How To Create a Climate for Growth In Your Church

Orginally published on Saturday, July 22, 2006 at 4:57 PM
by Todd Rhoades

After pastoring for 10 years, Andy McAdams learned a lesson that is still with him two decades later. And writes, "My wife had given me a lamp for my desk. As part of the lamp there was a planter around it with a beautiful, green plant in it. If you touched one of its leafs the light would come on. I was fascinated by this and turned the thing off and on a number of times throughout the day. Yes…I know, I had way too much time on my hands for a pastor or a growing church. After a while I killed the plant. Not one, not two but I managed to kill three different plants..."

I finally asked an expert why that was, hoping that I had not committed “horticultural homicide, yet know I probably had.  That expert began to inquire, had I “watered it properly, planted it in proper potting soil, given it liquid oxygen and placed it in the West window so it got just a few hours sunlight a day, and was I misting the plant?” Honestly, at that point I thought that a plant that was that particular deserved to die.

But of all the questions asked by the nursery worker, the one about misting caught my attention.  He went on to explain, that, “the plant I had was a typical plant and required a certain climate to growing in.”

I discovered two things at that moment.  One was to get an artificial plant and the other was that “churches also need a certain climate to grow in”. It doesn’t just happen.  No matter what ministries it has going for it, if the atmosphere isn’t right, a church won’t grow.

It was then that I discovered the results of a survey conducted by Dr. Al Broom, president of Church Dynamics International, of a 3 ½ year study of 100 growing vibrant churches in American.  The following nine areas of “climate for growth” seemed to be the common climate in each of them.

Commitment to Prayer
Most church’s prayer ministries are the same.  A small group of people attending a meeting at the church, faithfully, called for the specific purpose of prayer.  All too often people’s spiritual maturity and commitment to their church is judged by whether they attend or not.  While meeting to pray is a good thing, the realty is that most church people do not attend for a number of reasons. 

1) Time restraints
2) No child care
3) Work conflicts
4) Embarrassment
5) They do not know how to pray
6) People are self-conscience of their knowledge of God’s Word
7) They wish to be taught to pray, not be expected to pray
8) Often the issues prayed about are not relevant to everyone.

Suggestions for Prayer Climate: 

One to One Discipleship where two people meet, study and hold each other accountable.  Keeping a prayer list along with answers to prayer.  Discipleship partners study the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) of prayer and apply to daily life.

Small group home fellowships can to be a place where prayer is taught and modeled by the leaders. 

Leaders can have prayer partners that they call upon and are committed to pray with in person on Sunday’s or over the phone weekly.

An e-mail prayer chain where people call the church office or e-mail a request to the office or the “prayer coordinator” by a certain time each day and a mass e-mail to all those on the list will be sent.  This eliminates phone prayer chain miscommunication is also a good tool for basic communication.

Sermon series can be preached during a special emphasis or prayer while testimonies from people that have seen God answer prayer.

Hearing how God answers prayer gives hope to those that feel their prayer are unanswered.  About 5 years ago I was spending discipleship time with a young man in my church by the name of Teddy Mendenhall.  He was unhappy with his job at an insurance company and we began to pray about it together.  A few days later he lost his job and couldn’t see it as answered prayer.  We prayed again and then he took his resume and because of his original training began to apply at radio stations.  (I first met Ted as he did the play by play for the local community college where I was the PA announcer).  We both knew that the odds of getting a job in radio was slim, but we also knew that God was in the business of answering prayer. 

Less then a week later I received a call from Ted and had to calm him down due to his excitement so I could understand what he was trying to tell me.  It was then that he told me, “I’m the associate producer for Padre Talk for the San Diego Padres.” The following Sunday as Ted gave testimony during the worship service, people stood and applauded, hope filled the congregation and in the days that followed we heard testimony after testimony of answered prayer.

A church has to decide that having an active prayer ministry is more important then a weekly prayer meeting.

Purpose Communication

A clear easy to remember statement of purpose is important for any church and is vital for the leaders to know and be able to communicate it to others at any time.

A statement of purpose helps to determine what a church does and what it does not do.

It should include the aspects of the Great Commission and how it was carried out in the early church.  Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:41-47.

Suggestions:

A statement of purpose that communicates worship, teaching, fellowship and evangelism allows people to see the constant vision and purpose of the church and assists them in helping to carry it out.

Make it easy to remember then:

a) Print it on bulletins.
b) Teach it in the new member class.
c) Put it on a banner.
d) Preach sermons on it.
e) Put it on all materials about the church and its ministries.
f) Make it know any other way that you can think of.

Simple Organization

The governing document of a church, normally known as the Constitution and By-laws can be a tool to expedite ministry or to slow it down. 

I am amazed the constitutions of most of the churches have not been changed since the church began.  Most are in need of review at least every five years.  During revisions much of the document can be placed in a Policy Manual, which can be changed without the need of a congregational meeting.

