Key points on how to grow your church
Exponential Growth through Leadership Health
So how do you avert disaster and experience exponential growth? For the past 15 years I have been teaching leaders what I call The CSP Process: Clarity | Structure | Planning. Here are three exponential growth keys to help you turn your ministry dream into a reality.
Exponential Growth Key 1 – CLARITY
Clearly Defining the Senior Pastor’s Position, Vision, and Responsibilities. The first key is positioning. Where the leader positions him or herself is critical to building a ministry. How consistently the leader stays at his or her anointed, God-ordained post will determine how many of God’s mandates (both personal and ministerial) the leader will accomplish in God’s timing and how well the leader will survive. When the leader is in the right position, the response to God’s mandates is high. The ministry will have optimum torque and acceleration, maximum efficiency and effectiveness. As Senior Pastor, or CEO, your job description is this: 1. Communication – To provide solid biblical messages that feed the lambs and sheep: verbal inspiration, feedback, praise, and motivation. 2. Clarity – To provide crystal clear direction for where the church is going in the future. 3. Creativity – to obtain plans, ideas, and recommendations from the team. 4. Commission – to commission the work to the right people. 5. Competence – to provide for the success of the team through coaching, teaching, training, and mentoring. 6. Coaching – to evaluate progress, constructive confrontation and critique, to obtain evaluation. People normally do not do what you expect, they do what you inspect.
Exponential Growth Key 2 – STRUCTURE
Knowing and Implementing the Proper Structure The second key to exponential growth is knowing and implementing the proper structure that needs to be in place for the church to grow to the next level. I often ask people in my leadership conference, “What is the number one hindrance to church growth?” I normally get all kinds of answers from evangelism to children’s church to worship, etc. People are shocked when I reveal the truth, “The number one hindrance is the hyper-business of the Senior Pastor.” A ministry cannot grow beyond its ability to care for people. One person can only care for so many people without facing burnout. My number one assignment is to help a Senior Pastor structure his or her personal life to be a healthy leader. After I help structure the leader’s life, then I help structure the church so it can handle more growth.
Exponential Growth Key 3 – PLANNING
A third key in averting disaster is strategic planning. Some people say that desperate times demand desperate actions. I disagree. I say that desperate times demand strategic planning. For the past three years of this economic crisis, I have been busier than ever consulting and helping pastors with strategic planning for the future. With the exception of one pastor who did not follow his own plan, every pastor experienced spiritual, numerical, and financial increase… while the majority of pastors have been complaining and making excuses why they have declined. Just as in sports, the right game plan and execution make all the difference between winning and losing. Based on the principles from my book Leaders of Destiny—The Art of Turning Dreams into Reality, leaders are guided through a proven 12-step, action-oriented process that delivers significant results to accomplish God-directed mandates in His timing. Ministries are fairly good at setting goals but fairly poor at achieving them. Staying the course is part of the strategic planning and evaluation process and strategic planning chart. Planning starts with the leader going to the mountain with certain key materials to gain vision, direction, evaluation, counsel, and priorities from God. Then he or she forms directives (results and behaviors) with input from the wise counsel of a leadership coach and executive leadership team. The process continues with the configuring of human resources so the organizational chart reflects what is necessary to achieve God’s mandates. Most ministries are inept because they are organized by the skeleton crew they manage to keep and train. Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it (Colossians 4:17). Enjoyed this post? Please Click Here to see the next! If you have enjoyed this video please tell us in a comment!