We call Sunday assembly the celebration and teach members that we are not coming together to mourn the death of a friend but rather to celebrate the risen Lord and our victory through the cross. Rick Warren states that, “At the beginning of my sermon each week I have all new members stand and encourage them to be true to their good confession. I tell them, “We are your family and we need you and you need us.” This is followed by a loud “Amen!” from the entire church. Before going into my sermon, I then tell our visitors that they have found the “friendliest church in the Northwest” and we all stand to greet our visitors. The joyous noise is that of a family reunion. We believe that things must not only be done decently and with ardor. On Sunday we worship God, encourage each other to live for Jesus, and then return to our neighborhoods to go “house to house” throughout the week. 
 By Paul the term “grow”  means “to benefit, strengthen, establish, or edify.”  This term is used in the sense of “edify” some eighteen times in the Pauline Epistles. In every case Paul speaks of a ministry of believers to other believers, often specifying a reciprocal relationship. Thus, in Romans 14:19 he encourages believers to “make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification” and in I Thessalonians 5:11 he says, “Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 

The great commission can be pictured in this box-like chart: 

“Go makeDisciples”           Mature   
 Evangelism                       To Reproduce
Matt. 28:18-20    
 

The  evangelism box and the mature to reproduce box are the same size. The command, “Go make disciples” begins with evangelism, leading people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The other prong of the commission is “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” That’s the maturation factor. That effort, along with money and time spent, must be just as large and just vital as the evangelism factor. Some churches are long on evangelism and short on maturation. That will eventually stop the evangelism, and of course, that will eventually extinguish any evangelism. There must be balance.
We have made as our watchword on maturation the words of Paul: 
 Him we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that
 we may present every  man mature in Christ (Colossians 1:28).
 Maturation of new believers is a responsibility that is just as binding on the local church as the command to evangelize the lost. 
 The New Testament is very clear that God’s will for every believer is spiritual maturity. He wants us to grow up. Paul said in Ephesians 4:14, “We are not meant to remain children at the mercy of every chance wind of teaching… But we are meant to speak the truth in love, and to grow up in every way into Christ, the head.” 

MYTHS ABOUT SPIRITUAL MATURITY
Spiritual Growth is automatic once you are born
 Many churches have no organized plan for following up on new believers and no comprehensive strategy for developing members to maturity. They leave it all to chance., assuming that Christians will automatically grow to maturity if they attend services. They think all they need to do is encourage people to show up at meetings and the job will get done.  
 Obviously, this isn’t true. Spiritual growth does not just happen once you are saved, even if you attend services regularly. Spiritual growth is not automatic with the passing of time, either. The writer of Hebrew sadly noted, “… though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s world all over again” (Hebrew 5:12).  
 The truth is this: Spiritual growth is intentional. It requires commitment and effort to grow. A person must want to grow, decide to grow, and make an effort to grow.  
 Philippians 2:12-13 says, “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” 

Spiritual growth is mystical, and maturity is attainable by only a select few
 Unfortunately, many Christians feel that spiritual maturity is so far out of their reach, they don’t even try to attain it. They have this mystical, idealized image of what a mature Christian looks like. Maturity, they believe, is only for “super saints.”  Some Christian biographies have been partly responsible for this myth by glossing over the humanity of godly people and implying that if you don’t pray ten hours a day, move to a jungle, and plan to die as a martyr you may as well forget aspiring to maturity. This is quite discouraging to the average of believer, who feels he must be content with being a “second-class” Christian. 
 The truth is this: Spiritual growth is very practical. Any believer can grow to maturity if he or she will develop the habits necessary for spiritual growth. We need to take the mystery out of spiritual growth by breaking the components down into practical, everyday habits. Paul often compared training for the Christian life to the way athletes stay in shape: “Take time and trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit” (I timothy 4:7). The path to spiritual fitness is as practical as the path to physical fitness.  
 Spiritual fitness is simply a matter of learning certain spiritual exercises and being disciplined to do them until they become habits. Character is shaped by the habits we develop.

Spiritual Maturity can occur instantly if you find the right “key”
 This is a popular misconception. Many Christians spend their entire lives earnestly searching for an experience, a conference, a revival, a book, a tape, or a single truth that will instantly transform them into a mature believer. Their search is futile. Although we have instant coffee, instant potatoes, and now even instant weight-loss methods, there is no such thing as instant spiritual maturity. 
 The truth is this: Spiritual growth is a process that takes time. Just as God allowed Joshua and the Israelites to possess the land “little by little”  (Deuteronomy 7:22), he uses a gradual process of change to develop us into the image of Christ. There are no shortcuts to maturity. It is a slow process. Ephesians 4: 13 says’ “… we arrive at real maturity – that measure of development which is meant by ‘the fullness of Christ.’” 

Spiritual Maturity is measured by what you know
 Many churches evaluate spiritual maturity solely on the basis of how well you can identify bible characters, interpret Bible passages, quote Bible verses, and explain biblical theology. The ability to debate doctrine is considered by some as the ultimate proof of spirituality. However, while knowledge of the Bible is foundational to spiritual maturity, it isn’t the total measurement of it.  
 The truth is this: Spiritual maturity is demonstrated more by behavior than by beliefs.  The Christian life isn’t just a matter of creeds and convictions; it includes conduct and character. Beliefs must be backed up with behavior. Our deeds must be consistent with our creeds.  
 The New Testament repeatedly teaches that our actions and attitudes reveal our maturity more than our affirmations. James 2:18 puts it bluntly: “show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do”. James also said, :who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior” (James 3:13). If your faith hasn’t changed your lifestyle, your faith isn’t worth much.
 Jesus said it most succinctly of all: “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:16). It is fruit, not knowledge, that demonstrates a person’s maturity.
 

Spiritual growth is a personal and private matter
  Most spiritual formation teaching tends to be self-centered and self-focused without any reference to our relationship to other Christians. This is completely unbiblical and ignores much of the New Testament. 
 The truth is this: Christians need relationships to grow.  We don’t grow in isolation from others; we develop in the context of fellowship. We find this over and over again in the New Testament. Hebrews 10:24-25 says’ “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.” God intends for us to grow up in a family .

All you need is Bible study to grow
 Many evangelical churches have been built on this myth. I call them “classroom churches.” Classroom churches tend to be left-brain oriented and cognitive focused. They stress the  teaching of bible content and doctrine, but give little, if any, emphasis to believers’ emotional, experiential, and relational development. All you need to be spiritually mature, says one well-known classroom church, is to have “doctrine in your frontal lobe.” 
 The truth is this: It takes a variety of spiritual experiences with God to produce spiritual maturity. Genuine spiritual maturity includes having a heart that worships and praises God, building and enjoying loving relationships, using your gifts and talents  in service to others, and sharing your faith with lost people. Any church strategy to bring people to maturity must include all of these experiences: worship, fellowship, Bible study, evangelism, and ministry. 

Summary
 Many believers’ need is to Bible study. They already know far more than they are putting into practice. What they need are ministry and evangelism experiences  where they can apply what they can be held accountable for all what they know, and meaningful worship experiences where they can express appreciation to God for what they know.
 James had to warn the first Christians: “Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to this word; instead put it into practice” (James 1:22). We must “continue in the Word” in order to be Christ’s disciples. It is a mistake to assume that study alone will produce maturity. It is only one component of the maturity process. People need experiences in addition to study in order to grow. Churches must have a balanced strategy for developing disciples.
Every  church needs a well-planned, organized, effective system of follow-up in their maturation ministry. It’s not enough to win people to Christ, then leave them to just look for others to win. We have a responsibility to “bring them along” in the faith until they become a reproducer themselves.
 
10. The training, discipling, recognition, and encouragement of the church are critical roles for the pastor. If the senior pastor feels he does not have the gifts and abilities to equip and train others to do ministry, then he needs to build a team around him that does! If the training is not done, the church will fail! Some pastors are great teachers, but cannot do anything else. A pastor must operate in his gifted area, and encourage others who will compensate for him in the areas where he is weak. He must always strive to give support and to do the rest of these bullet points! (Romans 7:4-6; 1 Corinthians 10:14-16; 12; Ephesians 4:9-16) 
 

One on the list of the CGM is the involvement of all church members in ministry. They argue that too many church members believe that pastor, and other members of the ministerial staff, are paid to do ministry so it should be their responsibility. But this is not the way to growth because it involves an enormous waste of talent and spiritual giftedness. However, getting people involved in ministry is not all that easy. Not only must the people themselves understand that they are a kingdom of priests but church leaders, especially pastors, must be willing to let members begin new ministries. To bring this about a church may have to be reconstructed to allow more freedom. They remind us that there is a difference between doing ministry and sitting on a committee and talking about it. Church leaders need to help members of the congregation discover what their spiritual gifts are and then encourage them to use them. In some cases this means that pastors will have to confront their own insecurities which lie behind their unwillingness to relinquish “power,” and they will have to make a conscious effort to become “enablers,” not just “scholars or teachers, social activists or parents.” 
Since it’s beginning the Lutheran church has recognized that both the priesthood of believers and the divinely established office of the pastor are clearly revealed in Scripture. This distinction must not be blurred, nor obliterated, for confusion and unnecessary tension in the congregation will result. Lutherans teach that both the laity and the clergy have their special functions to perform in the church regarding the ministry of the Word.
The emphasis which Church Growth has placed on the role of lay persons has been a valuable contribution to the mission outreach of the church. Church Growth has reminded us that the laity also have a significant role to perform in the work of Christ's kingdom. It has stressed the importance of training the members of the church to be more able communicators of the Gospel and witnesses for Christ.
However, as Lutheran congregations use missiological principles which assume and focus on the role of the laity, they must be cautious lest they lose sight of the Biblical truth that the office of the public ministry is a divine institution.  This office should not be confused with "ministry" in a general sense, which belongs to all Christians. The pastor must, therefore, not become merely an organizer, a manager whose time is spent largely in coordinating the efforts of the congregation as the members witness for Christ. He will certainly be interested in mission outreach and will work diligently to enlist all the members of his congregation(s) in the various aspects of this endeavor. But he will not lose sight of the fact that he has been called to carry out distinctive functions of the pastoral office, that is, to preach the Word, to administer the sacraments, to remit and retain sins. Accordingly, he will be sensitive to the need to preserve a proper balance between reaching out to the lost and nurturing those who are in the church. 
 The church must use the people resources that it has. Senior citizens can be trained to do church administrative duties and serve as program leaders. Small stipends to supplement their incomes, plus the cost of any necessary training, can produce large dividends. A lack of middle-aged leaders and of adequate staff is common in transitional churches. As busy as the apostle Paul was, he took time to appoint and train “elders” in all churches he established. They key is to disciple a few to train others. 
 Be careful about taking on too many negative people! Spread the load out. Delegate. There is only so much you can take, so guard your own heart too! (Proverbs 4:23) 
  An interesting Roman Catholic author puts the true organizational task of spiritual leaders in the correct perspective: A Christian leader has to be able to draw people to Christ and to help them grow in their relationship with Christ; he has to be able to help people come together to form community based on Christ; he has to be able to organize the community in such a way that people get all the help they need to be good Christians – in that order of importance. In order to be a good community dynamically developing, a leader has to do these three things. 
  God never sanctioned disorganization, nor is it spiritual to be disorganized. Godly leadership is not afraid to organize as a means of accomplishing the task. Nor is a spiritual leader afraid to delegate and invest his authority in others, then trust them to facilitate what has been given them. At least 80% of what happens in our church does not happen in the hands of those to whom authority has been extended. Our task as leaders is not  just to do the work, but to duplicate ourselves over and over in the lives of others who will share also. God never ordained a “one-man-show.” If anything, a spiritual  leaders’ task is to enable, to equip, and release people to do the work of ministry according to their Spiritual gifts. An inordinate fear of this confirms an inability to lead. 

PRINCIPLES IN COACHING THE LEADERS

Invest your Life in your Leaders
  In  I Thessalonians 2:8 Paul says this: “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.”  This principle has become a cornerstone of some ministry among men: The closer you get to men, the greater the impact  you will have on them – and the greater the impact they will have on others.   

Train your Leaders
  A Second key to working with your leadership team is providing the training men need to do what you have asked them to do.  The principle is: Never ask a man to do anything you aren’t willing to train him to do.  

Create a Winning Environment for Your Leaders
  Give encouragement. Just as plants can’t grow without a life-giving dose of water, people can’t serve and lead without a life-giving source of encouragement. Encouragement can put a smile on the face of a child, lift the shoulders of a broken man, and change the course of a young man’s day, week, month and even his life. Without encouragement we shrivel and die. You can encourage through notes, through a word, through a look. Allow freedom to fail, recognize leaders, take leadership retreats, build a sense of team, grow love and acceptance.  

Give Away the Ministry
 Real leadership gets excited seeing others succeed. It pulls together a group of men, equips them,  trains them and then releases them to do the ministry. Your ministry will only develop and grow as you develop leaders and allow them freedom. As long as you try to do everything yourself the scope of your men’s ministry will be small and its impact limited.  

