HOW TO DOUBLE ATTENDANCE AND GROW THE CHURCH
By
Jerry Falwell
A. BEFORE YOU BEGIN: EIGHT BASIC ASSUMPTIONS
Before I begin to discuss how to grow a church, there are certain assumptions that we must agree on. These assumptions are based on the Word of God and come from the nature of God. Without these assumptions, the following steps are just speculation. With these assumptions, we have a mandate to grow a church.
1. God loves the world and has a wonderful plan for each person in the world.
This is a positive motivation, and a growing church begins with the positive motivation that God loves every person and has a unique plan for their happiness and prosperity.
2. All people are lost because of sin.
"All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). We must reach every person with the Gospel or they will die and without Jesus Christ, they will go to Hell.
3. We have a command to go and preach the gospel to every person.
First, we are told to preach to every person, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). The second command gives us a strategy of how to reach these people. The original King James says, "Go ye therefore and teach all nations" (Matt. 28:19). The New King James Version explains the word "teach," with the translation, "make disciples." "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and lo I am with you always, even to the end of the ages" (Matt. 28:19, 20). What does it mean to "make disciples?"
Get people to follow Jesus Christ, i.e., like Matthew who left his tax table and followed the Lord. This involves the initial act of salvation and the continual process of following Him. The best way to "disciple" people is to reach people for Jesus Christ through the local church.
4. We must get people into the local church.
Disciples follow Jesus Christ when they are baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Baptism is more than just immersion into water. Baptism is identification with Jesus Christ and his death, burial and resurrection. Since we are identified with Christ in His physical body on the cross; after we are saved we must be identified with Jesus Christ in His local body (i.e., the church) through water baptism. This places the local church at the heart of evangelism.
DEFINITION OF EVANGELISM
"Communicating the Gospel in an understandable manner, and motivating a person to respond to Jesus Christ, and to become a responsible member of His church." Evangelism and Church Growth: A Practical Encyclopedia, edited by Dr. Elmer Towns and Executive Editors representing twelve leading seminaries in America.
5. Bible education must follow evangelism.
The Great Commission involves post-evangelism or post-conversion ministry. After they accept Christ, make sure they grow in Christ and become members of His church. "Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:20).
The new convert must be taught obedience to the words of Christ, and this instruction is done best in the local church.
6. Sunday School is imperative - absences are serious.
Believers must attend both worship service and Sunday School. "Daily in the temple and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ" (Acts 5:42). Preaching means the worship service. Teaching, means Sunday School or Bible study.
Growing churches must involve everyone in Sunday School because:
a. The Sunday School gives a complete coverage of the Word of God. In Bible study all pupils from kindergarten through adults study the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation.
b. The Sunday School gives a comprehensive study of the Word of God. In Bible study people learn God’s Word by doctrinal study, biographical study, devotional study such as the Psalms, survey study, and topical study.
c. Because the Sunday School effectively applies the Word of God to the life of all pupils. When the teacher first begins asking questions, students become involved with the Word of God, and the teacher can systematically apply the Word of God to the age-graded learning level of each pupil.
THE LAW OF SUNDAY SCHOOL OUGHT
Everyone who ought to be,
Ought to be in Sunday school.
Everyone who ought to be in Sunday school,
Ought to be on time.
Everyone who comes to Sunday school,
Ought to stay for the worship service.
Everyone who comes to the worship service,
Ought to come early for Sunday school.
There is a place for both to attend both,
And if both don’t attend both,
There is something wrong with both.
E. Towns
7. A church needs every kind of growth.
a. Internal Growth is where individuals are growing in Jesus Christ (i.e., they are growing in Christian character, growing in Bible knowledge, growing to be like Jesus Christ. "The Word of God grew and multiplied" (Acts 12:24). Just as "a person must journey within before journeying without," so a church must have internal strength, before it has external strength. Remember a tree grows from the inside out, and so a church must be strong in the Word of God; then it can reach out with the Word of God.
b. External Growth. This growing in numbers, i.e., growing attendance, growing membership, growing baptisms, growing enrollment, growing offerings.
c. Conversion Growth is growing in conversion growth i.e., winning people to Jesus Christ;
d. Transfer Growth, i.e., bringing people who are not in the membership of the church and under the watch-care of a local church. this is "Finding lost sheep who belong to the shepherd but are away from the fold."
e. Biological Growth, i.e., babies born into the congregation are incorporated into the church membership.
