Free Growth Barrier Resource – Today Only!

I am convinced that right now is the best time to grow a church.

People  are most open to the Gospel in times of tension, trouble and transition — and there’s plenty of each going around!

So, I’m excited about the potential for growth over this next year and I want to help you break your next growth barrier this spring.

So, with that desire and in preparation for my new Tele-Coaching Network (which begins next Thursday), I want to give you your choice of one of my bestselling Growth Barriers resources (Breaking the 65, 125, 250 or 500 Barrier).

To receive your Free Growth Barriers resource, click the link below and enter the current growth barrier you’re facing (65, 125, 250 or 500):

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/giveaway

P.S. There’s still time to apply for my new Senior Pastor Tele-Coaching Network, but you need to hurry! For more info and to apply, click here.

Free Webinars for Senior Pastors Start Tomorrow!

Over 600 Senior Pastors have already signed up for my Top 3 Growth Barriers Webinars this week, are you one of them?

I really enjoy doing this webinar – it’s 2 hours of content, based on my bestselling “Growth Barriers Workshop” resource.

You’ll learn to identify the top 3 growth barriers that all churches face regardless of size AND some principles and strategies to break through each of them!

So if you’re a Senior Pastor and haven’t signed up yet, there’s still time and space for you to sign up – but I encourage you to register now.

I’m doing this webinar at 4 different times for your convenience:

Tuesday, February 2 (1:30pm – 3:30pm)

Wednesday, February 3 (3:00pm – 5:00pm)

Wednesday, February 3 (7:00pm – 9:00pm)

Thursday, February 4 (4:00pm – 6:00pm)

(All Times EASTERN)

To find out more and to register now, CLICK HERE before it’s too late!

Reports from the Road – Atlanta

What a great first week it’s been on the Top 3 Growth Barriers Tour for Senior Pastors!

Today is stop #4 and I’m in Metro Atlanta (Marietta), getting ready to train over 200 pastors in the top 3 growth barriers that every church faces, regardless of size.

Our host today is Pastor Bryant Wright and  Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, they were gracious enough to partner with me to invest in some of our fellow pastors.

Bryant is one of the most effective and unique communicators I know – check out his “Right from the Heart” ministry here.

A lot has changed around Metro Atlanta since Johnson Ferry Baptist Church began in the early 1980’s, but one thing has remained constant: their solid commitment to Christ and expanding His Kingdom.

It’s going to be a great day in the Peach State!

P.S. I’ll be wrapping up the Top 3 Growth Barriers Tour for Senior Pastors with events in the Metro Washington, D.C. Area and New York City – if you’re a Senior Pastor in these areas, I hope you’ll join me! Click here for more info.

Reports from the Road – Nashville

I’m in the Nashville Area today for the next stop on my Top 3 Growth Barriers Tour for Senior Pastors.

Our host today is Freedom Church and Pastor Terrell Somerville.  Terrell is a Coaching Alum and has done a great job of leading Freedom since its founding in 2000.

Today, Freedom Church is one of the fastest growing churches in the region and they have just recently moved into the first phase of a new building.

It’s going to be another fun day of getting to meet and train 100+ Senior Pastors – one of my favorite ways to spend a morning!

P.S. If you’re looking for a proven process to grow yourself and your church over the next year, you might be a good fit for my upcoming Tele-Coaching Network for Senior Pastors – click here to read more and apply today!

Reports from the Road – St. Louis

Today is Stop #2 on my Top 3 Growth Barriers Tour for Senior Pastors, and I’m in St. Louis!

It’s been just over 30 years since God shared the vision for Life Christian Church with Pastor Rick Shelton (one of my coaching alumni), and I’m excited to take a closer look at the church He’s been building during that time.

I’m also excited to meet and invest in so many Senior Pastors here in the Gateway City – it should be one of our biggest turnouts on the whole tour!

P.S. Now is the time to get in your application for my next Senior Pastor Tele-Coaching Network – you can find out more and download your application by clicking here.

Reports from the Road – Indianapolis

Today I’m in Indianapolis – preparing for the first stop on my Top 3 Growth Barriers Tour for Senior Pastors!

