the manna newspaper (july edition)

JULY 2014 The MANA Newspaper | 1

MINISTERIAL ALLIANCE OF NORTH AMITYVILLE

Church And Community ...........................................................5It’s Praying Time ......................................................................6Summer Lunch Feeding Program ...........................................7Independence Day, Our Christian Heritage .........................8Amityville Day Festival .......................................................10Acting Amityville Schools Chief Elevated To Permanent Status ...................................... 11

Congratulation To Our Graduates .....................................12Remembering A Phenomenal Woman: Dr. Maya Angelou ..14Lion’s Visioning For The Future ...........................................17Five Reasons Your Church Is Not Growing .........................18Things That Won’t Help Your Church To Grow ...................20Check It Out: Tips For You To Engage Members Online ......24Thank God For Small Churches ..........................................26

Inside


The MANA NewspaperMinisterial Alliance of

North AmityvilleNewspaper staff

Dr. David RobinsonPresident

Pastor Keith Hayward

Executive Editor

Bishop Andy C. Lewter

Managing Editor

Pastor Roy KirtonConsultant

admiNistrative assistaNts

Vernell DuncanSharon JacksonNadine Johnson

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4 | The MANA Newspaper JULY 2014

From the Desk of Bishop Lewter, Managing Editor

I am so pleased to greet you in the name of our Lord and take this time to wish you and your family a most pleasant day. In this issue we are moving into the summer months of July, August DQG�6HSWHPEHU��,�ZDQW�WR�EH�RQH�RI�WKH�ͤUVW�RI�RXU�RUJDQL]DWLRQ�WR�congratulate Dr. David Robinson, Pastor of the Shaw Temple African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church of Amityville, on his election to WKH�RͦFH�RI�3UHVLGHQW�RI�WKH�0LQLVWHULDO�$OOLDQFH�RI�1RUWK�$PLW\YLOOH�and Vicinity.

I am so looking forward to working with him and his staff. Standing alongside Dr. Robinson is Pastor Keith Hayward of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Copiague. The combination of Pastor Robinson and Pastor Hayward promises to be a powerful FRPELQDWLRQ�WKDW�ZLOO�QR�GRXEW�SURGXFH�VWHOODU�EHQHͤWV�IRU�RXU�community.

I take this time to solicit all of our readers to keep the new leadership of our alliance in your prayers. I am convinced that their leadership is a God move in our neighborhood and those of us who are blessed to follow them can be assured that their leadership will be guided by God.

From the Office of the PresidentCongratulations to all of the graduates from the various churches listed in this edition.

May God’s richest blessings upon you, as you continue to climb the ladder of success.

To the Body of Christ, I solicit your prayers for the release of the abducted Nigerian Women, the family of Maya Angelou, and broken families everywhere.

The prayer of the righteous availeth much.

Be Blessed,

Rev. Dr. David Robinson


Church and CommunityRev. Keith Hayward

has the reputation of being the “life” of the community. Schools no longer rely on the voice of the faith community to bring about change. Neighbors no ORQJHU�UHO\�RQ�WKH�LQͥXHQFH�RI�the church to keep the peace in the community. The American culture does not promote church attendance the way it did years ago, it no longer accepts the church as a player at the table in public life, and can be hostile to the church’s presence. The church culture is on life support. It is living off of the work, money, and energy of previous generations. The ͤUH�WKDW�RQFH�EXUQHG�LQ�WKH�hearts and minds of the people of the church as they went into WKH�FRPPXQLW\�QRZ�ͤ]]OHV�from inside of the building. Unfortunately, the church has shifted from being the church to doing church. We have an open door yet we have only invited those who we want to be apart. The “whosoever” was forced out years ago and now the church is dying.

The church has lost its reputation within the community GXH�WR�LQWHUQDO�FRQͥLFW�DPRQJ�FOHUJ\�DQG�LQͤJKWLQJ�DPRQJ�WKH�parishioners. The voice of the church has been handed over to the local government, due to our blindness to community needs and concerns. Let it be clear that this is not a JHQHUDO�VWDWHPHQW�EXW�LW�ͤWV�

communities where the church has not voiced concerns about the decline of the social moral standard within the community. There must be a coming together of local government and the local church to foster a stronger community. There is a population who are unchurched because of the lack of evangelism and outreach. Feeding at Thanksgiving and toys for Christmas is not enough, we have become a seasonal church. We have not embraced the change that has taken place within the community. The church has moved into the post-modern ZRUOG��7KHUHIRUH�ZH�PXVW�UHDOL]H�the church has to shift with the community

Even with all of that, I don’t believe that the death of the church culture, means the death of the Black church or the church in general. Many people scurry to the church, not because they had a sudden interest in the church, but because they have a huge need for God. They still seek sacred places to build relationship with God. We must become a welcoming place. I believe this should spark an interest for church and community to come together in times of shared grief. The church must desire to help the powerless. When we open our doors we must also open our hearts and minds.

