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	HighPower eNews ~~ Empowering Pastors for Growth & Health ~~ May 2007
HighPower Resources Coaching Sermons Seminars Software Products Articles Bible Studies Church Growth Factoids Dramas Books	Feel free to forward this to a friend! PLAN OUT YOUR ENTIRE 2007-2008 YEAR SERMON SCHEDULE NOW! NEW this month! New Factoids New Article about Simple Church:Alignment New Books New Church Directory Software Factoids How about some good news? I get tired of all the bad news sometimes. Here are some Church Growth Factoids which should encourage you: 3,000 New Churches every week "According to Missions Frontier magazine... -- 3,000 new churches are opening every week worldwide."(LOST IN AMERICA, Tom Clegg & Warren Bird, p. 26 ) Weekend Worship Totals “According to the Barna Research Group, on a typical Sunday more than 75 million adults attend worship services at Christian churches. That is more than triple the number of adults who will tune in to football games on a typical Sunday during the regular season.” (Evangelical Press News Service, September 6,1998, quoted in Towns, Elmer & Warren Bird. Into the Future. Grand Rapids: Fleming H. Revell, 2000.) These and other Factoids can be found at ChurchGrowth Factoids Coaching SIMPLE CHURCH, p. 4: ALIGNMENT "Simple Church" by Eric Geiger and T. Rainer has captured the imaginations of many people in America. They are already holding "Simple Church" conferences around the country with hundreds of people in attendance. While that is interesting, my concern is how we can take the Biblical principles from this book and apply them to any local church in order to experience growth. The growth we are looking for is both quantitative and qualitative growth. I believe the two are related. In our continuing series as we study this book, we are on Part Four: Alignment. Alignment is defined as "the arrangement of all ministries and staff around the same simple process." According to their research, "there is a highly significant relationship between church vitality and alignment". Alignment includes the following parts: 1) Recruit on Process - Staff & volunteers must be deeply committed to the specific discipleship process your church has selected. This is no place for lone rangers who decide they will use their own curriculum, methods, and means to do their own ministry style in their part of the church. Everybody must be using the same terms, systems and means to make disciples. 2) Offer Accountability - regular review of the process is necessary. For staff people, this may mean a weekly staff meeting. For church volunteers it needs to include a monthly leadership community meeting where the process is reviewed, and each ministry is tied in to that process. Accountability includes making sure that ministries are tied in to the overall purpose of the church. 3) Implement the Same Process Everywhere - same terminology; same spiritual growth milestones; same end-game. You may adapt it to different groups, or ages, but the goal is essentially the same. This way unity is increased, and families experience the same process. 4) Unite around the Process - Remember the definition of a simple church: "A simple church is a congregation designed around a straightforward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth." Everybody is walking the same path toward spiritual growth. 5) New Ministry Alignment - This simply means don't start anything new unless it fits your process. The hardest part for you will be retooling existing ministries to align them with the discipleship process you have selected as a church. So make sure that if you start something new, that it already is in alignment, so you don't have to go back later and retool again. After the final section of our "Simple Church" study, "Focus", I will be sharing with you the steps we have taken in our church to implement the Simple Church process. We have been studying it, and working on it for 6-months now, and we are just beginning to launch the new process with the congregation. Stay tuned for that. Until later, Dr. Bill Software FamilyFaces Photo Directory Software This software is an easy to use software which will allow you to print up a great looking church directory for your congregation. We are using it at our church and it is working great! It’s so easy to use that out 70 year old office volunteer is inputting the information for us, and printing the directory. We have a church of 750 people and have hundreds of families in our directory, and it works fast and well. You can print up 3 types of directories: two with photos, and one simple one w/o photos. You can try the free Demo, or buy it for the introductory price of $40. If you are not completely satisfied, we will refund you. And don't forget the best Message Planning software out there - SermonBase `®` Click on www.SermonBase.com to download your new Demo today. Seminars “The Seven Most Important People" There are some people who will never visit your church again because of these seven people. Find out who they are, and what you can do about it. This seminar is based on some great teaching by John Maxwell. I have expanded it and added several additional pieces of helpful training for your Ushers and Greeters. If you want to check it out, download the free student notes. If you like what you see, then you can purchase the entire do-it-yourself downloadable seminar for just $20. Click on www.HighPowerResources.com/Seminars to learn more Sermons, Dramas, Bible Studies 1 John 5:6-12 The Divinity of Jesus This is a great message on the Five Birthmarks you will find on every Christian. The message addresses the issue of the divinity of Jesus, and it identifies His followers by five clear signs that every Christian has, as proof of the presence of Christ in their heart. This message is straight exposition from 1 John 5:6-12 applied directly to the lives of your listeners. Check out this and other quality, Biblical exposition sermons at HighPower Sermons. SPECIAL BOOKS SECTION - Quality books on Coaching, Church Growth & Health NEW BOOK SECTION: We have a new Books section at HighPower Resources. Just click on the “Books” button on the left sidebar in the HighPower site, to find a selected set of Coaching Books, Church Growth Books, Church Health Books.
Empowering for Growth & Health
About Us \|\| Contact Us \|\| © 2006 HighPower Resources

~~ Empowering Pastors for Growth & Health ~~

May 2007

HighPower Resources

Feel free to forward this to a friend!

