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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 - 2009Here are a couple of Dr. Winter’s most influential works:
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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.
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Free Webinars this Week!
We have over 400 Senior Pastors signed up for my Top 3 Growth Barriers Webinars this week, are you one of them?
I’m pumped about the response we have gotten so far. After originally planning to offer this webinar free to the first 50 Senior Pastors, we were overwhelmed (in a good way).The team and I went back to the drawing board, made some new arrangements, and made sure we had plenty of space to accommodate everyone.
That being said, if you’re a Senior Pastor and haven’t signed up yet, we have room for you.
We’re offering the webinar at 4 different times from Tuesday through Thursday for your convenience (no matter which time zone you’re in) and it’s FREE.
To find out more or to register now, CLICK HERE. It’s not too late!
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Which Growth Barrier?
Here’s a recent question that the CLI team answered for a fellow pastor:
Q: In listening to you refer to the various growth barriers that churches face, I wasn’t sure which barrier we are currently contending with, and I was hoping for your opinion.
Our average weekend attendance in 2009 is 295. Does that mean we should work on the growth barriers for 500?
The reason I am curious about this, is because we have still had a couple weeks where we dipped well below 250 (198 and 215).
Are these two weekends indicative of still needing to get past the 250 barrier or should I focus on the specific aspects to break through the 500 barrier?
Thank you for taking the time to answer this question.
A: Thanks for your question. We encourage Pastors to evaluate their attendance based on adult attendance.
So, if your adult attendance is 298, then you are on the verge of breaking the 250 barrier (consistently) and then you’ll want to set goals to break the 500 barrier. If 298 includes kids, then you’re at the 250 barrier and will want to set goals to break 250.
It’s not uncommon to experience dips like you mentioned due to vacations, seasons and other factors. The ultimate goal is to make your highest attendance record become your average attendance number.
Don’t let the low days pull you back. Instead press forward consistently setting your goal upon your highest attendance record.
It sounds like God is doing some great things in His church. Keep pressing on!
Thanks for letting us partner with you in ministry.
P.S. A great resource for breaking growth barriers is The Growth Barriers Workshop, which outlines the 9 most common growth barriers that all churches face, regardless of size. Here’s the link:
https://nelsonsearcy.infusionsoft.com/cart/store.jsp?view=4&i=p281&navicat=47 -
Church Growth Hero - Elmer Towns
A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of speaking to 11,000 students at convocation at Liberty University and was further honored to sit on the platform with my old friend Elmer Towns.
He and Jerry Falwell founded the “little school” in Lynchburg, Virginia, back in 1971.These days, Dr. Towns is the Dean of the School of Religion at Liberty and that “little school” has over 11,400 students on campus and over 30,000 more enrolled through their online programs.
He has spent the last 60 years serving Jesus Christ and doing his part to see God’s Kingdom expand. I could write an entire post on the influence of his “Friend Day” concept alone (an idea that inspired my BIG DAY resource).
His writing and teaching contributions to the Church in America and around the world have come in such areas as: systematic theology, evangelism, church growth, church planting, fasting, prayer, and more.
If you don’t know much about Dr. Towns, here’s a link to his official bio: click here
Our server here at CLI doesn’t quite have enough space for me to list all the books that Elmer Towns has written over the last 5 decades, so here are a few that I recommend you order today and read as soon as they arrive:
- FASTING FOR SPIRITUAL BREAKTHROUGH
- THE EVERYCHURCH GUIDE TO GROWTH
Dr. Towns, thanks for your contribution to the Kingdom - and for being one of my heroes!
Nelson
P.S. Built on the shoulders of heroes like Elmer Towns and my own research and experience over the years, I have put together a resource called The Growth Barriers Workshop. Click here to secure your Boxed CD Set or Download It Now & save $20!
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Free Seminar for Senior Pastors in Miami
My friend and CLI Trainer Bob Franquiz is teaching my very popular “How to Break the Top 3 Growth Barriers” Workshop in Miami on Tuesday, December 9. It’s for Senior Pastors only and its FREE. I highly encourage you to attend if you are any where within driving distance. Follow this link for the details:
Free Top 3 Growth Barriers Workshop for Senior Pastors
Nelson
P.S. I’m on vacation this week in the Caribbean somewhere – I scheduled this post before I left. My posting will be irregular over the next two weeks.
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Church Growth Hero – Carl George
A few months ago, my hard working assistant Cristina buzzed my office and said, “Carl George is on the phone for you.” I cautiously asked, “Is he a member at The Journey?” She said, “Nope, he says you know him and he wants to hear more about your tele-coaching network.”
I picked up the phone and sure enough it was THE Carl George, the church growth guru and strategic thinker. Long story short, he had heard about my books and tele-coaching network and wanted to sit in. I couldn’t believe it – he wanted to learn from me! I was impressed by his ‘always willing to learn’ mentality.Two weeks ago, I was in San Diego speaking at the National Outreach Conference and I ran into Carl. We had a great time catching up (even though I was a bit intimidated by what he might have to say about my leadership of the tele-coaching network in which he had been participating). He’s truly a hero of mine.
