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THE KEY IS LEADERSHIP

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(Be sure and listen to the great gospel songs)



SHOULD CHURCHES CONTINUE TO GROW


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By Ken Blue


“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 


Regardless of the choice one makes, we cannot argue with the fact that God wants His church to witness to the lost. If a church is healthy, there should be constant professions of faith and growth in membership. If there are no professions of faith, there is something wrong with the evangelistic ministry. If there is no membership growth, there is something wrong with the organization. 


How large should a church be? That is the question. There are those who believe a church should have one hundred or less in membership. Others pick a higher number, but not by much. On the other hand, there are those who see the “sky as the limit.” 


I always had my sights on building a large church. The reason, no doubt, was the cultural mentality when we started Open Door, and my own personality. However, I never build the attendance I thought possible. Part of the problem was my own inability. Another, barrier was the size of our building. We were always at 80% capacity, or more. A church seldom grows beyond that percentage.


Although I never realized my vision, I can look back and see how God enlarged the ministry of Open Door in spite of me. This was accomplished by the many men and women who committed to fulltime service and built a ministry for the Lord. 


There are 6 men from Open Door who are pastoring or have started churches in Washington State, 3 in Arizona, 1 California, 1 in Nebraska, 1 in Montana, 1 in Florida, 1 in Mexico, 1 in England, 1 Germany, and 1 in Michigan. These are the ones I remember, I am confident there are others. This was not my vision for Open Door, but God had a better plan. 


I spoke recently to a pastor who averages about 400 in attendance. He said his goal was to start new churches in the surrounding communities with paid pastors from his church. These pastors and churches would be under the leadership and umbrella of the mother church. The new churches will be called “Campus Churches.” Dr. John Rawlins had a similar setup in Cincinnati, Ohio. He called them “Satellite Churches.” 


Personally, I believe the pastor should let the church grow according to God’s increase, and one’s ability to pastor it. However, wisdom and the Holy Spirit may lead the pastor to start other churches with those members who live a great distance from the church. 


Because of the cost involved in attempting to build buildings or rent facilities today, it is practically impossible to do it solo. Thus, the idea of starting other churches with existing members and a paid pastor may be the best method for starting new churches. It is an idea worth considering. 


“TRUTH IT SHALL MAKE YOU FREE”


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Truth

Open Door Baptist Church Easter Drama 2010


 Note: The following report is from Pastor Jason Murphy. Pastor Murphy and the church membership proved once again that with prayer, hard work, and vision you can get visitors to church and many can be won to Christ. I challenge pastors to ignore those who preach that sinners cannot be saved, and that you are selfish in your attempts to reach them. Some of you should contact Pastor Murphy for some ideas and help on how to attract and reach the lost for Christ. Pastor Murphy said:


Truth

We had a great presentation of “Truth” written and directed by Brother Pat Halliday. Our cast and crew are all Open Door Baptist church members, who did an outstanding job memorizing lines and putting everything they have into such a great job, well done!


Our first service was Saturday night at 7pm and we had 281 in attendance, which is one of our largest Saturday night services. On Sunday we had 537 in attendance (over 100 came back from Saturday) so really we had just over 700 with the 2 services. We had over 140 visitors in the 2 services; most of which were invited by the people of Open Door! We had 10 people indicate that they accepted Christ as their Savior, and 15 that renewed their commitment to Christ!


One man came to me personally to hand me his response card and said: “This is the first time he heard the gospel so clear and Lord used that presentation to bring his guard down.” He said to me, “I prayed with you at the invitation and I know I am saved now.” It was an Amazing day, we serve A Risen Savior!


John 4:34-37 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.


POLICIES AND PROCEDURES


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Policies and ProceduresBy Ken Blue


“…See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.” Hebrews 8:5.


Policies are usually written orders or directions made to regulate the practice or the actions of people. Procedures describe a particular way of accomplishing something or of acting. It outlines a series of steps in a definite order. Primarily, policies have to do with rules and standards, whereas, procedures deal with how to proceed and carry out a task or mission.


Every church has policies and procedures. However, in most cases they are not written. They are assumed without giving much thought to them. These two documents are very important to the operation of the church. They must be in writing and made available to all who need them. There should few requirements, and they must remain simple. Don’t allow them to become a roadblock to the growth of the church. The more rules you have, the more resistance you can expect. They should be written in order to keep the church focused on its purpose. That is, they should support the structure and strategy of the church


There should be policies for every ministry. All workers must read and agree with them before they are installed in a ministry. Remember, do not recruit, install, and then present the policies. You are asking for trouble if you do. Give people plenty of time to read the policies and procedures before installing them. Some churches require the Job Description be signed after it has been agreed upon. The overall policies and procedures of the church should be taught to those seeking membership, prior to joining.


Sunday School teachers may have the same policies, but the procedures can change from class to class and department to department. The procedures will let the workers know the expected time to be in the class room, and give a step by step process from the time of arrival to the time of dismissal. Each step, with a time frame should be clear. This lets the teacher know how to carry out the class hour. Flexibility must be allowed.


It is important that the pastor take the lead in the writing these documents. As one can see, these will control what the church is about, and how it will proceed. Therefore, the pastor and staff should write these to ensure that they comply with the overall purpose of the church.


I suggest that policies and procedures be written for each Job Description. The pastor should take time when writing these, in order to communicate what he wants.


I mentioned in another article that one of the areas of complaint will be over policies and procedures. So, write them with care, and expect that some who disagree with them. These people are not on your team, so ignore them. Work with those who are eager and willing to work with you and help the church go forward. Policies and procedures may need to change. They are not your Bible; therefore, they can be adjusted as needed.


THE SONG AND THE SERMON


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THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SONG SERVICE


confused business manBy Ken Blue


Perhaps the best example of “the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing,” is in the lack of coordination between the Pastor’s sermon and the music director’s selection of songs. Seldom do these two connect the music with the message. I have watched song leaders pick songs for the service five minutes before a service begins.


Pastor, if you perform a wedding, the party selects wedding songs and music to match the occasion. If you serve at a funeral, the songs match the event. At a birthday party, they sing “Happy Birthday.” So, why is it that most song services in church have no connection to the sermon? The reason, no doubt, is ignorance of its importance or a lack of planning by the pastor. Many pastors have no idea what their sermon subject will be a week from Sunday. That may be the real cause of the problem.


Everything that happens in the service should reinforce and support the purpose of the sermon. This includes all the services. That means that the Pastor must plan all sermons or subjects weeks before they are preached. He must then meet with the music director and see that the songs support the sermon.


How is it at your church? Do the songs have any real purpose or are they just filler? Are the songs selected because they are familiar and old favorites, or do they promote the theme of your message? Think about it, and see how next Sunday’s selection matches the goal of your message.


One way to correct this problem is for the pastor to fill out the order of service and see that all involved in the music ministry receive it. Include in it the song selection. If you are doing a theme for a month, ensure that everyone, who needs to know, is informed of what you expect. The more people you have supporting your objective, the more likely you are to achieve it, and the more you communicate, the more they will be able to help you.