PLAN OUT YOUR ENTIRE 2007-2008 YEAR SERMON SCHEDULE NOW!

NEW this month!

New Factoids

New Article about Simple Church:Alignment

New Books

New Church Directory Software

Factoids

How about some good news?
I get tired of all the bad news sometimes. Here are some Church Growth Factoids which should encourage you:

3,000 New Churches every week

"According to Missions Frontier magazine... -- 3,000 new churches are opening every week worldwide."(LOST IN AMERICA, Tom Clegg & Warren Bird, p. 26 )

Weekend Worship Totals

“According to the Barna Research Group, on a typical Sunday more than 75 million adults attend worship services at Christian churches. That is more than triple the number of adults who will tune in to football games on a typical Sunday during the regular season.” (Evangelical Press News Service, September 6,1998, quoted in Towns, Elmer & Warren Bird. Into the Future. Grand Rapids: Fleming H. Revell, 2000.)

These and other Factoids can be found at ChurchGrowth Factoids

Coaching

SIMPLE CHURCH, p. 4: ALIGNMENT

"Simple Church" by Eric Geiger and T. Rainer has captured the imaginations of many people in America. They are already holding "Simple Church" conferences around the country with hundreds of people in attendance. While that is interesting, my concern is how we can take the Biblical principles from this book and apply them to any local church in order to experience growth. The growth we are looking for is both quantitative and qualitative growth. I believe the two are related.

In our continuing series as we study this book, we are on Part Four: Alignment. Alignment is defined as "the arrangement of all ministries and staff around the same simple process." According to their research, "there is a highly significant relationship between church vitality and alignment".

Alignment includes the following parts:
1) Recruit on Process - Staff & volunteers must be deeply committed to the specific discipleship process your church has selected. This is no place for lone rangers who decide they will use their own curriculum, methods, and means to do their own ministry style in their part of the church. Everybody must be using the same terms, systems and means to make disciples.

2) Offer Accountability - regular review of the process is necessary. For staff people, this may mean a weekly staff meeting. For church volunteers it needs to include a monthly leadership community meeting where the process is reviewed, and each ministry is tied in to that process. Accountability includes making sure that ministries are tied in to the overall purpose of the church.

3) Implement the Same Process Everywhere - same terminology; same spiritual growth milestones; same end-game.
You may adapt it to different groups, or ages, but the goal is essentially the same. This way unity is increased, and families experience the same process.

4) Unite around the Process - Remember the definition of a simple church: "A simple church is a congregation designed around a straightforward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth." Everybody is walking the same path toward spiritual growth.

5) New Ministry Alignment - This simply means don't start anything new unless it fits your process. The hardest part for you will be retooling existing ministries to align them with the discipleship process you have selected as a church. So make sure that if you start something new, that it already is in alignment, so you don't have to go back later and retool again.

After the final section of our "Simple Church" study, "Focus", I will be sharing with you the steps we have taken in our church to implement the Simple Church process. We have been studying it, and working on it for 6-months now, and we are just beginning to launch the new process with the congregation. Stay tuned for that.

Until later,
Dr. Bill

Software

FamilyFaces Photo Directory Software

This software is an easy to use software which will allow you to print up a great looking church directory for your congregation. We are using it at our church and it is working great! It’s so easy to use that out 70 year old office volunteer is inputting the information for us, and printing the directory. We have a church of 750 people and have hundreds of families in our directory, and it works fast and well. You can print up 3 types of directories: two with photos, and one simple one w/o photos.

You can try the free Demo, or buy it for the introductory price of $40. If you are not completely satisfied, we will refund you.

And don't forget the best Message Planning software out there - SermonBase ®

Click on www.SermonBase.com to download your new Demo today.

Seminars

“The Seven Most Important People"

There are some people who will never visit your church again because of these seven people.

Find out who they are, and what you can do about it. This seminar is based on some great teaching by John Maxwell. I have expanded it and added several additional pieces of helpful training for your Ushers and Greeters. If you want to check it out, download the free student notes. If you like what you see, then you can purchase the entire do-it-yourself downloadable seminar for just $20.

Click on www.HighPowerResources.com/Seminars to learn more

Sermons, Dramas, Bible Studies

1 John 5:6-12 The Divinity of Jesus

This is a great message on the Five Birthmarks you will find on every Christian. The message addresses the issue of the divinity of Jesus, and it identifies His followers by five clear signs that every Christian has, as proof of the presence of Christ in their heart. This message is straight exposition from 1 John 5:6-12 applied directly to the lives of your listeners.

Check out this and other quality, Biblical exposition sermons at HighPower Sermons.

SPECIAL BOOKS SECTION - Quality books on Coaching, Church Growth & Health

NEW BOOK SECTION: We have a new Books section at HighPower Resources. Just click on the “Books” button on the left sidebar in the HighPower site, to find a selected set of Coaching Books, Church Growth Books, Church Health Books.

Empowering for Growth & Health