If you don’t know him, here’s his official bio: click here
And here’s the books I recommend you pick up and memorize this month:
HOW TO BREAK GROWTH BARRIERS BY CARL GEORGE
NINE KEYS TO EFFECTIVE SMALL GROUP LEADERSHIPCarl, you are still the man!
Nelson
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Church Growth - A Saturday Thought
There is no formula for church growth but there is a formula for stagnation and decline and it is: inactivity.
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Answering Your Small Group Questions - Question #1 - What About Childcare?
Hi Everyone. Kerrick Thomas here. I’m the Exeuctive Pastor at The Journey Church and Co-Author of Launch and Activate with Nelson. Today, Thursday and Friday, I’m going to be answering some of the most common questions we get about small groups. Tomorrow (Wednesday), Nelson will be back with the weekly Slack = Lack post, which will be centered on the Small Groups System. Lots to learn about small
groups this week! Let’s dive in:Question #1: What do you do about childcare for small groups?
When it comes to small groups, you should stay out of the childcare business, no matter how much pressure you get to take on the responsibility. Believe me when I tell you that, if you don’t make this decision on the front end, childcare will become a growth barrier and logistical nightmare as your number of small groups grows.
The best solution is to empower each small group to be responsible for its own childcare needs. Be prepared to give your groups some creative and workable options:
1 – Have everyone in the group who has children pitch in financially to hire a baby sitter or two every week. When all of the parents give a little the cost is surprisingly minimal.
2 – Set up a rotation where a different couple in the group baby sits the children each week. Make sure no one has to baby sit more that once or twice during the semester.
3 – Challenge every couple with children to find a solution before coming to group (baby sitter, relative, etc.). After all, they have to find childcare when they go out on a date or have a work function. Most parents have several childcare options.
4 – Create a child-friendly group where parents are encouraged to bring their children. This works best with moms’ groups who meet during the day and plan their group around activities for the children.
These are just a few of the many options available to you. The big point is: Don’t get roped into providing the childcare solutions for your groups. Let the groups come up with creative solutions themselves, with some helpful input from you.
Take a few minutes to brainstorm other potential childcare options. What have you seen work? What would you like to try? Get some other people involved in this conversation and see where it leads.
Kerrick
P.S. If you want to dig deeper into what it takes to have successful groups, make sure you check out the new book Nelson and I just released, Activate: An Entirely New Approach To Small Groups.
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Learn to Break Your Next Growth Barrier at My New Webinar
My new webinar on Breaking the Top 3 Growth Barriers Every Church Faces is less than 24 hours away…but there’s still room for you! All you need to participate in this webinar is internet access, a phone and a desire to grow your church! Click here to register now.
The webinar is tomorrow, July 17, from 1:00pm - 3:00pm Eastern Daylight Time.
During this two hour live webinar, which is based on my bestselling Growth Barriers resources, you’ll learn:
- Why God gives us time to break growth barriers
- The top two decisions you must make to break the next barrier
- The right questions to ask in breaking barriers
- What is a growth barrier
- What is keeping your church from growing the way God desires
- How to identify and break the three most common barriers blocking your growth
- The 70% rule of church growth
- How to mobilize your people for evangelism
- How to cooperate with God to see your church growth
- The principle of spiritual readiness
- Plus much moreI can promise you that this webinar will be worth your time and investment. I’ve taught these principles to hundreds of pastors in church of 65 and 6500 and they’ve all told me they walked away with something that would help them grow.
You can get a sneak peak at what I will cover by downloading the webinar notes by clicking here.
So, click here to sign up now. I can’t wait to be with you on via telephone and webinar on Thursday.
Nelson
P.S. In case you are wondering, ‘what in the world is a webinar,‘ I answered that question here when we did our first one. Click here to read it.
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Do You Feel Stuck?
Have you ever felt like your attendance was just stuck? Like you haven’t grown in eons and don’t know how to? Believe me, I have! Most churches face growth barriers at five points – when their attendance hits 65, 125, 250, 500, and/or 1000. When you feel like you are on the edge of getting stuck, the first thing you need to do is make sure you are asking the right question about growth:
The Wrong Question: How do I get my church to grow? Your job is not to force growth. When you think growth is your responsibility, you will inevitably make bad decisions.
The Right Question: What is keeping my church from growing? Healthy organisms grow. If you feel stagnation setting in, understand that there are barriers inhibiting your growth and put a plan in place to remove them.
Once you have started asking the right question, remember:
God Wants Your Church To Grow - Your church is an essential part of God’s redemptive plan. Of course He wants it to grow. Just take a look at 2 Peter 3:9. Growth signals repentance and life change.
You Want Your Church To Grow - Sometimes thinking about the next phase of growth can scare us into inactivity. Don’t get discouraged or let doubt set in. God never gives you a vision without supplying what you need to fulfill it.
When you are asking the right question, and you know in your core that both you and God want your church to go to the next level, you will be on your way to meaningful, Kingdom-building growth.
- Nelson
P.S. - Do you know what the most common growth barriers are and how to break them? If not, check out these growth barrier downloads.
Recent: Growth Barriers
Church Leader Insights is a bi-weekly publication sent via email that focuses on effective leadership, church growth, church planting evangelism and much more.
My Books
Ignite: How to Spark Immediate Growth in Your Church
Activate: A Totally New Approach to Small Groups