Organize the Ministry
  To grow your ministry you need to plan for growth and structure all you do in a way that facilitates growth, keeping in mind that the church is a living organism, not an organization. 
  However, Leith Anderson, author of Dying for Change said that, “It should be surprise us that so much is said about leaders and so little about followers, especially among Christians committed to the Bible. The Bible says comparatively little about leadership and a great deal about the follower.  
 Jesus did not invite Peter, Andrew, James, and John to become leaders. He said, “follow me!”
 Jesus was the greatest follower of all. He clearly stated that he came not “to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28).
 In conclusion, the whole meaning of being a Christian leader is wrapped up in being a disciple, and being a disciple means being a follower.
 Observers of growing churches find that the best years of a church’s numerical growth are often the first 15 to 20 years of its existence. Stated another way, the fastest growing churches are new churches. To understand this suggested model of staffing, let’s walk through the early years of a new church.
 When a church planting pastor goes into a new area the first responsibility on his desk is to find some new people. This finding of new people is evangelism. Since the new pastor has no people to care for, no program to administer and no worship service to lead, all his energy, prayer and effort is directed toward finding new people. Thus the first priority of the new church is evangelism and is illustrated below. 
Find New People     

 Once the new pastor begins to reach people a second responsibility is placed on his desk. He must try to keep as many of the new people as possible. Church growth writers refer to this keeping of new people as assimilation. Now the new pastor has two priorities to occupy his time, energy and thought. He must continue to reach out and find new people while trying to keep as many as possible.  Thus the priorities on his desk look like this: 
FindNewPeople Keep NewPeople    

 At this point the third priority is placed on the pastor’s desk. The pastor must now begin to coordinate a worship service, prepare and deliver a message.  The priorities on his desk begin to look like the following. 
FindNewPeople Keep NewPeople CelebrateWithPeople   

 What began as a simple task – to find new people – now has grown to include a fourth priority. The pastor priority. The pastor must begin to train these new people. In most churches this new priority is referred to as Christian education. This priorities includes the establishment of age graded ministries, teacher training and committees. His responsibilities begin to look like this: 
 

FindNewPeople Keep NewPeople CelebrateWithPeople Educate ThePeople  
 
 As you can see, the number of responsibilities on the pastor’s desk has increased significantly. Hopefully some of the people have been trained to take over a few of these responsibilities. But another responsibility is now added to the first four. By this point in the life-cycle of a new church several ministries have teen started. These all cry out for oversight and the pastor finds that he is being stretched by the demands of all the responsibilities he finds on his desk each morning. His desk now looks like this: 
FindNewPeople Keep NewPeople CelebrateWithPeople Educate ThePeople  OverseeThe People 

 The pastor of our fictitious new church has much to keep him busy but there’s still one more responsibility that is placed on his desk. He now must care for the people that are part of the new church. When he first began planting this church there were no people so there were no hospital calls to be made, no counseling to be done and no weddings or funerals to conduct. But now there are many needs and the people push their concerns, calls and visits upon him in greater numbers each week. At last the pastors desk looks like the following. 

FindNewPeople Keep NewPeople CelebrateWithPeople Educate ThePeople OverseeThe People CareForPeople

 It is certain that a new church plant doesn’t take place in quite this linear of a line. Even so, this model is instructive as it provides an understanding of why churches begin to plateau and decline in later years as well as insight into how a church might be staffed to keep it growing. 
 Why does a new church grow in its early years but begin to plateau and decline in its later years? While there are several intersecting factors that could point to, a major reason is the shift in priorities over the years. For example, in the early years of a new church the priority is on the left side of the continuum. While in the later year the priority shifts to the right side. 
Priority in early years
FindNewPeople Keep NewPeople CelebrateWithPeople Educate ThePeople OverseeThe People CareForPeople

Priority in later years
FindNewPeople Keep NewPeople CelebrateWithPeople Educate ThePeople OverseeThe People CareForPeople

 As the years go by the church moves into a maintenance mode of taking care of what they have (people, programs, facilities)  and abandoning the priorities that got them there (finding, keeping and worshipping).
 This church planting model gives us several insights into staffing a church for growth. 
Insight # 1: It teaches us that as a church grows the responsibilities on the solo pastor’s desk become complex and numerous. A church with solo pastor will stop growing when it reaches the limit of the pastor’s ability to give adequate emphasis and time to all these priorities.
Insight # 2: In the life-cycle of most churches the growing numbers of people already in the church will demand programs and care that will meet their personal needs. Pressure to 
provide for the people already in the church will cause a distribution of money, time, energy and leadership to the right side of the continuum to the neglect of the left.
Insight # 3: The tendency of most churches will be to hire staff who serve functions on the right side of the continuum. Ultimately staffing the right side of the continuum leads to an ingrown church taking care of its own but neglecting the finding and keeping of newer people.
Insight # 4: A church that wants to grow will have a priority to staff positions on the left side of the continuum. Staff who help find new people (evangelism), keep new people (assimilation) and worship (celebration) will focus on the priorities that result in continued growth.
Insight # 5: A senior pastor must understand his own strengths. If he is strong in areas on the right side of the continuum he should seek to hire an associate who has strengths on the left side. If the senior pastor has strengths on the left, he might hire as associate who has strengths on the right so that he is freed to give his time to the priorities on the left.
Insight # 6: All of the six priorities are necessary to provide a supportive environment for church growth. A church that seeks continued growth will not neglect any of these priorities.
Insight # 7: A growing church will place a higher emphasis on the priorities on the left rather than those on the right.  People in the church will adopt a servant attitude which sees and responds to the needs of those outside the church over those already inside.

Summary
 Think for a moment how most churches add staff. The second person is usually a youth pastor. Adding a youth Pastor is a response in many cases to the demands of parents. Parents are rightfully concerned about their own children and desire a youth pastor who will take care of their young people. To be ruthlessly honest, hiring a youth pastor is often more pastoral care of the adults of the youth. This obviously is staffing on the right side of the continuum. The youth pastor is hired to care for the adult’s concern for their own children. While this is not necessarily wrong, it does not place a priority on the side of the continuum which creates church growth.
 After a youth pastor, the third staff person hired is often a Christian education pastor or senior’s pastor. Staffing these two positions, will take some responsibilities off the pastor’s desk, but again it is staffing on the right of the continuum rather than the left. Even when a church gets larger, and a fourth position is added, it is often an administrative position which is filled to cover the growing complexity of people, programs and budget. Again, this is staffing on the right rather than the left.
 What is the best way to staff a church so that it grows?  The answer is to staff a  church from the left to the right side of the continuum.
 Likewise, those who have taken time to study indepth, vitally needed areas of church growth, deserve to be heard and used. Be thankful for men who have specialized in such areas as evangelism, education, administration, management, communication, human relations, motivation, evaluation, etc. We have used specialists in preaching, teaching (children, youth, adults), singing; Bible doctrine, debate, languages, etc., so why not in the areas that focus on church growth? 

11. Have a system of pastoral care to train your staff and leaders to immediately respond when they hear of a church member, especially another leader (most churches neglect their leaders, thinking they are OK and do not need anything!) or someone in their family with a pastoral need or emergency. Assign a key person to be in change by 24-hour shifts. Have a contact list and trained deacons or care workers to be ready to act when the need arises. No one is self-maintaining. We all need support and care! Make sure you have caring people to be there in a timely manner! (1 Corinthians 13:1-8; Colossians 4:5; 1 Timothy 3:14-15; Hebrews 12:14-15) 

 Carol A. Wise defines pastoral care as: the art of communicating the inner meaning of the Gospel to persons at the point of their need.  Furthermore, Wise confined pastoral care to dealing with persons in critical situations of life, but, in  a more broader sense, it applies to all caring relationships in which the full meaning and implications of the Gospel are brought to bear on the growth of persons. 
 The pastors may use resources to do the task. It can begin with the elders of the church. It should go  without saying that Elders can be trained to help carry the load of counseling. Elders who are participating in the life and welfare of the members of the congregation in this manner will be happier, more vital persons, in touch with the realities of the work of Christ’s church and less likely to cause some of the difficulties that pastors often complain about.
 While the pastor should concentrate his efforts upon training his elders in the work of counseling, neither he nor they can be satisfied to stop there. The pastor then, must encourage general occasional counseling activity among all of the members of the flock.  
A recent survey of 10,000 churches of various denominations asked question, “What factors influenced you to become a member of this church?” Note the answers.
1. Walk ins 6%
2. Programs, 3%
3. Preacher, 5%
4. Special needs, 3%
 5. Sunday School, 3%
 6. Revivals (gospel meetings), .001%
 7. Visitation, 2%
 8. Influence of friends or relatives, 75%+
 
 As we continually seek to bring glory to God, nothing is more vital to the continued growth of this church than your influence for good. Visitation programs do much good. But the efforts of many Christians resolved to reach out to friends and relatives will reap the greater harvest for God. We can have the best programs possible, the best preacher available, a super-duper Bible school department, active visitation efforts, and real outreach to those with special needs, and according to the above statistics, we will reach only about ¼ of our potential in this community.
 The single most powerful force we have in this church for bringing others to Christ (3 times stronger than all others combined) is the care and concern we have for our friends and relatives. 
 Church planters must be prepared to meet the needs of spiritually-seeking people who have been deeply wounded by such modern-day traumas as divorce, addition, and emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Both secular and Christian counseling are limited in their ability to free people’s hearts and minds from the strongholds of the enemy. We need what we call “discernable deliverance”—the biblical practice of freeing people from the oppressive hold of demonic spirits.
 Evangelist James Robison, who struggled with certain “besetting  sins,” realized his own need to receive deliverance at a key point in his life. “I never dreamed that I needed to be delivered,” he writes, “but for years I was tormented by the devil.”  
 For successful evangelism, the key is to focus the church’s evangelistic efforts on the questions and needs of non-Christians. Find the need that is not being fulfilled and fulfill it, such as a parent support group, a daycare or an after school program. (2 Corinthian 2:3-4; Colossians 1:24-29; 1 Peter 3:15).

Summary
 If the goal seems terribly remote as you think about your congregation, do not lose heart. Begin somewhere. Start small. Begin, with some easily attainable short-term goal, to take a step in the right direction. Find persons who are ready to cooperate or who could be successfully challenged to do so and start with them. Any effort in the right direction is movement toward the goal. Remember, it was Jesus who revealed the principle that he who is faithful in small things will be given the privilege of handling larger ones. One reason why some pastors never succeeded for Christ is that they want to begin with too much.  Never forget that large changes (in perspective, attitude, belief, etc.) can occur through small changes in the situation; principles, applicable to much larger matters, usually are taught and learned best by application first to smaller matters. Begin somewhere, with one tree today. Soon, by God’s grace, you will have felled the entire forest.  
 Leaders of growing churches empower the people in their care. They do not see or use volunteers just as helpers, but as the tools and the prime resources with which to glorify God, and enablers of the goals of missions and needs to be reached. They do this by encouragement, training, and organization, all centered to have the people of God growing in and receiving the Spirit in order to reach the full potential that God has for them. If a pastor, coach, or key supervisor gives special recognition and encouragement even once, that leader and/or volunteer will usually remain very faithful and loyal to the church! (Romans 12; John 4:23; Colossians 1:24-29; 1 Timothy 4:15-16) 
12.The church must be willing to spend at least one-third of its resources of time, talent, and money in outreach and missions. (Psalm 90:1-2) 
Late Henry C. Thiessen puts the mission of the church in seven statements upon which he then elaborates. He says that the purpose of the church is “to glorify God, to edify itself, to purify itself, to educate its contingency, to evangelize the world, to act as a restraining and enlightening force in the world, to promote all that is good.” 
The Christian church is placed under the solemn obligation to do the following: 
1.To present Christ vividly, intelligently, attractively, effectively and persuasively to the world and to the individual as the Saviour of God, the sovereign Lord of the universe, and the coming Judge of mankind. 
2. To lead people into a faith relationship with Jesus Christ in order that they might experience forgiveness of sins and newness of life. Man must be born again if he is to inherit eternal life and eternal fellowship with God. 
3. To segregate and congregate believers through the administration of baptism and build them into functioning Christian churches. Christian fellowship constitutes a vital part of the Christian life. 
4. To establish the believers in Christian doctrine, principles and practices of Christian living, Christian fellowship and Christian service, teaching them to observe the things. This is indoctrination, the making of Christian disciples, the Christianization of the individual. 
5. To train them in a life of the Holy Spirit. Since the Christian life is charged with supernatural ideals and demands, it can only be lived in absolute reliance on the Holy Spirit. 
The word “mission” and “missions” have a variety of meaning. Primarily, the thought of the fulfillment of an errand underlies all of them. In the terminology of Christians, the thought is usually that of bringing the Gospel into all the world. This includes “home” missions in one’s native country, and also “foreign” mission in other parts of the world.  
Someone has said that the church does not exist FOR missions, but rather BY mission. If you peek inside the fastest growing churches in the world, you will discover that, without exception, they are missions-minded, and have caught a vision of “world-conquest.” There are some factors about missions that are indispensable if it will be a viable ministry in any church. And, unless it is a viable ministry, the church is doomed to a plateau of no growth. 
The theological work of uniting Church and missions was accomplished by showing that even “partnership” is a denial of a theological principle. There was a general agreement that while some form of a missionary agency would be necessary in the future, “the aim should be that all members of any particular church should become fully obedient to their Lord so that the church would then in effect become the missionary society.” 
At Edinburgh the entire conference was dominated by the subject of Commission, the evangelization of the world and the occupation of the field. Jerusalem was more occupied with the application of the Gospel. Mott recalls that
 At Jerusalem also the evangelistic note was struck with compelling force, but even more distinctive was the consideration given to application of the Christian Gospel. … It was not occupied with maps and tables of statistics, but with issues transcending all national boundaries and all tabulations… The missionary task was indefinitely enlarged. 

The gospel was seen as the way of life under the Lordship of the Savior of all men as well as a mode of belief. The Gospel as a way of life had seemed to reflect Oldman’s thinking for over a decade.
 The evangelization of the world is sometimes regarded as primarily a matter of preaching, and it has been assumed that if a sufficient number of preachers could be provided to cover the entire geographical  area of the mission-field the world would be evangelized… It takes for granted that the words have a meaning apart from the context of life. It has been necessary for the Gospel to commend itself in deeds and in the revelation of a new type of life before attention could be gained for its spoken message. 
 

1. Make a Great Commission Commitment
The preacher, the governing body, and the other key leaders must start the process. Mission isn’t optional. It’s what the church is all about. What we call the Great Commission has too often been the Great Omission.  Yet, Jesus declared that mission is why the church exists.  That’s why the Great Commission appears five times in the New Testament. (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:27; John 20:21; Acts 1:8) What oxygen is to fire, missions is to the church. As fire exists by burning, so the church exists by missions. No missions, no church. 

2. Define Clearly Your Meaning of Missions
Mission should be saving souls and building the church. The Book of Acts provides the model for that approach.

