Recipe for growth

Since coming to this circuit, I have been encouraging us to place our future in the hands of God and relying on His Grace, using His Word with the goal to glorify His name, defy decline and grow. Reading the book of Acts of Apostles especially Acts 2:47 made me more convinced than ever that we can grow because it is the Lord who gives the increase so long as we are involved in the right Acts. The questions I want to pose to each one of us for serious reflection and prayer are: Are we involved in the right acts? Do we have positive attitude towards growth? Do we seriously believe that God has not withdrawn the Great Commission and that God still wants us to make disciples? Are the activities in each of our churches commensurate with growth?

1. The age of the people. It is a fallacy to believe that older congregation means decline. 13% of these churches grew when everyone, all 100% of the congregation, were over 45. Retired people have more time for God; it is what they invest of that time that counts. The age structure in a church cannot be used as an excuse for lack of growth. Yes, statistics show that younger people in a congregation help because of their energy, enthusiasm, effort and excitement. But only 20% of churches grew when there was no one over 45 in the congregation!
2. The size of the congregation. Smaller congregations are more likely to grow than larger ones.
3. Racially mixed congregations. Probably illustrate that a church is friendly and welcoming but also due to the fact that if one or two come from ethnic minorities, they tend to attract others.
4. Alpha Courses. Those churches who run only one or two Alpha courses 21% had grown, but 26% who had run courses over at least 3 years had grown significantly. Dr Brierly says ‘Alpha is good for the church, and the more Alpha the better.’
5. Provision for Youth. Having some young people in church helps Growth. Across the country, 40% of churches have no young people and over 50% have no one aged between 15–18. Vision for young people is vital for growth. The research showed that growing churches were more likely to have a youth service at least once a month designed to be led by themselves, this requires leadership willingness to take risks and share ministry with young people.

Two other identified factors influencing growth, particularly in Anglican churches, were firstly the length of minister’s appointment: The peak period of growth was found to be when a minister has been at a church between 7 and 13 years! Secondly the age of the minister: growth was more likely when the vicar was in early 40’s or early 60’s! Why 60’s? Perhaps because of maturity and retirement beckoning and a minister would want to go out with a bang, not afraid of what their bosses think of them, feeling free to go for it.

Peter concludes his article by quoting Charles Handy on ‘Successful Organisations’ of which he says ‘they have a feel about them, a feel which a visitor picks up as soon as he/she enters the building or often merely encounters one of the people who work there … where the talk is about ‘we’ not ‘I’ and there is a sense that the organisation is on some sort of crusade, not just to make money, but something grander, something worthy of one’s commitment, skills and time’ … That ‘feel’ comes partly from the ethos and culture of the church, partly form the leadership … but the ultimate factor remains the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, let me remind you of what some of you might have heard me preach in the last few weeks. The early church was filled with the uneducated: ordinary men and women (Acts 4:13) who yet made a difference in their world and were actually accused of turning it upside down (Acts 17:6), but the major differences were two factors: First, they were recognised to be men and women who had been with Jesus. Personal encounter with Jesus Christ is sin quo non, to any one who is going to make a difference in the world. Secondly they were involved in right acts and I spoke from Acts 2:36-47 of 7 distinguishing characteristics of the early Christians: Love lived out Acts 2:44-45); Bible Believed and taught (Acts 2:42); Awe and Reverence for God among believers (Acts 2:43); Believers filled (i.e. controlled) by the Holy Spirit (Acts2:41); Praise for God paramount whenever they met in worship (Acts 2:46-47); Praying believers (Acts 2:42). What this text seems to be saying is this: with the above 6 aspects being in place, Growth was passive as God almost did it automatically (Acts 2:47). The crunch question is this: If we want growth in our chapels, or in our personal lives, are the six characteristics of the early Christians in place? If the answer is in the affirmative, then we can grow and my love to each one of us is this: LET US GROW!

Happy sunshine, happy summer Holidays, meet you at the Lake Bank Services!

When the Church Council of an old Church in Wales decided to make some repairs to their interior furnishings, a local artist was employed to renovate some old paintings. He later presented his bill but was refused because full details of the work had not been specified.

The very next day, the following itemised account was presented:

Establishing Pontius Pilate, and putting ribbons on his hat 7/–
Putting a tail on the rooster of St Peter and attending to his comb 6/–
Re-pluming and re-gilding the left wing of Gabriel 6/–
Washing the High Priest’s robes 7/–
Cleaning out St David’s ears 5/–
Renewing Heaven, adjusting the stars and cleaning up the moon 7/–
Brightening the flames of hell, putting a new tail on the devil, mending his hoof and doing various odd jobs for the damned 8/–
Mending the shirt of the prodigal son 3/–
Touching up Pharaoh’s daughter 3/–

I am with you always
No locked door
No walls – can keep you out –
Come in your risen power
To unlock what is closed
To open hearts and lives
To your eternity.

Living Lord Jesus –
Help us to hear your voice
As we go on our way
Today and every day.
To recognise you in a troubled world –
To know the peace that you bring.

Living Lord –
Who touches our wounded lives
With wounded hands –
Help us when there are no easy answers
When we see the pain and scarring
of the world
Help us also to see the wounded healer.

