Loading ...People Want to be Part of a Winning Work
Since I have been a member of the church I have noticed that some congregations or leaders have a mindset that the church is on the decline. This attitude is almost a badge of honor. I remember one congregation that asked me to try out for the pulpit position before I came to Waynesboro, in the meeting with the elders one of the leaders stated, “This congregation is not going to grow, so please do not try to make it.” This was in contrast to Waynesboro’s elders who told me that they expected the congregation to grow. Waynesboro is a small town with people leaving not coming in, but the elders had a vision for growth and an expectation for growth. I believe this is why we are growing today. Growth did not happen overnight. But the leaders of the congregation expected it and expected me to work on growing the congregation. Because of this attitude I have been supported, encouraged, and mentored for growth. Congregations that do not have the desire for growth do not want the minister out there trying to save souls. As Waynesboro is growing, I am amazed at the amount of people coming more and more to be with us. In fact this week a Baptist community member expressed the desire to be with us because we are doing so much for the Lord. She said that she wishes she was a member of the church of Christ. People want to be on a winning team. But some leaders, elders, ministers seem to always be negative in the pulpit. The more momentum we gain the more we grow. You should see the fellowship these days at Waynesboro, you should see the joy of the elders, and you should see how tired the ministers are. Minister I recommend a book to you today. It is Seven Practices of Effective Churches by Andy Stanley. Great book that will help.
Related posts:
- A Few Growth Hints that Work
- Review of “Winning on Purpose”
- Some of the Great Work at Waynesboro
- Read “A Work of Heart”
- A Little Church With A Large Work
About The Author
Sorry the blog was down yesterday. But fortunately I have a brother who is a master with the computer who helps me run this site. In fact, he can even build church webpages for anyone who needs one. He is reasonable in his price too. If you do not have a church website, you are pretty much not having a building in the 21st century. He can help. A lot of my minister is because of him.
Matthew you are spot on here. Growth requires prayer, desire, and work. Also, I’ve read Andy Stanley’s book “Seven Practices” and it is great.