Moviepastor.com » Three S’s You MUST have as a Church

Three S’s You MUST have as a Church

Was doing some networking today and got to thinking about what it takes to make it to the next level of your church. I think this applies whether you are 60 trying to get to 120 or 125 trying to get to 250 and probably 500 trying to get to 1000.

Systems: You have to think Systems – nor Programs. Sure you are the best preacher ever, you have the best cutting edge music, you have the best kids program, the best AWANA’s – whatever. You have to have a SYSTEM in place to run your programs. What is your SYSTEM for retaining guests? What is your SYSTEM for organizing your worship team? What is your SYSTEM for preparing a sermon. You cant just “wing it”. At Crosspoint we stayed STUCK at certain plateaus and now that I look back it was about SYSTEMS. When we developed a good system for “assimilation” (getting people to come back, then stick and get involved) our attendance went UP. When we developed better SYSTEMS for being portable our attendance went UP. You have to have SYSTEMS – not programs. Now I am asking what SYSTEMS are missing at Crosspoint – and who will oversee them? If you dont have a system – Read Fusion by Nelson Searcy – it will be a start

SHOW: This one will be hard to swallow for some people – but you better have a show! We live in a media driven culture. People EXPECT to be entertained. The opposite of that is that they will be BORED. Churches can literally bore people right into hell! What does your SHOW look like? Are the programs professional or are there misspelled words? You are seriously not using CLIP ART? Have you tried something besides power point? (or a hymn book?) What about the transition between singing and preaching – can you “awkward pause?” What does the women’s rest room look like? When are you getting around to changing the ceiling tile? You may not be able to do what a 20,000 member church does – but you can improve the show!

SPIRIT: Not by might, not by power – but by My Spirit! Without God we can do NOTHING! Bathe it in prayer, preach the word, and lean in close to God and hang on! God’s spirit is like a wind – you can’t tell where Its coming from or where Its going but you sure do know when you’ve caught It – much like a sail boat when it catches the wind. What is the Spirit asking you to do? What change is just aroudn the corner? What step of Faith do you have to take? What are you doing that’s quenching that Spirit? (ouch!)

There are wiser men than me and probably more things you should have – but if you don’t have these – a SHOW people WANT to come and be part of, SYSTEMS to KEEP people and INVOLVE people both fueled by the SPIRIT of God – you are not going to go to the next level. And even if you have these – you have to constantly re-evaluate and take them to the next level. What do we tweak system wise? What do we do to improve the show? what do I do to make sure I have the POWER of God’s Spirit in my life?

18 Responses to “Three S’s You MUST have as a Church”

Michael Robison on January 8th, 2009

Great Post Bro! Love your insight and ideas. Thanks for sharing. I would add one more though…..Starbucks! Peace….
i12know on January 8th, 2009

There are some truth there, but neither the show or system components really proven time tested. Did the Acts 2 church have show or system? Let’s keep the main thing the main thing.
moviepastor on January 8th, 2009

Yes they had systems – read acts 6. Yes they had a show. People were AMAZED at what they saw happening – healing, teaching everything. I told you it would be hard to swallow. The show was so good that later in Acts a dude fell out the window cause he didnt want to leave, he died, and paul raised him to life and they had an encore show!
ChurchBrand Architect on January 8th, 2009

Movie Pastor – You have hit this right on the head. The Question of the day is where is your church stuck. and Then the follow-up – which S has your church made its number one priority. I think an argument could be made for all.

best quote of the day “You are seriously not using CLIP ART?” OMG
brent(inWorship) on January 8th, 2009

Dang, you like to shake it up

I would agree with you here. As, i12know said, “keep the main thing the main thing”, is absolutely implied. Why is their a show? Why is their a system, why is their a Spirit. Because He IS the center of it all to begin with.

Paul was radical. The Acts church was radical. They weren’t afraid to do anything, because they trusted in God and were in the midst of Him doing amazing things. He had proved Himself to them over and over and they were faithful to go out and share it with everyone.

Also, side note. I think there is the misconception that, since the Acts church met in little rooms for hours and taught each other without Sound and lights and “show”, that this was who they were…period. Hardly. >The reason the church grew so rapidly, was not because people were locked inside a house not letting anyone in. It was because the church was outside the walls, radically showing everyone who their God was.

Those gatherings the Acts church had, were not Sunday AM’s. They were just gatherings. We in today’s church have those gatherings all week. in houses, at church facilities, in schools. We also have an amazing opportunity on Sunday AM to bring people to Him who have never known Him before. For me, Sunday AM, is not the Acts gathering. It is one of the opportunities to share and show and declare, so all can see.

We continually relate Sunday AM, to the Acts church and I don’t think that’s correct. That is quite a small box to place God in.
Trace Donahoo on January 8th, 2009

Dave, the dude in the window fell asleep. It wasn’t a show it was the preaching of the Gospel and the establishing of the New Testament church. Also Acts chapter 6 is about Deacons which is a “system” that is appointed by God. These are needed in every church. So is Elders, which help keep the Pastor from straying off the main thing and promote peace and purity in the church.
moviepastor on January 8th, 2009

Trace I think you missed my point. I know it was the power of the gospel that why I have the last S in there. Without God we can do NOTHING. But you show me a church thats been stuck at 65 people for 100 years – i’ll show you that the SHOW sucks, the SYSTEMS suck and probably there is no SPIRIT. Churches that have the Spirit GROW – PERIOD – but I dont think the SPIRIT blesses mediocrity, laziness and indifference. I cant find that in the bible.
Trace Donahoo on January 8th, 2009