Lord Jesus – glorious and resurrected –
Willing the best for us –
Speaking the words of love to us –
Daring us to smile with you –
To walk behind you –
Thank you, that because of you
There is hope
In you there is strength,
Through you there is peace. Amen

The following is an extract from an interview with a famous actor:

Perhaps it’s about time we actually tried real Christianity, because it hasn’t truly been tried yet. And then it couldn’t be just a ‘Sunday’ thing.

While the King James version of the Bible uses the word ‘mirror’ quite frequently, mirrors as we know them today were only introduced into society in the seventeenth century. Mirrors in Biblical times were made of metal, the most common being was bronze. This explains why Job is told by one of his ‘comforters’, ‘Can you join God in spreading out the skies like a mirror of cast bronze?’ (Job 37:18).

Furthermore, we read in Exodus 38:8 concerning how, when the Jews made furniture for the Temple, ‘They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women.’ Incidentally, this verse implies so much metal that surely all the women had a mirror, and every one of them was surrendered.

To meddle is to do things for people without their knowledge, permission or approval. Instead of suggesting what might be done, it is telling people what to do. Sometimes we act as a result of a half understood, or even mid-heard statement.

Again, it can be volunteering someone without checking with them first: ‘My wife will take me to Heathrow;’ ‘My husband is very good at cleaning Church halls;’ or, ‘Our minister will do that for you.’

It even comes under the cloak of unwanted pastoral support, networking, helping, advising, or giving aid. Worst of all, it is going behind someone’s back: ‘to do good.’

1 Peter 4:15: ‘If we suffer it should not be as a murderer or a thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.’ Meddling is the smallest of sins . . . but it’s still a sin. Anon

As many of us prepare for our summer holidays, spend a moment remembering what the word ‘holiday’ means. It originates from a contraction of Holy Day.

All Holy Days were times of celebration and feasting. We get the idea of a Holy Day being a time of rest, because no one worked during it: none of the land was farmed, and the sheep remained unshorn.

But a Holy Day was dedicated to God. It was His day, so the highpoint was usually a special service of thanksgiving and praise. So as we prepare to celebrate our own holidays, remember what is the origin of a holiday: it is a Holy Day, intended as a celebration of God’s praise and glory.

Jesus said:–

We cannot add years to our life, but we can let Christ add life to our years

Tony Blair recently made a big splash during his visit to Africa: most of us were delighted to hear him say that African poverty was unacceptable and must be eradicated.

African civil society and various campaigning groups such as the World Development Movement and Christian Aid, believe that it will not. Why not?

2. NEPAD wants to build up Africa’s run-down infrastructure through more privatisation to foreign companies. So a European firm, for example, may own the electricity suppliers in an African country. This might make the system more ‘efficient’ but where do the profits and dividends go? You guessed it: to Europe! It will also mean that rail services and supplies of water, electricity and telephone lines are cut to out-lying areas where this is not profitable.

3. It promotes development through information and communications technology. Most of Africa has no reliable electricity. Even as big a city as Nairobi had no electricity for more than 12 hours a day for most of last summer!

4. In order to qualify for loans and aid, African governments have been asked to implement austerity programmes, under plans like the HIPC initiative for debt relief. They have to ‘make their economies more efficient’, which basically means cutting government expenditure (often on health, education, roads, etc). NEPAD calls for more of the same.

The poor in Africa are already suffering because of these structural adjustment programmes, which are imposed on them by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organisation, all of which are working primarily in the interests of the world’s biggest corporations and banks. There is little genuine consultation with African civil society.

Write to Tony Blair. Express your concerns about NEPAD. Urge him to encourage more consultation with African civil society and to look at alternative plans for development proposed by groups such as the African Social Forum. Make your voice heard!

TAKE ACTION: Please write to Patricia Hewitt MP, Secretary of State at the Department of Trade and Industry, for example with the sample letter included with this month’s magazine.

Alternatively, ask her what steps she is taking to ensure that end-use controls are strengthened in the Export Control Bill and what the Government is doing to make sure that British companies are not involved in the manufacture and sale of landmines.

As many as ten million people in Southern Africa face starvation following the failure of this year’s harvest. The countries worst affected are Malawi and Southern Zambia. For the first time in more than half a century, Zimbabwe also faces famine following the political turmoil there.

People in Malawi are said to be feeding their children with weeds and bitter roots. There is simply nothing else. Meanwhile, several EU countries and the US continue to place great pressure on African countries to spend the little money they have on repaying debts or buying arms. Indeed, much aid is tied to arm sales.

The aid agency Tearfund expect the situation to deteriorate rapidly, and say it may reach the same proportions as the great famine in Ethiopia in the 1980s.

Saudi Arabia is one of the most devout and insular countries in the World. It progressed from being an underdeveloped desert kingdom into one of the wealthiest nations in the region during the twentieth century, due to its vast oil wealth.

Population: 21m Capital: Riyadh Major language: Arabic Major religion: Islam (99.9%)

The country is also thought to be a major supporter of organisations promoting Islamic fundamentalism. Most of the terrorists involved in the 11 September attacks were Saudi nationals.

• For tolerance toward religious minorities.
• For Christians in Saudi Arabia, both nationals and foreign workers.
• For a reversal of the appalling record on human rights abuses.
• For Saudi Arabian society to become more open, and allow the preaching of the Gospel.
• Many Saudi people now possess satellite TV, so pray for Christian TV stations that broadcast from nearby Lebanon.

Source of information: www.bbc.co.uk and Operation World.