ACTS 1:8 Growth Workshop

1. ACTS 1:8Growth Workshop UNIT 3 WHERE DOES GOD WANT US TO GO FROM HERE?

3. Barriers to moving to the next level: Spiritual Issues • Unconfessed sin hampers the Spirit's work. • Unconfessed sin consumes growth energy. • Unconfessed sin hinders body life. • Neglect of devotional life. • Ignoring the reality of spiritual warfare. • Failure to put on the whole armor of God. • Question: How are we going to dealwith this issue in the life of this church?

4. Leaders tied to unproductive work. • Pastor/Planter and church members' time is limited. • Pastor/Planter and church members' time and energy often misspent. • Pastor/Planter and church members' time use should be analyzed, appropriately invested. • Whatever the church does must be evaluated on a regular basis, and this takes place under the lens of its vision/purpose –Aubrey Malphurs

5. No growth mentality • Don't expect church to grow • Will not work here • Don't want church to grow • Comfortable

6. Leadership imbalance • Class I , volunteers turned inward • Class II, volunteers turned outward

7. Ratio and Ministry Mode • In Effective Church Leadership, Kennon Callahan says • 70% C I (turned inward) to 30% C II Maintenance ministry mode • 30% C I (turned inward) to 70% C II Missional mode

8. Two critical questions: • 1. How many C I and C II leaders do we have? What is the ratio? • 2. How many C I and C II leaders do we need to enlist and train?

9. Care Takers Every Church Has A Life Cycle 23% Under Takers Risk Takers 46% 31% On Average, the last Five years Oklahoma Baptist Churches,

10. No plans for growth. Churches tend to fall into three groups. • Churches with no plans • Budget just for inflation • Churches with maintenance plans • Churches with growth plans

11. .Organization and program limitations. • Organization fixed • Resistant to new units, • Unrelated to vision, values, mission • Doors closed to outsiders

12. Members not mobilized or equipped to be on mission. • Mentality that sees ministry is for clergy. • Giftedness of members ignored • Members seen as spectators and supporters.

13. Normal patterns and plateaus of growth. Organizational Issues.

14. Organizational Issues. • Cells division (See Appendix A) • Cell (s) • Congregation (s) • Church

15. Organizational Issues. Appendix A Single Cell, Single Congregation Church

16. Organizational Issues. Multicell, Single Congregation Church

17. Organizational Issues. Multicell, Multi-congregation Church

18. Internal structure of a single cell church Key Family or Families Youth Deacons ??? Mission group Choir Sunday School

19. Mid – size rubber band effect Disconnected groups Key families or families

20. Churches in transition Small Church Characteristics Large Church Characteristics Medium Church Rubber Band effect Transition period begins

21. McIntosh’s Typology of Church Size Factors Small Church Medium Church Large Church Size 15-200 75-400 100 +Worshipers • Orientation Relational Programmatical Organizational • Structure Single cell Stretched cell Multiple cell • Leadership Resides in Resides in Resides in key families committees select leaders • Pastor Lover Administrator Leader • Decisions Made by made by made by staff congregation committees and leaders Driven by Driven by Driven by History changing needs vision

22. Decision Making Climate Small Church Medium Church Larger Church Emotional (a mixture) Rational Subjective Objective Popular Merit Informal Formal Family Leaders

23. McIntosh’s Typology of Church Size Factors Small Church Medium Church Large Church Size 15-200 75-400 100 +Worshipers Staff Bivo or single pastor and Multiple staff pastor small staff • Change Bottom up Middle out Top down through key through key through key people committees leaders • Growth Attraction Program Proclamation Patterns model model through through key through ministry word of mouth relationships

24. McIntosh’s Typology of Church Size Factors Small Church Medium Church Large Church Size 15-200 75-400 100 +Worshipers • Growth Small Church Inadequate Poor assimilation Obstacles image facilities - Ineffective Inadequate Increased evangelism staff bureaucracy - Inadequate Inadequate Poor programming finances communication - Downward Poor admin- Loss of vision momentum -istration - Ingrown Increasing Lack of member fellowship complexity care

25. Important questions • 1. Are we willing to keep groups growing? • 2. Do we see need to begin new cells? • 3. Are we willing to begin new groups--formal and informal?

26. Normal patterns & plateaus of growth & decline (Appendix B)

27. Normal patterns & plateaus of growth & decline • 3 -25 Range (Breaking the 15 Barriers ) • 5 – 50 Range (Breaking the 35 Barriers) • 48 – 86 Range (Breaking the 65 Barriers) • 90 – 150 Range (the 115 Barriers) • 175 - 225 Range (the 200 barrier)

28. Discussion Questions • Which of these barriers, organizational issues and/or leadership issues need to be addressed in your setting? • What issues are priority for your church’s health and growth? • How will you address these issues?