Church Growth in the Age of Donald Trump
Syndicated columnist Don Feder writes, “Christians are the only group Hollywood can offend with impunity, the only creed it actually goes out of its way to insult. Clerics, from fundamentalist preachers to Catholic monks, are routinely represented as hypocrites, hucksters, sadists, and lechers. The tenets of Christianity are regularly held up to ridicule.”
In recent memory, never before has the church come under such blistering attack. So what are we to do? Pull back within our church walls in fear?
Never. Instead, consider launching a targeted and aggressive plan for church growth. Light always shines the brightest in the darkest night (John 1:5). What the devil intends as intimidation, the Holy Ghost transforms into a call to action (Matt. 16:18).
Five ingredients can be combined into a dynamic mix for revival: prayer, people, plan, promote, and preserve.
Prayer – Everything must be bathed in the Spirit. Every event, worker and program should start and end with a prayer meeting. A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps (Prov. 16:9). If the plan is not the Lord’s, it will not succeed (Ps. 127:1).
People – God uses people, committed and called to do a good work (1 Cor. 12:6). Share with your church the vision that God has placed in your heart. Challenge them to join you in a program to reach your city. Seek to involve everyone somewhere doing something.
Plan – Growth comes from sowing gospel seed. The four most effective methods of seed sowing are bringing guests to church, teaching home Bible studies, personal witnessing, and Sunday school growth. Consider developing an evangelism plan that utilizes all four, and even more.
Promote – You must not become weary (Gal. 6:9). Promote your plan every week. Celebrate every success. Encourage every worker. Keep the vision for revival foremost in the mind of your church.
Preserve – As new converts come in, they must be discipled. Consider utilizing the new convert care ministry outlined in Total Church Growth by Tim Massengale.
