The Church Mechanic

12/23/2022

Let's talk about a strategic plan for your church for the new year. Proverbs 21:5 says that the plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. The church's strategic plan can be as simple as:
this is what we are going to do
this is how we are going to do it
this is how we are going to measure our progress
this is what resources are needed
this is who is in charge
this is when it will be done.
Basically, your strategic plan is your vision for the new year. Here are some areas to consider"
how are you going to support your online community?
what goals will you set
review your current policies and procedures
review your job descriptions
identify church events [in house]
identify church events [outreach]
do you have an emergency preparedness plan

Three suggested calendars:
preaching and teaching calendar
outreach and events calendar
training calendar

11/10/2022

10/21/2022

How do you create a new vision for your church? First you position yourself in prayer. Then you begin the process of preparation. The church: Creating and casting a new vision requires asking a lot of questions like what was the church's previous vision? What are the church's 10 year trends? What is the church supposed to be doing? What is the church currently doing? Why is the church doing what it's doing? How is the church doing? To create a new vision, the church must first diagnose itself. What is the generational breakdown of the church? What are the spiritual gifts of each member? How long has each member been a member of the church? Develop a catalog of member's talents and professions. These are your church's demographics. What are your church's ministries? What has your church done in the past couple of years that has had great success? The Community: What is the make-up of your community? That is, within a 15-minute driving distance of your church? The median age and income, the ethnic breakdown, how many children and what are their ages, how many married families, how many single parents, what is the education level of each. These are the demographics of your community. Now that all of this information has been gathered, the real work of forming a vision begins.

10/21/2022

What do you do when your church is in decline? First, you must change your thinking. How do you do that? Re-establish your chur's focus on God. God has not changed, our thinking about God has. We have equated God with the size of our church. It's time to change our thinking. Is there anything too hard for the Lord? [Genesis 18:14] God's power is limitless and His promises are secure, therefore there is no promise too hard for Him to keep. [Jeremiah 32:17] God's best days are not behind Him, they are still ahead. Second, re-establish your focus on why the church exists. The purpose of the church is to go into all nations and make disciples [Matthew 28]. In order to do that, Christ gave to the church apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd and teacher to equip God's people for the work of ministry/service [Ephesians 4:11-12]. The church is a recruiting and training center, not a museum for saints to gather on Sunday morning. Third, re-establish the prayer meeting to seek God's will for your church. Bath everything you think, say and do in prayer.

09/26/2022

What is the role of the pastor? Traditionally, and for centuries, the role of the pastor included teaching and preaching, caregiving-meaning visitation and counseling [now pastoral care], rites of passage: baptism, weddings, funerals; administration: bulletins, newsletters, meetings, maintenance, finances, programming and personnel; and as the church's ambassador to the community. The downside to this role is that paid staff is expected to do everything which is totally unbiblical. This creates spectators of church members.
The more contemporary role beginning in the 1970's - 80's as churches grew larger is as a chief executive officer; a visionary; motivator; and change agent-meaning changes in structure and church culture with an eye toward mission, evangelism and discipleship. The upside to this evolving role is the combination of biblical insight and best business practices.
That being said, SoulShepherding.org recently reported on the well-being of pastors with the following statistics:
75% of pastors report being extremely stressed
90% feel fatigued and worn out
70% say they are grossly underpaid
40% report serious conflict with a congregant
90% have experienced some form of burnout
70% say they fight depression
80% say the ministry has negatively impacted their family
65% feel their family lives in a glass house
But all of these statistics cannot be blamed on the effects of ministry. many pastors have professionalized their role and fail to care for their own souls:
54% say that seminary did not adequately prepare them
70% do not have a close friend
50% do not meet regularly with an accountability person
72% only study the Bible in sermon preparation
84% are somewhat satisfied or dissatisfied with their prayer life
44% do not take regular time off
90% say they have not received adequate training to meet the ministry demands of today.
It appears that the enemy of our souls is not just at work in the pew but in the pulpit as well.

09/14/2022

Here are some sobering statistics from the Children's Defense Fund:
a student is suspended from school every 2 seconds
a child is neglected or abused every 47 seconds
a baby is born to a teen mother every 90 seconds
a teen commits su***de every 4-1/2 hours

Want to do something about it. Here is a great outreach opportunity for your church. On this week's program, I interviewed Angela Achenbach, a former school teacher and now a "missionary" for Children's Bible Ministries. This is a bible release program where students are allowed to leave school for one hour and be transported to a church for gospel instruction. This has been enacted into law by the Supreme Court for all 50 states. Tennessee is a big supporter of this program. All it requires is written permission from the parents, an off-school location [your church] and no government resources. Free training is available,. Free curriculum is available.
If there is an elementary school in your area, you can start this outreach ministry in your church. Want to know how? Contact Angela at [email protected] or go to her website at followhislead.org. She will help you get a Bible release program started in your church. All you have to provide is the want to!

09/11/2022

Simply put, church revitalization is like a four-legged stool: expectations, discipleship process, outreach, leadership and relational skills.
This post focuses on personal expectations. Our expectations determine our reality and also impact those around us; they play a major part in our goals and the general direction of our life. Does God have expectations of us? Yes. He expects us to become like His Son. So how and where does that happen? In the building we refer to as the church. When someone becomes a part of the Body of Christ through faith in Jesus Christ [joins the church], regarding their personal conduct: they should be expected to submit to Scripture as the ultimate source of authority for their life; they should pursue holiness in all aspects of their life [thought, word, deed], and they should pursue growth in Christ as His follower. Regarding the church, they should: faithfully participate in corporate worship; actively serve one another; hold themselves accountable to those in spiritual authority over them, and support the work of the church through generous giving.
Scripture tells us that we have not because we ask not [James 4:2] Likewise, in the church, we have little because we ask for little. God didn't send His Son into this world to make church members, but to make disciples - His followers. Remember what he told His disciples? "if you want to follow Me, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me" [Matthgew 16:24-26]. We have lowered the expectations in the church so low that attendance, service and giving have become optional. And how have we done that? By a lack of leadership, biblical teaching and certainly a lack of accountability. If we want people to become like Christ, then we must raise the bar of expectations. God never lowered His, nor should the church lower theirs.

09/02/2022

Change is an inevitable part of life and an artform all of its own. Introducing change in the church is another matter. Change in the church touches not only the mind but even more so the heart. Cahnge of any kind in the church creates instability and insecurity. And any change requires a lot of thought and effort. So, when your church has decided to make a change, what should you consider? [1] lead the church in a concerted time of prayer. James 1:5 tells us to ask God for wisdom. [2] build flexibility into the change with a willingness to make adjustments along gar way. [3] afirm existing traditions; change will go smoother is the past, present and future can be seen as a continuing process. [4] build on little successes. Every batter wants to hit a home run, but several base hits can still score a run. [5] encourage ample opportunity for open communication and open discussion. [6] keep focused and don't allow the process to get derailed or sidetracked. [7] couch the change as an experiment with a trial period. At the end of the trial period you have options: extend the trial period, make adjustments and cointinue the trial period, make the change permanent or abandon the change.

09/02/2022

The Church Mechanic is not about doctrines or traditions, although we may talk about them. The Church Mechanic is about Jesus Christ and His kingdom. It's not about the size of your church or its brand name, it's about Jesus Christ and His kingdom. The Church Mechanic is about revitalizing the local church so that it can effectively represent Jesus Christ throughout this earth. Check in for regular posts on how your church can be revitalized, brought back to life again.