Chapter 20: God's Purpose for Your Church

God's purpose for a church is for it to fulfill the purposes and not to worry about growth or anything else related to it.  I have seen many churches break down for not fulfilling the purposes that they set up to start.  Most pastors will measure success by the attendance record when the success is the souls saved and ministers made.
I tend to measure success by how much love I am able to share.  If I can't do that, then I am not doing what God wants me to do. God has called me to fulfill His purposes and my plans are to do such.

Chapter 19: Turning Members into Ministers

After becoming members and becoming mature, the church aims to build ministers for the mission field.  Anyone can minister, however, not everyone is a minister. Confusing, I know.  What I mean is that anyone has the opportunity but not everyone pursues/feels led to it.  Being actively involved as a member can lead to a lay leadership position. Every believer is a minister with each ministry being important so we are dependent on each other and their ministry and that it's the expression of the 5 elements (SHAPE) that determine what ministry you should be in. Each ministry needs a minister and each minister needs to run with their ministry so they don't miss out on any opportunities that may arise for them.  If people aren't comfortable in the ministry they are in, allow them to change without any issues or concerns.  Just have someone ready for replacement in that ministry.
Don't vote on ministry positions.  It's ministry not politics. Also, streamline a organization structure so it gives you, the senior pastor, a breather from time to time. Support from other pastors within the ministry staff is beneficial and uplifting showing care. The vision of the entire ministry should be evident within individual ministries, therefore it should be renewed just as much as it is preached behind the pulpit.

Chapter 18: Developing Mature Members

Mature Christians can mentor those not as mature which is a positive thing so there is an extension of the pastor in case the church is over the plateau and continuing upward in growth. Growing is a process no matter whether it is physical, mental or spiritual.  We all need to mature and everyone can mature not just a certain few. It will take time and may be painful but it will be well worth it in the long run. We know the phrase "Actions speak louder than words" and maturity is noticed by the actions of a person than by what they belief. Christ stated it in Matt 7:16 that by their fruit (actions), people will recognize them.  People need others to help them grow in maturity.  To have complete maturity, you need a variety of experiences in order to attain it.

I know personally my maturity started with experiences in release-time classes studying memory verses and in children's church learning kids' songs then I was just continued to mature through different methods through worship settings until most recently, taking time during a Praise and Worship chapel, and reflecting on God, writing song lyrics that I am proud of because they are from the heart.  Mature members help them distinguish what they do and don't do while a member of the church they belong to.

Chapter 17: Turning Attenders into Members

This is where the CORE Classes are more in-depth within Warren's book.  This is where people go from talking about this church and start talking like they own it, "This is our church." Many people are associated with a denomination and are a member of a certain church, but they will go from church to church and still hold that membership.  In order to get new members, you have to assimilate them to the ways of the church. Each side has their own questions as to what they want from the other side. The ultimate question will be "Do you fit?" If you don't, then it's not the church for you. Don't be discouraged because every church is different with its dynamic. Most times when people do go for membership, they know they fit.  Most have requirements that you have to be at the church for a certain length of time before you can even take the CORE classes. The value of membership has to be communicated because members have rights in the congregation when business meetings come around, but the membership value is very strong.  A class on membership usually is required in most churches I've been at which is a smart idea to filter out who has the desire and who doesn't. God created covenants with his people, and Warren suggests a membership covenant so that membership standards are upheld. Holding a Membership Sunday is what many churches do in order to recognize new members both old and young alike.
Opportunities to get acquainted with others should be created whether it is cups of coffee or small groups and keeping the lines of communication open just is better for community.

