SEVEN WAYS TO TAKE YOUR CHURCH’S SPIRITUAL TEMPERATURE

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Have you ever wondered what makes some churches seem so vibrant?  We’re not talking about phony excitement, but a genuine display of God’s warmth and love.  Use these qualities to help gauge where your church is spiritually.

   

1. There’s a buzz in the air.  And it’s a loud and positive buzz.  When people are growing, they tend to feel good about where their church is headed.  You might see them making an effort to chat during coffee breaks or hanging around long after services are over.
2. You see new faces.  The buzz goes out the door and draws new people in who want to see for themselves what’s going on.  Then when they experience it, they’re drawn back over and over and develop a desire to stay for good.
3. Your volunteer force is strong.  If getting workers for your ministries is more painful than tooth extraction, overall spiritual growth could be lacking.  But when people are excited to serve, it means they’ve grown to a place where they want to serve out of love for God.
4. Small group ministry happens without feeling programmed.  When people want to fellowship and study God’s Word together, you won’t be able to stop small groups from happening.  But if spiritual growth is stagnant, people will be just as happy to stay home and watch sitcoms.
5. People are compelled to care for each other.  Care grows out of truly knowing each other and realizing that the ties to God’s family can be as strong as ties to our biological families.
6. People are using their spiritual gifts.  In other words, people are serving where they’re content.  They’re aware of their spiritual gifts and where they can best use them.
7. Lay leaders desire to lead. This is a sign of personal stewardship. Empower your members to seek ways of leadership. Don’t stop that from happening – it’s a good thing!

Now, on a scale of one to seven (one point for each section) how do you rate your church?  Are you running a fever or are you in danger of hypothermia? Where are your strong points?  Where are your weak points?  Now the big question - what are you doing about them?

THINGS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ….

FOR LEADER TRAINING: GO Georgia, a Total Leadership Training Conference, August 6 & 7, 2016 - http://gogeorgia.net

FOR LEADER TRAINING: Leadership Pipeline Conference, October 13 & 14 - http://myleadershippipeline.com/

FOR LEADER TRAINING: Ministry Pathways by Ministry Grid; Simplified plans for training ministry leaders throughout your church. http://buff.ly/1jZJIW5

FOR LEADER TRAINING: On Track National Sunday School Conference, Hendersonville, TN, March 17 & 18, 2017 - http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/OnTrack?type=events

FOR BIBLE STUDY LEADERS: Growing Groups Forums, October 6, 13, 20, & 27 (check the link for a location near you) - http://gabaptistgroups.org/2016-growing-groups-forums/

FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL LEADERSHIP: National Sunday School Director Seminar, October 22, 2016, Norman Park, GA - http://www.lifeway.com/event/Leadership-Training-National-Sunday-School-Director-Seminar-2016-Norman-Park-GA

FOR SMALL GROUPS: Top 3 Bible studies for the summer (from Bible Study Insider) - http://biblestudyinsider.com/2016/05/05/top-3-summer-bible-studies/#.V04hcOTEKZE

FOR DISCIPLESHIP:  DevoHub, a new way of delivering a daily devotional to your church and community - http://devohub.com/

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Disciples Path, a plan for developing disciples - http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/Disciples-Path

FOR FAMILY MINISTRY: ETCH (Equipping The Church & Home) Conference, Nashville, TN, October 3-5, 2016 - http://etchconference.com/

FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY: 4 Ways to Encourage Women to Pray - http://www.lifeway.com/womensministry/2016/05/25/4-ways-to-encourage-women-to-pray/

FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY: A Woman Who Doesn’t Quit - http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/A-Woman-Who-Doesn't-Quit

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: The Main Event, Nashville, TN, July 22 & 23, 2016 -  http://www.lifeway.com/Event/mens-event-the-main-event-2016-nashville-tn?intcmp=TheMainEvent-MTX-Text-Nashville-20160107

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Student Ministry That Matters: 3 Elements of a Healthy Student Ministry by Ben Trueblood - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/student-ministry-that-matters-P005787702

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: When Students Ask Questions - http://www.lifeway.com/studentministry/2016/05/25/when-students-ask-questions/

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Disciples Path for students – a new series for developing your student’s discipleship - http://www.lifeway.com/Disciples-Path/Youth/c/N-1z0znzeZ1z141ym?intcmp=DisciplesPath-MTX-Text-Students-20150625

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Involving Men in Your Kids Ministry - http://www.lifeway.com/kidsministry/2016/02/22/involving-men-in-kidmin/?EMID=CW-lwkids-newsletter-20160301

FOR KIDS MINISTRY:  Attracting Parents to Your Kids Ministry - http://www.lifeway.com/kidsministry/2016/05/02/attracting-parents-to-your-kidmin/?EMID=CW-lwkids-newsletter-20160501