What does it mean to be a welcoming place? The church has historically stood as the place where all are welcome. The church stood as the lighthouse in the midst of the community. Everyone knew that the Church was the place where people could come for help, healing, and wholeness. As ,�UHͥHFW�RYHU�WKH�ODVW��\HDUV��,�see where the community has become resistant to the church. The children are no longer sent to Sunday school, people are watching tele-sermons, and the doors of the church are open according to what works best for the church members. What happened? When did the church become the rejected place instead of the safe place?

I believe that there has been a collapse of the trusted life FKDQJLQJ�LQͥXHQFH�RI�FKXUFK�culture. The church no longer


My Brothers and Sisters, we are living in a sick world, in a sick society, amongst sick people. Even in the bounds of the Christian arena, one can indentify unholy warfare within our ranks.

If ever there was a time for the Body of Christ to come together in prayer, regardless of our denominational background, it is now. 7KH�%LEOH�GHFODUHV�ZLWK�WUXPSHW�FODULW\�LQ��QG�&KURQLFOHV��,I�P\�people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

,̵P�UHPLQGHG�RI�WKH�ZRUGV�RI�WKH�VRQJ�WKDW�VD\V��/HW�XV�VLQJ�WLOO�WKH�power of the Lord comes down. It is my hope and earnest prayer that the Clergy within the MANA Family will come together on one accord and pray till the power of the Lord comes down. Through prayer we can re-claim our communities. Through prayer we can victoriously make our way through the awesome challenges, FRQͥLFWV��WHPSWDWLRQV��WULEXODWLRQV��WHVWV��WULDOV��SUHVVXUHV��SDLQV��persecutions, and problems we encounter daily.

0\�IHOORZ�FOHUJ\�SHUVRQV��3UD\HU�VKRXOG�DOZD\V�EH�WKH�ͤUVW�DQG�ODVW�order of business on our agenda, because it keeps us connected with God. Prayer is the key to an effective walk with God, a thriving ministry, an ordered life, strong family ties, and a positive Christian LQͥXHQFH�ZLWKLQ�WKH�FRPPXQLWLHV�ZKHUH�ZH�DUH�FDOOHG�WR�VKDSH��serve, and share. Let us not forget that the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much.

IT’S PRAYING TIMEBy: Rev. Dr. David I. Robinson


Summer Lunch Feeding ProgramBy Bishop Andy C. Lewter

Understanding that many of the school aged children in our neighborhood may only have one meal a day and that meal coming from the lunch programs in their schools, the USDA has resumed its Summer Lunch Feeding Program.

The return of this program is of particular interest WR�WKLV�ZULWHU�EHFDXVH�LW�ZDV�LQ��DQG��that I worked in the summer feeding program here in Suffolk County. I began as the coordinator of for Amityville, Copiague and East Farmindale and went on to run the entire Suffolk County program for the last two summers of my college career.

That is why I am so delighted to learn that churches in our community have been awarded the opportunity to provide free lunches to FKLOGUHQ��\HDUV�RI�DJH�DQG�EHORZ��,�ZRXOG�OLNH�WR�commend and congratulate Pastor Roy Kirton for his leadership in this area.


)RU��\HDUV��$PHULFD�KDV�been blessed as the longest on-going Constitutional Republic in the history of the world. These blessings are not accidental – they are blessings of God. This is evident as we look at the turmoil in other nations and contrast that to the stability we see in America. Preserving $PHULFDQ�OLEHUW\�GHSHQGV�ͤUVW�upon our understanding of the foundations on which this great country was built, and

Independence Day, Our Christian HeritageBy David Bartona

of Philadelphia, and afterwards they rang the Liberty Bell. The inscription on the top RI�WKH�EHOO�LV�/HYLWLFXV��which reads, "Proclaim liberty throughout the land and to all the inhabitants thereof."

John Adams said, "The general principles on which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity." Probably WKH�FOHDUHVW�LGHQWLͤFDWLRQ�

then it depends on preserving the principles on which it was founded.

