1. Taking Your Church to the Next Level
What Got You Here
Won’t Get You There

3. Ways to Understand Churches
Theology
Denomination
Location
Distinctives

4. Two Most Helpful Aspects
Size
Age

5. Two Aspects
Size
Age

6. Part One: Age Dynamics
Living Organisms Go Through Life Cycles

7. Natural Church Life Cycle
Churches Go Through A Natural Life Cycle

8. Church “A”

9. Church “B”

10. Church “B”

11. Stage One: Emerging Church
Birth

12. Stage Two: Growing Church
Rapid Growth

13. Stage Three: Consolidating Stage
Maturity / Plateau

14. Stage Four: Declining Church
Maintenance / Decline

15. Stage Five: Dying Church
Stagnation / Death

17. Life Cycle Questionnaire
Answer the questions on the Life Cycle Questionnaire to discover where your church is located.

18. Locate Your Church
Mark an X on the line for your church.

19. Growth Point

20. Leading Through the Life Cycle
Choice Points

21. Leading through the Life Cycle
Continuous Renewal

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23. Taking Your Church to the Next Level
What Got You Here
Won’t Get You There

24. How Churches Grow

25. Basic Principles
Research has discovered regular PLATEAUS in the growth of churches.

26. Plateau Points

27. Plateau Points

28. Four Basic Principles
Plateaus function like floors in a building: the floor offers SUPPORT and the ceiling offers RESISTANCE.

29. Resistance & Support

30. Four Basic Principles
Breaking through resistant ceilings requires a GROWTH ENGINE.

31. Pass
Valley
Pass
Valley

32. Four Basic Principles
Growth happens in cycles of THREE actions: expand the base, increase mass, and stabilize.

33. Four Basic Principles
Growth happens in cycles of THREE actions: expand the base . . .

34. Four Basic Principles
Growth happens in cycles of THREE actions: expand the base, increase mass . . .

35. Four Basic Principles
Growth happens in cycles of THREE actions: expand the base, increase mass, and stabilize.

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37. Key Points of Transition
Level :
Minimum ministries: worship, children, women, men, maybe youth.
Three adult ministries beyond worship.
Adequate facility.
Half-time secretary.
Full-time pastor

38. Key Points of Transition
Level 200:
Add a second pastor and a Full-time secretary.
Add new groups (1 group for every 15 adults).
Pastor focuses on managing the church ministry.
Release people into ministry.
Expand facilities.
Keep structure simple.
Add second worship service.

39. Key Points of Transition
Level 400:
Pastor shifts to a focus on leadership and training.
Shift administration to pastoral and support staff.
Begin shifting pastoral care to others in the church.
Add third staff person and another secretary.
Multiple Services or sites.
Build on your best ministries.

40. Key Points of Transition
Level 800:
Shift care giving to lay persons.
Identify niches to reach new people.
Develop team of multiple staff specialists.
Focus on leadership development.
Use facilities multiple times or use various sites.

41. Key Points of Transition
Level 1,200-1,500
Separate board functions from staff functions.
Define the senior pastor’s role as that of a leader rather than a manager.
Delegate staff management to an executive pastor.
Move to multiple level staff.

43. Smaller Church

44. Medium-Sized Church

45. Larger Church

46. Plan Ahead
Size
Green Zone
Red Zone
Age

47. Follow Gary L. McIntosh at . . .
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