3. Establish a Missions Council
Whether a church is large or small, there ought to be a missions council that meets at least twice per month. The larger the church, the more often it should meet. This council needs pastoral leadership one way or another to keep vision high and involvement at a peak. The responsibilities of this council are simple. They set the policy and procedure for missions in that church. They also interview mission candidates, and peruse requests, making appropriate recommendations to the governing body of the church. Of course, they also formulate the annual missions budget and plan the faith promise conference.
4. Stage an Annual Faith-Promise Missions Conference
The faith-promise principle is operative in most growing churches today as applied to missions. The principle stated is this: It is a promise made by the believer to God that whatever He supplies in the way of funds to be given to missions will be given. It is not a pledge of a certain amount per year, which if God supplies will be given. Rather, it puts the emphasis on the personal and on the power of God to provide. It also removes the negative stigma of a pledge made and not fulfilled. 

5. Make Missions Visible to Your People
A once a year missions emphasis isn’t enough. It’s going to take weekly exposure to keep this vital ministry before the eyes of the people.  

6. Raise Up Missionaries  Out of Your Church
Where do missionaries come from? Start with your high school juniors by challenging them to seriously consider the ministry of cross-cultural missions. Get those teens vitally involved early on in missions projects, on the missions council, expose them to missions journals, and invite them to seriously consider short term missions projects. A second source is college students. Many a youth in their first and second year of college at a university will catch the world vision, and thus needs a local church surrounding in which to nurture that vision. Many a youth is lost to the ministry and missions today because there is little or no encouragement, guidance, challenge, and education in the local church toward world evangelism. God can tap anyone who really catches the vision, businessmen, housewives, singles, couples, and retired people.  Most churches would be greatly surprised to discover that within their ranks are people with tremendous gifts in various areas, who if challenged and encouraged, would respond.  

8. Sponsor Mission Trip
Whether large or small, churches serious about Commission need to plan and sponsor periodic mission trips for their pastor, staff, and leadership. This trips need to be budgeted out of the missions giving, and have several objectives. A primary objective is fact finding. Sometimes those from the home church paying the visit will also minister by preaching, teaching, doing medical work, or helping in some other area. This too, is a great source of encouragement to the missionaries on the field, and it gives the person doing the visiting first hand experience of what missionary work is really like. It needs to be understood these are not pleasure trips, or sight seeing trips. 
To some in the local church, a periodic mission trip may sound like an extravagance, yet in the long run, it is probably the most productive thing that can be done to really put missions on the front burner where it truly belongs. 

9. Special Missions Offerings
 These special offerings provide what is needed not only for the missionaries but give our people a personal stake in a country. People do not give to generalities and theories, they give to projects.  

10. Develop a World Mission Strategy
 Many churches operate only on a reaction basis with missions. They re-act to appeals for support. It is better by far to act by discovering those parts of the world most in need of the gospel message coupled with the greatest degree of receptivity. It is there a church really needs to invest its time, money and energy for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
 God’s word to the church is bound up in the prophecy of Ezekiel:
 So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever 
 you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say
 to the wicked, “O wicked man, you shall surely die,” and you do not speak to
 warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity,
 but his blood I will require at your hand (Ezekiel 33: 7-8). 
 

Summary

As we review the mandate of the Great Commission, we may summarize the task of the church in several statements which present the pattern and purpose of missions. The Great Commission emphatically declares the sovereignty of the Lord and throughout assumes the uniqueness, finality, sufficiency, absoluteness, inclusiveness, exclusiveness and universality of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 It is clearly implied and understood that such a task can be carried through only in the power of the Holy Spirit. The church’s task in the final end, is a supernatural task which demands supernatural resources. Because these are available in the Holy Spirit, we must lean hard upon Him. The church’s task is glorious, urgent, demanding, unique. We dare not surrender, neglect, secularize or popularize it. It is of God, even as the church is God. We are His unique creations and His unique possession, and we are His for a unique task.
 We must move from mission into missions to fulfill the purpose of God and live in the fullness of His blessings.

13. The church should strive to be effective. The best way to do this is by following the precepts of Scripture. We can organize the church by mobilizing the people according to their Spiritual Gifts! So few churches do this, even though it is so Scripturally clear! (Romans 12) 

 A quality church honors individual abilities and spiritual gifts, empowering the members for service according to these talents and combining the members into a body that is fully participating in this world. 
In the New Testament, each member is equipped with a special endowment by God’s Spirit so that he can make his contribution “for the common good.”  Spiritual gifts are related to the functioning of the body and to the contribution each person makes to the growth of the whole organism. We know that gifts differ significantly and that differences in individuals are thus healthy, not detrimental. We know too that the  gifts  that seem “less honorable” are, according to Paul, essential to the functioning of the whole. 
It is important that The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod maintain a clear, Scriptural position regarding spiritual gifts. On the one hand, pastors and congregations should encourage their members to receive with thanksgiving the gifts which God in His grace gives and then to use them to His glory and for the edification of His church. On the other hand, Christians should also acknowledge that God gives spiritual gifts as He wills and in accord with the needs of His church. 
 According to Church Growth practitioners, spiritual gifts serve a most important purpose in the mission of the church. C. Peter Wagner strongly urges Christians to recognize the gifts which God gives for their use in serving the body of Christ and especially in witnessing to the lost.   
 The Spirit’s presence is the source of our ability to minister and to serve. He is the giver of spiritual gifts: He is the source of the power that activates the gift and enables it to function. He is also the One who leads us, speaking in us the directions of Christ our head. Romans puts it this way: “You, however, are controlled not by your sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the God lives in you… Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Romans 8:9, 14). 
 

Summary

 The church can achieve the extraordinary when the people serve in their area of their giftedness in a team manner. The quarrels and apathy will dry up as the energies are redirected and channeled in a Godly way. People will function less in their own strength and more in the power of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12-14)  
 It is noteworthy that the Scripture nowhere promises or encourages us to hope that extraordinary charismatic gifts will become the possession of the Christian church throughout the centuries. The pattern set in Scripture may actually indicate the opposite. While the gifts of the Spirit are spoken of throughout the Bible, different gifts were   given at different times in history depending on the needs of the Kingdom. The church can be sure that the Spirit will grant it those blessings that it will need to build the church, but it will remember that the Lord may have other gifts in mind for His people than those He granted the Christians in apostolic times.
 
14. The leadership must have a real genuine sense and modeling of being Christ’s servant, and the people in their care as His children. This is Servant Leadership Development. (Galatians 2:20-21; Ephesians 4:11-13) 
 
 Renowned historian Kenneth Scott Latourette, when citing pagan influences on early Christianity, states that the Roman concepts of power and rule, in particular, corrupted the organization and life of early churches: “… the Church was being interpenetrated by ideals which were quite contrary to the Gospel, especially the conception and use of power which were in stark contrast to the kind exhibited in the life and teaching of Jesus and in the cross and the resurrection.” 
 As we read the Gospels, we see that principles of humility and servanthood are at the very heart of Christ’s teaching. Unfortunately, like many of early Christians, we have been slow to understand these great virtues, especially their application to church structure and leadership. Worldly  concepts of power, success, and prominence are easily perpetuated and hard to break – even among Bible-believing Christians. Because these principles of humility and servanthood are essential to Christian leadership and community life let us briefly survey our Lord’s teaching on the subject. 
 Matthew 5:3. This verse is the key to understanding the Beatitudes. Jesus declares that only those who are “poor in spirit” will enter the kingdom of heaven. To be poor in spirit means that we see our utter spiritual poverty apart from God and recognize our total dependence on Him for help.
 Matthew 11:29. In contrast to the instruction of the oppressive religious leaders of His day, Jesus tells the people to “take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart.” In this verse Jesus explicitly tells us what He is like as a person: meek, and lowly in heart. Too many religious leaders, however, do not have gentle, humble hearts. They use people to advance themselves. They exploit others to gain money, success, prominence, and satisfy their own egos. But Jesus is radically different and His followers – especially those who would lead His people – are to be humble and gentle like He is.
 Matthew 9: 33-35. On the first recorded occasion of the disciples’ struggle for position among themselves, Jesus teaches, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all.” By means of this paradoxical statement, our Lord begin to transform His disciples’ thinking about greatness. He declares that true greatness is not achieved by striving for prominence over others or grasping for power, but by a humble, self-effacing attitude of service to all – even the most lowly people.
 Matthew 23: 11-12. In this emotionally charged passage. Jesus castigates the awful pride, selfishness, and hypocrisy of the religious leaders of His day. As totally self-centered men, they separated and exalted themselves above the people. They lusted after titles, special clothes, special treatment and the chief seat among their fellow men. They loved to have a high-profile public ministry; they loved the limelight. They demanded special greetings from ordinary people.
 In marked contrast, Jesus prohibits His disciples from using honorific titles; from calling one another Rabbi, Father, or Master; from elevating themselves in any way that would diminish their brotherly relationship; or from usurping the unique place that Christ and the Father have over each believer. These words are as needed and applicable to today’s religious scene as when they were first spoken.
 In his book, Jesus and Power,  David Prior shows how churches today still strive over the same issues of prominence. “This rivalry among his disciples was a constant thorn in the side of Jesus. It was endemic in the church at Corinth (I Corinthian  3:1-15). It is frequently found today among and within large evangelical congregations which strive to be larger, better and more famous than each other. The very size of these congregations often produces an envious attitude among not-so-large churches, an attitude which reveals precisely the same competitive spirit in those churches also. During the last twenty years I have been a member of four congregations with attendances   which happen to have been   much higher than most in the neighborhood. Being an Anglican, these four have all been Anglican churches. One of the most difficult obstacles to overcome has been the unholy combination of pride-in-numbers in the local church on the one hand, and envy-at-success in the diocese on the other. Competitiveness is a cancer. Jesus recognized it as completely hostile to the reality of power which he was teaching and demonstrating.” 
 Our Lord’s repeated insistence on humility and servanthood teaches us at least three important truths: First, God hates pride. Proverbs says, “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 16:54a). Second, Christ’s repeated teaching on humble servanthood proves how difficult it is for the human heart to understand humility The history of Christianity clearly reveals that those who lose sight of Christ’s spirit of humility, love, and servanthood quickly revert to the world’s proud, selfish, and authoritarian ways. So we need to constantly pray that we will be humble minded. We need to gladly accept the situations and problems that God allows in our lives to that He can break us of our pride and selfishness. Third, our Lord’s repeated teaching shows us the ideal characteristics of the Christian community and its leadership. Humility and servanthood are vital leadership qualities because they express the mind and disposition of God’s beloved Son. God calls upon us to emulate His Son’s character: “Do nothing from selfish or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, … taking the form of a bond-servant,… humbled Himself…” (Philippians 2:3-8). 
 Despite this wonderful words, we have to admit that too much of the Lord’s work is marked by pride and strife. Many Christian leaders are characterized by an independent spirit. That is why they have so little ability to work with others unless they are the boss. Leaders of parachurch organizations and local churches often set up organizational structures that give them greater control and power over the organization.  But New Testament teaching and examples emphasize shared leadership, interdependence within the body, mutuality, and brotherly community. These must be our goals and ideals.
 In II Thessalonians 3, Paul said: “ You yourselves know how you ought to follow our example: because we did not act in undisciplined manner among you.”   Paul frequently stressed the importance of modeling, or a good example, in learning how to structure living. The importance of showing others how to obey God’s commandments through example cannot be stressed too strongly. Role play may also be one valid means of extending the principle that scriptural discipline may be taught by example.
 Jesus said, “If I then, the Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you (John 13: 14, 15). 

 Teach and model Discipleship, so that personal disciplines are in the Word, and you are filled with excitement and wonder, willing to train, share, and/or teach others what you have learned. (Matthew 28:18-20) 
 If the primary emphasis is on maintaining your building, or on getting more people involved, or on money, this is sure evidence that the focus is on survival. Do the people have a willingness to serve? If so, this is the greatest gauge of a Christ centered church! That willingness to model Christ in the community will only come out when it is done to others in the church first! That focus can only come out with a servant-focused attitude! (Matthew 28:18-20) 

Summary
 The Christian  leader, called to serve as Jesus served, enters into this transforming purpose, and gives himself to build others as disciples. His primary concern and ministry is the building up of the Body and its members.
 The servant method, it is  at this point that confusion often arises, “Leaders” are seen in our culture as directive. Their task is to tell. But a servant is unable to command. The man who is a servant does not “lord it over” others. Somehow the way that the secular ruler exercises authority is cut off from the Church by Jesus’ words, “Not so with you.”
 How then the servant lead? How does the servant exercise his authority? (And we must never  make the mistake of visualizing Christian leaders as weak men who neither lead nor have authority!) We find   an answer  first of all in the servant role: a servant does not command, he does. A servant does not direct others, he sets an example. 
 The servant’s method of leadership is to provide an example, and by virtue of example leaders bear a powerful authority. As models, leaders are used by God to move others to become like them.
 