2Q�-XO\��&RQJUHVV�voted to approve a complete separation from England. Two days later, the early draft of the Declaration of Independence was signed. Four days later, members of Congress took the document and read it out loud from the steps of Independence Hall, proclaiming it to the city


of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty." John Adams believed that the Fourth of July should be a religious holiday. The two top holidays celebrated in this country are Christmas and the Fourth of July. According to John Quincy Adams, the two dates are connected. On the Fourth of July, the Founding Fathers simply took the precepts of Christ and His birth (Christmas) and incorporated those principles into civil government.

The Declaration of Independence was the birth FHUWLͤFDWH�IRU�WKLV�QDWLRQ��EXW�the men who signed it knew it could be their death warrant. The closing paragraph states, "And for the support of this 'HFODUDWLRQ��ZLWK�D�ͤUP�UHOLDQFH�of the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge

to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." 7KH��)RXQGLQJ�)DWKHUV��RI�ZKRP�ZHUH�WUDLQHG�DV�ministers, took their pledge seriously. On the morning of the signing, there was silence and gloom as each man was called up to the table of the President of Congress to sign the document, knowing that it could mean their death by hanging.

Most wars have a motto. The motto of World War II was "Remember Pearl Harbor." The motto during the Texas war for independence was "Remember the Alamo." The spiritual emphasis, directed towards King George III who violated God’s laws, gave rise to a motto during the American 5HYROXWLRQ��1R�.LQJ�EXW�.LQJ�Jesus." The Founding Fathers passed the torch to us. It is our responsibility to not let it go out.

of the spirit of the American Revolution was given by John in a letter to Abigail the day after Congress approved the Declaration. He wrote her two OHWWHUV�WKDW�GD\��2QH�ZDV�VKRUW�and jubilant that the Declaration had been approved; the other letter was much longer and gave serious consideration to what had been done that day. Adams could already foresee that their actions would be celebrated by future generations.

a differeNt Holiday

$GDPV�DOVR�QRWHG��7KLV�GD\�will be the most memorable epic in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival." He felt the celebration should be in a manner that would commemorate the day as a "day


supported us we had plenty of entertainment from the local talent, and plenty of food from the mom and pop vendors. It was a time to remember for the North Amityville community.

The children had games and all sorts of things to keep them occupied during this time as the years moved on. A memorable moment was when the one and only Arthur Prysock showed up and showed out; the entertainment was superb. We have through the years had several celebrities come back and give to the community like Jeanette Du’bois (Wilona from Good Times), Pastor Donnie McClurkin, (/Sunday’ Best/Gospel Singer) Kene Holiday (Matlock), Cameo (Singing Group), Chico Benymon (Half/Half), Michael James (NBA) and Kenny “Spider” Webb (Radio Personality)

I remember the ACE Community Drill team young students who hailed from the Amityville/Copiague community. They often traveled to other parades to perform. We were proud of them and when they marched in Amityville Day Parade the

Amityville Day Festivalby Madeline Quintyne

crowd would cheer them on. So many wonderful stories have been told moving through the years. Our School bands have increased and with great enthusiasm. Church and Community participation has increased. The Town of Babylon continues to show support along with the Village of Amityville. The Suffolk County Police and the Amityville and North Amityville Fire Department continue to support us in our endeavor.

To all of our participants we have been extremely appreciative of all who took the WLPH�WR�FUHDWH�ͥRDWV�DQG�PXVLF�from the back of their vehicles so the young people could dance and march in the parade. This has been a humbling experience to all who have had any association with Amityville Day. The committee consists of local residents who work hard every year to make sure the community festival/family day is successful.

The Committee said without you there would be no Community Day Festival we look forward to VHHLQJ�\RX�QH[W�\HDU��̿

The North Amityville Community Day Festival Committee would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued VXSSRUW�IRU�WKH�ODVW��\HDUV��:H�hope that you had the time to come and enjoy the festivities this year, however if you were not able to attend we look forward to seeing you next year.

The North Amityville Day Festival was birth from the ACE Community Center on Commerce Blvd. It was an idea of several people Delores Quintyne, Mattie Angus, Evelyn Miller, Howard Jennings and Joe Wallace, Sherman Patterson, Claude Blackett these three young men were from the Suffolk County Probation Department. The Parade originated from the Village of Amityville and we walked from the Village down to Albany Ave, to Great Neck Road to Commerce Blvd. It was a wonderful three miles. )RUW\�\HDUV�DJR�WKH�ͤUVW�SDUDGH�consisted of Mr. Vernon Reed and our locality Major Mr. -RVHSK�*RRGH�DV�WKH�ͤUVW�Grand Marshals. The Copiague H.S. Band was the only band in the parade. The Churches


Acting Amityville schools chief elevated to permanent status

The Amityville Board of Education has appointed acting superintendent Mary T. Kelly to the post of VXSHULQWHQGHQW��HIIHFWLYH�-XO\��

“I can’t begin to say how truly honored and humbled I am to serve this district as your superintendent, she said.

