#1 Cause of Church Growth

Church growth experts, in determining The #1 Cause of Church Growth, have had the following measure in place for many years: How did you find out about us? I’ve asked first time attenders this question, but admittedly, I haven’t asked it enough to develop useful data.

How did you find out about FCC? We could come up with several possible answers: building location, website, programs, community involvement/service, special events, etc. All of these are good and important to have, but are any of them The #1 Cause of Church Growth. Nope. Not even close.

By far and away, the #1 answer is: Invited by a friend or family member. Are you surprised? I’m not. I think we greatly underestimate the significance of “a person with skin on them” personally inviting their friend or family member to church. Too often, however, we fall into a passive Field of Dreams kind of approach – “if we build it, they will come.”

So what are we to do? We must equip you and help you succeed. We must create a warm and welcoming facility and environment. We must offer an opportunity to worship God that is meaningful. We must be Biblically strong and culturally relevant. We must seek to meet the needs of others. We must build strong families. The list could be long and should require us to re-think everything about our church. In fact, this is exactly what our Leadership Team has been doing this year as we re-tool our mission, vision, and core values of the FCC. I’m excited how God is moving. You may not see it yet, but there is a “buzz” in the air.

Let’s not forget The #1 Cause of Church Growth – inviting your friends and family members.

If I Were the Devil

If I were the devil, I would wage warfare against church leaders. I’d be relentless in my attack with evil spirits of depression and despair, anger and bitterness, jealousy and lust, deceit and pride. If such things bled over into the congregation at large, so be it.

If I were the devil, I would attack families in every way, shape and form. I'd distract husbands from loving their wives and wives from respecting their husbands. I'd prevent fathers from fulfilling their responsibility in raising their kids. I'd plant seeds of frustration and resentment in moms head and heart. I'd promote individualism in the heads of children, making them believe they don't need others. I'd attack God's formula for marriage of one man, one woman, for one lifetime. I would NOT touch the spirituality of husbands and fathers because well, if it's already broke...

If I were the devil, I would get you to believe that faith is strictly a private matter - just between you and God. I'd craftily and methodically remove God and references to faith from government, schools, prisons, hospitals, and all public life, for that matter.

If I were the devil, I would convince mankind that we evolved without a Creator. I'd blur the line between right and wrong with situational ethics and relativism, all in the guise of becoming a more free, more loving, and more tolerant people.

If I were the devil, I suppose  I would do just what the devil is doing now.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. ~Ephesians 6:11

Simply Christmas

Remember as a child when Christmas was simply a time of excitement, wonder and expec-tation? You couldn’t wait for the Christmas cookies to come out of the oven. Your eyes would get wide as the lights sparkled on the tree. And who could fall asleep on Christmas Eve? Ah, Christmas...

Fast-forward to the busy, hectic, over-scheduled time of year, where the list is long of tasks that must be completed. Christ-mas trees are to be decorated. Christmas shopping and gift wrapping must happen in a flurry. Christmas entertaining fills the calendar. Christmas programs abound—at school, in the community, at church. When will it all stop? December 26? No, for then the frenzy of gift returning and after-Christmas sales begins!

What happened to the simplicity of Christmas and the tranquility of the season? Has the expectation and wonder of Christ-mas disappeared? Does it fade as we grow older? Or, does it just get crowded out? Is it possible to have a simple Christ-mas?

Before the stress of shopping, relatives and overcharged credit cards rob us of the joy and wonder of Christmas, we at First Christian Church would like to remind you that some things are still very simple, like the age-old story of a manger and a very special gift. Before life gets crazy complicated, we invite you to join us and discover the simply amazing story of Christmas for yourself.

December  4   A Simple Gift

December 11   A Simple Family

December 18   A Simple Birth
December 25   A Simple Message

Preparing for a Good Harvest

The words "harvest time" conjure many different images in our minds. The farmer bringing in his crops, leaves turning colors, Indian corn, pumpkin pie, football, and, of course, Thanksgiving Day. God has also designed seasons in each of our lives, to bring about a harvest in us. It is a wonderful time that the writer of Hebrews describes as producing in us a har-vest of righteousness and peace. Each of us would love to have this kind of fruit in our lives—to be right before God, more like His son Jesus and have that calm assurance that He is in control.

Farmers, who know all about the harvest, are, in many ways, connected to the land. It’s how they make their living. For some, their very livelihood and prosperity are linked to the harvest. Farmers who rely on a good harvest to make a living understand that careful preparation for the harvest will have begun months before any John Deere or Case combine can begin collecting ears of corn or bushels of soybeans.

I am certainly not a farmer, but I know enough to understand that a decent crop is not a guarantee. The land must be properly cultivated for a bountiful harvest to result. This includes plowing and disking the ground to turn the soil before planting, adding the proper nutrients to the ground, making sure plants get enough water to grow, and so forth. If I fail to cultivate the land to prepare it for planting or if I neglect my crops through the growing season, the harvest would be less than desirable. Every good farmer understands the need to cultivate and prepare the land, turning over the soil so nutrients, rain and seeds can make their way in deep. Proper cultivation sets the stage for a good crop and prosperity for the hardworking farmer.

This truth is no different when it comes to our hearts. Only a fool would think that his heart would reap a harvest of righteousness and take on the appearance of Christ without daily cultivation and care. Only when our hearts are properly cultivated can the Spirit most effectively form the character of Christ in our lives. Paul talks about this in Ephesians 3:17: "Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong."

That’s the kind of harvest God intends to produce in our lives. Strength. Depth. Character. The harvest is only possible if we’re willing to allow our roots to go down deep as we continually to trust in Him for the results.

In His Grip, Phil