This is for everyone but especially for anyone who is thinking about “starting a church”. (By church I’m talking about a local, visible ministry somewhere involving people.)
First of all in these times, you can’t pattern your local ministry by what you grew up in. (You can’t go back to the “Old Landmark”.) Why?
Today’s Church is now a complex enterprise that needs quality and qualified people to lead it. …
The startling reality is this:
Anointed services on Sunday, Wednesday with a hand full of mother’s and old folk crying out to God and singing songs one night a week in pray meeting cannot build a successful church.
Please let me give you some key ingredients in order to have a successful ministry.
Ingredients for a successful local church:
Vision casting.
Strategic planning.
Implementation of new ideas and concepts.
Continued Change.
Leadership development.
Discipleship training.
Team building.
Appropriate Staffing.
Oh yeah you’re going to need influencers with Zoning, Banking, Politicians, Architects , Lawyers , Marketing , and Philanthropists.
Sorry, did I mention Real Estate, facility needs/maintenance, Strategic networking with unsaved entities and some kind of cash flow without manipulation?
Brethren, it’s not your preaching gift or spiritual gifts that will build a local church that God will be pleased with. For those that are interested in learning more about this, I’d love to open my heart, life and experience in ministry and pour this into you to help you decide whether this is for you. If you’re interested just let me know here through Facebook and we’ll work out a time for a Saturday workshop.
If this is good enough, great. I just need to let you know that at this hour in the life of the Church, God ain’t playing. Do it right or don’t do it at all.
PS, I haven’t mentioned the spiritual, domestic or moral qualifications
found in 1Tim. 3 and Titus 1 that must be met BEFORE anyone should say, I am a pastor, bishop, elder, evangelist, teacher or apostle in the Lord’s Church.
Have you noticed that most of the largest churches in America have some of the less skillful preachers leading them? What do they know that maybe you don’t know?
Okay, just thinking out loud and I just want to see folk do it right. Can I get a witness?
—Vaughn “Popcorn” McLaughlin
This kind of straight talk is needed. It is also a needed dialogue for those who have already started a church.