12 Steps to a Successful Growth Programme


Growth in the Church is biblical. It pleases God, who is not willing that even one should perish but that all should come to him. Jesus has expressed his absolute intention to build his Church. We are his "builders" and it is through our commitment, prayer and energy that he is accomplishing this task.

There are a number of reasons and ways in which churches grow. Sometimes growth is spontaneous. This is good - when it happens. But the best kind of growth comes from good planning and strategy. When church leaders, pastors, evangelists and church planters form a team and develop a plan, the church will grow!

In fact. every fellowship of churches or denomination should have a growth goal and a growth strategy for realizing the goal. They should be aiming at a realistic number of new churches which need to be started within a specific time-frame. They should also be implementing a plan or strategy for bringing this about.

Following are 12 steps for making growth goals a reality:

Step 1: Dream big dreams. See large visions.

Churches grow when the leaders have a vision larger than themselves. They have a driving concern to see whole regions and provinces - even their whole nation - won to Christ and into the Church. A challenging goal like "A Church in Every Village" appeals to them. They want to be part of something bigger than themselves.

"Where there is no vision, the people perish!" This verse (Proverbs 29: 18) means that if we are not following God's express purposes, we may be busy, but we are failing to achieve the best that we can. We are doing a lot of things, but it is little more than chaotic activity. We have fallen short of the goals that would have pleased God.

A denominational leader once said: "We are the largest denomination in this area. We don't need to grow anymore." They lived up to his expectations and did not grow. Now they are no longer the largest denomination.

Another leader of a different denomination had a burning desire to see Zimbabwe filled with churches. He has had outstanding success and his big vision has resulted in dozens of new churches in Zimbabwe and even in neighboring countries. This was achieved through good goals and strategies which were, in a sense, the feet to his vision.

When you dream big dreams and see large visions, you are driven to work persistently toward seeing them accomplished.



Step 2: Develop and use a good base of information.

The Living Bible translates Proverbs 18: 13 this way: "What a shame - yes, how stupid - to decide before knowing the facts."

Church leaders need to have a strong base of good, up-to-date information on their community before making big decisions on the plans for their churches. Leaders who do this will realize that the way to accomplish their vision for the church is not through sentimental or emotional fantasies, but through a concrete understanding of their situation.

Good information comes from good research. Although the thought of conducting research is at first difficult to absorb, it is very possible for denominations, groups of churches and even individual congregations to gather information on their community, their district, their province and their nation.

Jesus told his disciples to start in Jerusalem (the immediate community surrounding the church) and then to move further afield - Judea and Samaria (progressively wider geographic regions). Finally. the prospect of impacting the whole nation and even those in other cultures (to the ends of the earth) becomes the focus and challenge of the Church.

But ... this expanding vision for evangelism and church planting only becomes possible when it is supported by the findings and strategies gained from the research - and this research has to begin at the most basic level of the community in which the church finds itself.

The research already underway through the Zimbabwe National Evangelism Task (NET) is a very good beginning to the research which must take place in every community of Zimbabwe. The findings from current research have made the Target 2000 Congress a rich and enlightening experience for church leaders from all denominations.

Good Harvest Field research (on the community/village/city/district/province/nation) and good Harvest Force research (on the strength and growth of the Church in the Harvest Field) holds the potential to make an enormous contribution to the rate of growth and degree of impact of the Church in Zimbabwe.

In Section D of this handbook, there is a complete explanation of how to do this kind of research; and following on this report on the 12 Steps are sample forms for a denomination or a local church to record the vital information needed to track the growth of the church.

Step 3: Set challenging, realistic and measurable goals.

Good goals are at the heart of every effective denominational growth programme. Challenging goals stir up and mobilize the people. Pastors and lay workers get involved to an extent that surprises even themselves. It is exciting to work together toward a worthwhile and challenging goal which is realistic at the same time.

It is important that the goals be realistic. Wild, unattainable goals are discouraging to every- one in the church when it becomes apparent that they are beyond reach. This is why good goals are based on good information (from research and past experience). Bad goals are worse than no goals at all.

