Revitalizing the Small Church

Revitalizing The Small Church

Current Reality

Less than 18% of Americans attend church regularly.
A third of adults under the age of 30 are religiously unaffiliated.
Roughly half of all churches in America did not add one new person through conversion growth in the year 2000.
Depending upon the source, somewhere between 70 and 84 percent of all churches are either plateaued or declining.
In America, it takes the combined effort of 85 Christians working over an entire year to produce one convert.
98% of churches in North America do not have a process or a picture that demonstrates how they will accomplish their mandate from God to make disciples.

The Small Church

There are more than 340,000 churches in America, one-half have fewer than 100 people involved in the life of their church
According to the SBC Annual in 1998 there were 40,870 churches in SBC life
According to the SBC Annual in 1998 there were 21,785 churches with less than 150 resident members
Of these small churches, 11,520 baptized fewer than 2 people for the year reported
That is 53% of all small churches
That is 28.19% of all SBC churches

Shared Characteristics of Evangelistically Effective Small Churches

Prayer
Intentional prayer for the lost, conducted prayer walks, prayed for guidance, etc.
Not necessarily an organized prayer ministry
Heavy dependence upon the Holy Spirit and His leading

The leadership style of the pastor
Excitement and intentionality; Majority of pastors knew where they were going and how to get there
Pastors saw that their primary task was the equipping of the saints for ministry
A majority said that serving as a Chaplin should be one of their lowest priorities

All of the churches agreed that the primary purpose of the church is to reach the lost and disciple the saved - to make disciples

When the six functions of the church were identified this is where they were strongest to weakest:
Worship
Fellowship
Prayer
Evangelism
Ministry
Discipleship

A strong presence (Ministerial activities) in their community was a key factor in their growth

Attributes Found in Evangelistically Effective Small Churches

Strong Pastoral Leadership
A man who has a clear picture of what the church ought to be and do; one who has the ability to fit that vision to his ministerial context
A man who leads by example; models missionary behavior
A man who is empowered by the church to lead
A man who values equipping the saints for ministry and leader development

Ministry is Done Through Self-Governing Teams
The fulfilling of God's mission is done through ministry teams and not through programs
Decision making is placed into the hands of those doing ministry.
A small team (Elders?) works with the pastor to keep the church focused on its purpose and mission
People are serving out of their SHAPE
Pastoral emphasis upon equipping

Excellence or Quality in all things
Simplicity: Doing less and doing it better creates enthusiasm and attracts new members
Updating and cleaning facilities is a priority

Intentional Prayer
Pockets of people who join the pastor in seeking the presence and power of God in their church
Organized prayer warriors who receive regular communication from leadership
Prayer is a key component of Sunday morning worship; praying for specific people and specific needs

Celebrative Worship Services
Relevance, quality and creativity should be valued
They key is not style but atmosphere; is it celebrative? Are people having a good time in worship?
Churches need to appeal to multiple senses in their worship service
Avoid the use of language that isn't understood by your guests

Evangelism that is relational and environmental
The church must be gathered and scattered (On campus and in the harvest)
Members declare and demonstrate the transforming power of the gospel
The pastor must set the standard; modeling what is desired from the body
Building new relationships with those who don't know Christ must become a priority
The provision of evangelism training to bolster confidence in Christ followers
An environment is created that fosters believing and belonging

Disciple making that moves an individual from death to becoming a reproducing follower of Jesus
Five Stages of Growth for a disciple: Disconnected, Exploring, Belief, Maturing and Reproduction
Clearly defined portrait of a disciple guides their work (Attributes, Beliefs, Behaviors and Disciplines)
Clear process for making disciples is established
Obedience based teaching
Discovery based methodology

Loving Your Neighbor is a Priority
Meeting practical needs within their community
Kingdom of God is made tangible
Offering people an opportunity to be a part of something greater than themselves
Doing work with and for your neighbors advances the Kingdom

Sharing Life in Community
The provision of environments where people share life and experience biblical community
Small missional communities meeting off campus that focus upon communion with God, community with believers and a cause to live out (disciple making/ministry)

A Vision of a Better Tomorrow From God
Knowing what should happen and depending upon God to bring it to reality
Possession of a clear understanding of the churches purpose and mission; The church is Mission driven
The work of the church is guided by a small set of values
Vision is owned by the body and they are able to articulate it (Fits on a napkin)
A new scorecard is created to track progress