Breaking Through Church Growth BarriersBreaking Through Church Growth Barriers

By Dave By Dave PagePage

Stuck in America

87% of Protestant congregations in America are stagnant or declining

77% of people on church boards said the quality of their spiritual life “went down” while serving

The average church in America has 87 people

Most congregations are small but most people are in large congregations (National Congregation Study at Duke Univ.)

85% of all churches in America average less than 200 in worship attendance

The biggest growth barrier of all is the 200 barrier

Begin with the right question

The Wrong Question: How do I get my church to grow?

The Right Question: What is keeping my church from growing?

Change

The only person who likes change is a baby with

a wet diaper. Mark

Twain

Ten Essentials For Breaking Ten Essentials For Breaking Church Growth Barriers:Church Growth Barriers:

1. A 1. A desiredesire to change and to change and grow.grow.

Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone. But if it dies, it then bears fruit.”

John 12:24

New Wine for New WineskinsThe only real answer (to the challenge of change) is to learn more about what creates successful change and to develop change skills in yourself and others.

John P. Kotter, author of Leading Change

2. A compelling 2. A compelling vision.vision.

Leadership is about going somewhere

Three Key Elements of a Compelling Vision:

- A significant purpose – what business are we in? - A picture of the future – what will the future look

like if we are successful? - Clear values – What guides your behavior and

decisions on a daily basis? (Lead Like Jesus – Become a servant leader)

Illustration: Nehemiah and Jesus

3. A sense of 3. A sense of urgencyurgency..

YBH?

By creating a sense of urgency

“Unfreeze” some portion of the status quoBuild a convincing, inclusive case for changeIdentify sources of organizational complacency; create a sense of urgency

Urgency pushes people into action Vision points (steers) people in the right direction

Illustration of urgency: Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem

Two Approaches to Change: Logic and Logic and EmotionEmotion The Heart of Change Field GuideAnalysis—Think—Change

1. Give people analysis.Information is gathered and analyzed, reports are written, and presentations are made about problems, solutions, or progress in solving urgency, teamwork, communication, momentum slippage, or other key problems within the eight steps.

As a result…

2. Data and analysis influence how we think.The information and analysis change people’s thinking. Ideas inconsistent with the needed change are dropped or modified.

3. New thoughts change behavior or reinforce changed behavior.

See—Feel—Change

1. Help people see.Compelling, eye-catching, dramatic situations are created to help others visualize problems, solutions, or progress in solving complacency, strategy, empowerment, or other key problems within the eight steps.

As a result…

2. Seeing something new hits the emotions.The visualizations provide useful ideas that hit people at a deeper level than surface thinking. They evoke a visceral response that reduces emotions that block change and enhances those that support it.

3. Emotionally charged ideas change behavior or reinforce changed behavior.

Eight-Step Process For Leading Successful Change

1. Increase urgency

2. Build guiding teams

3. Get the vision right

4. Communicate for buy-in

5. Enable action

6. Create short-term wins

7. Don’t let up

8. Make it stick

The Heart of Change Field Guide by Dan S. Cohen

Creating a climate for change

Engaging & enabling the whole organization

Implementing & sustaining the change

4. A new A new focusfocus..

Focus on 2 groups:

- Lost- Leaders

Jesus did life with 12 leaders in whom he invested large chunks of time with. And his primary ministry focus was to “seek and save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)

5. The role of the pastor must change.

From …A minister to leaderA shepherd to rancherA provider to equipperA one man show to a mobilizerA soloist to a multiplier

Book: The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey (Blanchard, Oncken, Burrows)

Conflict/Priorities: Acts 6 – Delegation. Out of their priority came production. Also, Jethro and Moses in Exodus 18. “The thing that you do is not good.”

6. 6. ReleasingReleasing the laity. the laity.

And he (Christ) gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-12

Every time we refer to vocational clergy as “the minister,” we drive nails into the coffin of the priesthood of the believer.

Frank Tillapaugh

Help people discover their spiritual gifts! (1 Cor. 12-14)

Laity vs. ClergyOPEN CLOSED Kingdom ChurchLaity ClergyMessage Methods Leader ManagerSpecialist GeneralistResp. w/auth. Resp. w/out

auth.

For God’s will to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven, we need an army of moms, backpackers and artists serving with the same sense of calling possessed by the clergy.

YBH? D-1 & D-2 Ministries

Dimension 1 and Dimension 2 Ministries

D-1- what people expect in a church- consumer driven – people come looking for them- led by paid staff or a key volunteer- generally connected with the church’s facility- continually supplied with leaders- normally funded from the church’s budget- classified as either worship or edification- top-down directed

D-2 Ministries

D-2- not expected to be found in a church - normally not run by paid staff - not necessarily connected to the facility- born out of Philippians 2:12-13 strategy - not automatically supplied with leaders

- not normally funded from the church budget- sometimes operated by a separate structure - directed from the bottom up

Examples: MOPS, This Old House, Oil changes for single moms, Ministry to bikers, The Hole in the Head Gang, Feeding the homeless in the park

7. 7. HiringHiring additional staff additional staff

Multiple StaffSpecialization50% Rule

Build a staff which builds ministries which build peopleStaff which attracts growthStaff which supports growth

Hire for: 1. Character (Can I trust them?) 2. Competence (Can they do it?), 3. Chemistry (Can I hang with them?) 4. Culture (Do they fit our organization?)

8. 8. DevelopingDeveloping multiple multiple cellscells

3 Kinds of Churches:

- Single Cell Churches- Multiple Cell Churches- Multiple Congregation Churches

9. 9. BigBig daysdays

Pyramiding growth through big daysA stair step approach to growthIntentionally create new waves of people

Seasonal waves:1. Christmas2. Easter3. Friend’s Day (Beg. of

school/Fall)4. Mother’s Day5. New Year (Jan.)6. Father’s Day?

Waves: front door waves, message waves, staffing waves, D-1 & D-2 waves, church campaigns, extravaganzas (4th of July, End of Summer Party)

10. 10. Adding Adding additional additional servicesservices

After you add staff, add additional worship services

70-80% full ratio – worship seating capacity, parking, or children’s classrooms

Keep a close watch on your facility

Try to view things through first-time guest eyes

Prioritize your ministry to children and teens

50% of the world is now younger than 16

80% of people who become Christian do so before age 21

A new service pays big dividends to the children’s ministry

ResourcesResources

Breaking the 200 Barrier – Bill Sullivan Calling – Frank TillapaughComeback Churches – Ed StetzerDeveloping a Thriving Church (CD’s) – Ray JohnstonHow to Break the 200-300 Barrier (article) – Rick WarrenHow to Break Growth Barriers – Carl GeorgeLeading at a Higher Level – Ken BlanchardLeading Change by John Kotter Leading Your Church to Growth by C. Peter WagnerNEXT Networks material – Ron Sylvia Planting Missional Churches – Ed Stetzer The Heart of Change (Field Guide) by Dan CohenThe One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey – Ken Blanchard