SEVEN WAYS TO RATE YOUR CHURCH

Your congregation's spiritual environment can be tested

by Leith Anderson

1.       Sensing the presence of God.

People expect God to come to church. I wish I could define what exactly people are looking for. I can't. I guess it's like beauty—you know it when you see it even though you can't put it in words.  Experiencing the supernatural is such a high priority in today's culture that its importance dwarfs everything else in rating a church's atmosphere.

2.       Others-centered.
Some churches are self-centered. Some are others-centered. It's not hard to tell the difference. A friend recently entered a church lobby on a Sunday morning and walked straight into a donut-and-coffee hour. The people were talking and laughing and having a good time. They liked their church, but they never noticed her.By contrast, an others-centered church is immediately interested in new people, what they need, and how the church can help.

3.       Understandable terminology

Healthy churches tend to speak in terms everyone can understand. The most alienating lingo is abbreviations: BYO may mean "Baptist Youth Organization" to church members but "Bring Your Own" beverages (or booze) to everyone else. Blessed are those churches where everyone can understand what is being communicated!

4.       People who look like me

Our level of comfort can be high or low depending on how quickly we find someone else who looks like us. In a room full of women, a man thinks, I'm in the wrong place. In a church where all the people up front are men, women wonder if they are welcome. In a gathering where everyone is young and casually dressed, the older person in a business suit feels out of place. When everyone else is white, the person of color notices.

5.       Healthy problem handling

You can often tell more about a church by the way it handles problems than by the way it handles success. This makes for an easy measure because every church has problems. What happens when the sound system emits a squeal or drops into embarrassing silence? Do nursery workers apologize or become defensive when they can't find your baby's diaper bag?  What makes a healthy church is not the absence of problems. It's how problems are handled.

6.       Accessibility

Wheelchair ramps and parking stalls are only the beginning of accessibility. Is there clear and easy access to getting questions answered, meeting new people, talking to church leaders, joining the membership, discovering opportunities for spiritual growth, becoming part of a small group, resolving complaints, and signing up to serve? High ratings go to churches that are "barrier free" in every sense of the term.

7.       Sense of expectancy

 Listen to hallway conversations about the church, and you can decide if the primary verb tense is past, present, or future. Most healthy churches are hopeful churches. They are permeated with high expectations of God's blessing for the future.

The majority of people who come to church feel beaten up Monday through Saturday; they are not looking for another beating on Sunday. They come to church for healing and hope. They want to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. They want to be told that God is there, God has not forgotten them, and God will bless them in the future. The church that truly believes and says that "because of Jesus Christ the best is yet to come"—that is the church that breathes spiritually healthy air. 

THINGS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ….

FOR CHURCH LEADERS: Generosity by LifeWay podcasts: releasing the power of giving - https://buff.ly/2HNH4lN

FOR BIBLE STUDY: Bible Studies for Life: 8 guideposts for discipleship development - https://buff.ly/2Yf8x5G

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: The Balanced Discipleship Pathway: A Catalog of Studies to Develop Disciples - https://buff.ly/2Gv3CY6

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Gospel Foundations - https://buff.ly/2MXGCow

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Homegrown: A Parenting Guide - https://buff.ly/2YJbV8Z

FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY: It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lysa TerKeurst  - https://buff.ly/2GqxtkQ

FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY: Ministry to Women Handbook - https://buff.ly/2q5Grd3

FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY:  What Matters Most by Karen Ehman - https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/what-matters-most-leader-kit-P005802633

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: Sign up for the LifeWay Men’s Newsletter - https://www.lifeway.com/en/shop/ministries/men

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur - https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/twelve-ordinary-men-P001294909

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: Kingdom Disciples by Tony Evans - https://buff.ly/2GlN9SW

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: “Always be Recruiting” Student Ministry podcast - https://studentministry.lifeway.com/2019/02/14/always-be-recruitin/

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Show Her the Way by Mary Margaret West - https://buff.ly/2V7Pjgo

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY:  Levels of Biblical Learning expanded to 12^th grade - https://buff.ly/2Wj32Sw

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: The Quest for Kids by Beth Moore - https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/the-quest-for-kids-bible-study-leader-guide-P005802362

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Settle for Nothing Less Parenting Workshop - https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/settle-for-nothing-less-P005810307

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Kids Ministry Curriculum Comparison Chart - https://buff.ly/2FPKNOh

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: What does it Mean to be a Christian - Here's a brand new resource to help children understand what it means to be a Christian. https://buff.ly/2NVCqBN

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Kid Event Pro – An online Kids Ministry Event Planning system - https://buff.ly/2PaMurS

Bible Studies for Life: From Sunday to Everyday

While September is still some months away, many of you are already are busy preparing to provide the best Bible study curriculum for your adults, students, and kids for 2019-2020.  Bible Studies for Life is also busy preparing to provide for you everything you already know and love about their approach to Bible study, but they are also adding some improvements and new resources to enhance your experience.