15. A leader must be willing to make improvements and change, even if it steps on the toes of others, but stay firm and be uncompromising to the Word. At the same time, allow people to be in the process with a listening ear, so they can catch the new direction and take ownership of it. (Colossians 4:7-8; Philippians 4:8-9) 
 

 “People, by nature, tend to resist change. Consequently, how you introduce a new idea in your church will greatly affect whether it is eventually adopted. Do not assume that the idea will be naturally accepted on its obvious merits. It will not. In fact, you are much safer (and more likely to correct) in assuming that idea will be resisted. People are allergic to change.” 
Here are Six Guidelines for successfully introducing change which will be helpful anytime a new idea is presented in your church and others must be convinced. 
1. Introduce the idea as a way to reach an agreed upon goal. One of the best reasons for a church to spend time developing and adopting a mission statement is when it is time for a change. If there has been previous thought, discussion, and prayer put into a mission statement, and if the congregation has adopted this statement of purpose, then subsequent change ideas are more likely to be supported if they are “positioned” as a step toward that previously agreed upon goal.  
2. Introduce the idea as an addition, not a replacement. Most people resist change not for fear of discovering the future, but for fear of discarding the past. If you were to present a new idea of a new worship service, for example, members should be assured that the present service will not be changed. The goal is to offer more options so that more people have the opportunity to be a part of the Body of  Christ. You will have much more freedom to initiate a new service, and try new approaches, if those who attend the present service—and enjoy it – are not asked to give up “their service” as a result. 
3. Introduce the idea as a short-term experiment, not a long term commitment. Members who question whether the change is an appropriate or wise move for the church will be more open to accepting a “trial period” in which the new idea is implemented and then evaluated. Agree on the date when the new idea will be reviewed. At that time, collectively evaluate whether or not it is accomplishing its goals. If the “experiment” is, in fact, a successful step in the pursuit of the church’s mission, it will be far easier at that time to obtain permission for a longer-term commitment.  If it is not accomplishing its goals, it is to everyone’s advantage to reevaluate.  
4. Encourage enhancements to create ownership. Good goals are my goals; bad goals are your goals. If a member feels like the new idea is something in which he/she has a personal identity, that member will be more likely to support the idea and work for its success. Goal ownership comes through helping to formulate or refine the goal. Ask others for their suggestions on how the new idea can be most effective. In all likelihood their ideas will enhance the results as well as broaden goal ownership. 
5. Sow seeds of creative discontent. Here is a principle of change that applies to all of life, including the church: “Voluntary change only occurs when there is sufficient discontent with the status quo.” For many, the primary comfort of the church is its predictability. Things seem to be the same today as they have been for years. And it is that very stability which causes them to resist change in the church. “The solution,” says Malphurs, “is to help those people and their churches discover that everything is not all right.”  In generating support for your new idea, seek to whet members’ appetite for the greater ministry God desires and the more people he wants to reach through the church. Point out that to simply continue the present course will not, in all likelihood, realize such a dream. 
There is a difference between destructive discontent and constructive discontent. Destructive discontent is a desire to leave the present for a more appealing past. Constructive discontent is a desire to leave the present for a more appealing future.
6. Start with the leaders. “A wise leader,” observes Doug Murren, “will subscribe to a basic 3-step process in presenting new directions to the church: 1) explain the idea to the core group, 2) collaborate with the committed workers, and 3) share with the entire congregation,” 
 As you begin to integrate these six principles of change into your methodology, you will find that many more of your proposals will be met with positive response, and your church will move forward in creative and effective ways.
 The response of individual members will fall into one of five categories, and can be visualized with the following curve:
 

---------------------------------------
Percent of Members in Each Category

  2%  18%  60%  18%  2%
    
              Early             Middle            Late           Never
       Innovators         Adopters           Adopters       Adopters        Adopters
-----------------------------------------
 Innovators. (The dreamers and visionaries in your church.) They regularly talk about the future of the church rather than the past but are not generally acknowledged as leaders or policy makers. Many have the spiritual gift of faith (I Corinthians 12:9). 
 Early Adopters. (Those who know a good idea when they see it.) Their opinions are generally respected by others and they are influential in moving the church forward in new directions. They often receive credit for ideas that were really no theirs. Many have the spiritual gifts of wisdom (I Corinthians 12:8). 
 Middle Adopters. (The majority of the congregation.) They tend to react to the ideas of others rather then generate their own. While these people are generally reasonable in their analysis of a new idea, they are more inclined toward maintaining the status quo and more easily influenced by those opposing change than those supporting it. 
 Late Adopters. (The last in a church to endorse a new idea.) In congregational and committee meetings these people often speak and vote against proposed changes and new ideas. They may never verbally acknowledge acceptance of a new idea but will eventually go along if the majority agrees to support it. 
 Never Adopters. (New ideas are seldom, if ever, accepted by this group.) Their commitment is to the status quo of the past. They often sow discord after change is adopted and will eventually leave if they don’t get a following. 

Implications of the Bell Curve
 Based on the above bell curve, here are several things to remember when you introduce a new idea in your church:
· Realize that not everyone will be happy. “Innovators” are on a collision course with “Never Adopters.” “Early Adopters” are frustrated by the lack of vision of “Late Adopters.” And  “Middle Adopters” may encourage this disagreement so they can adequately consider both sides. It is possible, however, (in fact desirable) to express their opinions in the early stages. If people are not allowed to express their opinions on the front end of a discussion, like starting a second assembly, be assured they will express them later at a less appropriate time. 
· Some members will leave. Don’t think that avoiding controversy (such as introducing a second worship service) will avoid the loss of disenchanted members. David DeSelm, in the video A church for the 21st Century,  observes that “you’re going to lose people even if you don’t change.”  He’s right. You will lose dissatisfied members whether you add a new service or not. If you add the service, some folks from the right side of the bell curve will leave. If you don’t, some visionaries from the left side will leave. The question is: which dissatisfied members would you rather lose, the “Never Adopters” or the “Innovators?” If it is any consolation, it may be helpful to know that neither group will drop out of church life when they leave your congregation. The visionaries go to more progressive churches. The stalwarts to more traditional ones. The question is, who would you rather keep? 
· The battle is for the “Middle Adopters.”  You won’t need to work very hard (if at all) to convince your “Innovators” and “Early Adopters” of the value of your new idea. The “Late Adopters” will not be convinced before the idea actually becomes a reality. But if you can convince the majority of the “Middle Adopters” to support the initiative you are on your way.
“Middle  Adopters” are more easily swayed by “Late Adopters” than “Early Adopters.” Most “Middle Adopters,” while good and reasonable people, prefer the known to the unknown; the present certainly to the future’s uncertainty. This does not mean “Middle Adopters” are closed to reason or cannot catch the excitement of a new vision. They’re just normal people with normal fears of the unknown. As Malphurs observes, the majority of these people “tend to vote for the status quo unless they are given a good reason to change, or are assured that change will not result in a loss of quality.” 
· Make “Early Adopters” Your Allies. Generally, “Early Adopters” are well respected in the church. (“Innovators” often are not.) Their words are given serious consideration and their leadership is usually followed. First, make a list of who these people are. Then solicit their active support. Ask them to endorse the new idea in formal meetings and informal discussions. Explain that it is often conversations in the halls and on the telephone that influence (middle adopter) members more than anything else. And in meetings let them know that it will be their support that may make the difference between success and failure. 
In Search of Excellence of Peters and Waterman and analyzed  forty-three of America’s best-run companies like IMB and 3M. But did you know that two years after the publication of that bestseller, fourteen of those business were in financial trouble? Business Weak magazine explained the reason why: “failure to react and respond to change.”  
One of the realities of the emerging twenty-first century is that yesterday’s successes are no guarantee for tomorrow’s survival.
 A church’s spiritual health is a matter of focus. To develop an action plan, to change the pew-sitting church into the Christ powered church, you have to go beyond talking about it and actually do something! This requires a focus on Christ that turns into passion and conviction. That passion must come from growth in Christ. If it does not, you will be working for yourselves and not for the Lord and Creator of the Universe! The focus must be on Christ, not the church. That focus determines whether you have a survival mentality or a service mentality. Do you have a church filled with competing agendas, or one with a purpose that is poured out to our Lord? (Philippians 3:10)  
 

Summary
 “Any church leader who desires to move the church forward in new growth must realize that growth requires change. As a result, it is helpful to understand and anticipate how your people will respond to your initiatives and ideas for growth.”  
 Leading a church through the process of change is one of the great challenges leaders face in their ministry. Those who master the process find their ministry years to be much more fulfilling and rewarding. Those who don’t eventually conclude that the price of change is not worth the cost, and they remain in a stagnant, and usually non growing, situation. I believe it is well worth a leader’s time to learn and apply the principles of successful change.

16. A church must disciple, and small groups are the best means to do this. Arrange, train, and lead your small group leaders to teach the Bible clearly, going beyond just discussing passages to applying it to their daily lives. Make sure these groups focus on prayer, allowing healthy interaction, so people feel free to express issues, ask questions, and discuss the concerns of life, as the leadership encourages as well as teaches. (Psalm 119:9-12; Ecclesiastes 4:8-10; Matthew 6:33-34; 28:18-20) 

There is no doubt that small groups played a strategic role in the development of the early church. But what about today? Are small groups equally significant in our churches? Today we have care groups, cell groups, share groups, prayer groups, Bible study groups, and etc.
The small group is the basic building block of the life of the local congregation and is fundamental to the development of individual and corporate Christian life style. A Christian small group is an intentional, face-face gathering of 3-12 people on a regular time schedule with a common purpose of discovering and growing in the possibilities of the abundant life in Christ. The necessity is not only to select few faithful workers but to keep the group small enough to be able to work effectively with them.  As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17).
“The Church Growth Institute at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas, conducted a survey that identified differences in the way growing and declining congregations approach the Bible School—particularly in regard to the adult classes.” 
The purpose of the study was to identify significant differences between the approaches to the Bible School in growing and declining congregations. The following differences were observed.
1. Growing congregations get a larger percentage of their evangelistic church growth through their Bible School. Adult converts in both growing and declining churches included in this study virtually all came through personal evangelism, but the adult converts in growing congregations were attending an adult Bible Class before or at least during the time the personal evangelism was in progress. Adults converted in the declining congregations of this sample tended not to have had any contact with the Bible class or even the worship assembly levels of church activity prior to the time of their conversion. Many of these adult converts dropped out of the church soon after their conversion. One of the reasons the declining churches of this sample are declining is that they have a lower retention rate among adult converts. Biological church growth in both growing and declining congregations of this sample cam almost totally through the Bible School.
2. Growing congregations tend to have a more balanced program that places as much emphasis on the adult classes as on the other classes, but declining congregations tend to put most of the emphasis on the younger age groups and neglect the adults.   This determination was based on reports by church leaders of their own emphasis and on allocation of resources such as staff time, personnel, and funds. This is a very important point because the adult classes are the most immediate key to lasting church growth. That is where the workers and the financial support come from in most churches.
3. Growing congregations tend to have smaller adult Bible classes – more in the 30 to 60 member range – while declining churches typically have larger adult classes.  It should be noted, however, that this finding applied only to churches with 200 or more members. This difference was not observed in smaller churches.
4. Growing congregations tend to have a bible School curriculum- especially at the adult level – that is more challenging and that has a stronger Biblical emphasis that what is observed in declining congregations.   In the growing congregations of this sample, the adult classes had textual or topical studies with high-quality Sunday School literature that required the members to study outside the class and that Sunday got them into some serious bible reading. In the declining churches, the tendency was to have no formal Sunday School literature—just verse-by-verse studies of the text with members not really expected to do any preparation outside of class or just the “pooling of ignorance” kind of discussions that do not require any preparation time outside of class. In many of the declining churches of this sample, the adult curriculum consisted of little more than “rehearsing the doctrine” week after week with no challenge to learn anything new or to grow.
5. Growing congregations tend to provide more organized small group activity through the adult bible classes (or through some other means) while declining congregations tend to do little to encourage small group activity.  More research is needed before any conclusions could be reached about how applicable these findings are to other fellowships. More research is also needed in churches outside the United States to see if differences observed in this study can also be observed in other nations. If considered within these limits, however, the results of this study seem to suggest a direction churches might want to consider in regard to their adult classes.                      
Often leaders see good in small groups but make them an appendix or side ministry for the church. Members who are struggling already to attend other services have a hard time giving up another evening for a small group. In order to adapt our ministry to the busy lifestyles of our culture, we have removed our corporate meeting Wednesday night at the building, providing our people time to attend LIFE (Love, Involvement, Fellowship, Evangelism) groups in neighborhoods throughout our metro area. God has taken us from 11 groups with 154 attending to 18 groups with 295 in attendance. These groups have 25-30 visitors every week. 
With constant emphasis on LIFE groups and relationships, the church grows larger and smaller at the same time. Elders are able to evangelize, train leaders, and mature new Christians through quality care provided care provided in small groups. Building a small group ministry is not without challenges or hard work, but we will never win the world sitting comfortably in our fortress. Our members are learning to give people not only the gospel but also their lives (I Thessalonians 2:8). By going “house to house,” we are opening our homes and hearts to build relationship for eternity. 
 During the past three decades a tremendous quantity of insights, wisdom, skills, techniques, models, experiences, and knowledge has been accumulated about nurturing the life of the small group of five to fifteen persons.  Although there is slack of universal agreement on the definition of “small,”  most authorities agree that the maximum size of a small group is twelve to seventeen persons,  and the point of diminishing returns is reached when a group includes more than seventeen persons. When a group includes twenty to thirty or more individuals, the dynamics change, and it no longer qualifies as a small group. Much of this wisdom and knowledge about the dynamics of a small groups has been introduced into the churches and is widely utilized by ministers, educational specialists, youth counselors, and lay leaders. 
 The CGM stresses the need to have a ministry to youth. Barna reports that successful churches believe that “ministering to young people was the key to having a growing, healthy church.” There are many different reasons for this. Baby boomers are very concerned about their children, so programs for children and young people bring those that run them into contract with their parents sooner or later. In fact, many adults will attend a church for no other reason except that there are things for their kids to do. Statistics show that two out of three adults decide to commit themselves to Christ before they were eighteen years of age, so youth ministry represents “the highest potential for conversion.” Today’s youth are not only the leaders of tomorrow but they can have a positive effect on the life of the church right now, by their freshness and zeal and their willingness to question things. And besides all that, children can have a profound effect on the spiritual life and interest of their parents. Converted children can be missionaries to their own   families and they can challenge their parents to pursue a deeper walk with God. When it comes to working with young people you have to have quality people who practice what they teach. You should not be afraid to develop your own curriculum, but whatever you do, keep things interesting… after all church is to be fun! 
 By contrast, a comparatively small quantity of wisdom, insights, and knowledge has been accumulated about the management of large groups that include more than a score of people. Relatively little wisdom and knowledge has been introduced to the churches. This failure of the leaders in the churches to (a) recognize the distinction between large groups and small groups and (b) use different procedures in working with large groups has had some negative results. 