Chapter 16: Preaching to the Unchurched

The thing that I have seen that has been a problem is the problem of sermon irrelevancy to those who are unchurched.  The biblical jargon and Christian-ese won't cut the cheese when it comes to evangelism and growth from within the person. We are able to however adapt our style of preaching to our audience.  Knowing the audience helps you to identify and adapt to them. Have Bibles and Scripture accessible to those who don't know Scripture and outlines with the Scripture on them are beneficial. Titles should be appealing to the unchurched because the jargon and Christian-ese still doesn't cut it.
Series are very good to have to keep a consistent pattern in a sense but also planning them around holidays is a big drawing point. Have consistency with the messages you preach and find guest speakers carefully or utilize a pastoral team to preach for commitments.  Having opportunities to respond to the message is a crucial aspect.  You always have to be tactful when speaking to the unchurched about God.

Chapter 15: Selecting Your Music

Selecting music for services is like selecting ripe pieces of fruit from the produce section.  Music is part of our lives and we can't underestimate the use of it.  I was talking with one of my friends who I hope to have as a worship pastor alongside me and he has a strong passion for worship music (Planetshakers).  Having a certain style of music for a service is key. If one service is geared towards the older generation, I would suggest more older contemporary/southern gospel/hymns.  For the other morning service, which tends to lean towards the 20-40s, I would suggest more modern contemporary like we hear nowadays.  It's the message of the songs though that needs to be conveyed throughout the time.

From time to time, add new songs to the collection so people can have an opportunity to relate to a new song.  One rule of selecting new songs is encouraging members to write new songs.  There is an older contemporary song called "Sing Unto the Lord" and that is an uplifting song for me as I have written many lyrics (over 20) and just gotta give them to the guy who I hope I have as worship pastor so he can put music to them.

Keeping up with technology is a plus because there are so many choices, but again, select the ripest of the ripe.

Chapter 14: Designing a Seeker-Sensitive Service

Often when I hear seeker-sensitive, I think of watered-down, sugar-coated Gospel and most people have the same notions.  But this is intended to be completely different than what we may think. Seeker-sensitive means having a service that tugs at the heart while edifying the believing congregation. It also means that we should make it as easy and family-oriented as possible for the convenience of the people.  Organizing a service takes people and smooth transitioning almost like a director on a movie set.  Speaking of people, we need to make visitors comfortable and welcome by making room for them.  If a parking lot can't hold visitors, there is a small problem. Having a greeting team shows a sense of warmth and builds conversation and it can continue throughout time.

Welcome cards ("Get Connected" cards as they have become popularly known as) are a great tool which I will plan to use for my ministry.  Everyone should be able to greet one another at different times during the service and even enjoy refreshments afterwards.

Brightening up the place will also make things appealing to those who are not normally church-goers.  Between lighting, sound, seating comfort and arrangement, space, comfortable temperatures, and much more, people can be drawn or turned away if you have or don't have the necessary amenities.

Having an attractive atmosphere in the church's weekly service is very important but a simple order of service is also important for people to understand what's going on.  Announcements tend to be internally and that tunes a lot of people out.

Continue to improve on services because different outlooks will come over time and you can refine as many times as needed.

Chapter 13: Worship Can Be a Witness

Worship is always a tricky topic because many have different definitions of the term.  Worship can be anywhere, anything that pleases God at any time.  But only believers have that communion of worship with God because unbelievers do not have that connection with God. I agree with that notion because I have found myself in Praise and Worship chapels sitting down just partaking in His presence and writing song lyrics of His grace and love in my life.  The title of this chapter is "Worship Can Be a Witness."  If people see you in an attitude of heartfelt worship to God, they will be see the joy abounding from you.  For the people who read my lyrics, they are impacted by the words I place on the paper because it is relevant to everyone.  It may be personalized for me but intended for any individual to relate to the words (which I believe worship songs should be).