Kelly received her bachelor's and master's degrees from Hofstra University and her doctorate in education from Dowling College.

.HOO\��RI�.LQJV�3DUN��has been the district's top administrator since superintendent John R. Williams died in February.

Before coming to Amityville LQ��DV�DQ�DVVLVWDQW�superintendent, she worked as director of Assessments, Research and Instructional Support in Kings Park. She also worked there as a high

school assistant principal and social studies teacher.

“I look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with the Board of Education, the staff, families, and the community to provide our children with the very best learning environment and every opportunity for success." “ All I can say is that Amityville is my second home and it is a place that is very near and dear to my heart. “Thank you for the trust you have placed in me; I take the responsibility seriously”.

There are many challenges ahead and it is vital that there is a partnership with School and County in educating our children.

Amityville School District has great potential, and we are up for the task of working to make our school district the Best District in New York!


Dr. Maya Angelou was one of the PRVW�UHQRZHG�DQG�LQͥXHQWLDO�voices of our time. She is a celebrated poet, novelist, educator, dramatist, producer, DFWUHVV��KLVWRULDQ��ͤOP�PDNHU��and Civil Rights Activist.

%RUQ�$SULO��LQ�6W��/RXLV�Missouri, she was raised in St. Louis and Stamps Arkansas. As a teenager, her love for the arts won her a scholarship to study dance and drama at San Francisco’s Labor School. At ��VKH�GURSSHG�RXW�WR�EHFRPH�6DQ�)UDQFLVFR̵V�ͤUVW�$IULFDQ�American cable car conductor. 6KH�ODWHU�UHWXUQHG�WR�ͤQLVK�DQG�graduate from high school. As a single mother supporting her son Guy, she worked as a waitress and cook, but her passion for music, dance, performance, and poetry would soon take center stage.

,Q��DQG��VKH�WRXUHG�Europe with the production of the opera Porgy and Bess. ,Q��VKH�UHFRUGHG�KHU��VW�DOEXP�&DO\SVR�/DG\��she moved to New York, and wrote and performed Cabaret IRU�)UHHGRP��VKH�PRYHG�to Cairo, Egypt where she served as Editor of the English Language weekly The Arab 2EVHUYHU��VKH�PRYHG�WR�Ghana where she taught at the University of Ghana’s School of Music and Drama. During her years abroad, she studied and mastered French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and the West African Language Fanti.

Remembering A Phenomenal Woman: Dr. Maya Angelou

6KH�UHWXUQHG�WR�$PHULFD�LQ��to assist Malcolm X build his QHZ�2UJDQL]DWLRQ�RI�$IULFDQ�American Unity. After Malcolm’s assassination, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. asked her to serve as Northern Coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

With the guidance of her friend, the novelist James Baldwin, she began work on the book HQWLWOHG��,�.QRZ�:K\�WKH�&DJHG�%LUG�6LQJV��3XEOLVKHG�LQ��LW�received International acclaim and enormous success within the United States. Her list of SXEOLVKHG�YHUVH��QRQ�ͤFWLRQ��DQG�ͤFWLRQ�QRZ�LQFOXGHV�PRUH�WKDQ��EHVWVHOOLQJ�WLWOHV�

Dr. Angelou has served on two Presidential Committees, and was awarded the Presidential

0HGDO�RI�$UWV�LQ��WKH�/LQFROQ�0HGDO�LQ��DQG�KDV�UHFHLYHG��*UDPP\�$ZDUGV��President Clinton requested that she compose a poem to be read at his inauguration in ��7KH�SRHP�VKH�ZURWH�ZDV�HQWLWOHG��̸2Q�WKH�3XOVH�RI�WKH�Morning”.

Dr. Angelou has received over ��+RQRUDU\�'HJUHHV��DQG�LV�Reynolds Professor of American Studies as Wake Forest University. She has departed these earthy shores, but her words and action continue WR�VWLU�RXU�VRXOV��HQHUJL]H�RXU�bodies, liberate our minds, and heal our hearts.

Sleep on Phenomenal Woman, and take your much deserved rest. The World salutes you for a job “Well Done”.