As you evaluate your group discipleship needs, we invite you to be the first to get a sneak peek at what's new from Bible Studies for Life beginning in fall 2019.

FOR PRESCHOOL AND KIDS

·         New Study Plan for 2019–2022: An intentional three‑year strategy to grow kids in the direction of Jesus Christ, based on the 10 concept areas of the Levels of Biblical Learning®.

·         Levels of Biblical Learning: Freshly reviewed and updated by a team of experts in kids ministry to ensure you meet kids where they are!  Much like the pencil marks that you put on the doorposts to measure the growth of your kids, Levels of Biblical Learning helps you measure the spiritual growth of children are at each age in these ten areas:

God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Bible, Salvation, Creation, Church, People, Family, Community & World

·         Life Action Videos: An all-new series of videos will introduce your preschoolers to Miss Lindy's Library each week where they will learn to apply God's Word in exciting new ways. Kids will meet the students of Mooseberry, a school for smart and unusually gifted kids, who will teach your kids to apply the Bible in creative and unique ways.

FOR STUDENTS

·         Levels of Biblical Learning: Newly expanded to include middle school and high school students. Ensure your teens can understand and apply the 10 essential concept areas of Scripture in a way that is relatable, applicable, and actionable. For more details.

·         Continued Development from Kids through High School: Bible Studies for Life is now designed to help your teens build upon what they learned as kids to continually move them in the direction of Jesus Christ.

·         Perforated Daily Discipleship Guide: Our Daily Discipleship Guide has been updated with perforated pages to make it easier to share content with students.

FOR ADULTS

·         Research-backed Discipleship Pathway: Inspired by the largest research study of its kind (published in the book, Transformational Discipleship), this helps intentionally develop disciples around the eight signposts of discipleship. The eight units of Bible study each year will be built upon these areas of growth.

·         Updated Design: Visually enhanced to make your study experience more clear and engaging.

·         New KJV Options: Get KJV versions of our Daily Discipleship Guide, as well as for Bible Studies for Life: Senior Adults.

·         Bilingual study in Spanish and English: Bible Studies for Life now follows the same study plan in both English and Spanish, a perfect way to align bilingual churches and ministries (available for adults and kids with a free online supplement for students).

  

THINGS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ….

FOR CHURCH LEADERS: Five tips on increasing generosity in your church. https://buff.ly/2EEoHO7

FOR CHURCH LEADERS:  Reconnect - Use this simple but effective way to reconnect with those members who have dropped out or are not connected to a Bible study group. https://buff.ly/2LMD0AD

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: The Balanced Discipleship Pathway: A Catalog of Studies to Develop Disciples - https://buff.ly/2Gv3CY6

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Gospel Foundations - https://buff.ly/2MXGCow

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Unanswered by Jeremiah Johnson - https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/unanswered-bible-study-kit-P005717984

FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY: It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lysa TerKeurst  - https://buff.ly/2GqxtkQ

FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY: Ministry to Women Handbook - https://buff.ly/2q5Grd3

FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY:  What Matters Most by Karen Ehman - https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/what-matters-most-leader-kit-P005802633

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: Sign up for the LifeWay Men’s Newsletter - https://www.lifeway.com/en/shop/ministries/men

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur - https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/twelve-ordinary-men-P001294909

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: Kingdom Disciples by Tony Evans - https://buff.ly/2GlN9SW

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Moments til Midnight by Brent Crowe - https://buff.ly/2IcY5rh

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Gospel Foundations for Students - https://buff.ly/2MXGCow

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Student Life Summer Camps - Try one of the family of Student Life Camps (Rec camp/Mission camp/Beach camp/Smokies Mtn.) for your students next summer. https://buff.ly/2zUxnw8

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: The Quest for Kids by Beth Moore - https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/the-quest-for-kids-bible-study-leader-guide-P005802362

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Settle for Nothing Less Parenting Workshop - https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/settle-for-nothing-less-P005810307

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: 2019 CentriKid Camps - https://buff.ly/2CWQQjG

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: What does it Mean to be a Christian - Here's a brand new resource to help children understand what it means to be a Christian. https://buff.ly/2NVCqBN

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Kid Event Pro – An online Kids Ministry Event Planning system - https://buff.ly/2PaMurS

Be Confident in Your Contacting

Many Bible study leaders, be they teachers, outreach leaders, or group leaders, struggle to develop a consistent plan of ministry to absentee members and to prospects. They want to reach out, but they really aren't sure how to proceed. On the surface, making regular contacts through calls, cards and e-mail/text messages seems simple. It isn't. In fact, it can be intimidating.

The Obstacles

Most leaders wonder what to say. More than one leader has said, "When I write a card to an absentee, usually I just say, 'We missed you in Sunday School last week.' I don't know what else to say."