8. Leadership and membership must be committed to Church Growth.
The pastor and people must want the church to grow and be willing to pay the price of growth.
a. First Price: The pastor must be willing to work hard.
b. Second Price: The pastor must share ministry with every person in the church, i.e., delegating ministry to them, and organizing the church so they are involved in ministry. "Use ’em or lose ’em."
c. Third Price: The people must be willing to give up traditionalism of the church. A growing church involves new organizations, new programs and a new vision.
d. Fourth Price: The people must be willing to give up their close friendships in a small church, and reach out to the lost and new converts. A growing church will involve new people coming into the church.
e. Fifth Price: The people must be willing to give up their close relationship with the pastor. When there are a hundred people everyone can shake hands with pastor after the church service. When there are a thousand that cannot happen. Then other pastors/leaders will help the pastor to shepherd the people, (staff).
f. Sixth Price: The people must support growth with their service, money, and commitment. A growing church has the attitude among its people, "I will give up my rights, in order to reach the lost." Too often existing churches are like country clubs. People have their membership in a country club and want to be served in the country club. The church is not a place where we come to be served, but rather a place where we service others.
B. WHAT I THINK A GROWING CHURCH NEEDS
1. Growing churches have an effective biblical vision of winning the lost, building up the believers, and strengthening the church.
a. Definition of a vision
(1) Vision is a bridge from the past to the future.
(2) Vision is the eye of faith to see the invisible and the decision to make it happen.
(3) Vision is power, it is the power that will cause people to give up all their sins, and to see all they can become for God.
(4) Definition by George Barna from the Power of Vision. "Vision for ministry is a clear mental image of a preferable future imparted by God to His chosen servants and is based upon an accurate understanding of God, self, and circumstances." (The best book outside the Bible that will teach a pastor or leader how to get a vision for God for the Church /JF).
b. The content of your vision.
(1) You must have a vision of the lost and the Gospel that can save them.
(2) You must have a vision of the size of your church. Your vision must be based on:
(a) The Word of God
(b) Your community
(c) Your faith to trust God for His power.
(3) You must have a vision of how you want your preaching service to be conducted. John MacArthur has a vision of a strong Bible teaching ministry. Some have a vision of a worshipful and reverent Sunday morning service (Presbyterians). Some have a vision of just praise music and renewal. I believe you must have a vision of preaching the Gospel to the lost, seeing them come down the aisle to get saved. I have a vision of a soul-winning church.
(4) Your faith and vision.
(a) The Future. When you discuss vision you are attempting to communicated to your followers what the future will be like. This involves faith. The greater your faith in God, the greater your ability to build a church.
(b) Your Walk With God. You cannot disconnect your personal walk with God from your faith. First you must have great faith to trust God for personal victories and personal growth. Second you must have great faith to build a great church.
(c) Risk Taking. I don’t think you can build a church without "stepping out on faith" and attempting greater things for God than you can get done. I tell my people, "It’s not a case if the rabbit can climb the tree. The rabbit must climb the tree."
(5) Vision of a complete church. I preach a sermon on the Antioch Church, Acts 11:19-26, and 13:1-6.
(a) Presence
(b) Participation
(c) Praying
(d) Preaching
(e) Penetration
2. Growing churches have aggressive leadership that presses toward a New Testament goal.
a. Definition of leadership. Oswald Sanders in Spiritual Leadership, defined "leadership is influence." This means the more people you influence, the greater your leadership. The more deeply you influence people, the greater your leadership.
b. What is the measure of the effectiveness of your leadership? Many people read books on leadership, listen to tapes on leadership, and go to seminars on leadership. They know all the theory and techniques of leadership. The problem is they don’t have anyone following them. Your leadership is measured by how many people follow you, how carefully they follow you, and how devotedly they follow you.
c. The leader of the church is Jesus Christ who said, "I will build my church" (Matt. 16:18). Notice the five things you can say about the leadership of Jesus Christ in the church.