Five Points of Frustration
 One result of  neglecting  this basic distinction in working with groups of different sizes is that many churches are attempting to use small-group techniques and skills in managing large groups, and the results are counterproductive with frustration, a disappointing level of participation, a leveling off or plateauing in the growth pattern, internal conflict, and a high dropout rate among the major products of that misdirected effort. 
 A second result is that many pastors have been attempting to use small group techniques in organizing the life of large (two hundred or more members) congregations, with the result being there is no effective group life for one-half to four-fifths of the members.
 A third result is that many pastors specializing in small group techniques literally become “overworked” when the congregation passes the two-hundred-member mark. This usually produces an exhausted pastor, a neglected pastor’s spouse, a disproportionately large number of inactive members, and a ceiling on the growth potential of that congregation. 
 A fourth result has been to bring the concept of “process” into disrepute. The process used in managing small group has many valuable characteristics, some of which are absolutely essential to the creation and maintenance of continuing, meaningful and effective small groups. When these process techniques are applied to the management of large groups of people, the results are often counterproductive. Instead of recognizing the error was in attempting to apply the wrong management techniques, a more common recent response has been to denounce “process management.” 
 Finally, the pastor who is highly skilled in the application of small group techniques and applies them effectively in the small or middle-sized congregation may experience considerable frustration after moving to a large congregation where the appropriate ministerial leadership style requires an emphasis on working with large formal organizations. 
 Moreover, the CGM tells us that we should pay careful attention to our external, physical surroundings if we are going  to make appositive impression on people for Christ. In particular, evangelicals must realize the importance of having plenty of parking, a clean up-to-date nursery, lots of classroom space, an attractively landscaped lot and a comfortable, welcoming auditorium. And when a church reaches 80% of its capacity in any of these key areas it is time to start making plans to expand or its rate growth will plateau, and may even begin to decline. But be careful, because it is as important that you do not have a building that is too big, as it is that you do not have one that is too small. Whatever, the key word here is “user friendly”. From the lighting, to the sound equipment, to the seating in the auditorium, to the bulletin… everything should have a professional look that gets people’s attention and tells them that are serious about what you are doing. 
· Rick Warren in his A Purpose Driven Church said: We provide training for every member to find how God has shaped them for ministry. Members are encouraged to find their ministry through a ministry interview, ministry experimentation, ministry fairs, and  Discover Your Ministry seminar. Ministries are occasionally highlighted with the “Southwest David Award” given to a ministry leader for taking on a giant challenge. Presently the elders are preparing to bring on a full-time evangelist to direct our ministries. The church has grown from 40 ministries to 60 and plans to have 75 in 1996. Members are encouraged to use creativity and develop ministries that build the body and reach out to the lost.  
 Members are trained for evangelism in several ways. An Evangelism class is offered frequently in our bible class curriculum. LIFE group leaders are trained to do evangelism. Evangelism workshop classes are taught by members who are leading people to. Christ. However,  the best way we train is by having our leaders always take a partner with them to study for “on-the-job training.”
 With this constant emphasis the entire church is learning to “think studies!” As the studies go, so go baptisms. We constantly challenge one another to be a church that is growing through saving souls rather than swelling from drawing members from other congregations. 
 

Summary

 The use of small groups of one kind or another seems to be a common element in all significant movements of the Holy Spirit throughout church history. Historically, any revitalization of the church has taken place when importance of sharing in small groups has been rediscovered. 
 If we examine the small group in the New Testament, we can notice that Christ used a small group strategy. In Luke 6: 13-17 He selected the twelve; in Mark 5:37; 14:33, He selected the few. Paul was also known to have small intimate associations with men such as Timothy, Silas, Titus and elders of churches he helped establish.
 
 For the first two hundred years, most Christian gatherings were in homes. Small groups were used extensively in the early church. The early church followed the model our Lord gave  them. In its intimacy, the church was a small group in which believers gathered to support each other in growing in Christ and in witnessing to their Lord. 
 There is no doubt that small groups played a strategic role in the development of the early church. Small groups frequently fall into of two categories, knowledge-centered or group-centered. Both styles have strengths and weaknesses. We need to recognize the potential weaknesses of each in order for us to have truly dynamic and effective cell group.

17. Do not be afraid to preach Biblical stewardship and how to handle money. If you do not know how, acquire resources to help you. Stewardship, as well as generosity, is a sure sign of the health of your church. A stifled church, no matter how many are attending, will always have financial problems, where a small, poor church with real conviction and purpose will usually have enough! (Proverbs 3:9-10) 
 

 So crucial in this type of pastoral activity that Paul exhorts Timothy to set up a special rich men’s Bible study in order to instruct wealthy persons how to use their money for the honor of Christ (I Timothy 6:6-10; 17-19). Yes, the pastor must develop courage to speak generally and to specific individuals about money. It is his job, with Paul, to see that special offerings are taken for worthwhile causes among the people of God.  Also like Paul, he will find it necessary to instruct, to exhort, to rebuke and to encourage. When it comes to giving, many Christians show little evidence of sanctification. About his duties in this regard, there can be no question. But it is not his duty to determine all of the details of the church budget, to distribute the church’s funds personally, to make financial arrangements with visiting speakers and to score of other details. This he and the elders need to leave safely in the hands of the diaconate.  
 Beginning with the Old Testament, we turn first to Psalm 24:1: “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.”  We have accustomed to talking in terms of ownership of property and personal effects, but in reality no man owns anything. We simply have the use of what we call our possessions, for the brief term of our earthly life at longest, and then we must relinquish them all. “We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (I timothy 6:7). It is fundamental to a right understanding of stewardship that we realize and accept this great fact. Only by the favor of Almighty God do we possess anything, and He can take it from us at any moment that He chooses to do. 
 We often think that prayer is more “spiritual” than money. But money is spiritual, also. Giving material possessions is a visible and concrete symbol of one’s commitment to Christ. Matthew 6:21 says: “For your heart will always be where your riches are” (TEV).  Giving money to missions grow out of a commitment to God, a personal and corporate missions zeal, and the desire to be part of God’s work around the world. It provides financial support to missions work of the association, state convention, Foreign Mission Board, and Home Mission Board. Financial support of missions is included in a person’s concept of stewardship.
 There are two musts for any church desiring growth as it pertains to the area of stewardship and finances. The first must is good, sound Biblical teaching concerning the basic principles of finances from Biblical perspective. We must call them laws, not in the legalistic sense, but in the sense that there is a “fixness” about them. Just as there are physical laws at work in our universe such as the law of gravity, and if that law is violated, consequences will occur, so there are moral laws, and specifically laws of stewardship that are inviolable. Without attempting to be exhaustive in a study of stewardship,  here is a list of inviolable laws to be taught to every new members class as well as from the pulpit.  

 The Law of Ownership and Management
 The essence of this law in scripture is that God owns all, and we are called to manage what is His. This cuts right across our fluent culture’s concept of material things. The Psalmist said, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). And who can possibly deny this law when they read the following prayer of David? 
Thine O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory,
and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens is thine; thine is the kingdom, 
O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come
from thee, and thou rulest over all. In thy hand are power and might… 
But who am I and what is my people that we should be able thus to 
offer willingly? For all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given 
thee (I Chronicle 29:11-14).
 

The Lord Himself says:
For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I Know
all the birds of the air, and all that moves in the field is mine (Psalm 50:10-11).

The fact of God’s ownership and our trusteeship radically changes our concept of material things and/or money. For the believer, the issue of ownership must be settled and acknowledged at the entrance gate of the Christian Life. That’s why Jesus said, “So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple”  (Luke 14:33). God owns it ALL, we simply are managers of what He has entrusted to us.

The Law of Accountability
Not only does God own all and entrust to us differing amounts of money and material to manage, we are accountable to Him of what we manage. The Bible clearly says that it is required of stewards that they be accountable (I Corinthians 4:2).  It is not only important to teach the tithe, but equally important to teach that God is holding us accountable with how we use the nine-tenths we keep. 

The Law of Sacrifice 
(If it doesn’t cost, it doesn’t count)
Sacrifice is a relative word. Jesus graphically underscored this by highlighting the widow who dropped two pennies in the Temple treasury. The only time in His entire ministry when He made a comment about a particular person’s giving, Jesus praised this woman because while others were giving out of their abundance and plenty, she gave out of her abject poverty… she literally gave everything she had. The principle of sacrifice runs throughout the bible. 
If a man’s offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal
from  the herd, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before
the Lord (Leviticus 3:1).

The Law of True Success
Jesus challenges the concept of success with one simple statement: “For a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions (Luke 12:15).  He then proceeded to tell  a parable about a farmer whose crops  brought forth plentifully. With inadequate bars, the farmer determined to tear down the small “inadequate” barns and build larger barns where he would store his crop. Then Jesus concludes with very straight to the point words: 
Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have
prepared, whose will they be (Luke 12:22)?

The accumulation of things is not a symbol of success in God’s eyes. Of course, neither is poverty, but rather a right relationship with God.
There is still another value to the giver. Giving brings great joy and satisfaction personally and corporately. One missionary describes money as “coined love” – love for God and love for lost persons. She quotes this statement: “Perhaps a person can give without loving, but nobody can love without giving.”  

The Law of Godly Focus
This really is similar to the law of success, but an added warning is given. DON’T SEEK WEALTH! The wealthiest man who ever lived wrote:
Do not toil to acquire wealth; be wise enough to desist (Proverbs 23:4).
In I Timothy 6, Paul gets to the core:
  But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into 
 many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and
 destruction (I Timothy 6:9).
Then Paul delivers the punch line:
 For the love of money is the root of all evils, it is through this craving
 that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts
 with many pangs (I timothy 6:10). 

The Law of Commitment Following Giving
 A common mistake many churches make is their approach to new members. The philosophy has been, “Don’t mention money or giving to these new people until they have become active and ready for it.” Jesus’ method was just the opposite. His philosophy was that giving generates activity. 
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:21).
The Law of Sowing and Reaping
This is a simple law, but one that has been used and abused. It is the Biblical law that what you give is what you get back. It has been called in some circles the law of returns. Without being exhaustive, Solomon espoused this  thousands of years ago. 
 Honor the Lord with your substance, and with the first fruits of all
 your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your
 vats will be bursting with wine (Proverbs 3:9-10).
 

Notice the sequence. YOU honor the Lord with your substance. THEN your barns will be filled with plenty… “The sequence is clear; you give first, the best, lavishly and unselfishly, and THEN God will bring it all back plus some more. It’s said in Proverbs again, but with more clarity:
 One man gives freely and grows all the richer; Another withholds what
 he should give and only suffers want. A liberal man will be enriched,
 and one who waters himself will be watered (Proverbs 11:24-25).

We can’t leave Solomon without his wise words in Ecclesiastes.
 Cast your bread upon the waters, and you will find it after many days (Eccl. 11:1)
 
Summary

 Psalm 24 tells us that, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” Also, Psalm 115: 16 clearly sates that, “The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to man.”
 So much of life in this earth is about “things.” We go to college to get a good job; we get a good job and get “things.” Owning “things” is a symbol of status. People buy cars and houses. They fill their houses with lots of “things.”  Although we would like to think our lot on our street is ours, the fact is that the world belongs to God. God has entrusted the world to us. We are allowed to use it, and the privilege comes with responsibility. We are to show concern for the world and all God has put in it. To use modern terminology, the world is on loan to us.  We do not own it outright, but have been entrusted with its care. As Christians, we have temporary possession of it and are responsible for the condition it is in when we pass it on to the next generation.
 Christians must learn how to manage the assets God has given us: the environment, time, life, spiritual gift, and money – is the key to becoming a growing, strong Christian.
 

18. A healthy church is prayerful in all of the aspects of church life and ministry. They are reliant upon God's power and the authority of His Word! (John 15:4-5) 
Prayer is first and foremost an integral part of our spiritual being. It is our breath, our life. Prayer is to our spiritual well-being as breathing is to our physical life. We pray because God has commanded us to pray. But we also pray because it is the natural function for maintaining a healthy spiritual life.  
 The main factor at the heart of growing a church is listening to God. Each church is as unique as each individual believer. Though we all share the principles laid out in Scripture. God has a unique thumbprint for each church when it comes to vision, location, outreach and variety of other issues—and we need to get it from Him.
 Many church leaders neglect the matter of hearing from God because their theological backgrounds taught them that Scripture was enough. God no longer gives direction through personal or special revelation, they believe. 
Hearing the voice of God should be the norm for God’s leaders. Without it, we can never know the fullness of God’s vision for our work. Thus, our best hope becomes that God will bless what we are doing in our own strength and creativity.
Prayer is absolutely essential.  Rick Warren said that, “Every step of Saddleback’s development has been bathed in prayer.”   A prayerless ministry is a powerless ministry. But it takes far more than prayer to grow a church. It takes skilled action.
This could possibly be described as the vital breath of life for any congregation. Our Lord set up a model for us in regard to prayer: his regular communion with the Father, rising up early in the morning, praying in the midst of a busy schedule. The epistles confirm the importance of prayer, intercessions, and requests with thanksgiving to be offered up before the throne of grace. We do not have because we do not ask.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book The Cost of Discipleship wrote: “Prayer is the supreme instance of the hidden character of the Christian life. It is the antithesis of self-display. When men pray, they have ceased to know themselves, and know only God whom they call upon. Prayer does not aim at any direct effect on the world; it is addressed to God alone, and is therefore the perfect example of undemonstrative action.” 
As Leith Samuel said, “Prayer is not an attempt to change God’s mind: Real prayer is communion with God.” 
Mildred McMurry, a great national WMU leader of the past, claimed that prayer is the mightiest missionary force in the world. Prayer is the key to missions today. Likewise, in the Biblical Basis of Missions, Avery Willis says: “Every advance of the Kingdom is dependent on prayers of the saints.” 
Prayer, being such a pure and heavenly exercise, must be kept at the forefront. Paul, in describing the Christian armour, wraps it up by saying, "with all prayer and supplication...". The success of the church depends on God's blessings.
But in engaging in prayer, lifting its eyes to heaven, the church must be careful of not becoming to heavenly-minded so as to be of no earthly good. The effect should be the opposite rather. The tension between our heavenly citizenship and our mundane responsibilities must be kept; any imbalance here will deflect the church from its course.
 The men who have accomplished most for God have been men of prayer.  John Wesley was used to spend at least two hours each day in prayer. Samuel Rutherford rose at three o’clock each morning to wait upon God. John Fletcher was said to have stained the walls of his chamber by the breath of his prayers. The greatest missionaries have been uniformedly men of prayer. The names of David Brainerd and Henry Martyn stand out as among the brightest stars in the missionary firmament because of the profound influence they exerted upon their own and every generation. Adoniram Judson, one of the greatest of America’s missionary sons, was emphatic in his insistence upon prayer. Wrote he: “Be resolute in prayer. Make any sacrifice to maintain it. Consider that time is short and that business and company must not be allowed to rob thee of thy God.”  
 Southern Baptist mission leaders have much to say about prayer support for missions. R. Keith Parks, president of the Foreign Mission Board, says daily prayer is a way we can participate in touching the whole world. William G. Tanner, former president of the Home Mission Board, indicates that prayer is the power that results in bold missions. Bill O’Brien, executive vice-president of the Foreign Mission Board, labels prayer as the dynamic of all we do in missions. 
The Church Growth Movement stresses the need for prayer. Kirk Wellum  in the “User Friendly Churches by George Barna said: “Prayer was one of the foundation stones of ministry… the call to prayer was the battle cry of the congregation: it rallied the troops… the people understood the power of prayer… they actively and consistently  included prayer in their services, their events, their meetings and their personal ministries.” 

