Eliminating Camel Humps
By Ken Blue
Many pastors agonize over the summer and winter months when it comes to church attendance and offerings. They have been programed to believe that these two seasons are predestined to lower church attendance. Dr. Elmer Towns compared it to a two humped camel. The gap between the camel humps is supposed to represent these two seasons. Growth could only be expected in the spring and the fall.
However, there are some who do not accept this view of defeat, and they work, pray, and expect to see God work in a great way. The following note from Pastor Murphy illustrates my point. He gave me permission to post it.
“Pastor Blue praise God for a great outreach at our annual Freedom Celebration (July 2012). We had over 800 in attendance with 300 + first time visitors and 14 people indicated they trusted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.
That next week we had a great team of members and staff that visited over 130 homes with one profession of faith in those visits. Since this outreach we have had multiple families come back as they are looking for a church home.
What a blessing to see the church body come together to make this possible as we try to reach the community God has placed us in.
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily….. Acts 2:47”
Pastor, don’t be discouraged, and don’t quit. You can do better! I pray that some pastor, by the grace of God will accept the challenge.
Pastor Ken Blue was born in Boswell, Ark. In 1955 he accepted Christ as his Savior. He and his wife Joyce were married in 1955. They have 5 children. He graduated from Midwestern Baptist Bible College in 1969 and started the Open Door Baptist Church in Lynnwood, Wa. where he pastored for 39 years. Because of health issues (ALS) he was forced to resign as pastor. It is his desire to continue to be used of God to help pastors and believers through this ministry.