(1) He claimed to be the leader of the church, "I will build . . ." remember, the church is called his body, Jesus Christ is the head.
(2) Jesus’ leadership was future-oriented. "I will build . . . i.e., this involved the future. You don’t build a church on history lessons.
(3) The church belongs to Jesus Christ. "My church."
(4) Leadership is an ongoing process. The word build in the original language is, "in the process of building."
(5) Jesus calls people together. The word church is ecclesia which means people "assembled together." Technically, the word ecclesia comes from two Greek words, ek which is "out" and kaleo which is, "to call". This means two things. First, the leader must call people out from their worldly and secular pursuits. Second, the leader must call people together into a church.
If the church is not "assembling" people together, it is not doing what Christ originally said it should do.
d. What leadership is not.
(1) Leadership is not dictatorship. Every Baptist preacher wishes he could make people tithe, and make people come to prayer meeting. But leadership is not making rules. Jesus Christ was not a dictator. He appeals to the highest throne of the heart, where sits the "will" of every individual. Just as each person must follow Jesus Christ willingly, so each believer must follow church leadership willingly.
(2) Leadership is not management. As I listen to some church growth experts, they want to teach me all of the management skills of Lee Iacocca and how he revolutionized the Chrysler organization. But, the church is not a manufacturing plant, the church is the Body of Jesus Christ with the presence of God in its midst. The pastor must be a manager, but that is not his primary calling. God called him to be a pastor-soul winner.
You can’t build a church on management.
You can’t build a church without management.
Therefore, your job is not to be a manager of people, your job is to be a shepherd and preacher of the Word of God; but you must have management skills in leading people to follow God and serve God.
(3) Leadership is not letting the people do what they want to do. Some pastors want to let the people vote on everything. That is what is called government by laissez faire, which is letting the people "call the shots." The church is not primarily a democracy to let people vote on what they want to do. The people must do what Jesus Christ wants them to do. The pastor must lead them to obey the Word of God. Obviously, every pastor will appeal to his people and on many occasions they will vote. But even when they vote, they are not voting on what they want to do. They vote on what they think God wants them to do. There are two reasons why people vote. First, we believe in the priesthood of believers, every believer has access to the Word of God, and can understand the Bible, therefore they must vote according to their understanding of the Word of God. Second, every believer has the indwelling Holy Spirit within, and they must follow the Holy Spirit as He leads them to understand God’s will, and vote accordingly.
e. The Bible Teaches Visionary Leadership. The secret to being a leader is not just a walk in front of people. Some leaders are lost, and some leaders don’t know where they are going. A visionary leader has a vision of the Great Commission. He knows where he is going.
THE FIRST LAW OF LEADERSHIP
"When people buy into your vision/dream, they buy into your leadership." (From Eight Laws of Leadership, by Elmer Towns.
f. The Leader Must Be Called of God. To have a growing church there must be an effective pastor who is called of God. The Bible teaches we do not take this call to ourselves. The call of God involves three things:
(1) A deep burden to do the work of God. This call is so compelling that we set aside every other pursuit in life to do it.
(2) A deep desire to serve God. I see money driven salesmen who are later called of God. Then they set aside all pursuits of money to study the Bible, win souls, and serve Jesus Christ.
(3) You are called when you have fruit in your life. "Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you and ordained you that you might go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit may remain" (John 15:16).
g. You Must Be A Gifted Leader. Obviously to be a great leader of God you must have the enabling gifts of God:
1. Faith (I Cor. 12-9)
2. Knowledge (I Cor. 12:8)
3. Wisdom (I Cor. 12:8)
4. Discernment (I Cor. 12:10)
Serving gifts:
1. Evangelism
2. Prophecy
3. Exhortation (Rom. 12:8)
4. Teaching
5. Shepherding (Eph. 4:11)
6. Mercy Showing
7. Ministering (Rom. 12:7, I Cor. 12:28)
8. Administration/Ruling
9. Ruling (Rom. 12:8 / I Cor. 12:28)
h. The Leader Must Be Trained for his Pastorate. Training involves:
1. Bible college
2. Seminary
3. Being trained by godly men who become our mentors and role models
4. The leader must have a long tenure. Pastors who go from church to church do not build great churches. The book, The 10 Largest Sunday Schools indicated that the pastors who had built the largest churches in America had an average of 27 years tenure.
