Notes From Webinar w/ Thom Rainer (11/3/15)

Photo credit here.

Concerning church revitalization . . .

1.  Raise the bar of expectations.  Have a new members' class.  Provide information and list expectations.  Membership must have meaning. Challenge people on the front end.

2.  Have a clear discipleship process.  How do you make disciples at your church? Rainer suggests that this process should be in your vision statement.  He recommends the book Simple Church that he co-authored with Eric Geiger.

3.  Lead your church to an outward focus.  Since these four "steps" are not sequential, Rainer says that he would do this one first, if he had to prioritize.  The key to an outward focus is intentionality.

4.  Develop your leadership and relational skills.  Rainier offers five questions for self-evaluation:

• Do you have a way to "look in the mirror" (to see yourself as others do)?
• Do you know the difference between strategy and tactics?
• How do you hold yourself accountable?
• What type of metrics are you using?  Why?
• Are you a continuous learner?

Pastor Reveals Secret about His Church

I'm happy to report there is no gossip here.  There is only good news.  (Isn't that refreshing?)

Donald E. Ross is a pastor in the pacific northwest.  He has this insight about problems associated with revitalizing a declining church:

… regardless of the problem; it is more about Jesus and me,  

than Jesus and the problem.
 

You can read the rest of the article at  http://tinyurl.com/8zyzwzm.