Chapter 12: How Jesus Attracted Crowds

Just looking at the first few paragraphs of this chapter makes me think of all that I want to do within my ministry.  Love people, be interesting to listen to, and meet the needs of the people...the three things Jesus did is what I want to do ultimately.  In a different post not related to the class, I will share my vision in which I hope to accomplish within the years to come as long as the Lord tarries.
Christ loved people (that's why he died for us, didn't he?). He showed his love by being with people who needed the Gospel, the unbelievers, not those who knew (even though those who knew the law didn't realize who was in front of them and were trying to find him guilty of something).  We need to show that love as well as creating that atmosphere of acceptance from the other congregants and the pastor.  A loving pastor is a caring pastor.  Many pastors anymore hide out in their offices before the service.  I can assure you that I would never be such a pastor.  I will probably be he first one to greet them at the door as they enter and the first to say "God bless and see you next time" as they leave because I believe in communicating with people beforehand on a personal level.  People love that about those in pastoral leadership.  I have seen both ends of the spectrum.  One pastor goes out of his way for you if you need it and the other just sits in his office and works on stuff.  I interned at one church and it was alright for me.  The best part was helping the pastor out with his sermon notes.  The associate media director was not thrilled about it because I was not in the media office working on stuff but took care of stuff for the pastor but to be completely honest, that time working on a Spiritual Warfare series with the pastor was the happiest moment of my internship experience.
Meeting peoples' needs is the most important thing nowadays because of the times we are living in, which is very hard.  I have discussed this topic of meeting peoples' needs in ministry a lot with my mom over a few programs rejected by a certain church, which is community outreach, and not intended to bring people into the church but for people to be helped, but for the "numbers" issue they were dismissed. I was very perturbed because these two programs were growing or getting by until things slowed up within the church, thanks to people going behind backs about stuff, which was wrong.
We also need to communicate the message of the Gospel in a way that will captivate the audience like Jesus was able to with the parables he used to teach.  Ministry can be controversial at times, it's expected; however, ministry has its great, rejoicing points as well.
Prayer: Let us attract crowds in ministry just as You have, Lord.  We pray this in Your holy name, AMEN!

Chapter 11: Developing Your Strategy

Brother Warren refers to fishing like Jesus called us to be "fishers of men" in the methods of evangelizing to people. We have to know what type of people we are trying to reach, go where they are at in their lives, and think like them in order to strategize and help us in order to touch their lives with the Gospel on their terms. Surveying the community might also open up some doors as well and give you a gauge of what people are looking for in church.  I know I want myself and the church to be relevant to peoples' lives and hearts. Many people think pastors get in it for the money.  It is never the case with me.  I have a heart for souls to be ministered and for the ministry to not have to worry about finances but also trust in God for his provision.  I have a good core group who agree with me on working with whatever is within budget instead of being excessive with funds or anything for that matter.
Sometimes our strategy may fall in the water with the line.  We may have to use more hooks than we may initially think we need to reach the stubborn "fish". It will cost time, energy, and money to get people to understand the new concept but if it's God's will, it will not return void.

Chapter 10: Knowing Whom You Can Best Reach

This chapter explains what people to reach best starting with the direct demographic of the church itself and going from there. In my situation of starting a new church, I have the capability to reach people by different types and a lot of churches are doing that but there are very established churches who have attempted to reinvent their congregations and it has led to astronomical church splits and it is very upsetting to see a thriving church in the country of Northeastern Pennsylvania completely destroy itself because of the new pastor who is not fit for the church.
People who do not care for you will tune you out and not return and if you force your ideals and plans without proper considerations, it will not go nicely either.  I have heard of a pastor firing the board.  I don't know if that is legitimately right within the organization of the church but I would not care for that at all.
Sorry about that rant...I just have certain things that I get off my chest in my blog posts and when I see this, I think of that experience I heard.  God uses people in life transitions, whether they are good or bad, to be receptive to the Gospel.  I know of times where I felt that the way I was preaching to my friends in high school wasn't getting through to them but more recently I have seen the impact I have had on them.

Chapter 9: Who is Your Target?

This chapter deals with finding your target audience. I found this very insightful for my future plans and goals for ministry. I would want to know my mission field completely after I have figured my purposes and before I delve into the evangelizing technique that would be best.  Pastors I have seen come in with their own agenda not even realizing the demographics or the purposes of the church when they come in and that is where church splits occur and attendance drops. Those fatal mistakes are brutal to the evangelism of the local church because people will be turned off quickly and may not even go to another church thinking that they are all like that.