Goals which are realistic are also measurable. If a denomination plans to plant 20 new churches in the next three years. the goal may be considered realistic and easy to measure. Six churches planted after one year, means the goal is now 14 churches in the next two years. The adjusted goal could well be to plant seven new churches per year until the end of the three-year time-frame. If the go a] is not reached. the wonderful consolation is that many more churches would have been planted than if no goals had been set.

Some say that goal setting is "Western" and does not work in Africa. But goal setting is biblical and therefore above culture. Goals set under the guidance of the Holy Spirit are "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews]]:] is a direct scriptural reference to the importance of projecting into the future the expectations presently on our hearts and minds. This is simply another way of describing the process of setting goals. Faith of this sort is not optional. If we have no faith for what God is going to do in the future, "it is impossible to please God." (Heb. 11 :6)

Step 4: Promote goal ownership.

Some growth programmes have failed because they were only understood and "owned" by the pastor and one or two others. Goals should be set with the support. enthusiasm and participation of the widest possible group. In the case of a denomination. goals which all the churches are working to achieve must be communicated to all levels of Leadership and down into the rank and file of the congregations.

There are many reasons for whole congregations owning the goals of the church or denomination. For one thing. the pastor and leaders are more accountable to pursue the goals if the people are "joint owners,"

The leaders of one particular church had decided to set the goal of planting 20 new churches in three years. But they did not communicate this goal to the members. They decided that this goal should be painted in small letters at the bottom of the sign next to the front door of the church. However. the sign painter did not follow instructions and accidentally painted the "20 new churches " goal in large, bold lettering.

When the pastor arrived for an evangelistic outreach that night. he was shocked to see the goals standing out like a banner on the sign. Since he could not change the sign, all the people read the bold challenge to plant new churches. The effect was very positive and the people were soon assisting the leaders in working toward this goal. As a result, they planted 25 new churches during the ensuing three years.

A warning to pastors and denominational leaders is that goal ownership is crucial. If the people do not feel a part of the growth project, it could be a costly mistake.

Step 5: Give a name to the growth programme.

When children are born, they are given names. A child without a name feels ignored and unloved. In the same way, a church planting programme or a project to recruit new members should have a name or it will not be accepted by the people. A programme with no name will have no identity.

A denomination in the Philippines set a goal they simply called: 2.2-2. Their goal is to plant 20,000 new churches and win 2,000,000 new converts by the year 2,000. Other goals with names like "Expansion 100" "Harvest 2,000" and "Target 100,00" have become strong rallying cries for the people. Slogans are constant reminders and help keep the vision alive.

Step 6: Develop adequate organizational structures.

The New Testament Church was growing so rapidly that organizational changes had to be made. In Acts 6, we see that the fellowship had grown so dramatically (thousands in one day, etc.) that problems in administration occurred. This was solved by the development of a new layer of Leadership. A group of laymen were given a whole new level of responsibility.

When denominations or fellowships expand in members and number of churches; they must make similar changes. More leaders must be found. Lay people must be trusted to undertake important Leadership functions. New committees may need to be formed. Key people will have to oversee programmes in the church or supervise training, etc.

For growth programmes to succeed it may be necessary to break with some of the "old ways" which have been in operation for decades. Churches need to change with the times in the positive sense of adapting to new conditions and realities in society. Usually this means that lay people have to quit being "pew warmers" and become active participants in the church. This will result in your church growing spiritually and numerically. Churches in Zimbabwe will fail or succeed on the basis of how well lay people are used to promote and accommodate new growth.

Step 7: Depend on the power of prayer.

When churches plan for growth, they are sometimes accused of having a greater concern for numbers than a desire to see the Holy Spirit at work. However, no significant growth in the church will ever take place unless it is backed by prayer. When the church prays. the Holy Spirit acts. Resulting growth in numbers and new churches is subsequently good and pleases God.

In Zimbabwe, some church groups have developed church planting teams that fast and pray before they begin their work in new communities. This always yields excellent results. One such group has grown from zero to 25 congregations in nine years because of prayer. If there is no prayer, churches do not grow because there is no power.

