Living Things Grow

by Dr. Paul Fedena
In my travels I see two kinds of churches; those which are stagnant and those which are growing.  What makes the difference?  Some seem dead and others are vibrant and alive. 

Revelation 3:1b   These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 

HOW CAN YOUR CHURCH GROW?  Make it come alive! Everything in the service should be lively – not boring.  

Before the Service:  The people should be encouraged to fellowship.  In liturgical churches the idea is that God dwells in a building, so folks should be quiet – you wouldn’t want to wake Him up!  In fundamental churches we know God dwells in bodies not buildings. The best times in life are when families gather. It should be exciting.  We should be happy to see each other and rejoice that we can fellowship with friends and family. It should be a time of encouragement. How you accomplish this depends on your circumstances and your resources. Some churches provide light refreshments to encourage this atmosphere. It may even encourage people to try to be early for the service!   (Before criticizing, ask yourself “How are we doing?”)  Perhaps some have had a bad week and they need the boast from friends that fellowship in Christ canprovide.Proverbs 27:17    Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Music should be playing at least 10 minutes before the service begins. The music should be upbeat, not a funeral dirge.  We are celebrating the Savior’s resurrection, not His death!  If your church doesn’t have a pianist (or one who is alive!), use CD’s over the PA system with good, Christ honoring music. Music is utilitarian, not just a filler. It should be uplifting, encouraging and lead into the lesson or message.  Music is also secondary, not the main thing in the service. 

KEEP IT EXCITING! 

During the Service:  Once the class or service begins, a hearty and folksy welcome from the pastor, or whoever you have leading the service,should “chat” with the folks briefly.  My pastor is a master at this.  Dr. Yannizzi from Southside Baptist Church personally recognizes those who are visiting, old friends (by name), and puts everyone at ease.  He may mention those with special needs,remind folks what a wonderful day it is since we have the opportunity to meet together in the Lord, and steers all comments toward something positive. He smiles and even laughs a lot.  Everyone feels good that they have come to Sunday School or church. He keeps itpersonal and makes folks aware that he knows each one is present.  He never comes to the pulpit “down.” He always has a cheerful countenance and it is contagious. (Leave your complaintsand problems at the prayer altar before the service and edify your people.) 

MUSIC UPLIFTS! The opening hymn or choir number may set the tone for the service.  Choose hymns which convey a message and are in tune with whatever is being taught or preached as much as possible.  Remember in our churches everything leads up to the preaching of God’s Word. Try not to use hymns which may be doctrinally unsound. (Not all hymns were written byBaptists or even Bible believers!  “He emptied Himself of all but love”????  No He didn’t!  You can sing the hymn [And Can It Be] butomit that verse.) The special music ought to be really special!  It should encourage the saints, glorify the Savior, stir the heart and prepare folks for what is to come. Since it usually comes just before the message it is especially important that it doesn’t put folks to sleep!!!  

ELIMINATE THE BORING!  If announcements are already printed in the bulletin, don’t simply repeat them to fill in space, but if something needs to be emphasized or the folks need reminding, do so briefly and use humor or something which will grab people’s attention. The purpose is to inform, notto bore.   Remember everything in the service should be kept “decently and in order.” You should always know what comes next and plan accordingly to keep things flowing smoothly.  There should be no“dead air” time in any meeting.  If there is anything that has a deadening effect is “vain repetition.” Change the order of service, add something,take something out, keep folks expectant. Do something different.  “Same ole, same ole” is boring! You say“people resist change” but it is just as true that sameness kills! 

PREACH!  

Now comes the most important time in the service!  You only have THIS TIME to impact and influence your people for the Lord.            

 1. Be thoroughly prepared!  There is no excuse for sloppiness in the pulpit. No matter how busy your week has been, you MUST be ready to“preach the Word!” God’s Word should be like a fire in your bones that cannot be extinguished until it has burned itself out!                 
     a.  Your selection of a text is critical. You should know why you chosethis text and this subject.               
     b.  Your objective must beclear. You should be able to state your thesis or aim in one sentence.
ILLUS.:  The introduction should be brief and clearly show the people where you are heading. Spurgeon likened the introduction tothe porch of a house. You don’t want to keep friends on the porch too long before invitingthem inside.
     c.  You should build your messagecarefully and logically so everyone in the service knows what you are attempting to get them to do in response.                
     d.  You should have a clear illustration of each main point in the message or lesson. Spurgeon called illustrations “windows” for the sermon. It is where the light gets in!                
     e.You should structure your message so that each point or sub-point supports the one before. (Title + Thesis + Intro.+ Main Points + Sub-points = Conclusion 
NOTE: To see how this should work, reverse the order so that each point illustrates your title or thesis.)                 
    