Our hosts for the day here in Indy are Pastor John Newland and Fall Creek Baptist Church.

John is a Coaching Alum who has done a great job of implementing what he’s learned about church systems into the life of Fall Creek.

I’m looking forward to seeing John and he and I both are excited to be able to give back through this Free Event to a great group of Senior Pastors.

If you would, please pray for me and this group of pastors from all over the Indianapolis area and beyond!

P.S. You can hear about John’s experience in my Coaching Network in this video – click here.

10 Ways to Break the 65 Barrier … and a FREE Resource

One tool that I find useful any time I go through any type of training (live, webinar, audio, book, etc.) is to write down my top 10 key learnings, and how I can apply them.

I recently received an email from Dr. Kenneth Sesley where he shared his list with me.  Kenneth is the Pastor of Kingdom Advancers Family Church International in California, and a member of my Senior Pastors Tele-Coaching Network.

With his permission, I’m sharing his Top 10 Keys to Breaking the 65 Barrier at his church – it’s one of the best lists I’ve seen:

1.  I must model ministry by serving as an example to the congregation.

2.  I must mentor new leadership.

A.  Hand pick them.

B.  Ask them if they are willing to help me implement the things that need implementing.

C. Invest in them by pulling them together for occasional short training meetings.

3.  I must continually cast vision for growth.

4.  We must focus on making the Sunday Services better, by first planning them further in advance. This starts with using a preaching calendar.

5.  The church must  develop a childcare ministry - nursery, preschool, kindergarten and elementary classes.

6.  We must utilize Big Days combined with special attraction series during key growth periods in the Winter (February), Spring (Easter), Summer (Mother’s/Father’s Day), and Fall (Back to Church Sunday).

7.  We must use Personal Evangelism that focuses on inviting unsaved and unchurched friends and family, as well as using Friendship Evangelism to invite the community to church.

A.  All of this must be combined with the power of Mass Promotion.

B.  And then combine all of this with our loving First Impressions Assimilation Team.

8.  To break through the 65 barrier completely we must get to 75-85 worshipers a week. This means that our facilities must have between about 95 – 125 seats.

In addition, we need a minimum of 40 to 50 parking spaces. This will require some changes.

9.  We must add a staff member.  Maybe a part time Worship Leader or Youth/Children’s Minister.

10.  We must begin thinking 125 by:

A. Planning how and where we will seat 125.

B. Planning and preparing sermons and worship services for 125.

C. Keeping 125 in my thinking constantly.

D.  Finding some pastors whose churches are at 125 and are growing and get to know them. Learn everything I can from them. Take some leaders there so they too can SEE the next step!

Great work Kenneth – I look forward to hearing how God honors these changes!

Are you struggling to break the 65 Barrier at your church?

I’d like to offer you a FREE Copy of Breaking the 65 Barrier (normally $23.95)!

Just click the “Ask Nelson” button on the right side of this blog and ask me for it – but hurry, I can only offer this for the next 3 days.

P.S. We’re exactly ONE MONTH AWAY from the start of my brand new Senior Pastor Tele-Coaching Network, where we work together to break the growth barriers that your church is facing.  For more information and to Apply Now, go to:

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/telecoaching/

Free Events for Senior Pastors (Register Today)

I’m only a couple of weeks away from a very special series of Live Events, Free for Senior Pastors, that I’m calling “The Top 3 Growth Barriers Tour.”

I am partnering with a number of my coaching alumni (they’re serving as hosts) to make each of these Senior Pastor-Only Events FREE for you, as long as you pre-register.

It’s a chance to give back to the Church Leader Insights family and for me to get out and meet more of you “live and in person.”

Will you join me?  Here’s the information:

Are you STUCK?

Do you find yourself pushing against the same Growth Barriers week after week?

REGISTER NOW for the Breaking the Top 3 Growth Barriers seminar led by Nelson Searcy!

