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THE SALES DEPARTMENT AND THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT

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Service

 

By Ken Blue

Romans 12:1  “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

No doubt there will be some who will think it sacrilegious to compare the ministries of a church to the sales department, and the service department of a business, however, the comparison is valid, and justifiable.

In most business these two departments exist, and are distinct. For example, walk on any car lot, and experience the onslaught of salesmen. These men and women are dressed to the max; they are friendly, outgoing, and persistent. You buy the car, just to get them off your back. However, you soon discover that the service depart is a different story.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Outreach and well-structured ministries are the two indispensables of any church.[/pullquote]

I know businesses that I would never enter again, nor would I recommend them to any of my friends. Seldom is it because of the salesmen, or the greeters we are turned off with. In most cases it will be the faulty service you experience. I just had a lady, this week, tell me of a church she and her husband visited several years ago, and when it was time to shake hands, and greet the visitors, no one acknowledged their presence. That was some twenty years ago. People don’t forget bad experiences, and they are quick to tell others.

Whether we want to admit it or not, if a church cannot sell itself to the community, and the visitors, people will not come. You may object by saying we are not in the selling business, we are in the gospel business. The sad truth is, many churches are not in the selling business and because of this, they can’t even give the gospel away! First impressions are the ones that last.

Every church should wrap itself in soul winning. You must plan everything with the lost in mind. Let your church become a soul trap. In addition, you must be just as diligent about having a perfect service department. Pastor, please take note; there are others churches your people could attend. If you don’t provide the services they feel they need, you will lose them. Soul winning and well-structured ministries are the two indispensables.

SERVICE IS THE KEY

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It’s All About Service #1

service

By Ken Blue

A few years ago I visited the Eagle Hardware store in our town. It was a man’s shopping paradise, with tools everywhere! As I entered the large double-doors, a man wearing an employee vest came out of an aisle on my left. We almost collided. I asked where I could locate a particular electrical item. He said, “Come with me.”

I followed him down the main aisle about one hundred feet, and then we turned to the right and walked another hundred and fifty feet. He then turned left and we walked fifty feet to the place where he knelt to the floor on one knee and took the item from the bottom shelf. He smiled and said, “Here you are sir.” I asked, “Are you the owner of this store?”  “No sir,” he said, “I only work here, but I do want you to come again.” I assured him I would. Not only would I return, I would tell all my friends.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Wouldn’t it be great if the people who visit our churches left feeling like they had received same special service?[/pullquote]

Wouldn’t it be great if the people who visit our churches left feeling they had received the same special service I received from a hardware employee? Instead of telling our guest where the bathrooms are, or where the nurseries are, why not train our greeters and ushers to walk with them and help them with their smallest needs. You may not be the preacher, but you will be telling the guest, “You are valuable to us, and we really want you to come again.”  Not only are they likely to return, they will also tell their friends. You see, it’s all about the service.

ONE OUT OF TEN AIN’T BAD

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One out of Ten Ain’t Bad

One out of ten“And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.” Luke 17:17-18

In the early days of my ministry I invited people to church, and they looked me straight in the eye and said, “I’ll see you Sunday.” If I got ten promises, I expected ten people. I soon discovered that most people do not keep their commitments. Since I had no way of knowing who would come, my only option was to raise the odds; I would get more promises.

Some pastors are disappointed when they count the meager returns. But don’t despair, if you get ten professions and one returns, you are doing as good as Jesus did. The way to raise the returns is to raise the professions. I would rather have ten returns out of a hundred than one out of ten.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The way to raise the returns is to raise the professions.[/pullquote]

Remember, no one knows who really get’s saved. We don’t know how and when the Holy Spirit is working in the heart of another. Don’t let the fear of picking “green fruit” or the possibility of getting a “still birth” keep you from winning people to Jesus. There are three parts to winning people to Christ.

# 1. Your part: get them to trust Jesus.
# 2. Their part: trusting Him.
# 3. God’s part: saving them.

If you only get one out of ten, it ain’t bad.

BRUSH FIRES

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BRUSH FIRES
BRUSH FIREs

“While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said…” Job 1:17

Brush fires are hard to contain because of the winds that spread them. Just about the time you have one under control, a gust of wind blows sparks into another field, and off you go again.

The pastor must exercise wisdom and discernment when it comes to these fires. “Should I chase it, or will it burn itself out if ignored?” “Where no wood is, the fire goeth out…” Proverbs 26:20.

There are two dangers when it comes to brush fires: one is to ignore it and allowing it to burn down your ministry; the other, is responding with fire trucks and ladders every time there is smoke.

My experience is that most fires are not that serious and will burn themselves out, if you don’t stir up the winds or throw fuel on them.

The pastor must stop responding to every battle, every complaint and every problem. If possible, let others in your church handle these fires and keep the smell of smoke off yourself.

The pastor should determine that he is not going to be the only man in the church with a fireman’s hat. There are others who can put out fires just as well. Most of the people in your church won’t even know there is a fire unless you keep fanning it by call attention to it.

PRINCIPLES AND ASSUMPTIONS

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principles

 

By Ken Blue
The American Heritage Dictionary gives the following definition of the word principle. I have also added a list of synonyms. 1. A basic truth, law, or assumption. 2. A rule or standard, especially of good behavior. b. The collectivity of moral or ethical standards or judgments. 3. A fixed or predetermined policy or mode of action. 4. A basic or essential quality or element determining intrinsic nature or characteristic behavior. 5. A rule or law concerning the functioning of natural phenomena or mechanical processes.” Synonyms: • standard • benchmark • criterion • gauge • measure • touchstone • yardstick • guideline • requirement • prototype • guide • canon.

Since many principles (standards) are manmade and misapplied, the believer must distinguish between those of God and those of men. The Old Testament Law had one set of principles and the Pharisees had another by distortion of the Law. We need only to read the Gospels and the book of Acts to see Israel’s departure from Old Testament principles. Jesus rebuked this self-righteous crowd. Certainly, the religious leaders had their principles, and they expected everyone to live by them.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]We must have principles to live by, but they must never become legalistic mandates to control others.[/pullquote]

Things have not changed. There are some Christians who think they have God’s principles, and all who do not follow them are apostate and liberal. They are confident they have found the Bible verse which assures them that their principles are established by God. However, where that verse is found in Scripture is of no consequence to them. They have developed a set of standards, and now they must search from Genesis to Revelation to find support for them.

The problem with these men is that they have never learned how to rightly divide the Word of God. They either reach back under the Law or forward into the millennial kingdom for their principles, and then they seek to impose them on everyone else. We must have principles to live by, but we also need to know what part of the Bible to find them. They must match this dispensation of grace.

The principles or standards of dress, hair, days, musical instruments, background music, power point, boots, glasses, etc. have not Scriptural mandates for this dispensation. They are the legalistic mandates of men to control others.