     f.  Your delivery should be forceful, dynamic, purposeful and Spirit-directed.                
     g.  Your voice should emphasize the most important points by raising or lowering your volume or tone.
     h.  You should maintain eye contact with your people.  Try hard to include everyone in the building by looking at all of them during the message. It may help to address an individual from time to time.  This makes helps folks know that you are aware  of their presence and makes the message personal to everyone. Never single anyone out critically.
      i.  You should repeat the most important part of your message several times, not always using the same wording, but making it clear.
      j.   You should keep in mind God’s admonition to “preach the Word” – not preach ABOUT the Word,or to preach your ideas or pet peeves or ride your hobby horse (this is why expositional preaching is best for your people for growth and to avoid getting into a rut.  There is  room for textual and topical preaching but your people need to hear the Word!  If you expound the Scripture you will hit every doctrine sooner or later, and if it is not in the Bible you probably ought to avoid the subject anyway!  Keep the main thing the main thing.)
     k.  You should keep in mind all through your message your destination (the conclusion) and what you want the people to respond to.  Make the invitation clear.

1. Look back!  Rehearse what you have preached in your mind and how the Lord used it  and how the people responded to it.  Note your points of strength and weakness in your delivery and vow to use what you learn to improve the next time.

2. Make sure you not only preach, but practice what you expect of others. 

3. Thank the Lord!  Remember you havebeen uniquely chosen to be the pastor and preacher by God Himself and never fail to humblypraise Him.

4. Vow to do better the next time God gives you the opportunity to “preach the Word.”

 THE PASTOR’S WIFE & FAMILY

The Pastor’s wife needs to be very careful that she attempts to befriend all the ladies in the church especially.  There is a tendency which Ihave observed that some preacher’s wives have a tendency to fellowship with a certain few to the exclusion of others. Maybe she finds someone with common interests (an assistant pastor’swife, a deacon’s wife?) which she normally gravitates to.  She can still cultivate this special friendship with that person AFTER making sure she fellowships with the other ladies.  She can have special times with that person but never allow that to stop her from her contacts with the other ladies.  She should especially attempt to reach out to the ladies in the church who are introverts or who are otherwise neglected by the other ladies.  She needs to love the unlovely as well as the more easily loved.  If her natural tendency is to be an introvert herself, she should work hard on this flaw.

The Pastor’s wife should take her place in the ministry and serve alongside the other ladies in the church.  If there is a workday, she should be there doing her part. She should take her turn in the nursery. She should help in the services wherever possible (piano, special music, Sunday School teacher, teacher in the Christian school, etc.). Of course she should not engage in anyactivity which would take her away from her husband or children for extended periods.  She should always speak highly of them and also support her husband’s ministry verbally as well as in her service. 

She must guard her conversation and conduct so that it never reflects negatively onher husband’s ministry.  She must do whatever she can to squelch gossip and rumors, and never reveal anything her husband speaks to her about the ministry in private.  Of course that also goes for things that should remain private in the household. She should refrain from speaking about personal problems in the home. (The Pastor should make public his love for his wife from the pulpit and the wife should likewise let her love for her husband and family be known. This will ward off problems that often occur in the church.)

The Pastor’s children are just kids like everyone else’s of course.  However, the Pastor must practice what he preaches in his own home.  It should beobvious that his children are under his control and that they are properlydisciplined when needed.  Perhaps the Pastor & his wife could spend some profitable time studying the passages ofScripture dealing with the qualifications of the pastor and his family.  The Pastor should not allow people in the church to hold his children or his wife to a higher standard than their own, but to be sure he does his best to set an example with his family.

The Pastor’s wife and family can help or hinder his ministry!

…AND IN CLOSING...

These are some simple observations I have made in traveling to churches in the lastseveral years since “retiring” from the pastoral ministry as well as somethings I have tried to do when I was the pastor. They are to be considered suggestions, not mandates. But God has blessed and used them to build the churches I have pastored and I see Him continuing to do so in other churches which are growing and ALIVE! Remember to bathe your message and each service in prayer. That is primary!

 Remember“LIVING THINGS GROW!”  If your church is not growing, perhaps it is dead!  Why not do whatever you can to resurrect it?!  I hope these suggestions help you.  If you don’t like them simply place them in “file 13.”  But my prayer is that every church that is a Bible-believing church will GROW!

 Sincerely in the Savior,

Pastor (emeritus) Paul C, Fedena

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