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SermonBase is Now updated to version 1.1

NEW this month!

1. SermonBase 1.1 for Mac & PC -- New Update
2. FamilyFaces 1.2 for Mac & PC  -- the second update to this Church Directory Software
3. New Factoids (18 more) to the site, many of them are facts and stats from Simple Church
4. New Sermon – Genesis 28 -- Humility

Factoids

Slow Progress on the Church Growth Front

We’ve added 18 more factoids, mostly from Simple Church, and Lost in America.  In particular, consider these two:
SUPRISING CHURCH GROWTH FACTOIDS:

• I am particularly surprised by a couple of recent Church Growth Factoids which we’ve added this week:
• First,  concerning basic church growth:

First Factoid -- “We initially set the requirements for the vibrant/growing church strata too high at 10 percent growth a year for three consecutive years.  Of the forty-three thousand churches in the Southern Baptist Convention, fewer than two hundred met that requirement.”   (Rainer, Thom S. & Eric Geiger.  Simple Church.  Nashville, TN: Broadman, 2006, p. 250.)

Now, Geiger and Rainer share these stats from the Southern Baptist Convention.  But I wonder just how different they would be in many other denominations in America?  (Maybe your denomination is different…)  But if their stats are correct, they are saying that less than 200 churches in the SBC are growing at more than 10% a year on a consistent basis??  This is amazing to me – amazingly sad, that is.  I’m wondering where the evangelism is taking place in our country?

Second Factoid also related to slow progress on the church growth front:
“Of the vibrant churches, 70 percent strongly agreed or agreed with this statement [”We have a class or group to move new people into the life of the church.”] compared to 38 percent of the comparison churches.  The vibrant churches are much more likely than the comparison churches to offer a new members class.”  (Rainer, Thom S. & Eric Geiger.  Simple Church.  Nashville, TN: Broadman, 2006, p. 158.) 

So basically, what they are saying here is that growing churches have a membership class, and non-growing churches do not.  The surprising part to me is not that churches with membership classes grow, but that there are still large percentages of churches that do not have membership classes. 

And of those churches that do have membership classes, please note how the class is designed.  It says, “…to move new people into the life of the church.”  You see, it is not just an intellectual exercise for these sample Simple Churches.  For them, the membership ‘class’ has a specific purpose, and that is to move people along the discipleship and growth continuum deeper into the life of the church.  

And also please note that by definition of being a Simple Church, they passed the consistent growth test from above, that many other churches did not pass.  (The authors did, however, reduce the requirements a bit since they couldn’t find enough churches with 10% growth for three years; but these churches were still growing consistently. )

So it is no accident or coincidence that the churches which have a membership class are both growing evangelistically, and moving people deeper into the life of their church.  Those two both indicate a pattern of looking out for the concerns and needs of seekers and designing ministries to help reach and grow and disciples them.

If you haven’t read Simple Church yet, I encourage you to go to the HPR Books section and buy it.  You could also read the five-part blog which I have written, analyzing its key points.

These and other interesting Factoids can be found at ChurchGrowth Factoids

HighPower Learnings  Blog

WHAT I'M LEARNING RIGHT NOW IN THE AREAS OF MINISTRY COACHING, SIMPLE CHURCH, CHURCH GROWTH & CHURCH HEALTH

Recent Posts:

1. “Time for Restructuring your Church?”
2. “Small Groups vs. Sunday School”
3. “Simple Church, p. 5: Focus”
4. “What is Good Coaching?”

Check out the Blog here.

Coaching

Delegation

Delegation is actually not a coaching topic; it is more of a management issue.  Yet, in many of the churches with which I am familiar, the person, often the Executive Pastor, who is responsible for staff coaching, also has as a part of that role, an oversight responsibility.  And that brings up the need to delegate effectively.  Every coach who also serves in an oversight role, has to balance the task of coaching with other supervisory task like delegation.  Hans Finzel in his book The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Makes has some helpful guidelines on good delegation.  A key question to ask yourself about those you oversee:

"Delegation gets to the heart of respect for one another:
Do I respect the skills and attitude of someone enough to delegate well?"

In order to delegate well, it is important to visualize your role from the perspective of the person to whom you are delegating:

Four Questions Every Follower Asks*
1.  What am I supposed to do?

This is the question of Clarity.  Have you clearly explained exactly what you are asking this person to do?

2.  Will you let me do it?

This is the question of Authority.  Yes, you are giving them the Responsibility to do it, but are you also giving them the Authority to do it?  Do they have to get approval to spend money, to recruit people, to promote, to basically make it happen?

3.  Will you help me when I need it?

This is the question of support.  Are you going to Dump, or Delegate?  If you never go back to see how they are doing, or if they need help, then you are just dumping.  But if you are there as their partner, friend, and helper for the task completion, then you are delegating.

4.  Will you let me know how I am doing?

This is the question of feedback.  If it is a new or challenging task for the individual, they will welcome some insight as to progress and success. 

(*quoted in The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Makes, Hans Finzel, p. 103 quoting Dr. Lorne Sanny, Navigators)

We will contine with another key insight about delegating, next month in the August edition of HighPower eNews.

Software

  SermonBase has been updated to version 1.1

SermonBase 1.1
Message Planning Software

Now SermonBase ® is easier to use than ever!

• Expanded & Improved Menu System
  We've improved and expanded the menu's. You can now access most SermonBase commands from both the command bar at the bottom of the screen, or the menu's at the top.
  
• User Helps
  SermonBase has a complete User Guide, as well as a First-Run Tutorial, and Tutorial mode, which will explain what various buttons will do as you select them.
  
• Expanded Backup Protection
  We've added more robust features to protect your sermon library, including multiple versions of backups, and backup reminders. You can also export your sermons in multiple versions in order to store them safely off-site.
  
• Automatic Install System for Windows XP
  For Windows XP users, we've added an automatic installation system, which will make installing your copy of SermonBase so much easier. It will install SermonBase into your program folder, and add a short-cut to your desktop.

Click on www.HighPowerResources.com/Software to download your new Demo today.

Sermons, Dramas, Bible Studies

New Sermon Added:  "Humble Faith"  -- Genesis 22:8-22 -- Humility -- Life of Jacob

Just preached this one.  It has a funny little skit at the beginning which i've described in an attached drama page that comes with the sermon.  The focus of this sermon is Humility defined as:  “Recognizing that God & others are responsible for the achievements in my life.”

God takes us through 5 stages to move us from pride to humility.  This sermon examines those 5 stages, relates it to Jesus, and ties it in to real life.

HighPower Sermons