By: Rev. Dr. David I. Robinson


Courtesy of J. F. Goode Funeral Home/LOOLDQ�$��*UHHQ�� New Shiloh Baptist Church

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Full Obituaries can be found at www.goodefuneralhome.com

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Last month the Long Island 2UJDQL]LQJ�1HWZRUN�VWDUWHG�the process of visioning for the future as it relates to the RSHUDWLRQ�RI�WKH�RUJDQL]DWLRQ��7KH�/RQJ�,VODQG�2UJDQL]LQJ�Network, which is better known as LION, held a meeting last week at the Hollywood Full Gospel Baptist Cathedral in Amityville, NY so that it might explore creative ways that it could raise the issue of social justice more effectively in the Long Island community.

Toward that end, LION is asking that local pastors would

LION’s Visioning for the FutureBy Bishop Andy C. Lewter

consider of identifying and naming three persons from their congregations who would serve as “lay liaisons”. It would be their assignment to attend the monthly meetings of the RUJDQL]DWLRQ�DQG�UHSRUW�EDFN�WR�their pastor the contents of the meeting and share ways that the congregation can be supporting of the LION agenda.

This approach takes into consideration the hectic and busy schedules of the pastors and relieves them of having to be present on an ongoing basis. There will be times

that the presence of pastors will be key and critical to the mass action that LION may be engaged in. In those instances, the lay liaisons would assist in making sure that their congregation is fully engaged in the upcoming event.

If you or your church would be interested in being apart of an exciting new initiative that seeks to insure that the issues of social justice be addressed, then we invite you to contact 6LVWHU�/\QQ�'DYLV�DW��RU�FRQWDFW�KHU�DW�RGBQ\#yahoo.com


Five Reasons Your Church is Not GrowingBy James Emery White

IULHQGV�WR�EHQHͤW�IURP�WKH�teaching.

6ROXWLRQ��0DNH�VXUH�WKDW�WKH�point communicator has the spiritual gift of teaching, and is actively working at developing that gift by listening to other gifted communicators. Don’t be afraid of developing a team-teaching approach to shore up weakness, or to adjust responsibilities so that various UROHV�PRUH�DFFXUDWHO\�UHͥHFW�gifting.

In other words, perhaps someone has been serving as lead communicator when their gifts are better used in DQRWKHU�DUHD��7KLV�LV�D�GLͦFXOW�maneuver, for as stated above, people who are speaking tend to like to speak and to have a (perhaps) distorted view of their effect.��4XDOLW\�RI�ZRUVKLS

The quality of the worship experience is more important even than its style.

If the service itself seems slapped together, incoherent or unable to be embraced, then it will not provide the traction needed for ongoing growth.

To be sure, worship is not about what we get out of it, but what God gets out of it. But the better that service is at helping people

It’s one of the most pressing questions pastors and church OHDGHUV�DVN�WKHPVHOYHV�

“Why aren’t we growing?”

Sure, not every mission’s soil will yield the same fruit, but we’re not WDONLQJ�DERXW�RYHUDOO�VL]H��-XVW�the idea that biblically, we can assume that God wants every church that honors His name and proclaims His message in Christ to grow, and that He is willing to empower it to that end.

Churches are living things. Living things grow. If you’re not growing, something is wrong. So the question seems to be one for ourselves. If our church isn’t growing and clearly God isn’t the problem, are we?

+HUH�DUH�ͤYH�DUHDV�WR�FRQVLGHU�

��/HDGHUVKLSIt’s been said that everything rises and falls on leadership.

Perhaps a more accurate way of putting it would be that no RUJDQL]DWLRQ�ZLOO�ULVH�DERYH�the level of its leadership. If RQ�D�VFDOH�RI��WKH�FXUUHQW�OHDGHUVKLS�LV�DURXQG�D��WKHQ�LW�ZLOO�EH�GLͦFXOW�IRU�WKH�FKXUFK�WR�grow beyond that level.

6ROXWLRQ��(QVXUH�WKDW�SHRSOH�with the spiritual gift of leadership are actually leading, and that they are committed to developing that gift by reading about leadership, getting around other leaders for insight, and exercising their leadership gift in challenging settings.

��&RPPXQLFDWLRQThere are few things more critical to a church’s growth than an effective communicator for weekend teaching.

The dilemma is that many who serve as the primary communicators in their church aren’t Spirit-gifted teachers. They like to speak, and the group that gathers around their WHDFKLQJ�VHHPV�WR�EHQHͤW�IURP�it, but the majority of listeners tend to vote with their feet.

Or at least the teaching doesn’t VHHP�WR�EH�FDWDO\]LQJ�WKH�congregation to invite their


connect with God, the more people it will attract.

