Unless this is your very first time reading this blog, you probably know that I’m a firm believer in the power of systems for the health and growth of your church.

In fact , over the years I’ve gained something of a reputation as “the Church Systems guy.”  You can download a Free Copy of my “Healthy Systems, Healthy Church” E-Book by clicking here.

One of the biggest reasons for developing your church’s systems is because, well, life happens.

Bad weather shows up at just the wrong time, unexpected circumstances throw off your schedule and unfortunately loved ones pass away. Healthy systems allow your church to keep moving forward through even the toughest situations.

Here’s a recent email that I received from Maceo Smedley, a Tele-Coaching Participant and the Pastor of Promise Church in Houston, TX and he gave me permission to share with you.

He tells how his church’s systems and preparation allowed God to do some amazing things in spite of what could have been a devastating time, personally:

Nelson,

I wasn’t going to say anything until I heard the prayer for the Pastor whose staff member lost his wife.  Just a little over a week ago my father passed away on January 19, at the age of 58.  He had been in ICU for two week and could never bounce back from his bout with pneumonia.

He was a dedicated member of our church.  His responsibility was putting out our signs every Saturday morning.  Every time someone would join our church due to seeing those signs, I would call him and tell him what a great job he was doing for the Kingdom of God.  I prayed along with my congregation every morning that God would heal him, so they too where devastated by this loss.

Because he was a former educator whose heart went out to troubled youth, his funeral was jam packed.  It gave me joy to see the many people who wanted to come and say “thank you.”  Here is the catch to the story.  His funeral was on Saturday, January 23^rd, and we had a big day scheduled for Sunday, January 24^th.

Because of your willingness to return what you’ve learned, we had our biggest “Big Day” yet with over 150 in attendance which is more than double our average attendance.  Because of the preaching calendar, I was also able to preach one of my best sermons yet instead of trying to figure out what to say while fighting back tears after losing my dad.

We raised more money that Sunday than ever before with one donor giving a third of our Christmas Offering.  Most of all several people came to either give their lives to Christ for the first time or to rededicate their lives.  Thank you so much for unknowingly helping me and my church get through this tough time while we did our best to make the devil mad.

Thank you for your prayers,

Pastor Maceo Smedley
The Promise Church
Houston, TX

We continue to lift up you and your family Maceo – and praise God for all the great things that are going on in your church!

P.S. If you are new to Church Leader Insights or just looking for a refresher when it comes to your church’s systems, Download my “Healthy Systems, Healthy Church” E-Book for FREE ($23.95 Value) by clicking here.