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Renewal in the Local Church

Renewal in the Local Church. faith 2 - fear. Begin...end with PRAYER Take RISKS no Fear, no Renewal Failure is permissible. FAITH 1. Three stories . 1. Human prayer – visiting campaign Wait upon God – ‘Sybil’ Get your worship from God – wait upon his timing

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Renewal in the Local Church

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  1. Renewal in the Local Church faith 2 - fear Begin...end with PRAYER Take RISKS no Fear, no Renewal Failure is permissible FAITH 1

  2. Three stories 1. Human prayer – visiting campaign • Wait upon God – ‘Sybil’ • Get your worship from God – wait upon his timing Walk into Faith 2 = Fear ….especially for the leaders

  3. Trust God • Show that God is still at work in XX • Expect the miracle / the mini- miracle • Expect lives transformed • Use personal testimony to the power of God today

  4. Do the Research • Look at the back door - why are people leaving? • Are you stopping people becoming Christians? • What makes your community tick? • ‘mission audit’? • What does your church look like from the outside?

  5. Losing Faith Today A. Leaving the Church? and/or B. Losing Faith?

  6. 92% of leavers say that no one from the church visited them during the first six weeks after they left. ‘Gone but not Forgotten’ p.145 ‘Which of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them…does not go after the one who is lost.’ Luke 15.3 What can we do about it?

  7. Returnees About half of those interviewed by Richter and Francis would consider returning if they were approached in the right way. (GBNF p.138) So….

  8. Losing faith - Churchgoers GBNF p.37Under 20 Over 20 ‘I lost my faith’ 45% 29% ‘ I doubted my faith’ 58 42 ‘Teachings difficult to reconcile with science’ 61 37 ‘Questioning faith not acceptable’ 38 30 ‘God let me down’ 10 9

  9. Churchgoers losing faith • Personal authenticity – I was being hypocritical, wanted to be myself • Lifestyle incompatibility – not behaving in a Christian way, sex outside marriage • Spiritual exploration – tired of being told how to behave, didn’t want institution • (GBNF p.51,64)

  10. Evangelicals losing faith • ‘prone to drop out of their churches or out of Christianity altogether.’(GBNF p.56) • someevangelicalchurches make too many demands of time and money • are suspicious of intellectual exploration • can keep adults as children • are judgemental and authoritarian

  11. But……Perception of Local Church – whole population Place of Worship Venue for Baptisms, Weddings & Funerals Quiet Place or Sanctuary LocalLandmark Social/Community Venue & Day centre for various activities/Socialising Historic Place Has no relevance in this community, I don’t go there Not a nice place/Old Fashioned Nice place to be in Essential part of ourcommunity Other Q1. How do you think of your local church/chapel? (ORB 2003)

  12. Glass Doors Why do we stop people coming to church? How many people cannot come to your Sunday morning service? What can you do about it?

  13. ‘Believing without Belonging’ • Catch phrase from Grace Davie and others • What is ‘believing’, ‘belonging’? • Contrast ‘Belonging comes before believing’ - David Gill

  14. Believing without belonging • Church is seen as a ‘utility’(like electricity, telephone) • only missed if it is removed • only used when it is needed • taken for granted • common throughout Europe (but not US) (Grace Davie)

  15. Wakefield research (over 16) • 17 churches – inner-city to rural -Sunday worship – Oct/Nov • Average attendance 760 – ie. 45 per church • Number who went every Sunday 144 • Number who went once 3600 • Number who went more than once 1760 Evangelise inside the church? Social/worship context? Sermon series? Outreach?

  16. ‘Mission Audit’ • Look at church/community interface -not internal workings of church Where are places of convergence? Either large document…. or, ‘Why are we here?’ Process more important than result

  17. Old Fashioned Church One Man Band

  18. More modern Church –Collaborative ministry

  19. The Missionary Church

  20. The Flowerpot Church Is shaped like a flowerpot and grows • Organically • Naturally • Smoothly

  21. Steps on the water Personal experience 1. The Healing ministry 2. Nurture groups 3. Seek & recognise gifts 4. Laugh!

  22. 1. The Healing Ministry ‘Christian healing is Jesus Christ meeting us at our point of need.’ (Bishop Morris Maddocks) It applies to individuals and communities It is physical, spiritual, emotional

  23. Who needs it? Everyone who has physical, spiritual and emotional needs? It is for everybody – not just for those who are ‘sick’. Therefore at a Healing Service almost all should receive what is on offer!

  24. Self-disgust Illness Depression Disintegration Misery Despair Distance from God Well-being Physical health Happiness Wholeness Joyfulness Acceptance Closeness to God True Health - individual

  25. The Public Ministry of Healing Either: The Laying on of Hands with Prayer and/or Anointing with oil with Prayer(James 5.13f)

  26. Ministry though Laying on of hands • Jesus did it, • People expected him to do it (Mk. 5.23; 7.32)..... • ......we should copy him.

  27. ......and • Expect to find yourself against more obvious aspects of evil in those affected by it. • Learn how to diagnose it • ...and know what to do if you find yourself in this sort of situation.

  28. 2. Nurture Groups • Used to bring outsiders to faith • Used to bring Churchgoers to faith • Used to revive a congregation BUT the challenge to commitment and ministry must not be ducked

  29. Courses vary % of ‘faith commitment’ Alpha Emmaus Y Course Christ. Exp. Churchgoers17% 38 18 22 Non-Churchgoers45% 50 38 21 Research by Salvation Army /Christian Research 2004

  30. Growth Over 90% of churches which have run four or more courses report new Christians…and also an upward trend in the number of churchgoers

  31. But… … only 30% of English churches run nurture courses A golden opportunity missed?

  32. 3. The Gifts in the Church • Teach • Discover • Train • Accredit before the church • USE

  33. God’s Scriptural Love Gifts to his People

  34. The Gifts of the Spirit and Mission In the New Testament the gifts are mainly used outside the church: did Jesus expect only 10% to come to fullness of faith: Luke 17.11? Have we kept them imprisoned in our churches? Is the ministry for the world?

  35. 4. ...and Laugh • Do not take renewal too seriously • Expect the unexpected • Grin at your mistakes • Over-intensity is not pretty • Laugh at yourself – others try to! • Laugh at your church ........because God laughs!

  36. THE LAUGHTER OF GOD Galatians 3.5 ‘give’…’supply. Epichoregon choros = dance choregon = lead /pay for dance The Holy Spirit gives us a ball!

  37. The back-chat of Jesus • E.g. • The Syro-Phoenician woman Mk.7.25 • The woman at the well Jn.4 • Peter and his tax Mt.17.27 • Jesus was quickwitted and witty in response to disciples and critics

  38. The exaggeration of Jesus • The Parable of the Sower: Mk.4.8 • The Parable of the debts: Mt.18.24 • The Parable of the lost sheep: Lk.15.6

  39. Affectionate exasperation? Storm on the lake: Lk.8.25 Emmaus road: Lk.24.25 Peter and forgiveness: Mt.18.22

  40. The Story-teller The greatest of storytellers His life the greatest of stories

  41. Volkenroda

  42. The Volkenroda Image Isaiah 52.13 – 53.12

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