6ROXWLRQ��5HYLHZ�WKH�PXVLF��presentation, style and quality of the worship experience of your church in light of its ability to optimally serve and engage people. View the services of larger, faster-growing churches that you feel are biblically and theologically sound for benchmarks.

If you are continually plagued by forgotten lyrics, missed notes and awkward transitions, consider planning meetings for your services and run-through rehearsals of critical parts.

��$WPRVSKHUHEvery church has an atmosphere, but not all have an atmosphere of friendliness and acceptance.

/HW̵V�SXW�LW�EOXQWO\��(YHU\�FKXUFK�thinks it’s friendly. But what that often means is they are friendly to each other, friendly to people they know, friendly to people they like, or friendly to people who are like them.

6ROXWLRQ��,I�\RX�KDYHQ̵W�already, consider developing DQ�HQWLUH�PLQLVWU\�DURXQG�ͤUVW�impressions and the creation of a friendly, welcoming atmosphere.

At Meck, we call it “Guest Services,” and it oversees parking lot attendants, greeters, ushers, hospitality and so much more—all geared toward the H[SHULHQFH�RI�ͤUVW�LPSUHVVLRQV�and friendliness. It’s one of our largest and most strategic efforts.

��/RFDWLRQThe physical location of a church, if you want to grow by inviting people to attend, is decisive.

,I�LW�LV�KDUG�WR�ͤQG��KDUG�WR�JHW�WR��WRR�VPDOO�LQ�VL]H��KDV�LQVXͦFLHQW�SDUNLQJ��LV�GLͦFXOW�WR�HQWHU�RU�H[LW�GXH�WR�URDG�WUDͦF�̿�WKHQ�\RX�DUH�DUWLͤFLDOO\�OLPLWLQJ�WKH�VL]H�RI�\RXU�FKXUFK�

6ROXWLRQ��0XFK�RI�VROYLQJ�location problems is logistical in nature.

Hire off-duty police to help people enter and exit your services. Increase the number of your services. Develop a capital campaign to help pay IRU�LQFUHDVLQJ�WKH�VL]H�RI�\RXU�auditorium or parking.

If needed, simply move to a new location. That may seem dramatic, but it’s often critical. If you do, have the people you’re trying to reach in mind as you pick your new location—such as where they live and ease of access.

Going “multisite” is also proving to be a helpful strategy for many churches facing location issues.

,�NQRZ�WKHVH�ͤYH�DUHDV�DUH�incredibly simplistic, and almost any leader could rattle them off. And I’ve not offered particularly fresh insights into their importance or how to solve them.

But what I do hope has come through is the importance of ruthless self-evaluation in each RI�WKHVH�ͤYH�DUHDV��7KH�NLQG�WKDW�an outside consultant who isn’t trying to curry favor might give.

So no matter how familiar you may be with each area, go through each one and give it an honest assessment, such DV��̸:H�QHHG�WR�GR�EHWWHU�̹�̸:H�are taking this for granted,” or “We’re hitting this one out of the park.” It usually is one of those three. Think in terms of ̸GHFOLQLQJ�̹�̸ͥDW̹�RU�̸JURZLQJ�̹

Or think about a “mystery” worshiper who would have the courage and ability to say things like,

“The talk just wasn’t that good, and he wasn’t a very good speaker.”

“The service was boring and the music stunk; I never could get into it.”

“Somebody has been making a series of leadership miscalls over the years, and it’s pretty clear to an outside person who does have the gift of leadership.”

“People weren’t very friendly ... or welcoming.”

“It’s too far to go, or too big of a pain to go.”

Now, before you get defensive and say that people shouldn’t think that way if they really know Jesus, remind yourself of who you are trying to reach.

Yep, people who don’t know Jesus.

So they are going to evaluate you accordingly. But maybe that isn’t how you are thinking. So PDNH�WKDW��$QG�WKH�VROXWLRQ�LV�HDV\�


As I travel around the country, I constantly come in contact with pastors and laypeople who are distressed because they can not seem to get their church to grow. As a result, they chase “church growth conferences”, consult experts in the area, or worse yet, simply become depressed and give up. That is why in this article I am borrowing some of the wisdom of Cary Nieuwhof, who offers some insightful and an illuminating perspective on where many of us want to be as a faith community.

So you want your church to grow, to reach new people. And you’ve convinced yourself that you really would grow if you only had one or two more things to make your ministry thrive.

For example, you’ve might have said any combination of these things.

Things That Won’t Help Your Church to GrowBy Bishop Andy Lewter and Cary Nieuwhof

:H�ZRXOG�JURZ�LI�ZH�

Got out of our portable location and opened a new building.