Sometimes a constitution needs to be widened enough to allow the leaders of the church to control its direction.  My suggestion is that the deacons, elders (leaders) of the church to have clearly defined roles while giving the senior pastor the authority to lead and give direction. 

Communication Strategy

I wish I could be inspiring and tell some great story about someone like Teddy, but the reality is communication in churches is poor.  Most of the stories to be told would not be so heart warming.  A big part of any church’s problem is “communication” of goals, vision and often, and basic information and announcements.  I have never been in a church where communication wasn’t a problem to some degree. 

Suggestions:

1. Instead of an annual meeting, have a “Vision banquet.”

a. Present the past year in a video with lots of pictures of events and happenings set to upbeat music.
b. Give written reports of the past year but do not read them.  Allow people to do that as they eat and allow for a brief Q&A period.
c. Present the “vision” for the coming year of goals and make it exciting.

2. Publish a quarterly newsletter highlighting events and progress on goals and ministries as well as people.
3. Produce flyers and brochures about the different ministries and place them at a “information station”.
4. Send announcements and prayer request via e-mail to all those that have computers.
5. Set up a communication strategy within the leadership by e-mail and phone. 
6. Use inserts in the bulletin dedicated to one event.  This allows people to place that insert on a refrigerator or a bulletin board as a reminder.

Willingness to Change

Change is inevitable, it happens daily.  If the church does not make changes to meet the changing world, we will not reach that world.  Leaders need to be agents of change and confident about those changes, then the congregation will follow those changes in trust.
Change is the number one area that church people resist even if the church is about to die. 

Suggestions:

1. Adopt an understanding that in ministry “methods change while the message remains the same.”
2. Agree that “we’ve always done it that way” attitude will kill vision.
3. Agree that the question “how much does it cost” is the last question asked.
4. Have a meeting or retreats with leaders that will be dedicated to “vision”, “ideas” and “being cutting edge” in the things done at your church.
5. Change, change, change…but preach the old, old story.

Unity of Leadership

Church leadership can appear united and yet hold different ideas on some direction or on how to do things.  Unity is one of the reasons that I believe that the pastor should be the chairman of the leadership board.  He can give direction, leadership and biblical insight to each issue and direction that the leadership takes.

The problem is, even though leaders are in leadership they are still sinners.  Sure sinners saved my grace, but still sinners.  They often have their own ideas and self-agendas and believe that, “preachers come and go, but I’ll be here after he leaves”, thus they resist too much change. 

Suggestions:

1. Have quarterly leadership retreats and/or outings.
2. Attend conferences and seminars together.
3. As a team, leaders should study the “one another’s of scripture” and then model them while the same teaching is going throughout the church by way of sermons and small groups.
4. Leaders need to have a mutual agreement to never speak negatively about another.
5. Leaders also need to have a commitment to stop all gossip.  If someone has a problem with another leader then they must be encouraged to go to that leader, if not then go with them.
6. Meetings held by members of leadership should never be held without the pastor’s knowledge.  He should be informed of the purpose of the meeting and its results.

Functional Goals and Objectives

It’s important to always keep a vision before God’s people.  This seemed to be a characteristic of the prophets as they proclaimed to God’s people what The Almighty” had in store for them.

This is no different for modern day leaders of Christ’s church.  The reason is, “where there is no vision, people perish.”

Goals are normally in two categories, but always functional and never lofty. 

1. Short term goals.

The things that you hope to accomplish within a year.  Most goals are obvious, as each leader needs sensitive to the needs and desires of the people that they serve and listen to them as they interact throughout the year.

2. Long Term Goals

Every organization needs to have a “five year” as well as a “ten year” plan.  It’s not always necessary to communicate those goals to the congregation.  In fact it’s wise to do so as they become short term. 

Operate by Faith

All to often churches lose vision due to money struggles and have difficulty planning for the future.  Sometimes their struggles are due to division in the leadership structure.  Much of the message of Malachi is, “as go the priests, so goes the people.” If the leadership grows in their faith and vision and take on the attitude of “what can we trust God for this year and believe that He is faithful to accomplish it through us,” the people are sure to follow.

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Andy McAdams knows what it is like to accept the challenge of an old and dying church.  Just about the time he thought he could do nothing, a fellow pastor shared recently-learned, life-changing, and church-changing principles with him. Andy used these principles as senior pastors in two churches. Both churches today consist of young families aggressively serving God with a passion to reach their community and see new believers grow through discipleship. They are purpose-driven and using cutting-edge methods, yet never compromising Gospel truths.  Andy resigned his pastorate of over 30 years to dedicate himself solely to assist other pastors struggling from the increasing pressures of leading a small church. His graduate work in church growth and counseling, along with his training with Church Dynamics International (CDI), drives him to assist church leaders fulfill the Great Commission by equipping the people to do the work of the ministry and build the church.  Having worn the shoes of a senior pastor, he knows the hurts, concerns, and struggles of balancing family, maintenance, and ministry. He now works with Pastors to Pastors, whose goal is to bring about a healthy, dynamic disciple making church to best fulfill the Great Commission.

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