Many teachers say they had not been successful in getting care group leaders to call their assigned group members. "After three or four months it seems to fizzle out. The callers become uncomfortable calling and saying the same thing each time they call."

Some Solutions

First of all, a class or department needs to identify a variety of reasons for making contacts. Then they can choose the methods that best fit their group or the situation.

Saying "we missed you in Sunday School" may not always be the best approach for an absentee. "Guilt trips" seldom encourage people to attend; in fact they often drive people further away.

Using a variety of reasons for making contacts helps communicate genuine care and concern. Multiple contacts by the same person become easier when each contact has a specific purpose.

The following ideas can be used for contacts by phone, written notes, or e-mails/text messages. Try using these ideas for contacting chronic absentees, guests, prospects, or even members who regularly attend.

1.    Time Change Reminder—Call on the Saturday before a time change as a reminder to change clocks.

2.    Bible Study Topic—Highlight the topic for an upcoming Bible study unit or lesson and how it will relate to their lives.

3.    Ask for a Prayer Request—Ask how you or your class can pray for them. They pray with them while they are on the phone. Ask whether you may share the request with the class or it should remain confidential. Finally, follow-up with an inquiry about how the situation is going.

4.    Share Prayer Request—Ask the person to pray for a prayer request from someone else in the class.

5.    Special Events—Invite them to a special church event such as a musical or children's program.

6.    "Happy Birthday"—Call to wish them a Happy Birthday.

7.  "Congratulations"—Call to congratulate them on a work, family, or school accomplishment.

8.    Health Concerns—When you are aware that the person or a family member is ill, call to see how they are doing and to express your concern and support.

9.    Offer Help—When appropriate, call to offer a meal, childcare, a ride to the grocery, leaf raking.

10.  Invitation—Offer a personal invitation to a Sunday School party or fellowship event.

11.  Service Project—Ask the person to join the class in a service project. Yes, include prospects! Prospects, guests, and chronic absentees might participate in a project before they would attend class or a party!

12.  Share Good News about the Church—Talk about the excitement in Vacation Bible School, a person baptized, or where you saw God at work in the last week.

13.  Request an E-mail Address—Enlist someone in your class to send periodic e-mails. Then call the care group member to request an e-mail address and permission to add them to the e-mail list.

14.  Give the Person a Job—Ask the person to be responsible for a one-time or short-term task in your class: bring treats, make some reminder calls, or set up chairs.

15.  "Thank you"—Call to say thanks for a thoughtful act or an encouraging word.

16.  "I appreciate you"—Let the person know you appreciate them as well as something they have done.

17.  "You were missed"—Everyone likes to be valued. This is a good reason for making a contact when used tactfully and not too often.

THINGS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ….

FOR CHURCH LEADERS: Register for Sunday School Director’s Webinar with Allan Taylor, March 9, 10:00 – noon (EST) – live.groupministry.lifeway.com

FOR CHURCH LEADERS: Register for a Blueprint Coaching event to help change the culture in your church - https://buff.ly/2WHIWkM

FOR CHURCH LEADERS: FREE Church Security training on Ministry Grid - https://buff.ly/2RcZm5I

FOR CHURCH LEADERS:  4 Traits of an Effective Small Group Discussion Question - https://factsandtrends.net/2019/02/04/4-traits-of-an-effective-small-group-discussion-question/?ecid=PDM164652&bid=541110654

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: The Balanced Discipleship Plan: A Catalog of Studies to Develop Disciples - https://buff.ly/2Gv3CY6

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Gospel Foundations - https://buff.ly/2MXGCow

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Unanswered by Jeremiah Johnson - https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/unanswered-bible-study-kit-P005717984

FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY: Psalm 23 by Jennifer Rothschild - https://buff.ly/2SrLKAt

FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY: Ministry to Women Handbook - https://buff.ly/2q5Grd3

FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY:  What Matters Most by Karen Ehman - https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/what-matters-most-leader-kit-P005802633

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: Sign up for the LifeWay Men’s Newsletter - https://www.lifeway.com/en/shop/ministries/men

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: Pathways by Tony Evans - https://buff.ly/2LTyp11

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Grounded by Clayton & Sharie King - https://buff.ly/2t4z5ba

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Student Life Summer Camps - Try one of the family of Student Life Camps (Rec camp/Mission camp/Beach camp/Smokies Mtn.) for your students next summer. https://buff.ly/2zUxnw8

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Is VBS Worth it? - https://buff.ly/2ss7rVd

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Settle for Nothing Less Parenting Workshop - https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/settle-for-nothing-less-P005810307

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: 2019 CentriKid Camps - https://buff.ly/2CWQQjG

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Kid Event Pro – An online Kids Ministry Event Planning system - https://buff.ly/2PaMurS