Summary
Yes, prayer is the essential preparation for Christian service, for it is through secret touch and communion with the Lord that He unveils, reveals and imparts Himself, and that the life of the Vine flows freely through the branches and enables them to bear fruit (John 15: 4-5).  Without doubt much of the shallowness of Christian experience and the feebleness of Christian service is to be traced to the poverty of the prayer life.
Family and personal devotions are encouraged, with practical advice about setting aside time for daily prayer. As a church we have a good part of our service when we pray together. Every service incorporates prayer, led both by the pastor and by other members in the congregation.
We are powerless without prayer. Jesus said: “Without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).  Prayer ought to be our number one personal and congregational priority. It is stated in  I Corinthians 7:14, “If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”  
Summary of the above Principles
These principles take into account the American way of life and our culture. It is sad, but true that most Christians are not mature in their faith. Over 80% come to church just to sit in the pew, either because they do not have the time to be further involved, or they do not want to be convicted or bothered. In any case, the secondary goal of the Christian life and experience is to grow in maturity and sanctification. This is rarely sought. The first goal should be our salvation and acceptance/election of our soul. Thus, the primary goals in church growth are the spiritual growth of the congregation, and growing in the Lord. When this is taking place, the numbers usually follow, because people are following the Lord and reaching out.
The church faces the challenges of the future in a "world-come-of-age" in the confidence that God has given it the resources necessary to carry out the mission to which He has called it. When we say "resources," however, we are chiefly mindful of the means of grace, the Gospel and the sacraments. Strictly speaking, the means of grace are the only "resources" through which God calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies and keeps the church in the one true faith and therefore through which He builds His church. In this sense the means of grace are not simply one item among many others. They are the most crucial dimension of the church's life and work. Where the means of grace are taken seriously, the whole life of the church will be shaped by them.
  Dependent on the promises of God given through the means of grace for growth and on the power of the Holy Spirit who bestows on it His manifold gifts, the church accepts with thanksgiving all methodological insights and wisdom that will enhance and facilitate the proclamation of the Word. In Christian freedom, though with Biblically tested criteria, the church will gladly make use of methods and techniques designed to accomplish this end.
Faithfulness to God's Word requires that Christians accept their God-given tasks willingly and with the confident expectation that the church will continue to grow. The church belongs to God. He has purchased it with the blood of His Son. He preserves and protects it. He guarantees its future. Believing such promises, Christians may therefore mutually encourage one another to "serve the Lord with gladness."
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the end of eternity. (2 Peter 3:18) 
It is refreshing to note that the principles Dr. Benjamin identified as important for church growth are the same as those found in the New Testament, principles characteristic of the first century church. The principles for church growth have not changed. Methods may change, principles do not.
If in our search for church growth we depend too much on special promotions, new programs, innovative worship, dynamic preaching, constant youth activities, and positive thinking as the panaceas to foster growth, we are missing the boat. According to Dr. Benjamin and the example of the first century church, churches grow when they want to grow (Acts 2:42), when they want to tell others about Jesus (Acts 8:4), when they want to change lives (Acts 3:6), when they seek to be guided only by the word of God (Acts 4:19-20), when they have a definite doctrine (John 9-10), when they desire to help and encourage others (Acts 4:34-35), and when evangelism is their primary goal (Acts 5:42). 
We may modernize the methods, but the principles are eternal. 
However, two current criticisms have arisen in the name Church Growth. First, some have said Church Growth doesn’t work. They point to a flat line of growth of the American church as an indication that Church Growth has failed. Their assumption, “If church growth ideas are valid, why haven’t American churches grown?” Second criticism concerns the lack of individual church growth by those who have been taught Church Growth principles or allegedly used Church Growth tactics or methods.  

Obviously the critics haven’t understood the meaning of Church Growth. As stated above, Church Growth is a science/discipline that investigates both biblical and social data to determine principles why churches grow or decline.
If the principles are true, then failure lies with those who apply them; perhaps because of wrong understanding of the  principles, wrong understanding of cultures, or wrong application.
 

Methods

Principles
 

Philosophy
   
Dr. Towns said, they have been focusing on the philosophy of Church Growth (values, assumptions and foundations)  and the principles of Church Growth (the application of biblical directives to evangelism and culture).  It’s from the area of methods that questions and criticisms are coming. Church Growth methods are defined as the application of principles to culture (methods are influenced by time and culture). The old adage is still true:

Methods are many,
Principles are few.
Methods may change,
Principles never do. 

We should have realized that the pastors or elders would not live on this earth forever, that institutions would change as their personnel changed, and that new needs would constantly arise as the world changed. While it’s nice to look back at the past, we can’t live there, nor should we take refuge there. So what should we do? First, put our eyes on Jesus and not humans (Hebrew 12: 1,2).  Second, we should be faithful to one challenge – to focus on church planting and evangelism through and by the church, rather than just media evangelism and/or interdenominational evangelism. It has not been fulfilled. Third, we should realize there is a lot more truth to be discovered in the future than was uncovered in the past, so we can’t take it easy. Fourth, and finally, we should train someone to take our place, even as did Paul. “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (II Timothy 2:2 NKJV). 
A Christian who centers his life around Jesus will grow.
A church built around Jesus will be a growing church. Anything that distracts from Him will show up in a growth decline, numerically and spiritually.

 This study may be classified as a descriptive research which was designed for the researcher to gather information about present existing condition. The principal aims in employing this method are to describe the nature of situation as it exists at the time of the study and to explore the causes of particular phenomena.  
 Gay defines descriptive research as involving collection of data in order to test hypothesis or to answer questions concerning the current status of the subject of the study.  This method may be utilized to help us portray the probable conditions of a particular situation. Another reason for the use of descriptive method is that the gathered data in this kind of study are considered very useful in helping us adjust or meet the existing daily common problems in life. This method assist us in knowing how to accomplish our desired purposes in the short available time. 
For this particular study, the purpose is to identify and analyze the different church growth methods  observed in the churches of Philippine Missionary Fellowship. The result of the study will provide helpful information for PMF’s Pastors and Missionaries in choosing the methods that can be applied best in their respective churches. 

Description of Subject
 The subjects of this study are the pastors and missionaries  of Philippine Missionary Fellowship. At the time of the research, there were 84 Local Pastors, 122 Regular Missionaries, 68 Area Volunteer and 4 Student Volunteer from different provinces nationwide.

Description of Research Instruments 
 To gather the needed data a  survey questionnaire constructed by the researcher was used. 
 The questionnaire consisted of five parts:
 Part I of the questionnaire  involves identification of the respondent consisting of a) age, b) educational attainment, and c) related work experiences.
 Part II of the questionnaire focused on the Ministry Philosophy and Objectives.
 Part III of the questionnaire is centered on Church Growth Programs and Projects
 Part IV of the questionnaire evolves on Ministry Results
 Part V of the questionnaire concerns on Problems, Issues and Needs
 Before finally administering the questionnaire, the researcher sought the help of PMF Area Coordinator and some Local Pastors at Occidental Mindoro area for content validation. This was then administered to the Missionaries of Occidental Mindoro for a dry run after which the final draft was constructed. 
 A sample of the survey questionnaire are included in Appendix E.
Method of Data Gathering
 To be able to gather the needed data, the survey was done by mailing the questionnaire  to Pastors and Missionaries of Philippine Missionary Fellowship. At the same time, to verify and clarify some of the answers, the researcher personally attended the PMF Bi-Annual Conference at Philippine Missionary Institute, Biga Silang Cavite on April 29 – May 3, 2003 and interviewed some of the respondents. Assurances of confidentiality of information were given to the respondents so as to obtain honest answers to the questions asked. Out of 278  pastors and missionaries, 54 responded to the survey.

Method of Data Presentation 
Statistical treatment was employed to quantify and interpret the data that were gathered.
To determine the effectiveness of the different church growth methods and strategies of PMF churches, the Pearson  r – Correlation was utilized.

 This chapter discusses the findings using descriptive and inferential statistics. It starts with the discussion of the characteristics of the PMF Ministers, effectiveness of the church growth methods and strategies, and the specific programs and projects implemented. Subsequently, the problems, issues and needs of the PMF churches are identified and their extent or seriousness are evaluated. Finally, test of relationships are discussed using the Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation.

Characteristics of  PMF Ministers
 

 The characteristics of the PMF Minister Respondents were described. These characteristics are educational qualifications, age and work experience.

Educational Qualification

 Educational qualification refers to the highest education attained by the PMF Ministers. As presented in Table 1, the mean years of  schooling of the PMF Ministers was 14.04 years, indicating that ministers had a college degree. Furthermore, the standard deviation was 1.76 years, indicating that the ministers have a narrow dispersion in educational attainment, which is expressed in years of schooling. This implies that the PMF Ministers had a homogeneous educational qualification.
 Results further revealed that 11.1 percent of the PMF Ministers reached the high school level only while 68.5 percent  were able to attain a college degree. Furthermore, 16.7 percent obtained a masteral degree, while 3.7 percent finished a doctoral degree. The distribution implies that majority of the PMF Ministers were able to reach college level, a minimum qualification of a formally-educated individual.
 With the present composition of church goers most of which are perceived to have attended formal schooling requires that a church leader should at least have completed college schooling. In any organization, people look up to somebody who is far superior in education, social and economic status.
 In the church, a church leader who has to deal with different types of people and situation, and who needs to have credibility in his day-to-day activities of spreading god’s Word and in dealing with varied situations, need to be equipped with adequate training and at least a college education.

Age

 Table 1 also shows the distribution of PMF Ministers in terms of  age. It reveals that 5.6 percent belong to bracket 26-31 years old while 20.4 percent  belong to bracket 32-37. Furthermore, 18.5 percent are at the age of 38 to 43 while 31.5 percent are at 44 to 49 years old. Moreover, 9.3 percent belong to bracket 50-55 years old while 11.1 percent belong to bracket 56 to 61. Finally, 1.8 percent each belong to age bracket 62 to 67 and 68 to 75 years old, respectively.                                              
         

Table  1

Distribution of PMF Ministers According to
Educational Qualifications, Age and
Work  Experience

Characteristics Frequency(N= 54) Percentage(%)
Educational Attainment/ Qualification  
       High School, 10 years   6 11.1
       College, 14 years   37 68.5
       Masteral, 16 years 9 16.7
       Doctoral, 18 years 2 3.7
       Mean years of Schooling, 14.04 years  
       Standard  Deviation, SD: 1.76 years  
  
Age   
       26-31 3 5.6
       32-37  11 20.4
       38-43 10 18.5
       44-49 17 31.5
       50-55  5 9.3
       56-61 6 11.1
       62-67 1 1.8
       68-73 1 1.8
       Mean age : 44.10 years old  
       Standard Deviation, SD: 9.19 years old  
  
Work Experience  
       Short Experience (< 16.26 years ) 31 57.4
       Long Experience ( > 16.26 years ) 23 42.6
       Mean Work Experience; 16.26 years   
       Standard Deviation, SD : 9.85 years  
  
 

 The distribution of PMF Ministers in terms of age reveals that majority of them belong to age bracket 44 to 49 years old. The standard deviation is 9.19, indicating a wide dispersion in age of the PMF Ministers.

 Age is an important characteristic of the priest. Normally, high respect is given to the older priest, not only because of their being the head of the congregation, but also because of their age. Generally, people tend to show more respect to the older.
               
Work Experience

            Work experience is the complete length of years as PMF Ministers of the respondents. As shown in Table 1, the mean work experience of the PMF Ministers was 16.26 years. The standard deviation of 9.85 years indicates that the ministers have wide dispersion 67`in length of work experience. This means that the respondents have a heterogeneous work experience.
 It further revealed that based on the mean, 57.4 percent of the PMF Ministers have relatively short work experience while 42.6 percent have long experience as ministers. This distribution also reflects the age groupings of the ministers, which revealed that majority were at the age group of 32 to 49 years old. Relatively, majority were younger, thus had shorter experience as PMF Ministers.

Effectiveness of Church Growth
Methods and Strategies

 According to Rainier , church growth is the discipline which seeks to understand, through biblical, sociological, historical and behavioral study, why churches grow or decline.
 