3. Growing churches target their audience.
a. A Demographic Survey.
Everyone today is talking about taking a demographic survey in your community to (1) know your community, and (2) locate prospects, i.e., these are responsive-receptive people. "A prospect is an unsaved or unchurched person within driving distance of the church."
(1) Responsive people are responsive to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
(2) Receptive people are receptive to the ministry of your church.
b. Survey Your Neighborhood.
When I first began Thomas Road Baptist Church I surveyed every house within a 5 mile area going door to door.
1. Prospect list
2. Mail list,
3. Sunday School roll.
c. Reaching the Reachable.
"And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when you depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet" (Matt. 10:14).
(1) Definition of Reaching (Pre-evangelism).
"Making contact with a person and motivating them to give an honest hearing of the gospel."
Reaching does not mean that we will get everyone saved, it is our desire to "gospelize" them with our message.
Jesus didn’t say that we were to bypass any people, but we should at least go to their house. But don’t spend all of our time with "hard-to-reach-people", go on to reachable people.
d. Winning the Winnable.
Invest your time in evangelizing those who will respond to the Gospel message. Jesus taught this truth, "When he sowed some seed fell by the wayside and the fowls came and devoured them up" (Matt. 13:4). Notice that he did not bypass the wayside or pathway because it was packed down and non-receptive to the seed. The sower did sow some seed there. Also, he sowed seed on the stony place and among the weeds. There were marginal results there. But notice the results when he went to good ground. "But other fell into good ground and brought forth fruit, some in hundred fold, some sixty fold, some thirty fold" Matt 13:8). Jesus suggested one out of four people would respond to evangelism and become Christians who would serve in your church. What can be said from this lesson:
1. Do not bypass any.
2. Spend your resources on those who are responsive-receptive.
e. Outside-In and Inside-Out.
In today’s terminology they speak about the Outside-In church (emphasis on advertisement to get people into the church) and the Inside-Out church (emphasis on strengthening people to go out and witness for Christ). You want to be both kinds of churches.
4. Growing churches remove barriers that keep people from getting saved.
Every church has some barriers that keep people from coming inside its doors. When we understand our barriers and remove them; we can better reach people with the Gospel.
External barriers. Modern Church Growth authorities speak about three kinds of barriers
a. E-1 Barrier, The Stained Glass Barrier.
E-1 Barrier is any barrier created by the location, building or external facilities that keep people from coming into your church. This could be a dirty building, an uncomfortable building, a location that is hard to find, no parking available or any other physical barrier that offends attenders.
As an illustration, people don’t get saved because you have comfortable pews, but if you have comfortable pews they are more likely to return and listen to the Gospel.
b. E-2 Barrier, The Class and Cultural Barrier.
E-2 Barriers are created by the customs and values of people-groups. If a church only has one kind of music, it only reaches one kind of person. The church that only has classical music only reaches people who like classical music. The church that only has country and western Gospel music, only reaches people who like country and western music. A person may come into your church and be converted because of the powerful ministry of the Holy Spirit, but I have found over a period of time, that people don’t stay in a type of a church that is different from their background. (If they like classical music but they get saved in a church with country and western Gospel music, they may gravitate to a church where they feel comfortable). This statement is not the way it ought to be but this is simply a description of the way it is.
c. E-3 Barrier, The Linguistic Barrier.
Everyone wants to hear God speak in their own heart language. It is difficult to preach the Gospel through an interpreter, but not impossible.
Some people do not speak your language and will not come into your church. That’s why all over America why we have foreign-language church services in facilities where only English has been spoken. For instance, in greater Washington, DC, many Baptist churches have a minority church service in the Korean language, Laotian language, Chinese language or Spanish language.