These LIVE EVENTS are coming soon to an area near you:

Tuesday, January 26 9:00am – 12:00noon Indianapolis, Indiana	Wednesday, January 27 9:00am – 12:00noon St. Louis, MO
Thursday, January 28 9:00am – 12:00noon Gallatin, Tennessee (Nashville Area)	Friday, January 29 9:00am – 12:00noon Marietta, Georgia (Atlanta Area)
All Events FREE for Senior Pastors OnlyWhen You Pre-Register ($49.95 at the Door)

ATTENTION SENIOR PASTORS:

Join Nelson Searcy for one of these LIVE EVENTS in your area,

where you will learn:

• How to identify what is keeping your church from growing the way God desires
• How to identify the #1 barrier that holds back your church (it’s not what you think!)
• Your unique role as the Senior Pastor in removing these barriers forever (it’s not as hard as you’ve been led to believe)
• Specific “nuts and bolts” next steps to remove each barrier
• How to cooperate with God to experience His blessing in your church
• Plus much more!

P.S. These events are for Senior Pastors Only and are FREE if you Pre-Register ($49.95 at the door) — CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

Don’t Miss the Christmas Sale!

I know most of you are making final preps for your Christmas Eve services, putting the finishing touches on your 2010 preaching calendar or maybe even out and about Christmas shopping, but I wanted to be sure you know about something special that Church Leader Insights is offering right now.

Today through January 4th, we’re giving you a chance to pick up 4 of my most powerful, comprehensive resource packages at savings of hundreds of dollars (one of them saves you over $1000.00)!

To find out more and secure one of these packages at a price you won’t see again, go to:

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/christmas-sale/

How to Structure Your Church for Growth (Part 4)

Today’s 4th and final installment on structuring your church for growth is going to be a bit of a turn from the previous 3 posts.

After looking at the issues of by-laws, church governance, and budgeting, today I’d like to share a few quick thoughts about the importance of having your salary package set up properly.

For whatever reason, many of us in church leadership tend to neglect the issue of our personal finances, especially when it comes to how our salary package is set up.

I would dare say that the vast majority of pastors I talk to about this are currently erring on one of two sides when it comes to the way they’re getting paid:

1) They are unsure/afraid that they’re in violation of Federal and/or State tax laws, or 2) They are leaving a considerable amount of money on the table (ie: paying more than their share of taxes).

What does this have to do with your church growing?  Well, you’re not going to be able to devote your attention to leading your church if you’re too busy looking over your shoulder for the tax man!

With the special nature of clergy tax laws and the myriad of unique rules and potential pitfalls, I have one big recommendation, Pastor:

Get some professional help!

I recommend Steve Merriman and his team at Clergy Advantage (formerly Clergy Financial).  They know more about clergy tax law than anyone I have ever met – including the IRS!

I’ve never been more thankful for the Clergy Advantage team than I was about a year and a half ago when I was audited by the IRS.

The minor expense of paying for a group of people who work with clergy salary issues EVERYDAY is more than worth the peace of mind of knowing you’re in good hands.

Don’t waste another day living in fear when it comes to your taxes – Get some help!

P.S. Clergy Advantage is offering a Free Webinar on Tuesday, December 15, called “Tax Free Money for Ministers.” You can read more and register now by clicking this link.

Perry Noble on “What Makes the Church Come Alive”

Here’s one of the articles from the most recent CLI Newsletter.

We pack each newsletter with the best content the web has to offer. Here’s an example from Perry Noble:

WHAT MAKES A CHURCH COME ALIVE?

“CHANGED LIVES…when dead people are being brought to life a church cannot remain on life support.  Changed lives change a community! . . . THE GOSPEL…when the Gospel is THE agenda instead of some ridiculous issue that happens to be the ‘fad of the year’. . . PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY…when people in the church begin to accept responsibility for where they are in their spiritual journey…and then are willing to do something about it.” Read the full article here…

The Church Leader Insights Newsletter is designed to bring the best and latest thinking on Church Growth, Evangelism, Leadership and Church Planting directly to your inbox every month!

If you’re not already subscribed, you can click this link to sign up right now.

How to Upgrade for Church Growth – Church Leader Insights Newsletter Rewind

Here’s one of the articles from this month’s CLI Newsletter.