In todays Christless church we tend to put emphasis on things that feed the Christian consumers hunger. People bounce around from church to church because one might have good music but they stink when it comes to children’s ministry. It is about coming before a Holy God who has taken a rotten sinner that was dead in my sins and breathed life into me. We live in a Christian sub-culture that loves to leave the last church because it wasn’t what I wanted or they hurt me. How about showing grace and loving each other. We seem to lose that. In other places there isn’t the other church down the road to go to. The show is Jesus. The other might appeal to people but it is the Gospel which holds people. As John Calvin would say “our hearts are idol factories.” We love to make things like numbers and music the focus and when that is the case we have made a mockery of the Gospel. I love to make good works and things that might seem pleasing to God important, those are the things that I must repent of just as much as sin because they are both offensive to the holiness of God.
Trace Donahoo on January 8th, 2009

I have a good question. Why can the same person preach the same message of the Gospel at multiple times and get different responses? The Spirit is at work, but generally not in the way we think. The person preaching the message does not determine the outcome because the Spirit is not our tool. He is God.
Amanda Sims on January 8th, 2009

I understand the concept of “show” and maybe it’s just a matter of semantics but it seems to me that show can seem fake. Maybe relevent authentic engagement of the senses would be a better term – but it’s longer and doesn’t start with S.
Scott on January 8th, 2009

You already know I’m lovin’ on this post – even though you hurt my feelings with the uncalled for “clip art” dig, I got over it. I’ll have you know there are some places out in the sticks where clip art is still considered cutting edge…

And yeah, it is about reaching “rotten sinners” with the life transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why people assume that a church that is trying to be relevant and draw lost people in must not be preaching the Gospel. For the love, it IS possible to do both…

Why do some churches try to make discipleship and maturity happen BEFORE conversion? Lost people don’t wake up one Sunday and say, “Hey! I need God, I think I’ll go to church today…” There has to be some simple and easy to maneuver entry points, and something THEY feel is worth their time. Even if we’re depending on Christians to minister to them and invite them to church – they won’t do it unless they feel the church is worth inviting them to. If we’re not providing a welcoming, exciting, and inspiring place for people to come to they will stay home – and stay lost in their sin.

The bottom line for me is that any Sunday I preach to even one empty seat, I have not been as faithful, or as successful, as God wants me to be. Every empty seat represents a lost opportunity to proclaim the Gospel to somebody.

Sure, a lot of the people we’re trying to reach don’t want anything too deep – they just want to feel better, or they’re looking for some help with quality of life issues – I don’t expect anything else of the unchurched or the immature. I long ago gave up on expecting the unsaved and unchurched to “want” to be taught the Bible. Often, they don’t even know why they’re coming to church, or what they’re hoping to find.

If they like the music and that’s why they come or come back – or the children’s ministry, or the coffee, or the ladies restroom – GREAT. They will hear the Gospel EVERY time they come, no matter WHY they come.

Sorry, didn’t mean to get rant-y – but obviously I have some passion and energy for this subject. Dave – feel free to edit me as you see fit.
Trace Donahoo on January 8th, 2009

How do you define being successful and faithful?
Rob Jacobs on January 8th, 2009

I do not pretend to know all that you pastors know, but I do know what is good for learning. This conversation reminds me so much about what works in a classroom. Great teachers have excellent systems. So do great schools. Great teaching is a “show” so to speak. It engages people, connects it to their lives, and makes them want to know more. It is also highly visual. Brain research on learning will tell you Vision is king. Great teachers and schools have spirit. They try to do whatever it takes to reach their students, to love their students, and to humble themselves to do what it takes.

I have always thought that great learning happens when you follow the “P”s.

It is Participatory: you get people involved

It is Planned: Can’t wing it if you want people to learn and apply the teaching.

It is Predictive: You know and anticipate what your learners will need based on their needs.

It is Preventive: Learners often make common mistakes or misinterpretations. Great teaching attempts to prevent these mistakes.

It is Progressive: Great teaching builds on what has been learned and what the learners are able to do. We push for progress in the learning and making it apart of their lives.

It is Personalized: Great teaching meets the needs of every learner.

Fortunately, the Church can call on God through prayer to help this happen. The school attempts to have the “S”s and the “P”s without God’s power, with predictable results.
Scott on January 8th, 2009

Faithful – was the Gospel presented in a way people could understand and respond to.

Successful – did a lost person place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
TJ on January 18th, 2009

Don’t you think the gospel stands on its own and does not need a “show”. I just keep thinking of Jesus and He never “put on a show”…that’s what the Pharisees did….they loved God as much as they did a tree root….Jesus got the the “root” of the matter with everyone….it was THEIR HEART……you don’t need to have jive dancers or videos pumpin or systems blaring…talk to people FROM THE HEART…ABOUT THEIR HEART…sin…eternity…day to day…walking as a disciple and you can meet in an alley way…
moviepastor on January 21st, 2009

Jesus was concerned about presentation of the gospel because people had to understand the gospel. jesus put on shows – water -wine. very impressive. dead to life – incredible visual demonstration. God killing his own son. Very visual. The show matters. The alternative is to bore people. But some wont get it.
Steve Orris on January 31st, 2009

Jesus also customized his “presentation” for each individual. He showed love for people by connecting with them where they were. Then they responded.
Jesus didn’t Suck! | Moviepastor.com on April 29th, 2009

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