it is necessary to be excited, joyful, bold, and a genuine worshiper because this is what will motivate a worship service. It is not the time for the worship team to act humble, keep their heads bowed, look as if they’ve sinned all night, and do not deserve to be praising God. They ought to have a smile on their face, look to the heavens, rejoice in the Lord their Savior and sing like they have been redeemed and set free. It is also imperative that no more than one song be introduced in a single morning in order to keep the congregation interested in the music.

NOTES

Does your praise team demonstrate joy and excitement when they lead worship? ________________________ Does your praise team effectively lead the congregation into the presence of God through worship? __________ 3. Offering Offering is a part of worship and ought to be done as a part of worship. It should not be looked at as an appendage, drudgery, or something that the church apologizes for. The church is not asking for the tithe, God is (Matthew 23:23).

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F. Preaching Sermons that are simple with easy steps to follow are more exciting to a congregation that a doctrinal dissertation with seemingly no specific direction that can be achieved in that hour. Points with illustrations, illustrated sermons, and drama are all excellent ways of getting the message across. As with the worship service, the pastor should look at his sermon from the end back to the beginning. He should ask this question, “What is God trying to achieve through me in this sermon?” What particular point do I want to leave in the congregation’s heart and mind when this sermon is done? If this sermon is dealing with negative issues does it conclude with positive, victorious issues? Does each point of the sermon lead to the next point-the concluding point? Is each point interesting and challenging and is it illustrated? Again it must be pointed out that the energy and excitement of the pastor is contagious. If the pastor feels dull and draggy, that is what his sermon’s going to be like. If there is one time that a pastor needs high energy and excitement, it is when he preaches. As with the worship team, the pastor needs to be the example of God’s victory and what he is saying. He needs to be the example of God’s joy and the solution that he offers, of God’s mercy and the condition that he is revealing. Remember, the longer the sermon, the less likely they are to remember, the more likely you are to be boring them, and the more certain you can be that visitors will not be drawn to what you are saying. Remember humorous pastors, exciting pastors, loving pastors, and “anointed” pastors are more likely to bring the visitor back and excite the congregation about their church.

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Do you keep your sermons short enough to keep everyone’s attention? ___________ Do you stick to your main point without loosing it to other tangents? ___________

NOTES

Do you have clearly defined points that are easy for the congregation to follow and remember? ____________ Do you often use illustrations and visual aids? ____________ Are you speaking with joy and excitement? ____________ G. Post Service The close of the service should be just as exciting as the beginning. People should leave feeling blessed, victorious, and encouraged. People should know that Jesus has “an answer” that he can heal and deliver; that there is hope in this sinful world. This is particularly true during and after altar calls. The church should always be dismissed on a positive, victorious note. 1. Final Greeting It is just as important to have people at the doors at the conclusion of the service to greet the visitors as it is at the beginning of the service. Visitors are more likely to return if they have met the pastor personally and so a visitor’s table for the pastor to meet visors is a good means through which this can happen. Often churches put out coffee and donuts just for this purpose. The larger the church, the more important this is. Are you easy to locate after a service for visitors to meet you or ask you questions? ____________

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III. Two Types of Worship Services Believer’s Service

NOTES

Intense praise and intimate worship Gifts are manifested Large amount of congregational singing Edification of believers Congregational Free use of Christianeze Seeker’s Service More performance than participation Unchurched are made to feel comfortable More special music than congregational Conscious elimination of Christianeze Traditional Services o Normally combine the less extreme of both of the above type of service (see types of services on page 4).

Mediocrity does not matter to old-timers. Americans are irresistibly drawn to organizations that ooze quality.

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About a Seeker Service A True “seeker” services cannot be accomplished by doing them in the church building. You’re trying to reach an entirely different group than Sunday a.m. 1 Corinthians 14:23 is a good reference for understanding why you want to keep a charismatic service on Sunday...a believer’s service. There is a dynamic in Pentecostal Worship that will affect the unbeliever when they attend on Sundays. You need to be certain the gifts are flowing to claim this scripture—or become “Seeker Sensitive” instead. We should plan on another night—other than Sunday— and present a “Sinner-directed” Service! Your major dilemma is in getting “Seeker” response into the church.

NOTES

A. Seeker Service vs. Believer Service Seeker wants To be anonymous Silence (no singing) Quality / Excellence Don’t sign anything Don't say anything Don’t give anything Need scripture

Believer wants • To belong • To sing • Anything goes • Okay to give name • Wants to share • Expects to give • Scripture need

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B. Pentecostal Growth NOTES

Peter Wagner feels Pentecostal churches are the fastest growing because they are:

Churches of Purity Churches of Prayer Churches of Power Churches of the Poor Churches of Purity (Peter Wagner) Pentecostals have a tradition of Purity in three key areas: Research in church growth has shown that the more literally the Bible is interpreted, the more likely the church is to grow. Pentecostals have never lost touch with the Gospel. o Don’t allow self-deception and self-evaluation to hinder you from giving people an opportunity to respond to the message of the Gospel. o Even in Sunday School, a time for response should be given to people. o Allow opportunity for those who are saved to testify as to why they came to church and to Christ. For most Pentecostals, salvation is a radical change in lifestyle. Separation is demanded from world. Pentecostals usually go to church 3–4 times a week, read the Bible daily, and pray before each meal.

