church growth

Are We on God’s Crew?

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5

As we work hard to build our churches sometimes we forget whose house it is. The home under construction under the supervision of God’s general contractor the Holy Spirit is for His. And since God in all His wonderful creativity has made us different then every color of living stone myst be included.

Being a part of God’s construction crew means more than just showing up for work. We are called to follow God’s blueprint if we are going to be on His construction site. And if we are to all be built together we need to do more than allow diversity we must pursue it! If glancing at God’s plans and seeing a lot of remodeling to do seems daunting, don’t walk off the job and quit. God is still at work in us and will hand out specific work orders for each of us on a daily basis.

The church is still an active construction zone. Stick around, pick up your tools and be willing to work with everybody He puts on the job. When Jesus is in charge we can start being less of an exclusive religious resort and more of a city on a hill that shines a light and glorifies our Father!

Church Growth Through God’s Eyes

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.          Acts 6:7 KJV

Nursing home outreach doesn’t carry with it the razzle-dazzle of building programs, youth ministry or Holiday pageants, but it does offer a unique way to connect to our community. That is exactly what we see in this passage from the book of Acts. The number of Christians grew rapidly not because of some church program but because they agreed to work together in unity to take care of feeding poor widows.  Imported from phone 083

In the early days of the church some things brought about growth that we will not be able to replicate (Such as five hundred people seeing Jesus alive after His resurrection). But there are other principles which we can follow in any culture, time or place. Showing the love of Christ by caring for our older generation connects us with their friends and families in a deep and powerful way.  That is not to say that we could simply use nursing home ministry as a strategy to build our church; but rather that amazing things happen when we align ourselves with the heart of God. Ministering in a nursing home blesses not only its residents but also those of us who serve. Teen-agers are reminded that their energy can give a smile or bring tears of joy. Middle aged people find out that the value of their own life will not change with age. Retired folks discover that residents will treasure their friendship because so few ever come to see them anymore. Through His amazing plan God will help His church to grow in numbers as together we draw closer to Jesus Christ.

P1030257