HighPower eNews~~ Empowering Pastors for Growth & Health ~~ FEBRUARY 2007 |
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FactoidsFebruary Focus – Change Factors & Church Growth One of the important truths you already know about leading a church is that change has to be managed carefully. There are a couple of landmines related to change that can impact your church. Landmines tend to blow things up, so you want to go carefully. If you want your church to grow, it will require change BEFORE you start growing, and then it will require change AS YOU ARE GROWING. In fact, to be a growing congregation you will need to be CONSTANTLY CHANGING forever. When you stop changing, you stop growing, and start dying. Three Church Growth Factoids can help us out here. Let’s look at each of them, and then unpack them, starting first with CHANGING BEFORE YOU START GROWING: CHURCH GROWTH Factoid #1: Willingness to Change“Churches which have experienced breakout growth on the order of 50 percent or more over a four-year period have all been characterized by either an openness to change or at least by the passive permission for limited change.”(Church Growth Principles, C. Kirk Hadaway, Nashville: Broadman Press, 1991, p. 156.) It is a true statement that no congregation will ever grow unless it wants to. A willingness to change is a necessity for growth. This open attitude toward change generally requires a discontent with the status quo. This discontent may be as severe as a fear that unless the church changes, it will have to shut down, or it may be as mild as a general openness to newcomers. But in either case, your congregation needs to embrace the change that inevitably happens when newcomers arrive at your church.
Then your congregation must manage CHANGE AS YOU GROW… CHURCH GROWTH Factoid #2: Diffusion of Innovation“This 20 percent minimum reflects the research of social scientists studying innovation and diffusion, who have found that this is the critical number of members in any group which must endorse a new idea before the majority will accept it.” (Win Arn, “How to Use Ratios to Effect Church Growth”, in Wagner, C. Peter, ed. Church Growth: State of the Art. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1986, ch. 8, p. 103.) If you are looking to create change in your congregation, the theory of innovation and diffusion is important to know. You don’t have to convince everybody, but you do have to convince the change agents in your congregation. When the number of those who embrace the change starts approaching 20%, it will feel like everybody is adopting it. Finally, you must be ready for the surprising impact of successful growth, HOW GROWTH FORCES CHANGE ON YOUR CHURCH… CHURCH GROWTH Factoid #3: Impact of 30% ChangeHerb Miller notes “...a frequently observed but seldom anticipated human behavior: the negative reaction of people in any organization whose size grows or shrinks by 30 percent or more.” “Many pastors report approximately eighteen months of unpleasant readjustment each time their church’s size changes 30 percent or more.” (Miller, Herb. “The Parish Paper” Vol, 11, No.2, August 2003. “Resisting Church Resistance”.) Not everybody likes to have a bunch of newcomers “traipsing all over the place around here”. Be prepared for it. Some of the stakeholders will get upset.These and other Factoids can be found at ChurchGrowth Factoids CoachingThey say that the unexamined life is not worth living. Coaching is a tool to help you or those you relate with to reflect upon life. Here are some thoughts on the examined life: Experience alone does not help you grow; only REFLECTED or INTERPRETED experience. Therefore here is a great tool to help you each day if you keep a daily journal. Begin it each day w/ these words… “YESTERDAY…” But you don’t stop with just the word ‘yesterday’. Here are 3 additional words to guide your thinking: Let’s look at each of these: “change” – what change if any, will I make? These words can also be used in the context of a coaching relationship. You can ask those with whom you relate to give some thought to their days. For free coaching resources, try here. SoftwareHighPower LibraryFree Software for Pastors! If you haven't gotten your free copy of "HighPower Library" yet, feel free to download it now. HighPower Library is a very simple program that does one thing: it helps you keep track of all the books in your library. It is free to pastors, as our gift to thank you. Enjoy it, use it, share it with friends. HighPower Library will let you add an unlimited number of books, CD's, articles, DVD's, videos, anything you can list, you can record and track in this software. Here's what you can do:
It is simple and easy to use. Check it out here. --------------------------
SERMONSNew SermonSet this month: Joshua Living on the Edge of FaithHow to Seize Your FutureThe Book of JoshuaLife is all about facing challenges, making the right choices, taking risks, and overcoming barriers. This series from Joshua will empower you with the faith and courage you need to attack life with gusto and win! Spiritual principles from God’s Word will show you how to cultivate Courage, develop Faith, break through Barriers, take Risks, win Battles, move from Fear to Faith, from thinking small to Living Large, to multiplying your faith through Mentoring.
All 9 of these sermons from Joshua chs. 1 - 12 are assembled into one set. Each message includes complete sermon notes, fill-in-the-blank notes & .pdf, and PPT notes. Click on Joshua_Series.htm to learn more |
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