Got out of our current building and became portable (I’ve actually talked with leaders who think they would grow explosively if they left their old building and became portable).

Added new technology (like lights, sound or video).

Merged with another church.

Added a new campus.

And would you?

+HUH̵V�P\�WKHRU\��1R�\RX�wouldn’t.

Before you get discouraged and quit reading this post, let me explain why this line of thinking rarely, if ever, works.

One principle most of us want to ignore.

'DYLG�2JLOY\��WKH�IDPRXV��WK�century advertising guru, is famous for saying that great marketing just makes a bad product fail faster.

And that’s the principle most of us want to ignore, or at least I do.

Most churches aren’t not growing because of their venue or even because of their technology.

They’re stagnant or dying because they’re not connecting with people and effectively IXOͤOOLQJ�WKHLU�PLVVLRQ�

$V�D�UHVXOW��LQ�PRVW�FDVHV�

A change in venue will simply move your current problems into a new location.

New technology will only magnify your current irrelevance.

Merging ministries or adding locations will only compound your current problems with new ones.

Bottom line? There is no silver bullet.

The trap most leaders fall into is believing that a change in form will be an adequate substitute for a change in substance.

And change in form never makes up for a change in substance.

Substantive change is the only thing that will truly change the


trajectory of most churches and RUJDQL]DWLRQV�

You can put new siding on a house, but if the foundation is FUXPEOLQJ�̿

You can paint your car, but if the HQJLQH�LV�VWLOO�VHL]HG�̿

You can put lipstick on a pig, EXW�LW̵V�VWLOO�D�SLJ�̿

Until you substantively change the way you function, any change in any kind of form will never be effective.

A change in venue won’t help a dying church grow.

Better media won’t help a dying church grow.

Adding new campuses won’t help a dying church grow.

Merging won’t help two or three dying churches grow.

I’ve lived through this tension. In less than two decades, our church has met in a century-old building, an elementary school, a new facility, movie theaters and, as of next year, once again a brand new facility. Through all phases, we’ve grown from a handful of people to almost ��RQ�ZHHNHQGV�WRGD\�

And throughout it all, buildings, technologies and even locations have been means to an end, not ends in themselves. They did not make us grow or reach new people. They helped, but they are not the secret sauce.

So what makes a church grow?

Addressing the substantive issues before you will help \RX�JURZ��7KLV�SRVW�OLVWV��issues many churches need to resolve before they grow. This post addresses another ��UHDVRQV�ZK\�PRVW�FKXUFKHV�

QHYHU�SDVV�WKH��DWWHQGDQFH�mark. Tackling issues like these will help you deal with the real problems in front of you.

And when you get healthy, your PLVVLRQ�EHJLQV�WR�ͥRXULVK�

Then the moves, the mergers (or takeovers), the expansions, the technology and all the other changes in form help.

All of these things can help a healthy church grow more. But they will not make a dying or stagnant church grow.

And remember that, for us, the whole journey started with prayer, scripture and a burning desire to reach people who were far from God. Then we ͤJXUHG�RXW�D�VWUDWHJ\�WR�KHOS�XV�accomplish that. It still starts with prayer, scripture and a EXUQLQJ�GHVLUH�DOPRVW��\HDUV�into it.


Check it Out: Tips for You to Engage Members Online

your Sunday messages on Facebook, interact on a Prayer Wall and meet other's needs on a Share Wall will equip your VLWH�IRU�FRQVWDQW�WUDͦF�DQG�engagement.

:LWK��\HDUV�LQ�WKH�LQGXVWU\��we have plenty more where that came from. We desire to empower you to engage your members and repeat visitors online.

So, let's discuss your online needs together. Give us a call or click here to free Online Strategy Consultation and boost your member engagement.

We look forward to working with you further.

God Bless,

Twitter, etc. In fact, if your team plans sermon sermons ahead of time, you can schedule these in-depth posts weeks in advance.

��6HW�D�5HPLQGHU�IRU�5HJXODU�Site Upkeep - Nothing will turn folks away quicker than a website that appears outdated. Take out your phone or open your calendar and set a weekly reminder for you (or a team PHPEHU��WR�VSHQG��minutes a week updating events, homepage sliders and other content.

��&UHDWH�6KDUH�DEOH��Interactive Elements - If all the features on the site are static in nature, your site won't lend itself to regular repeat visits. However, allowing your members to share

Is your website currently discipling your members? We're KHUH�WR�HTXLS�\RX�ZLWK�ͥH[LELOLW\�and control to ensure that your website is more than a static brochure, but rather growing and changing with you at the speed of life.

Here's a few tips so you can equip your members online.