While a student here at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Armando Guzman, MD went to Washington, DC and started a Spanish language church in a Baptist church building.
5. Growing churches apply the Full House approach to growth.
"Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled" (Luke 14:23).
The Full House Strategy
a. The full house strategy is getting a large crowd in your auditorium. A crowd produces excitement, momentum and usually guarantees many unsaved people when the Gospel is preached.
b. Special evangelistic events to attract people to the church, i.e., Friend Day, concerts, special speakers, seminars, etc.
c. Visitors experience the presence of God.
d. You actually get people saved and their life is turned around.
e. Commit visitors to your cause by membership, enrollment, or enlistment. Sunday School enrollment is sub-membership. "They give me permission to minister to them" - Bill Monroe. Make sure to get their name and address, then mail to them.
f. Absentee visitation is one of the most powerful contacts a Sunday School teacher can make.
6. Spiritual factors of growth are absolutely mandatory.
a. The Role of Prayer in Building A Church.
The strength of any church is having a praying pastor and a praying people.
You can’t build a church on prayer alone, You can’t build a church without prayer.
A few churches have nothing but prayer, and they never grow. Some churches have a lot of activity in outreach programs and evangelistic crusades but have little prayer. They don’t grow. The key is balance.
b. Revival and Awakening.
I define revival in the words of Scriptures where the Lord said, "I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh" (Acts 2:17).
Revival is simply, "God pouring out his Spirit on his people."
One of the best verses to define revival is, "When the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19). A revival is a time of refreshing when God pours water upon the barren ground.
A prescription for revival, "If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (II Chronicles 7:14).
c. Church Growth and Fasting.
Thomas Road Baptist Church has seen great answers to prayer when we called the people to fasting. I wrote a little book, Fasting: What The Bible Teaches, Tyndale House, Wheaton, IL, 1981. This past summer Dr. Towns taught a series in Sunday School on The Nine Disciplines of Fasting.
1. The Disciple’s Fast: Breaking Sin’s Addiction
2. The Ezra Fast: To Solve A Problem
3. The Samuel Fast: For Revival and Soul Winning
4. The Elijah Fast: To Break A Habit
5. The Widow’s Fast: For the Needy
6. The Saint Paul’s Fast: For Wisdom and Decision-Making
7. The Daniel Fast: For Physical Health
8. The John the Baptist Fast: For Spiritual Testimony
9. The Esther Fast: For Spiritual Protection
d. Powerful Preaching of the Word of God.
The power of soul-winning and preaching is based on the Word of God. "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17).
e. Faith That Moves Mountains.
Some churches have organized programs and a pastor who knows the Word of God, but they are not growing. Large numbers of people are not getting saved. One of the reasons they are not growing is because no one has faith to overcome the barren altar. "Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore, I say unto you, what things soever you desire, when ye pray believe that you receive them, and ye shall have them" (Mark 11:22-24).
7. Growing churches saturate their "Jerusalem".
a. Definition. "Using every available means, to reach every available person, at every available time." (Jerry Falwell, Church Aflame).
b. Biblical Basis. "Did we not strictly command you that ye should not teach in this name? And, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood upon us" (Acts 5:28).
c. Illustrations.
Radio programs/advertisement
Television programs/advertisement
Flyers
Bus visitation
Posters
Church newspapers
Advertisements in secular newspapers
Visitation
Contests
Friend Day
Telephone canvass
Neighborhood survey
Special days
d. Why Saturation Evangelism.
(1) To accomplish the "Full House" strategy.
(2) If everyone knows about your church and ministry, when they are convicted by the Holy Spirit and/or they are searching for God; they will turn to your church and hear the Gospel.
8. Teach everyone soul-winning.
a. Preach and teach soul-winning from the pulpit (Sunday AM, PM and prayer meeting).
b. Teach Sunday School teachers how to lead students to Christ.
c. Special classes (Evangelism Explosion).
d. Train counselors who work in the counseling room after the Gospel invitation is given.
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God.