We pack each newsletter with the best content we can find.  Here’s a great example from Christian Standard:

HOW UPGRADING YOUR CHURCH LEADS TO GROWTH

“Excellence attracts people. When two championship contenders are playing, it’s hard to get a ticket. When you decide to go to the best restaurant in town at the dinner hour, you know you’re going to have to wait. It amazes me so many church leaders still have not figured out that excellence is a people magnet. They say they want their churches to grow, but they content themselves with mediocrity” Read the full article here…

The Church Leader Insights Newsletter is designed to bring the best and latest thinking on Church Growth, Evangelism, Leadership and Church Planting directly to your inbox every month!

If you’re not already subscribed, you can click this link to sign up right now.

How to Structure Your Church for Growth (Part 3)

Today’s post is the third in a 4 part series about structuring your church for growth.  If you missed the other two, you can find them here: Part 1 (by-laws) & Part 2 (church governance).

While the first two topics (by-laws and church governance) are areas where some churches are tied by denominational mandate or tradition, today’s topic addresses an area where every church has options: the budget.

Most of us in church leadership are familiar with the old quote, “show me your checkbook and I’ll tell you what’s important to you,” but too often we fail to strategically do the same analysis with our own church budgets.

Without serious attention, your church’s  budget can become bloated and confusing, often doing a poor job of allocating your resources toward the fulfillment of the vision.

I make no secret of how much I’ve learned in the area of church finances from Steve Stroope (co-author of Money Matters in Church and Senior Pastor of LakePointe Church in Rockwall, TX) over the years.

In their book, Stroope and Aubrey Malphurs suggest – based on studying growing, spiritually healthy churches – allocating your budget something like this:

• 10% – Missions
• 20% – Programming
• 50% – Personnel (staffing)
• 20% – Facilities

This is a great starting point.

Depending on your church’s unique situation, you may need to tweak these specific numbers, but the basics are solid. And the core principle is to have a plan! These percentages will help keep you from getting overextended in one area or another.

One area where you can adjust is personnel.  If you’re a small church you may need to spend a higher percentage on staff, and less in a larger church.  In fact, at The Journey, we aim to spend only about 30% on staff salaries.

We are able to run very lean in this area (and still compensate our staff well – check out ChurchStaffing.com for a good reference on how much to pay) and free up more of our budget to be used in the other areas.

So, how does your church’s budget break down?

Are any of these 4 areas drastically out of line with the above recommendations?

What can you do for 2010 that will help your church be a better, more effective steward of the resources that God provides?

P.S. For a great resource on church finances and more about this topic, check out Improve the Financial Fitness of Your Church (with Steve Stroope).

How to Structure Your Church for Growth (Part 2)

A couple of weeks ago I shared the first of a few posts that I’m writing about “structuring your church for growth”. It was about writing church by-laws, and if you missed it you can read it here.

Today I’d like to address another key issue in the area of church structure by starting with a quote I’ve heard my friend and mentor Rick Warren say many times:

“You can structure your church for growth or for control… but not both.”

This statement (which I’ve seen hold true time and time again) is never more true than in the area of church government.

In other words, if your primary goal in building your church structure is to control everything so that nothing ever goes wrong, you will never see significant growth in reaching the unchurched for Christ.

So, assuming you’re willing to relinquish some control for the sake of growing, what does this sort of church governance look like?

Keep these three words in mind: SIMPLE, FAST and FLEXIBLE.

In most states, the law requires you to have 3 officers for incorporation purposes, 2 of which must be external (you’ll need to check the specifics for your state).  That places our goal of simplicity firmly within reach. These “officers” will also serve as the board of overseers of the church.

So, who should be your officers? I highly recommend the lead pastor of the church in question serve as the chairperson and 2 other pastors (from other churches).

No one else is qualified to handle the unique issues and questions that this board will face like another pastor. Too often, we place an unfair burden on our church members by asking them to vote on and make decisions about issues that are foreign to them (especially if your church is truly reaching the unchurched).

As with any other position, board members should never be asked to serve without a timeline and they should rotate off at the chairperson’s discretion.

What does this board do? For one thing, they vote to approve the church’s annual budget.  At The Journey, the church body as a whole gets a chance to ask questions and provide input at a special forum, the budget itself is set and approved by the board.