Churches of Prayer (Peter Wagner) Pentecostals are praying people o The kind of prayer that requires the active, energetic participation of each person is a universal characteristic of Pentecostal people in their churches, their family circles, and their private devotions. Praying in tongues undoubtedly helps this greatly. o Intimacy with God is reflected not only in formal prayers, but also in revelatory manifestations of the Spirit, such as prophecies including what many call a word of knowledge.

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Churches of Power (Peter Wagner) One of the major purposes of signs and wonders in the New Testament was to attract the attention of unbelievers and to draw them to Jesus Christ and to the Kingdom of God. Worldwide, Pentecostal churches grow when the Holy Spirit is free to manifest His miracle power through believers.

NOTES

Pentecostals also believe in soul-winning power. Sharing the faith is a constant say of life for Pentecostals. They believe that God wants to use them to win souls...and He does. Pentecostals are possibility thinkers. Their faith level is high. They believe in evangelism, and they believe in Church Growth.

Notes: There is a huge difference between witnessing and evangelism. Witnessing is “me telling you what God is doing in my life.” Evangelism is “me telling you what God wants to do in your life.”

Churches of the Poor (Peter Wagner) The God of the Bible is a God who loves the poor. The Anglican Church in England had abandoned the poor, so God raised up the Methodist Church. When the Methodists came to America, they ministered to the poor with circuit riders going from cabin to cabin out on the frontier. But one hundred years later, the Methodists had become middle class, and God raised up the Holiness/Pentecostal movement to minister to the poor once again.

Research has shown that the working class people of the world are more receptive to the Gospel than the higher classes.

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Dangers of Respectability (Peter Wagner) Pentecostals have been gaining respectability rapidly. But there is a price to pay for respectability:

NOTES

Respectability comes as long as the doctrinal distinctives are not stressed—the very characteristics that have enabled Pentecostals to grow faster than any other group. Desire for respectability is creeping into the Pentecostal Church themselves. Arises from the phenomenon called “Redemption and Lift.”

Axiom: Nothing happens in the Physical unless it has first been approved in the Spiritual...and that takes place on your knees. The most powerful, effective churches have yet to be planted!

Wagner’s suggestions for Pentecostal Churches ; Hold purity high. ; Depend on prayer and fasting as your spiritual core. ; Ask God to show his power through signs and wonders as He did in the early days of the Pentecostal movement.

; Maintain a passion for souls. ; Never allow educational requirements to substitute for spiritual gifts as the basis for ordaining new ministers.

; Vigorously plant new churches. ; Curse the “Demon of Respectability”.

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How does your church relate to the 7 points above? NOTES

My church in: 1. Purity in gospel, life style, in preaching rates ______ 2. Prayer and fasting is demonstrated as the spiritual core in our church through _______ 3. Signs and wonders are experienced in our church

when _______

4. We are a soul winning church. We see new souls being saved when _______ 5. We train our church in spiritual gifts every ______ 6. Our church has planted a new church every year, 2 years or _______ 7. We do/don’t allow the “Demon of Respectability” to hold us back when we worship (circle which is true).

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Thirteen Tips That Will Help You Bridge Between Songs NOTES

By: Arlen Salte, Executive Director of New Creation Ministries 1. Be sure what you say is biblically sound. This is where a solid pastor/worship leader relationship is essential. 2. You do not need to speak between every song. Allow time for meditation. This works best on quieter songs. Try a soft instrumental background to enhance contemplation. 3. Speak with authority—shyness is not a virtue. Youi are leading . . . so lead. Speak clearly into the microphone. Don’t mumble. Speak to the people in the last row, as well as the first. 4. Try not to correct yourself. You can focus so much attention on your gaffes that Christ-centered worship becomes stalled. 5. Don’t condemn people for not worshiping your way. It works better to inspire by example—worship is more caught than taught. 6. Speak with a smile in your voice. Focus on communicating warmth and welcome to the congregation. You are one of the first impressions of the church. Your goal at the beginning is to break down barriers and allow people to feel comfortable. 7. Draw your congregation into worship. Begin your speaking toward the congregation and then gently move your focus towards God. Move from horizontal to vertical in attention. 8. If you want to be interesting to the congregation, be interested in the songs. Take time to advance to meditate on the words. Ponder specific example on how God has proven Himself true in the words of the songs. 9. Use conversational manner, and you will seem sincere. No need to suddenly go into a “preaching” mode. 10. When possible, substitute “we” or “I.” You are trying to create a corporate worship experience. “we” are all grateful for God’s grace. “We” are strengthened in God’s presence.

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11. Remember that your speaking sets the mood for the next songs. Match the mood of the song. If it’s a worship song, you won’t want to say something like, “Here’s a little ditty that was one of my favorite songs when I was younger.” If the song is reflective, make your speaking reflective. It jubilant—make your speaking jubilant.

NOTES

12. Take note of who you’re speaking to. If the songs before and after are singing to God, pray between instead of talking to the people. Keep the focus on Whom it is directed. 13. Use resources. Use prayer books and devotional books for ideas. Use Scripture. Try contemporary version of Scripture. Salte, Arlen Strategies for Today’s Leader. 1st quarter 2002.

Resource Tip: For Scripture references of over one hundred of the most popular worship choruses, visit the websites at www.new-creation.net or www.arlensalte.com.

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