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Grace Institute News
June 27, 2012
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upside down thinking... In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus went through a series of pronouncements that had the formula of "You have heard it said before...but I say to you..." In other words, things change. Understandings, practices, and approaches. The same holds true for church growth. It is amazing how thinking has changed over the years. Here are a few examples of what people thought were the answers:
- "The more programs you can offer, the more doors you provide for people to enter church life." (While there is some truth to this, the approach generally leads to congregational fatigue and over-reaching)
- "You can count on a certain percentage of response from a telephone campaign." (Used to be. But now that telemarketers have made everyone get caller ID, that approach seldom works)
- "The congregation's role is to get people in the door...it is the pastor's job to keep them there." (Never been true, but still popular)
- "Evangelism budgets should be spent on advertising." (Advertising is necessary, but it isn't really evangelism)
- "What we need is a revival." (Most churches do, but not the weekend variety. They normally attract the faithful and are short-lived in effect)
- "Bring-a-friend Sunday", "Rewards for attendance", "more entertaining worship", and other promotional events. (Again, short-lived effect, if any)
The shift into church growth thinking has often put us in an upside-down thinking mode to begin with. Church growth happens as a result, not as a primary goal. If the Church is sharing its message with a sense of joy and urgency to folks who haven't heard it, they will come.
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 what's your ministry's rhythm?
Almost anyone who is in ministry for any length of time discovers there are unexpected seasons and rhythms that leave us wondering, "What's going on?" "Why do I feel this way?" "How did I get here? Is this  normal." Without knowing why this happens, pastors often feel that there is something terribly wrong, some even leave the ministry assuming they weren't really cut out for it after all. In fact, only one in twenty pastors who start their careers in ministry actually finish as a pastor.
Most of the problem is due to wrong expectancies, and no one telling us that there are rhythms of ministry to prepare for. In this month's lunch and learn, we'll discuss the rhythms and how to work within them. Watch June's lunch & learn starting by going to https://graceinstitute.publishpath.com/lunchlearn1 or clicking on the "watch now" tab below. 
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 Available for your church (or group of churches)contact us to find out how!
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