As a part of this budget approval process, the board will need to determine what percentage of spending needs further approval. The board also serves as a salary committee, determining how much staff members will get paid.

In addition, the external board has the authority and responsibility to intervene in the case of moral failure or other disqualifying events on the part of the lead pastor.

You must also know that voting brings liability.  Every voting board member is liable for the decisions they make in this role.  To protect them, be sure to add Board Member liability insurance to your church’s insurance package.

What does all this do for your church? Well, it frees you up to move quickly in making decisions and gives your church the flexibility to pursue the vision that God has laid out, without unnecessary (and often divisive) meetings and votes.

P.S. I am able to spend a great deal more time and go into much further detail discussing church structure in my Senior Pastor Coaching Networks.

I have 3 brand new networks beginning in a few months (one tele-coaching and two on-site networks) – check them out and download an application by clicking here.

Igniting Growth In Your Church – Week 2 of 6

Today is the second installment of my 6-week blog series, “Igniting Growth In Your Church.” This Thursday series is your sneak peak into the pages of my new book, Ignite: How To Spark Immediate Growth In Your Church. If you are one of the tens of thousands who are already reading Ignite, well, thanks! I trust that this series will serve as a weekly reminder and reinforcement of what you are learning.

Last week we uncovered four of the most powerful reasons for doing a big day. Once you decide to go for it, the next step is to pick the most strategic date…

Today’s Topic: When Should I Do A big Day?

Here are four of the best times of year for a successful big day:

1. Easter Sunday – The Built-In Big Day - Easter is a big day “gimmie.” God has already put this one on the calendar for you, so your job is to maximize the increased turn out you are already destined to have. If you’ve never done a big day, this is a great one to start with because a large part of the structure is already in place.

2. Fall – The Back-To-School Big Day - The second best time of the year for a big day is one month after school begins. Yes, you read correctly – you should schedule your big day for approximately one month after school begins. Your regular attenders and members won’t all start returning with normalcy until the Sunday after school begins. You need some time for them to get back in the swing of things before your big day.

Also, we’ve found that reaching unchurched people is even more difficult than usual for the first couple of weeks after school starts.  They are consumed with getting everyone back in a routine.  Give them a month to settle into the school year and get back on track. Then, they’ll be more ready to accept your invitation to attend a big day.

3. February – The Unexpected Big Day - You may be surprised by this, but February is an extremely effective time to do a big day. It’s a hidden gem of a month that you can maximize to help you break through growth barriers. Why? First of all, February is a time of the year when people are home. No one is traveling; they’re hibernating. Secondly, February brings with it a host of emotional needs that stay repressed during other months. The days are short. It’s dark. In a lot of households, this leads to tension and fighting.

February is also an ideal time for a big day because of its proximity to Easter. If you have a big day in mid-February, you will usually have five to eight weeks before Easter. That double boom of two big days close together is a great way to build fast momentum and break through some barriers.

4. Your Pick – The Big Day of Choice

To fill in any seeming dry spells in your annual calendar, I suggest that you pick one more day each year and make it a big day. This big day probably won’t be as big as your Easter, fall and February big days – because it won’t necessarily have the natural rhythm of the calendar supporting it – but it can give you another burst of momentum at what you consider a low time.

To balance out The Journey’s annual calendar, I usually create a big day in the summer. I will either kick off a big summer sermon series or leverage an existing day, like Father’s Day, and turn it into a reason for people to invite their friends.  Be creative.

For more information on planning and executing a big day, make sure to pick up your copy of Ignite: How To Spark Immediate Growth In Your Church. You may also want to check out my audio resource, “The Big Day.” Just click here.

Once you decide why and when to do a big day, what’s your next step? That’s what we’ll talk about next Thursday. Don’t miss it!

- Nelson

P.S. – I just recorded a brief podcast on doing a big day, called “Is it possible to double my church in a day?” You can listen to it by clicking here.

P.P.S. – I also have some upcoming LIVE Ignite Seminars in North Carolina (one in the Charlotte area and another in the Raleigh area) – check out this link.

And watch for more Live Ignite events in 2010!

