Posts tagged Church Growth

What Is Spiritual Warfare Part 3

Feb21
2011 Written by Warner Smith

In Ephesians chapter 6 we read

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers against the authorities against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

I am not interested in discussing  the rulers or authorities. I have read books that organize each of  these into different levels of demons. Instead I am wish to address these all generally as the “spiritual forces of evil.” I want you to understand that we struggle not against flesh and blood but against these “spiritual forces of evil.”

Do you ever think that your spouse is your enemy? Often children think that their parents are the enemy. Have you ever seen a teenager storm out of the house and slam the door, shouting you just don’t understand, thinking everybody is against them. Some students believe that all their teachers are the enemy, because they all seem to be in a conspiracy against their pleasure. Our enemy is not flesh and blood,  there is no one person who is your enemy. Instead our enemies (according to this text) are these rulers, these authorities and powers of darkness; these spiritual rulers of evil.

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Pray Now Bartow Day 30

Mar30
2010 Written by Warner Smith

There are only 84 congregations in all religions in Bartow. To adequately serve our county we need to start a minimum of 516 churches.  This is number for needed new congregations is based on a ratio of 100 members per new church.  If these churches were started by traditional means, by purchasing land and constructing buildings and hiring staff (pastor), the cost for planting these needed churches would be $1,032,000,000 ($1.032 billion).

Another method for planting this large number of churches is to do so by non traditional means by starting house churches. In a house church a group of believers come together for worship in someones home.  They may or may not be connected to a mother church where they attend every other week or monthly.  House churches are led by non professional ministers.

There are several strengths of the house church. Many people today are more open to attending a Bible study in a home than in a church.  They are less expensive. House churches are harder for governments to control. They are smaller, and as such their attendees tend to be more involved in service.  Some house churches will grow and become more traditional churches, but many will not.  While most Christians do not think positively about house churches they are an excellent means for evangelizing a population.  As America becomes less and less Christian house churches will become more appealing and necessary.

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” 16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. Romans 10:14–17

Pray for those who do not attend a church. Pray that God will call more Christians into the ministry of preaching His Word.  Pray that all those who currently preach His Word will become holy and bold in their proclamation and lifestyle.  Ask God to convict the hearts of believers to stat new churches whether through traditional or non-traditional means.

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Watch and Pray So We Do Not Fall into Temptation

Jan10
2010 Written by Warner Smith

Do you ever wonder why the church today is not as influential as it was in the past?  I do and quite often.  I remember when I was new to ministry some twenty-three years ago it was common knowledge that on any given Sunday 42% of all Americans were in church.  I remember being comforted by the knowledge that more people attended church each week than attended all NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL games combined.

There was, however, year by year a growing and nagging suspicion that we in the church had a diminishing positive impact on our culture.  Then a couple of years ago I received new data on church attendance that was informative and depressing.  In the county where I reside only 18% attend church on any given Sunday.  That means that 82% do not attend church on the typical Sunday.

Does your typical Sunday include gathering with other believers to worship and praise Christ?  Were attendance records kept at your church would you receive perfect attendance?  So what is our problem, and why are we as a nation becoming less and less Christian?  I think a part of the answer may be found in Jesus’ words to his disciples.

Then He returned to His disciples and found them sleeping.  “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” He asked Peter.  “Watch and pray so that you will not fall intotemptation.  The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:40-41

Sleeping, this is a picture of the church and too many Christians today.  We are asleep, not watching and praying just sleeping.   You know how I know because I hear us snoring.  According to webster snoring is “asleep breathing and making harsh noises.”

Discussions of church or denominational politics instead of encouragement, burden sharing, prayer for the lost, or witnessing are sounds of snoring.  We hear things like “can you believe what so and so did” or “did you hear. . .,” invarably harsh words follow such statements.  How do I know, because when I go to meetings I hear it happen and I am ashamed to say that there have been occasions when I have participated.

When a lost person sees the church asleep they think that either the church is dead, or worse that we don’t care.  Wouldn’t it be a better if we all woke up, and followed Jesus’ instruction to “watch and pray  so we will quit falling into temptation?”

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My Increasing Sense of Cultural Angst

Jan03
2010 Written by Warner Smith

As a Christian I increasingly feel disconnected from my own culture. A brief word of explanation before I continue.

The technical terminology E-1, E-2, and E-3 is used to differentiate the cultural distance across which evangelism occurs . E-1 (evangelism one) refers to monocultural evangelism. Both E-2 and E-3 involve cross-cultural evangelism, with E-3 crossing a more radical cultural bridge than E-2. E-2 and E-3 evangelistic ministries require different strategies, different planning, different gifts, different training, and different insights than E-1 ministries.

In the minds of most Christians leaders in America, the field of evangelism specializes in E-1, while the field of missions specializes in E-2 and E-3. I have earned a Ph.D. in Evangelism so that means I should have some expertise in accomplishing E-1 evangelism. Traditionally this meant the kind of evangelism that would most often be accomplished in the church and its surrounding community. Imagine my angst as I become more and more aware of the need for the church I lead to engage in E-2 and even E-3 evangelism. This means that I need an additional degree in Missiology.

Think about the cultural distance in your own family. It is not uncommon for individuals to have educational, political, economic, and generational cultural distance in their own nuclear and extended family. In my own family I have relatives who are M.D.’s, Ed,D.’s, D.V.M.’s, and Ph.D.’s, many others have Master’s degrees, Bachelor’s Degrees, and High School diploma’s. Others did not finish High School. (By the way the wealthiest member of my family did not finish High School). Politically there are very conservative, moderate and and very liberal members of my family. Economically we are all middle, upper middle class and above. Religiously, my family is primarily unchurched, with many committed evangelical Christians. Reaching my diverse family would all be E-1.

Today in my community, however, I am coming into contact with displaced northerners who have had the good sense to move south, and individuals from around the world. For example my neighbor across the street is from Wisconsin, and my next door neighbor is from Trinidad. Our predominantly white Anglo church has members from Haiti, Cuba, Columbia, and Peru.

It seems to me that the cultural distance is increasing between many of my son’s generation (teens and twenty’s) and me. This distance and the speed for which I need preparation to respond to it is also increasing.

I have just ordered two books to help me respond to this in my primary task of preaching. One is written by my friends Ed Stetzer and Richie Stanley, Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and the Churches that Reach Them. You can order your own copy if you at http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Found-Younger-Unchurched-Churches. The other book, Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods is by Mark Driscoll can be found at http://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Church-Timeless-Truths-Methods I will let you know what I learn on a later post.

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