Know Your Church Pastor Leaves Leading a church from Anxiety to Anticipation Interim Descison Know Your Community Know the Plan Know God Know the Path New Pastor Assessment Renewal Planning Anxiety Anticipation Transitional Interim Pastor Implementation Know Your Church

1. Who are we? a. Review the History b. Full Church Assessment 2. Where do we need to go? --Becoming a Healthy Church

“Where We Need To Go in a TIPS Church…Toward Church Health”

“Some church growth concepts are so focused on the fruit.. that they fail to remember the roots that produce the fruit.”

Mark 4:26 "Jesus also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.”

Mark 4:27 “Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.”

Mark 4:28 “All by itself the soil produces grain--first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.”

Mark 4:29 “As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

Jesus Explained What We Can And Cannot Do We can prepare the soil We can sow the seed We can sleep & can get up We can harvest the crop We CANNOT bring forth the fruit NCS © 2007

The Institute Today The Institute Today 45,000 churches 60 countries 25 languages 32,000 churches in USA

Models & Principles Model: Imitation 1 : 1

Models & Principles Model: Principles: Imitation Individualization Abstraction 1 : 1

Growing and declining churches vary significantly in eight quality areas…areas TIPS leaders must be aware of and strategically address Schwarz’ research teaches us:

Quality Characteristics EmpoweringLeadership Gift-oriented Passionate Functional Inspiring Holistic Need-oriented Loving Ministry Spirituality Structures Worship Small Groups Evangelism Relationships The Adjective is the key!

EmpoweringLeadership Note the adjectives

Empowering Leadership TIPS leaders “equip, support, motivate, and mentor individuals to become all that God wants them to be... They know that God has an unique calling for every individual.”

EmpoweringLeadership Gift-orientedMinistry Note the adjectives

Gift-Oriented Ministry TIPS leaders help members “identify their gifts and integrate them into ministries that match their gifts.”

EmpoweringLeadership Passionate Gift-orientedMinistry Spirituality Note the adjectives

Passionate Spirituality The faith of the people in the TIPS church is “actually lived out with commitment, fire, and enthusiasm.”

EmpoweringLeadership Passionate Functional Gift-orientedMinistry Spirituality Structures Note the adjectives

Functional Structures The evaluation of forms and structures of the TIPS church determines whether they fulfill their purpose or not. If they don’t they are changed or laid to rest.

EmpoweringLeadership Inspiring Passionate Functional Gift-orientedMinistry Spirituality Structures Worship Service Note the adjectives

Inspiring Worship Worship in the TIPS church is an “inspiring experience” that is described by attendees as “fun.”

EmpoweringLeadership Inspiring Passionate Functional Holistic Gift-orientedMinistry Spirituality Structures Worship Service Small Groups Note the adjectives

Holistic Small Groups The TIPS church is developing a system of small groups where “individual Christians can find intimate community, practical help, and intensive spiritual interaction.”

EmpoweringLeadership Inspiring Passionate Functional Holistic Need-oriented Gift-orientedMinistry Spirituality Structures Worship Service Small Groups Evangelism Note the adjectives

Need-Oriented Evangelism The TIPS church shares the gospel “in a way that meets the questions and needs of non- Christians.”

EmpoweringLeadership Inspiring Passionate Functional Holistic Need-oriented Loving Gift-orientedMinistry Spirituality Structures Worship Service Small Groups Evangelism Relationships Note the adjectives

Loving Relationships The relationships and fellowship in the TIPS church is characterized by “authentic, practical love.”

NCS © 2007

May 2007

The Minimum Barrel Worship Attendance Minimum Factor Quality Characteristics

What Jesus Taught That We Can & Can Not Do We can prepare the soil We can sow the seed We can sleep & can get up We can harvest the crop We CANNOT bring forth the fruit NCS © 2007

Mark 4:28 “All by itself the soil produces grain--first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.”

“The key is quality. Jesus taught, if the root is quality, it will produce the right fruit.” Matt 7:17

Strategic Focus For A Healthy TIPS Church The key issue is NOT church growth It’s CHURCH HEALTH “Healthy churches are always growing, but Not all growing churches are healthy churches! ” “…the fire will test the quality of each man’s (& church’s) work.” (1 Cor. 3:13) “In TIPS, if we fail to plan, we plan to fail.” “If we plan with God, we will not fail!”

So, we say we attend a healthy TIPS church. What will that look like?

This is a church in which the leadership is committed heart and soul to church growth;

This is a church in which nearly every Christian is using his or her gifts to edify the church;

This is a church in which most members are living out the faith with power and contagious enthusiasm;

This is a church in which church structures are evaluated on whether they serve the growth of the church or not;

This is a church in which worship services are a high point of the week for the majority of the congregation;

This is a church in which the loving and healing power of Christian fellowship can be experienced in small groups;

This is a church in which nearly all Christians, according to their gifts, help to fulfill the Great Commission;

This is a church in which the love of Christ permeates all church activities. Christian A. Schwarz in Natural Church Development (p 40)

Who would vote “No” on working to develop that kind of TIPS church ?

Who would be interested in attending this kind of TIPS church?

for the Body of Christ The Bottom Line The Quality of Health