For the next two days, I will be live blogging from the GO Georgia Conference in Atlanta, GA. Go Georgia featured a phenomenal array of both nationally recognized speakers and leading practitioners from the state of Georgia. Regardless of where you live, anyone serving in church ministry roles can gain practical information on a wide-range of ministry-oriented topics on the information provided.
Injoy Stewardship Solutions has dispatched me to attend this amazing event as a way to invest in your growth. They also want to invest in your leadership by offering you our latest FREE ebook The Absolute Best Quotes From The 2016 ReThink Leadership Conference by clicking HERE for your complimentary copy.
The first speaker was Carter Shotwell. Carter is the Executive Pastor of Ministries at Lake Pointe Church, Rockwall, Texas. Lake Pointe baptizes 1,000 to 1,100 individuals every year. The following are 32 leadership quotes I captured during his challenging session on planning for consistent church growth:
- Most churches are stuck right now. It is not about doing the latest and greatest. It is about doing a few things well.
- We’re going to do less and do it better.
- You must have a clear, concise, and biblical purpose.
- Many churches don’t do anything that aligns with your purpose statement.
- We’re going to be about reaching lost people and helping them become disciples.
- Reaffirm things that share Christ and build believers.
- Refine things that don’t fit your purpose.
- Or replace them. Don’t be tied to things just because your church has been doing it for 25 years.
- Rate your ministries. Is everything an “A “ministry?
- If you do excellent worship and excellent small groups or Sunday School, that is all you need to grow a church.
- Anything that is a “C” ministry that can’t be refined, probably needs to be replaced.
- Worship God, Live by God’s Word, Walk with God’s People, Contribute to God’s Work, and Impact God’s World. The 5 W’s of being a church member.
- People won’t come four weeks in a row to anything.
- A new member workshop, you will be get people two out of four weeks.
- We treat regular attenders like they’re still prospects.
- I still check roll (in Sunday School) because I want to know what is happening.
- We track giving. We challenge new teachers they should be tithing or well on the way to it.
- If our baptisms continue to grow, we know we have people reaching lost people.
- 3 categories – Curios, Convinced, Contagious Contributor
- We challenge our people to know lost people.
- Every year we have them write down three lost people and pray for them daily and build a relationship with them.
- If you can’t share a verbal witness very well, at least be a bringer. We’ll put on a service that won’t embarrass you.
- We’re not going to hammer them about giving.
- In a life group you can embarrass unchurched people really fast by asking them to pray.
- Don’t call on anyone to pray or read scripture unless you have their permission.
- People will come to things that are fun or making a difference in the community.
- Some people see the church as a place to hide from the world. Not invite people here.
- Most life groups meet at our facility around the worship hours.
- They meet on campus because, “What are we going to do with our children.” ..It is the best way to assimilate people. Get them while they’re there.
- As you get smaller an d smaller, your church can get larger and larger.
- We expect our life group leaders to visit hospitals.
- We have a huge online campus with 3,500 a week logging in.
Next up will be senior pastor Bill Purvis of Cascade Hills Church in Columbus, GA speaking on evangelism and church growth.
As previously mentioned, INJOY Stewardship Solutions would like to offer you the FREE resource The Absolute Best Quotes From The 2016 ReThink Leadership Conference. Click HERE or on the image to the above for your complimentary copy.