                                                                     Table 2 
           Mean Effectiveness of the Church Growth Methods and Strategies
         
      
Church Growth Methods and Strategies Weighted Mean Interpretation
Biblical Preaching 4.11 Highly effective
Hospitality 3.69 Highly effective
Adequate Staffing  3.13 Moderately effective
Emphasis on relationship 3.72 Highly effective
Enthusiastic Worship 3.72 Highly effective
Doing the basis well 3.41 Moderately effective
Vibrant bible classes 3.43 Moderately effective
Small groups 3.35 Moderately effective
Space for growth  3.15 Moderately effective
Effective Visitation 3.85 Highly effective
Member Involvement 3.61 Highly effective
Extension work/ Outreach 3.11 Moderately effective
Christian Fellowship 3.85 Highly effective
    Overall Mean 3.55 Highly effective
  

 Legend:    4.51 –5.0 -  very effective;   3.5 1- 4.50-  higher effective;        2.51-3.50 - moderately    effective     1.51-2.50 - least effective;  less than 1.5 - not effective
 

Table 2 presents the mean effectiveness of the different growth methods and strategies as perceived by the PMF Ministers. With the overall mean of 3.55, the PMF Minister respondents rated in general the church growth  methods of strategies as “highly effective”.
As rated, biblical preaching   is perceived as highly effective (mean = 4.11). This implies that it is highly effective to use biblical preaching to spread the Words of God and to increase the number of church members. Preaching churches are considered powerful churches, provided that these are substantiated by the Holy Scriptures. Likewise, preachers are also effective since biblical preaching is not effective if the preacher who deliver the Words of God is similarly ineffective. Preachers should preach with substance and style, and it is a sin to make the gospel boring.   Moreover, Krejcir  said that good biblical teaching and preaching provide the Holy spirit with fuel that energizer people and facilitate growth.
As stated in Luke 3: 1-7, church growth is primarily attributed to the preaching ability of the pastor. Thus, a preacher should possess characteristics that make him effective in giving the true teachings. This preaching ability could increase the rate of church growth.
Hospitality of the preachers is also highly effective (mean 3.69). Being hospitable means being generous and friendly. A member and a person will become motivated to stay or become member of the church when they feel that they are part of the church. It is a highly effective strategy to become hospitable, not only the preacher but also all  members, for the church to grow. Furthermore, it is important to integrate the new converts into the life of the church. However, being hospitable should have limits, so that the abuse of this will be avoided.
Giving emphasis on relationship was also rated as highly effective method (mean= 3.72) for church growth. As written in Psalm 119:9-12, the bible must be taught in such a way that it is real and can be applied to the lives and situations of the people. It is stated that people should be discipled in relationships, with the family and other people. If members have good relationships to each other, it is more likely that they will stay in the church because they feel that they really belong and are really a part of the church.
Enthusiastic worship is also rated highly effective (mean = 3.72). this worship motivates the members to always attend the church worship services. A person tends to keep on attending worship services if he feels blessings from God. This also motivates converts to stay in the church.  furthermore, effective visitation is also a good strategy for church growth (mean = 3.85). Knowing the members, their family condition and personal life provide the church insights on their attributes and problems. With these, preachers/ministers will have basis on how to deal with every member and convert. Moreover, visitation could also make every member fees that the church really cares.
Member involvement (mean = 3.61) is an effective way for the church to become effective (Romans 12). A quality church honors individual abilities and spiritual gifts, empowering the members for service according to these talents and combining the members into a body that is fully participating in this world.  With the members involved in spreading the gospels to the community, more likely that many people will be invited to attend worship services. By attending the services, the visitors tend to be motivated by the preachers. And with Christian fellowship, which is also rated highly effective, (mean = 3.85)  motivation is enhanced. Fellowship strengthens the feeling of belongingness among converts and members.
Adequate staffing is rated “moderately effective” (mean = 3.13). this implies that it promotes church growth only at the moderate extent. Staffing seems more important in the internal activities of the church. Similarly, doing the basics well is rated “moderately effective” (mean = 3.41). This indicates that it is a minimum requirement for a preacher and for each member of the church to be in binding  in accordance with the norms of their church.. This also promotes church growth because the discipline among them are visible to others, and this is a good point for the church to attract new members, but only to a moderate extent.” 
Vibrant bible classes is rated “moderately effective” church growth method (mean = 3.43). As Krejcir  mentioned, the Christian life is not meant to be dry and mundane, instead, it must be vibrant. Through vibrant bible classes, people in the church are convinced to grow beyond just doing their duty to achieve spiritual passion and conviction.
Small group method is also rated as “moderately effective” (mean = 3.35). In contrast, small groups are best means for a church to disciple. Yeakley , found out that growing congregations tend to have smaller adult Bible Classes. Small group is the basic building block of the life of the local congregation and is fundamental to the development of individual and corporate Christian life style ). This indicates that small group method is an effective strategy, but it is at the moderate extent only as perceived by the minister respondents.
Space for growth is also claimed as a moderately effective (mean = 3.15) method for church growth. Since the church is growing and that members’ number and characteristics are changing, improvements and changes are inevitable. However, people tend to resist change, albeit the fact that the change is needed. Arn (2002) opined that people are allergic to change. However, there are people who respond to change and provide space for growth. They differ only in terms of the time gap between the knowledge of change and their adoption or acceptance of it. It might be effective, but the consequences are very slow.
Finally, extension work and outreach programs are also rated “moderately effective” (mean= 3.11). Krejcir  stated that the church must be willing to spend at least one-third of its resources of time, talent and money in outreach programs and missions. This method will provide a great source of encouragement to the missionaries on the field. Furthermore, church extends help to the people in remote places and this provides opportunities to spread the Gospels of God, and the teachings in the church. Notwithstanding its objectives, this method was claimed effective only at moderate extent by the ministers. This could be attributed to the limitations in the conduct of extension works and outreach program. Financial constraints and human resources tend to influence the output of these activities of the church.
In general, the methods and strategies employed by the PMF Churches are highly effective in increasing the umber of members, as perceived by the PMF Ministers. The mentioned methods and strategies are highly effective in increasing membership of at least 10% every year, in having at least these extension classes every year in maintaining at least 85% attendance in Sunday School classes and 75% attendance in prayer meeting and at least 5 active leaders in bible  studies.

Specific Programs and Projects
 Implemented by the PMF Churches

These are the specific programs and projects that are implemented by the church. These are in terms of the different church growth factors as to vision, evangelism, maturation, worship, preaching, leadership, giving, missions, birthing and action. The programs and projects are multiple responses, thus were ranked according to the frequency of responses.

Table 3
 Distribution of PMF Ministers According to the Implemented Programs and Projects
In Vision Growth Factors of their Respective PMF Churches.

Programs and Projects        Frequency                                  N = 54     Rank
1.Formulate Annual Plan of Action of Church activities                35         2
2. To witness at least 10 person every year                                 36         1
 

       Vision  refers to the dreams of the church to be realized after a given timeframe. Vision growth factors, on the other hand, are factors that will enhance the realization of the church’s vision. Out of 54 respondents, 36 claimed that it is their vision for their respective PMF churches to have programs that aim to witness at least 10 persons every year. The PMF Ministers envisioned that at least 10 persons will be endoctrinized  yearly and become members of the church. This indicates that it was the most frequent programs of PMF Churches for vision growth factor. This program is followed, in terms of rank distribution, by the  formulation of annual plan of action of church activities. This was implemented by 35 PMF Ministers in their respective churches. It is apparent that the two methods are almost equally implemented by the PMF Ministers in their church, to realize their vision.
 The distribution clearly implies that it is the vision of the PMF Churches to increase in number every year. Thus, they formulate action plan of church activities to be implemented yearly to satisfy their objectives to realize the church’s vision.
 
 

          Table 4
Distribution of  PMF Ministers According to the  Implemented 
Programs and Projects in the Evangelism Growth
 Factors of Their Church

Programs and Project FrequencyN = 54 Rank
1. House-to-house personal evangelism 54 1
2. Evangelistic meeting 18 5
3. Giving of Tracks 31 3
4. Extension Bible Study 37 2
5. Outreach  20 4
6. Church Planting 1 6
 

 House-to-house personal evangelism was the most implemented program by majority of the PMF Ministers. As reflected in Table 4, all 54 respondents claimed that they personally conduct house-to-house evangelism in order to reach the remote household, and in their saturation of the community. They spread God’s teachings in every household that entertain them.
 Extension bible study ranked second, which was implemented by the 37 PMF Minister respondents in their church. Similar to house-to-house evangelism, extension bible study includes household visitation. However, a bible study is organized in one place where to gather those invited household that showed interest. This program is in accordance to the teachings in the Holy Scripture: that the Churches must be willing to spend, in terms of time, talent and money in outreach and mission (Psalm 90: 1-2 as cited by Krejcir. 
 Giving of tracks, outreach, evangelistic meeting and church planting are also implemented by the PMF Churches.. Giving of tracks, such as religious pamphlets was claimed to be implemented by 31 respondents while outreach was implemented by 20 of the PMF Minister respondents. Furthermore, 18 respondents said that they implement evangelistic meeting for the church to grow and increase in number. On the other hand, only 1 implemented church planting.

Table 5
Distribution of PMF Ministers According to their Implemented
Programs and Projects in Maturation Growth
Factors of their Church
 

Programs and Project FrequencyN = 54 Rank
1. Counseling of new believers  33 2.5
2. Scheduling a follow-up lesson for new believers 33 2.5
3. Involvement of new believers in church activities  44 1
4. Training 1 4
 

 Table 5 presents the distribution of PMF Minister respondents as to the implemented programs and projects in terms of maturation growth factors. Maturation of new believers is a responsibility that is just as binding on the local church as the command to evangelize the lost. Involvement of new believers in church activities is implemented in the church by 44 PMF Ministers, which comprises the majority. Counseling of new believers and scheduling of follow-up lessons for them are implemented by 33 respondents in their respective churches. On the other hand, training program is the least implemented; only 1 PMF Minister claimed that they conduct this for the maturation of new members.

Table 6
 Distribution of PMF Ministers As to the Programs and Projects
 in the Worship Growth Factors Implemented
in their Respective Churches

Programs and Projects FrequencyN = 54 Rank
1. Preparation of the church in the atmosphere that is conducive for worship 46 1
2. Challenging and meaty sermons during worship service  37 3
3. Special numbers before the sermons during Sunday Service  29 4
4. Preparation of musical instruments and songs for worships 41 2
 

 The distribution of PMF Ministers as to the programs and projects in terms of worship growth factors implemented in their respective churches is presented in Table 6. The distribution shows that 46 PMF Ministers, the majority, prepare the church in the atmosphere that is conducive for worship. On the other hand, 41 prepare musical instruments and songs for worship while 37 give challenging and meaty sermons during the worship service. Finally, 29 claimed that a special numbers are presented before the sermons during the Sunday Service. It is apparent that the PMF Ministers are exerting efforts to prepare their churches under conducive environment for worship services, and this makes this method to be the most implemented for church growth. It is also observed that the four methods, although they differed in ranks, are implemented by many churches. This indicates that the PMF Ministers are doing their bests for church growth, by providing good worship environment.
 

Table 7
Distribution of PMF Ministers as to  Programs  and Projects
in  the Preaching Growth Factors Implemented
in their Respective Churches
 

Programs and Projects FrequencyN = 54 Rank
1. The pastor must be well prepared with his sermon 48 1
2. The pastor must preach in the vernacular 18 5
3. The preacher must be well-groomed 22 4
4. The preacher must preach with excitement 23 3
5. The preacher should not back away from controversial scripture because it isn’t popular 10 8
6. The preacher shall have no other task than to preach the Word in power 11 7
7. The preacher should preach for decisions 38 2
8. The Preacher shall preach every sermon as though it were his last. 12 6
 

Table 7 presents the distribution of PMF Ministers as to programs and projects in the preaching growth factors implemented in their respective churches. It was claimed by 48 respondents, the majority, that they are well-prepared with their sermon, while 38 said that they preach for decisions. As Moorehead  said, there is no substitute for poor and no preparation and every sermon should answer the question “so what?”. The PMF Minister then prepare themselves and their sermon. Furthermore, 23 claimed that they preach with excitement indicating that they believe that their audience will not become more excited than they are.  Twenty two (22) of them claimed that they must be well-groomed during sermon, they preach with a smile and believed that the Holy spirit seldom use a scowl to lead a soul to Christ. Moreover, 18 PMF Ministers said that they preach in the vernacular, while 12 preached every sermon as though it were their last. They use vernacular for all the audience to understand, and always deliver sermon with a sense of urgency. Finally, 11 said that they have no other tasks than to preach the Word in power, while 10 said that they do not back away from controversial scripture because it isn’t popular.
Results indicate that the PMF Ministers implemented different methods and strategies in preaching for the church to grow. When preaching is restored to its proper place in the church again, tremendous growth will begin. The preaching factor cannot be ignored in the local church if growth is to  come. 

Table 8

 Distribution of PMF Ministers as to Programs and Projects 
in the Leadership Growth Factors Implemented
in their Respective Church
 

Programs and Projects FrequencyN = 54 Rank
1. The Church should select spiritual leaders of the church 44 2
2. The Leaders must be trained in such works 46 1
3. The Leaders must help the pastor in church administration 26 3
 

Table 8 presents the distribution of PMF Ministers as to Programs and Projects for the leadership implemented in their respective churches. A total of 46 PMF Minister,  the majority, implemented programs on the training of leaders while 44 implemented programs on the selection of church spiritual leaders. Finally, a total of 26 PMF Ministers claimed that the leaders help the pastors  in church administration. This implies that the PMF Churches are implementing programs and projects to mould spiritual leaders who are men of God in character and life, who possess a compassion for people, motivated and matured, visionary and a dreamer and other attributes necessary for the responsibilities that they are going to assume.

Table 9
Distribution of PMF Ministers as to  Programs and Projects
in Giving Growth Factors Implemented 
in their Respective Churches
 

Programs and Projects Frequency(N = 54) Rank
1. Conduct Seminar on the Law of Ownership 22 4
1. Conduct Seminar on the Law of Accountability 27 3
2. Conduct Seminar on the Law of Sacrifice 16 5
3. Conduct Seminar on the Law of Commitment 34 1
4. Conduct Seminar on Sowing and Reaping 30 2
 

Table 9 reflects the different programs and projects in giving growth factors implemented  by the PMF Ministers in their church, and the frequency of respondents who implemented these. A total of 34, the majority, conduct seminar on the Law of Commitment following giving. They stressed that members should be committed in giving for the church to finance its activities. On the other hand, 30 claimed that they conduct seminar on sowing and reaping. For the members to continue giving, it is inculcated in their mind the Biblical Law that what you give is what you get back. Seminar on Law of Accountability is also implemented by 27 PMF Ministers, inculcating to members that it is accountable to God of what the people manage. Furthermore, 22 mentioned that they conduct seminar on the Law of Ownership, while 16 conducted seminar on the Law of Sacrifice. The main objective is to inculcate to each and every member that God owns all, and men are called to manage these. Likewise, sacrificing is expected since it is an offer without blemish before the Lord.
Results indicate that different seminars are conducted by the PMF Ministers for the members to recognize and appreciate the essence of giving to the church. These are conducted to strengthen their belief and enhance their motivation to give and contribute to the church.
 

