|
|
|
|
|
|
Let me give you some disturbing facts about churches in America:
-
- Churches lose an estimated 2,765,000 people each year to nominalism and secularism. Barna.org
-
In America, 3500-4000 churches close their doors each year. Barna.org
-
Growing churches make up only about 20 percent of all U.S. churches today. The rest (80%) have reached a plateau or are declining. Catalyst Conference.com
-
The Median size (50% above/50% below) of the church in America is 75.
-
The Average size of the church in America is 140. Hartsem.edu
-
Established churches - 40 to 190 years old - are, on average, declining.
So, why does the church exist - what is its purpose? Is it not to: "make disciples"? "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations" was Jesus command in Matthew 28:19. If we fail at this we fail at everything as a church. And what is the first step in that process of making disciples? It is to share the gospel so that people might come to put their faith in Jesus as their Savior. Without the first part, communicating the gospel where people come to believe, there will never be any disciple making that takes place. The long road of discipleship starts with coming to faith in Jesus and that is why it is so important that as churches we are GOSPEL FOCUSED.
Churches that are focused on sharing the gospel, reaching their Oikos and living the gospel in their world are usually alive with excitement and growth, producing great committed followers of Jesus. Churches that have lost that focus most often are unhealthy and in decline. If evangelism truly is the life blood of the church, then it appears that many of us (churches) who believe we are gospel focused are actually not, or at least not in an effective, healthy way.
After nearly 20 years as a senior pastor I can confess that staying gospel focused as a church is not easy. It is one of those areas where the enemy attacks and tries to turn us to the left and the right to get our eyes on something else. It is also difficult because our culture is changing around us and how we "did it" before sometimes doesn't work anymore and it requires work and energy to find the ways in which we need to change in order to be effective today. It is time to ask difficult questions of ourselves.
So what does it mean and what does it look like to be a gospel focused church today? That is what we would like to explore in this edition of Connection Magazine. Our hope is you will glean ideas about how to be more effective in reaching your community with the gospel. I trust it will encourage you and your fellowship to continue to be as effective as possible in taking the gospel to your world.
Steve
|
|
|
Invest
in the Vision
|
|
Churches Looking
for Pastors
Click on a link below to see their website or to get an email for more information.
FBC Arivaca
FBC Mammoth
Palo Verde Baptist , Palo Verde
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Learning to be "Gospel-Shaped" at the Leadership Retreat
Carol Tetzlaff, SWCC Event Coordinator
"For God so loved the world that He gave..." is the very essence of the gospel story of Jesus. Although quoted from a New Testament passage the idea of God's love and God's generosity permeates scripture.
God so loved that He gave:
- relationship to Adam through a helpmate, Eve
- escape through a ram caught in the thicket for Isaac
- deliverance from slavery through Moses
- victory to claim the land of promise through Joshua
- redemption through the selfless act of Ruth and Boaz
- forgiveness to the heart of King David
- restoration to the exiles as they rebuild the temple
The culmination of each of these generous acts both ends and begins as God so loved that He gave...
- salvation through His only Son, Jesus.
What those in the Old Testament saw as the fulfillment of the prophecy, the long-awaited Messiah, New Testament believers look back at this event as just the beginning. Whatever side of the cross we reside on, the story of the gospel is woven through every page.
The gospel story is the message that God has given us to share to a world who is in need of a Savior. This gospel is going to be the focus of our leadership retreat in Scottsdale, July 30-August 1st. Pastor Scott Reavely will be sharing what he has learned in twenty-five years of ministry as he speaks to:
- The gospel-shaped minister
- The gospel-shaped congregation
- The gospel-shaped ministry
Register today and join us as we are revitalized in our individual ministries and be encouraged to face this next season in the life of our churches. Remembering that God so loved that He gave... for you and for me!
Visit the SWCC website to find out more information on this upcoming retreat and REGISTER now.
|
|
The Gospel Lived
Bert Downs, SWCC Regional Coach
Attending a pastor's retirement service. In my role as a seminary chancellor, it's the kind of event that invades my schedule with some frequency. And I choose the word "invade" with purpose. Why? Because that's how I usually feel about these events even though I love the people the event is intended to honor. It's just that the events themselves are so predictable.
So on a Sunday a few weeks ago I had one more of those assignments. I dutifully traveled to the location, prepared to love the person and probably not like the event. I was in for a surprise.
As it turns out, this "event" was more like a celebration of the Gospel. People from the three churches this pastor served over his 41 years in ministry came. Some came 100+ miles to share mostly about transformed lives and through those stories, specifically about the Gospel this shepherd loved and lived. . . .
|
article by Micaela Clark, Prescott Pines Camp
Going the Extra Mile for the Gospel
How far are you willing to go to give children the opportunity to experience God and the Gospel? Let me tell you a story of a woman who went the extra mile to give kids this chance at camp. Sometimes you have to go the extra mile, or in her case 165 miles.
Diane works in Youth and Children's Ministry at Gila Bend Community Church. She was excited that they had 26 campers who wanted to come to Prescott Pines Camp. The church had raised part of the money and then had received scholarship help from the camp.
Starting with Primary Camp, Diane drove 8 kids to camp on Friday, went back home, and returned Sunday with 18 more kids to bring to Frontier Village #1. She took the time to arrange for the kids to go to the Best Western pool between the time that she picked up the first set of campers and dropped off the second set of campers. She even went to the home of one of the parents to get in contact with them when we couldn't reach the parents with a health question. . .
|
Co-laborers in the Gospel
In addition to leading our Connection Group ministry I enjoy the opportunity to be a participant in one group primarily. As such, I find both encouragement and exhortation from my co-laborers in the Gospel. Recently, one member of our West Valley Pastor Connection Group passed along a challenging article from Ed Stetzer of which I'll forward to you an excerpt (below.) This is a very helpful evaluation for helping me lead my church to continue being Gospel focused. * Who are we reaching? * Are we primarily reaching people who are like us? * Are we primarily reaching people who are already believers? * Are we primarily reaching people who understand Christian subculture and taboos? * What about the people who don't have a church background? * What about the people who are unfamiliar with Christian beliefs? * What about the people who don't understand church subculture and behavioral taboos? To say we are unable to reach the lost because of our traditions or preferences is simply unacceptable and antithetical to the mission of God.
|
 Ed Clavell, SWCC Regional Facilitator
Summer: Let the Assessment and Planning Begin
As someone who is interested in advancing the need for assessment in the church, may I suggest using the early summer as a time to assess and plan for next year. If your church is like many across the nation, the church's calendar centers on the academic year in your area. Thus, the beginning of summer marks the end of the September to May ministry season, which includes the bulk of church ministry activities.
Now that school is out and many families are taking their vacations, it is time for the ministry staff to begin the debriefing and assessment of the past year's ministry. In your staff meetings you will want to look back and ask:
- How did things go?
- How can we improve?
- What ministry can we invest in further and where do we believe we can cut back?
- What will this ministry be like in September?
You need to do this review as soon as possible. If you wait until late July or August, then people will already be making plans for September. . . .
Read More
|
|
|