��%ORJ�:HHNO\�WR�'LVFLSOH�Your Members - We all want to connect between Sundays, but with the speed of our culture, it's a constant battle to capture DWWHQWLRQ��8WLOL]LQJ�RXU�QHZ�Platform (built on WordPress), creating blog posts on your site is easier than ever. Place an excerpt of the blog with a link to the full post in your weekly emails, your Facebook updates,


Thank God for Small ChurchesBy Dr. Ronnie Floyd

Our pastors taught the Bible. Our people believed the Bible. I was raised carrying my Bible to church every time we met. We participated in the teaching and preaching of God’s Word by opening our Bibles and following as our pastors taught us the Word of God.

In fact, our church was formed in the living room of our home. My parents were part of a group of people who left a church over biblical convictions.

I was way too young to remember the details, but I do remember how exciting it was when all these people began to worship and meet in our living room. Eventually, a church ZDV�IRUPHG��7KH�)DLWK�%DSWLVW�Church.

My parents were not graduates of high school or college, but they were lovers of the Word of God, and Mom taught it faithfully.

I remember when I left for college, their number one fear was that I would not come back believing the Bible was the Word of God. Therefore, my commitment to biblical inerrancy came from a very small membership church in Texas.

��:H�EHOLHYHG�LQ�WKH�ORFDO�church of Jesus Christ.

At Faith Baptist Church, if you were a member, you came to church. You were involved in a Sunday School class. You were probably a part of Training Union. You were involved on Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night.

If you were not there, you were missed and checked on. If you began to fall away, you were approached. Therefore, we had a strong commitment to the local church.

As a child or a teenager, I never entertained the idea of not going to church. This was unheard of in our family and in our church. My parents would not have tolerated it and, quite honestly, nor would my church.

My spiritual roots are in a very small church in Texas.

How small? For one solid year, I was the only student—taught by the same teacher in Sunday School and Training Union.

:H�KDG��WR��SHRSOH�HDFK�ZHHN��DQG�LI�ZH�HYHU�KLW��we felt revival had come. To my knowledge, we never had a full-time pastor; therefore, I was raised on the preaching and teaching of bivocational pastors.

Today, I want to take a few moments to share four reasons I am grateful God let me be raised in a small membership church.

��:H�ZHUH�YHU\�FRPPLWWHG�WR�the Bible being the Word of God.


Therefore, I struggle continually with the lack of commitment I witness toward the local church of Jesus Christ. The main reason I have such a high passion for and a deep commitment to the local church is because of what I learned in my small church growing up.

��:H�ZHUH�WDXJKW�KRZ�WR�VKDUH�our faith in Jesus Christ.

As an older child and teenager, I was involved in weekly visitation. This was not a time to simply check on those who were not there; our main role was to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

I remember as a teenager, we were taught how to use the Four Spiritual Laws and how to give our testimony. Then, we walked down the streets of a nearby city and shared our faith in Jesus Christ.

I learned to share my faith in Jesus Christ and win people to Christ because a small membership church equipped me and expected me to do it.

��:H�ZHUH�OHG�E\�ELYRFDWLRQDO�pastors.

As far as I remember, every one of our pastors was bivocational.

I probably did not appreciate it then like I do today. Some were school teachers, others were salesmen, others carpenters and painters, and others were even students. None of our pastors stayed very long. Perhaps that was because they didn’t live in our town and had to commute, they actually went to other churches, or our church did not or was not able to take care of them.

What I do know is that these men were faithful men. They ZRUNHG��RU�PRUH�KRXUV�D�week, commuted from nearby cities to pastor our church, and faithfully taught us the Word of God. Looking back, I don’t know how they did it all!

Today, those men and other bivocational pastors are heroes WR�PH��0\�IULHQG��'U��.HYLQ�(]HOO�of the North American Mission Board, says they are like Iron Men. I agree completely.

In closing.

,�GRQ̵W�OLNH�FDWHJRUL]LQJ�churches by saying they are large or small; in fact, I don’t like

it at all. I really believe that God GRHV�QRW�ORRN�DW�WKH�VL]H�RI�D�church as much as a church’s faithfulness to the task and opportunity given to them.

I have no idea why God has called me to pastor a church like Cross Church. What I do know is that my spiritual roots from growing up in a small membership church still anchor my soul in the Word of God, the local church, the Great Commission and a deep belief in God-called pastors.

7KLV�LV�ZK\�,�DP�ͤOOHG�ZLWK�D�sense of deep gratitude for the church where I was raised and that invested in me faithfully.

the manna newspaper (july edition)

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