Step 8: Keep church members motivated and informed.

When God brings growth to the Church, it is a cause for celebration. In Mutare, St. Peter's United Methodist Church has an annual welcome for new members. This is a day of feasting and rejoicing. It is a time of reflecting on God's goodness in bringing new growth to the congregation and is one of the most important days on the church calendar.

In the same way, when new churches are planted or there is success in some other area, it is important to keep the congregation informed. This will be motivational and will result in greater participation by the people.

Announcements from the pulpit, printed portions of the church bulletin or other forms of publications are excellent means of communicating progress in the growth programmes of the church. Members also need to be trained for their involvement in growth programmes, and these training sessions are excellent opportunities for motivation. Of course, the greatest motivator is the thrill of actually reaching the goals that have been set.

Step 9: Train your members.

This has been an indispensable part of any significant growth programme. The biblical strategy is to equip (train) the saints (lay men and women) for the work of the ministry.

In successful denominational programmes, members are trained for every aspect of the work
entailed. This includes training for starting and pastoring churches, starting and leading evangelistic Bible study groups, leading committees for record keeping, research and analysis,
prayer groups, finances, communications and so on.

Members should be able to attend Bible study courses and be trained in practical ministry. Equipping and training are the basic ministry of the church. No programme will reach its goals without an effective equipping of the saints.

Step 10: Create sound financial policy.

Denominations creating strong, new growth programmes are forced to evaluate their financial structure. They find it necessary to examine priorities for expenditure. If money is being spent on issues. materials. and other things that are lower priority than the growth of the church, then these funds will ha\e to be diverted to support the evangelistic thrust and the planting of new churches instead.

When goals are set for church planting or starting new ministries, the financial factor must be considered. New programmes must be within the financial reach of the income and funding the denomination receives - in tithes and offerings or from outside sources. However, it should not happen that an over-conservative reaction to funding "anything new" in the church should cause the early death of something God wants to bless.

Effective fund raising is crucial to new programmes. Very few churches in Zimbabwe - if any - are seeing their '11embers come even close to tithing what they should. Good teaching on stewardship and creative planning for new funding are needed.

Step 11: Regularly evaluate progress.

The value of having measurable goals is that it is always possible to see exactly where you are in relation to the goal. A denomination which saw its rate of growth fall sharply realized that the growth programme was in trouble. They should have been growing consistently at about 20 percent for every year of the five-year programme. When they fell to nearly 12 percent, they became concerned and made some big changes to the programme. This saved the programme and the goal was easily achieved.

Churches with growth programmes will know how well they are doing because the goals are easily measured in terms of the time-frame. Those involved in the programme must be constantly aware of progress being made and corrective steps that may need to be taken. A serious evaluation of any programme must be made at least once a year and should involve all the participants.

Step 12: Make new plans.

Denominations with successful growth programmes behind them are very likely to continue setting new goals. One denomination has been setting goals and carrying out regular growth programmes for 20 years. When one programme concludes, members and leaders meet for a time of celebration. It is also the time when the new goals are set and the new programme launched. "We are going to continue with our growth goals until Jesus comes again," said the national director of the denomination.

By constantly making new plans for new growth, evangelism and church planting become a regular part of the church life, rather than an activity engaged in only once in a while. Evaluating growth regularly, making necessary changes and equipping new workers becomes a healthy, dynamic aspect of the life of the church.

The Church in Zimbabwe will make great strides in the discipling of the nation when goal setting and growth programmes become a habit rather than the rare exception. Expecting great things from God in faith. evaluating the growth which results and making new commitments to grow are evidence of healthy growth.

Conclusion:

Study these 12 steps to successful growth. Communicate them to others in your church or denomination. Pray over them. Make necessary changes. and then apply them. Without doubt, your church will grow! This guarantee rests on the authority of God's Word. He will give you and your co-laborers "fruit for you labour" as you please him by working in faith and expecting great things in your corner of the Harvest Field.