Igniting Growth In Your Church – Week 1 of 6

Today marks two weeks since the release of my latest book, Ignite: How to Spark Immediate Growth in Your Church. I always say that leaders are readers – and thanks to leaders like you, Ignite has already begun to impact communities around the world. So, thanks for your passion and commitment to expanding God’s kingdom!

I am kicking off a six-week blog series today, called “Igniting Growth In Your Church.” If you haven’t gotten your copy of Ignite yet, this Thursday series will give you a sneak peek into its pages and uncover some key concepts for sparking your church’s growth. If you are one of the many who have already started studying Ignite, this series will provide you with some bite-sized reminders and reinforcement.

My hope is that these posts will leave you all with something to think about as you go through your day… and drive you even deeper in your study of how to spark immediate growth in your church.

Today’s Topic: Why Should I Do A Big Day?

First of all, let me define what exactly a big day is. A big day is an all-out push toward a single Sunday for the purpose of breaking the next growth barrier and setting an attendance record, in order to reach as many people as possible for Jesus.

Why should you worry about pushing past your next growth barrier? Why do a big day? Here are four reasons to consider:

1. Do a big day to reach new people – The biggest reason to do a big day is to cooperate with God in reaching the most people possible for the kingdom while we still can. We have a responsibility to do as much as we can to bring people to Christ and grow them up into spiritual maturity. Isn’t that why we do what we do?

Reaching our communities is not going to happen without intentional effort on our part. We can’t just stick to the status quo and assume that the people in our churches are going to be filled with a passion to reach others for Jesus. We have to make a concerted decision to put time and energy into connecting with the world beyond our doors. That’s where the vision for a big day begins – with a heart for the community and a heart to reach new people before God’s final big day.

2. Do a big day to make the devil mad – Okay, this shouldn’t be your primary reason for doing a big day, but every once in a while it’s good to do something that will irk Satan. If he’s not bothered by what you are doing, you must not be doing much against his cause. Or as a pastor/mentor of mine once advised me, ‘If you haven’t met the devil head on lately, maybe its because you are moving in the same direction!’

3. Do a big day to grow the Christians in your church – There’s nothing like doing a big day to ignite some passion in your people and mobilize them for service. When you share your vision for reaching a new level through a big day, you will find people more than willing to give extra time and energy to the cause. They will be eager to reach out to their friends, family and co-workers. You will spur them on to greater spiritual growth by giving them the opportunity to take part in something bigger than themselves.

4. Do a big day to build momentum in your church – I run into a lot of churches who say, “We feel like our momentum is beginning to wane.” If you can relate, that’s all the more reason to do a big day. Big days build momentum by uniting your people in a common goal, attracting buzz from the community, and propelling you to the next level of growth.

For more information on planning and executing a big day, make sure to pick up your copy of Ignite: How To Spark Immediate Growth In Your Church. You may also want to check out my audio resource, The Big Day. Just click here.

Now that you’ve discovered some of the strongest “whys” for doing a big day, you definitely won’t want to miss next Thursday’s installment of “Igniting Growth In Your Church.” We’ll be looking at the “whens” – the four most effective times of year to do your big day. In the meantime, take some time to envision the effects that a well-planned big day could have on your church…

- Nelson

P.S. I’m have upcoming Ignite Seminars in New York City, Charlotte and Raleigh – follow this link for more info

How to Structure Your Church for Growth (Part 1)

Launching a new church is a process full of decisions and potential pitfalls that threaten to stunt your new church’s growth.

Many of these decisions fall into a category we would call “church structure.”  Since it’s one of the 9 Growth Barriers that all churches face, today I’m beginning a series of posts on Church Structure.

A lot of times, people email me or ask in coaching networks if I can send them a copy of our by-laws from The Journey because they want to see “how we did it.”

I can’t do that, but I can give you one big principle when it comes to writing your by-laws AND the name of some people who can help.

Early on in the life of a church, you have to realize that no matter what you have in place, the overwhelming majority of the responsibility and liability belongs to the pastor.

Sometimes young churches stipulate so much in their by-laws – whether because of their tradition or past experience or bad advice – that they effectively tie their hands when it comes time to make decisions down the road.