My goal is to let them know that they are welcome to my church but be aware that it might be different than what they are used to because I want to connect with people differently.
Research is the key for finding a target audience in regards to ministry or in any facet of life (business, fundraising, building a new building, etc.). Many do not do enough research on what they are focusing on or they research the demographics or target audience without focusing first on the purposes of the church.  You can have a church on a major highway that has tens of thousands of cars on it a day but if your focus is not on fulfilling the purpose of the church in the biblical sense, then your "mission" is scrubbed.  You can have the focus initially in fulfilling that purpose but if you lose the focus with the public eye on you with programs and such, then the blame is on you because it is imperative to keep the initial focus of purpose, then target, then aim for the bulls-eye and beyond.
I know some people may get offended by some of the stuff I write.  I give insight based off of my experiences so I can better myself in reaching my goals and dreams of ministry and so I can help better and encourage others to avoid the revolving door syndrome where elder parishioners (those who have been in the church for numerous years) leave and new attendees come in who have never set foot in a church.  Granted it's good to have new people but it's imperative to keep the elder congregants to assist in nourishing the new Christians within the church.  That is my goal...to have a church of "elder" Christians and "baby" Christians for the nurturing to ensue not just from the pulpit but from within the body because that is what reaching people is about no matter who you are or what age you are. 

Chapter 8: Applying Your Purposes

It may be fine and dandy to talk the talk of being purpose-driven but if you are not putting the purposes into action and practice, there is a vital sign that is going to show a lack of health in the church.  Proper application is crucial to a church to fulfill the five purposes within the congregation. To really apply these purposes, you need to start from the ground up. Assimilating new members of the fellowship with the purposes to evaluating the church based on the purposes, you have to do it all. Many churches build programs without much purpose and just see the topic and say it works.  If you don't research and analyze what is meant for the particular congregation and the purposes of the church, it might not fit into the church even though it looks cool and flashy.
That is the one thing that gets me when I see churches falling apart and they remove programs because "it's not fulfilling our purpose".  My question is "What is your purpose then?" If it's not God's purposes that you are following, then your ministry will be falling on its knees to God for not fulfilling God's will.
Apply the purposes in ALL aspects, follow God's direction in ALL areas, and your WHOLE ministry will be fruitful.

Chapter 7: Organizing Around Your Purposes

Balance has been a key word during this semester for me and it stands out here in this chapter.  Churches need a balanced emphasis on all five purposes of the church. So many churches overemphasize on one purpose as I have observed over the years and as Warren stated in "The Purpose Driven Church".  If we do not organize and balance out ahead of time, the ministry will focus on just one thing.  My personal passion falls under the "Family Reunion" category, but I don't want to be solely focusing on that even though that is a goal of mine (reuniting the body together instead of being apart like Christians are based on denomination). We need people who are organizers similar to John Wesley who can start a revival/renewal and leave a legacy. Having a balance is healthy for life and for the ministry.  I'd venture as close to say that ministry is equal to life especially if you are called to minister God's word because a balanced life leads to balanced ministry.  I never realized how much life and ministry correlated until seeing this chapter because I struggle with balance a lot but it is God's grace that I find some sort of balance to keep my mind from going spastic. Also, this chapter shows us the "We Build People" bases, which have been a model for church member growth for about a decade in the Assemblies of God, but I have noticed that it is not utilized in the right way in some churches.  Granted, it is a great model but if the commitment level isn't there from the first at-bat, you won't hit any Major League home runs. I might have mentioned about the CORE Classes in a previous posting, but one church relegated it to a Wednesday night (which is typical Family night when normally only the true die-hard church attendees/members come out), I find that as a poor utilization of not only people but ministry. Yes, we must have commitment but we must also have proper utilization of not only our gifts but our programs for effective and balanced ministry.