The key when it comes to writing By-Laws for your new church is found in the term itself, “by law.” “By law,” what are you required to have in writing?  What is the minimum requirement “by law” for your church to operate?

Keep the by-laws basic and don’t include anything that you don’t absolutely need to include.

How do you write legal by-laws that won’t threaten to limit your church’s growth?  Ask people who know.

When it comes to church legal advice, I recommend Church Law Group. They are the lawyers and corporate structure experts that we use at The Journey.  We consult them before doing anything that may have legal implications.  They’re the best in the business!

P.S.  For more on the 9 Growth Barriers that every church faces, check out The Growth Barriers Workshop.

The Great Growth Barrier Giveaway (Free Resource)

I hear from a lot of church leaders from one week to the next and I have heard a common theme lately that has me pretty excited.

It’s a theme of faith, expectation and motivation, an understanding that God wants your church to grow and you want to do what it takes to cooperate with Him.

I agree and I really want to help you break your next growth barrier this fall.

So, with that desire and in preparation for my new Tele-Coaching Network (which begins in two weeks), I want to give you your choice of one of my bestselling Growth Barriers resources (Breaking the 65, 125, 250 or 500 Barrier).

To receive your Free Growth Barriers resource, click the link below and enter the current growth barrier you’re facing (65, 125, 250 or 500):

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/giveaway

P.S.  There’s still time to apply for my new Senior Pastor Tele-Coaching Network, but you need to hurry!  For more info and to apply, click here.

Church Growth Hero – Dr. Ralph Winter

Yesterday was the memorial service for Dr. Ralph Winter.  I only met Dr. Winter one time at a missions planning meeting in Irvine, CA, but his writings and speaking have had a great impact on my thinking.

I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say that Dr. Winter was the most influential missiologist of the second half of the 20th century.  He was the founder of the U.S. Center for World Mission, William Carey International University, and the International Society for Frontier Missiology.

Beyond all of that, perhaps his most notable contribution to world missions was his introduction of the concept of “unreached people groups” in 1974.  This led to a shift in thinking from a country by country approach to a more Biblical, “all peoples” approach to reaching the world for Christ.

I hope you’ll take a moment to thank God for Dr. Ralph Winter and for using him in such a powerful way to stoke the fire of world evangelization.

Dr. Ralph D. Winter
1924 – 2009

Here are a couple of Dr. Winter’s most influential works:

• Perspectives on the World Christian Movement
• Dr. Winter’s Paper Lausanne 1974

Q & A: Too Much Space?

I just want to thank all of you (over 600 senior pastors) who participated in one of my Top 3 Growth Barriers Webinars last week.  What an awesome experience!

Here’s one of the follow-up questions I answered about the SPACE growth barrier:

Q: As I was listening to you teach about the “space” growth barrier, I got to thinking about our situation and wondering if there is a “reverse space” growth barrier as well…

In other words, is there a point when the room is too empty?  At what point does the room feel so empty that the extra seats become another growth barrier altogether?  What can be done if “too much space” is having a negative impact to growth?

A: Thanks so much for logging on for the Top 3 Growth Barriers Webinar.  I hope you found it helpful!

Let me first say that your questions is a good one and it sounds to me like you’re asking the right questions trying to find out what’s keeping your church from growing.

Here’s my basic advice on this issue: It’s easier to make a large space feel smaller than to make a small space feel big.

If the space is too large, there are some very practical things you can do to “shrink” the area.

One great technique for shrinking the space is to put up pipe and drape (like you might see at a trade show) to cordon off part of the space so you have about twice as many seats as you need.  If you have the measurements of your building, a company like Georgia Expo can supply you with the pipe and drape.

Let’s say you have 100 people, you would use the pipe and drape to shrink the room to 200 seats or so.  As your church grows, you simply move the pipe and drape back, opening up more and more seats.  This does a great job of creating the smaller space and gives you plenty of flexibility to expand as you grow.

We use this technique at The Journey’s Brooklyn location and it works great.

I have also used custom chair covers to cut off the chairs in the back of the room (forcing people to sit toward the front).

I hope that helps!

P.S. You can learn all about SPACE and the other 8 most common growth barriers that all churches face, regardless of size, in The Growth Barriers Workshop.