Table 10
Specific Programs and Projects in Mission Growth Factors
Implemented by the PMF Ministers in
Their Respective Churches

Programs and Projects FrequencyN = 54 Rank
1. Make a Great Commission Commitment 33 2
2. Clear Definition of the Meaning of Missions 41 1
3. Establishment of a Missions Council 11 6
4. Staging of an Annual Faith-Promise Missions Conference 4 9
5. Making Missions Visible to People 22 4
6. Raising up of missionaries out of the Church 27 3
7. Sponsoring of Mission Trips 6 8
8. Conduct of Special Mission Offerings 12 5
9. Development of a Word Missionary Strategy 10 7
 

 The specific programs and projects in mission growth factor for church growth implemented by the PMF Ministers are presented in Table 10. The distribution reflects that the program that ranked  first is the clear definition of the meaning of mission, while the development of a world missionary strategy ranked last.
 Clear definition of the meaning of mission (frequency = 41) ranked the most implemented program in the missionary activities for church growth. This is because the first step in any program is to define the program itself. The people involved must understand first the meaning of their missions so that they will be guided of the nature of the different activities, their goals and objectives. What is meant for missions should be defined, and the bottom line should be saving souls and building church.
 To make a great commission commitment is implemented by 33 of the PMF Ministers. This is done because mission is not optional, and it is what the church is all about, and Jesus declared that missions is why the church exists. The preacher, the governing body, and the other key leaders must start the process. The members should become personally involved in the support of missions. 
 Raising up missionaries out of the church, on the other hand, is practiced in 27 PMF churches. This is to increase the number of people from the church who will take missions on recruiting new members. These people are challenged and raised up, or even come without being challenged and raised.
 Missions are made visible to the people. This strategy is implemented by 22 PMF Ministers. This is to address the need of those from the remote areas or overseas. On the other hand, 12 ministers conduct special mission offerings. These offerings provide what is needed for the missionaries but also to give people a personal stake in the country. These special offerings will support the needs of the missionaries.
 Establishment of mission council is done by 11 PMF churches. This is to have a committee to set policy and procedures for missions in the church, formulate budget and do the planning. This implies that the 11 churches are more likely large churches since smaller churches could have the pastor himself to lead the council.
 Furthermore, the development of a World Missionary Strategy, sponsoring of mission trips and staging of an annual faith-promise mission conference were also implemented by the PMF Ministers, but relatively of lower number. 

T able 11 
Specific Programs and Projects in Birthing Growth Factor 
Implemented by the PMF Churches

         
Programs and Projects Frequency(N = 54) Rank
1. Short/long range planning 30 3
2. Strategy of location 35 2
3. Proper financial backing 40 1
4. Availability of church workers 1 4
 

 Table 11 presents the specific programs and projects in birthing growth factor that are implemented in the PMF Churches. Regardless of the size, the church should give birth to a new church, and carried out wherever the need for it exists.
 Proper financial backing is implemented by 40 PMF Churches through their ministers. This is a requirement since the preacher is not expected to seek outside employment that will cause his ineffectiveness. Furthermore, 35 PMF Churches employed the strategic location of the new church to be created. Distance and the origin of majority of prospects are to be considered.
 On the other hand, short/long range planning  is implemented by 30 PMF Churches, through the regular meeting of the council. This is planning for the establishment of new congregation. Short range planning concerns itself with the immediate plans for the next new church while long range planning includes a ten to fifteen year plan.  Planning is important for the proper implementation of steps, allocation of resources and for the duration of a certain project. 
 Finally, the availability of church worker is least considered. These are members who will volunteer, or work for a very minimal wage, in the construction of new churches. Church workers and volunteers will reduce the cost of constructing or birthing a new church.
 It is apparent that the majority of the PMF churches implemented programs and projects for the birthing of a new churches. They considered the financial resources, planning and the location. Least considered is the availability of church workers, and this is attributed to the volunteerism that is expected in each member. It is not unusual for the members of the church to help in the construction of their new church.
 

Table 12
Specific  Programs and Projects in the Action Growth Factor
 Implemented by the PMF Churches
 

Programs and projects FrequencyN = 54 Rank
1. Secure the commitment of leaders for the implementation of the programs and projects 43 1
2. Secure the commitment of members for the implementation of programs and projects 34 2
 

 Table 12 reflects the specific programs and projects in the action growth factor implemented in the PMF Churches. Since the implemented programs and projects require actions, every member and the leaders need to have commitment. Thus, the commitment of leaders is secured by 43 PMF Ministers, while only 34 prioritized to secure the commitment of members. Nevertheless, the commitment of the leaders and the members must be secured, because they will be the main actor in the implementation of programs and projects, for church growth.

Problems, Issues and Needs of the
Philippine Missionary Fellowship churches

 The major problems, issues and needs in the implementation of the programs and projects for church growth are identified. Subsequently, the extent of these problems, issues and needs are evaluated.

Seriousness of Problems
 The problems encountered by the PMF Ministers are identified. Furthermore, these problems are rated as to the extent to which it affects the growth of the church.
Table 13
Mean Seriousness of the Problems Encountered by the 
 Philippine Missionary Fellowship Church

Problems Weighted Mean Interpretation
1. Pessimist members 3.28 Moderately serious
2. Lack of sufficient funds 3.48 Moderately serious
3. Professional jealousy among members 2.63 Moderately serious
4. Lack of committed members to help carry out the programs and projects 3.17 Moderately serious
5. Lack of seminars and trainings of the Pastor to enhance leadership 2.87 Moderately serious
6. The Pastors are exhausted due to hectic schedules and activities 2.96 Moderately serious
                         Overall Mean 3.06 Moderately serious

Legend:
        4.51 –5.00 – very serious       3.51-4.50 – serious            2.51-3.50 – moderately serious
        1.51-2.50 - least serious         less than 1.51 - not serious
 

 With the overall mean of 3.06, the PMF churches encountered only moderately serious problems in their implementation of programs and projects for church growth.
 Specifically, pessimist members is a “moderately serious” problems, which registered the mean seriousness of 3.28. this indicates that pessimistic members affect the church programs and activities only at the moderate extent. This also implies that there are more optimistic members who are working for the church growth. Indeed, the church cannot avoid pessimistic members, but they should not be allowed to affect the church’s growth.
 Lack of sufficient funds also affect the church activities to a “moderate extent”,  which registered the mean of 3.48. Although it is inculcated to each member the essence of giving for the church, it is not unusual to experience financial difficulties. Funds are seldomly sufficient, but the contributions of the members are not negligible. Different programs and activities for church growth needs financial support, and its availability moderately affect the growth of PMF churches.
 Professional jealousy among members is rated “moderately serious” by the PMF Ministers. This problem registered the mean of 2.63. This implies that jealousy among members that lead to conflicts and disputes poses moderate effect in the implementation of programs and projects for church growth. This also indicates that the church administration manage conflicts and reduce its effect to church activities. As Thiesen   stressed, trouble-making results from a disorderly walk as Christian. It is included in the sermon to remind every clashing members of what they ought to act as the servants of God.
 Similarly, lack of committed members to help carry out the programs and projects is a “moderately serious” problem. This problem registered the mean of 3.17 indicating its moderately extent of affecting church growth. Its moderate seriousness is attributed to the program they implemented for church growth, in terms of action. As reflected in Table 12,  34 churches secured the commitment of members for the implementation of programs and project. The program reduced the extent to which the mentioned problem affect the church.
 The lack of seminars and trainings of the Pastors to enhance leadership  is also a moderate problem of the PMF Churches. This problem registered the mean of 2.87, indicating that it is a moderately serious problem. This is attributed to the financial constraints of the church to provide Pastors  with adequate leadership training and seminars. Training and seminars are needed by the Pastors although education cannot take the place of spirituality. However, there is a close connection between study and spiritual life and the Pastor who does not study is lacking in fresh spiritual experiences.  
 Finally, it is also a moderately serious problem of the PMF Churches, the hectic schedule and activities of the Pastors. This problem registered the mean of 2.96. Because of this, the Pastors are exhausted. However, because of the help of the members and the church leaders, the pastors become alleviated and their burdens lessened, making this to have a moderate effect in church activities for its growth.
 To sum it up, the PMF churches encountered problems that only affect church growth at the “moderate extent”. These problems are addressed by the Ministers and the church, with their methods and strategies in terms of various factors, for the church to grow.
 

Issues

 Issues affecting the PMF churches are presented in Table 14, and its seriousness is evaluated, as rated by the PMF Minister respondents.
 

Table 14
Mean Seriousness of the Issues Affecting the
Philippine Missionaries Fellowship Church

Issues Weighted Mean Interpretation
1. Members are looking for the educational attainment of the Pastor 3.09 Moderately serious
2. Expectation of members to the Pastors are too high with regards to accomplishment  3.54 Serious
3. Children of the Pastors are naughty 2.56 Moderately serious
4. Pastor’s wife is not accommodating. 2.59 Moderately serious
5. The Pastor is bossy type. 2.65 Moderately serious
6. Laxity of the pastor 2.82 Moderately serious
7. The Pastor is not full-time. 3.06 Moderately serious
Overall Mean 2.90 Moderately serious

 Table 14 presents the mean seriousness of issues affecting the PMF churches. The overall mean is 2.90, indicating that the issues faced by the PMF churches are moderately serious.
 Specifically, it is a “moderately serious” issue of the church that the members are looking for the educational attainment of the Pastor. This registered a mean of 3.09. As the principal figure of the church, members tend to bring Pastors into a higher position, both in terms of intellectual capacity and social status among other aspects. They tend to consider Pastors of high educational qualification to be superior than the members. Normally, formal education is associated to the social status, and the Pastors are not exempted. In this issue, programs and projects are implemented to provide Pastors with training, skills and education.
 And because of the status set by the members of the church to their pastors, the members are also highly expecting from their pastors quality accomplishments. This high expectation is a serious issue in the PMF churches, and this registered a mean of 3.54. Many members are expecting too high, and failure of the Pastors to meet such expectation will lead to the reduction of their high regards to their pastors. This would lead to the loss of confidence of the members to their Pastors in  bringing the church to its desired growth, and to the extreme, would lead to their disobedience and stop coming to church.
 Another issues, which are moderately serious, are the characteristic naughty behavior of Pastor’s children and non-accommodating Pastor’s wife. These issues registered the means of 2.56 and 2.59, respectively. These personal issues affect the members, and make them disappointed on the nature of Pastor’s family. Furthermore, these characteristics are reflected to the Pastor’s capability of directing the church to salvation when he cannot discipline his family. However, the moderate extent of seriousness of issues indicates that this does not affect much the church. This is attributed to the discipline imposed by the pastor to his family when he becomes aware of the issue. The Pastors tend to have coping mechanisms to get away from the issues, and save the church and its growth.
 The  bossiness of the Pastor is also a “moderately serious” issue in the PMF Churches, with a mean of 2.65. This characteristic of the Pastor could offend and disappoint the members this may give rise to conflicts. The laxity of a Pastor, a contracting characteristic, is also a “moderate problem”. This problem registered the mean of 2.82. Sometimes,  when the pastors are not strict the members  act beyond their limits. In this case, the Pastor do not possess strong personality to  command and direct the church. Nevertheless, these are just moderate issues in the PMF Churches.
 Finally, another “moderately serious” issue, which got a mean of 3.06, is that the Pastor is not full-time. This indicates that only few pastors are having works outside the church or are not fully working for church activities such as worship services, outreach and missions. This also implies that majority of the PMF churches have Pastors loaded with their respective duties and responsibilities in the church.
 Summing it up, the issues discussed related to the problems of the church are only “moderately serious”. This means that these issues are not adversely affecting church activities to a large extent. The issues are tolerable, and thus if properly managed can be combatted easily.
 

Needs

 The needs of the PMF Churches are identified. The extent to which these things are needed by the churches are evaluated, as rated by the PMF Minister respondents, using the questionnaire as the data gathering instrument.
 

Table 15
Needs of the Philippine Missionary Fellowship Church

Needs Weighted Mean Interpretation
1. Committed leader who will help in evangelism 4.13 Needed
2. Committed members in tithing 4.24 Needed
3. Committed members to pray and support the activities of the church 4.32 Needed
4. Spiritually matured church members and willing to do the tasks in the  church 4.04 Needed
5. Income-generating programs to support church activities 3.85 Needed
6. Pastor must  study church management to enhance leadership capabilities 3.59 Needed
Overall Mean 4.03 Needed

 Table 15 reflects the needs of the PMF Churches. With the overall mean of 4.03, the churches have needs that are at second highest level. This indicates that the church needs committed leaders who will help in evangelism (mean = 4.13), committed members in tithing (mean = 4.24), committed members to pray and support church activities (mean = 4.32) and spiritually-matured church members who are willing to do the tasks in the church (mean = 4.04). Similarly, the PMF churches need income-generating programs to support church activities (mean 3.85) and the pastor needs to study church management to enhance leadership capabilities (mean = 3.59).
 Results indicate that PMF Churches need committed leaders to spread the rods of God, and committed members to support the different activities of the church. there must also be projects that will generate income to finance different church activities. Furthermore, Pastors need additional trainings for church management since the church is growing and he will be dealing with different people of varying characteristics. A Pastor must be equipped with knowledge and skills in dealing with heterogeneous members.
 

Relationships between the  Ministers’ Profile 
and the Perceived Effectiveness of 
Church Growth Methods and Strategies.

 The characteristics of PMF Ministers in terms of educational qualifications, age and work experience, are correlated  to the effectiveness of the church growth methods and strategies. The test of relationship was done using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation ( r ).
 

      Table 16
Test of Relationship between Minister’s Profile and the
Effectiveness of the Church Growth Methods and
Strategies by the Pearson’s  Correlation
 

Profile Variable Effectiveness of ChurchGrowth Methods and Strategies
 Correlation Coefficient ® Interpretation
1. Educational Qualification( years  of schooling) 0.118 Negligible correlation
2. Age 0.149 Negligible correlation
3. Work Experience 0.091 Negligible correlation
 

          Table 16 present the result of the test of relationship between PMF Minister’s profile and the perceived effectiveness of the church growth methods and strategies using the Pearson’s  correlation  coefficient (r).
           There was a negligible correlation between the PMF Minister’s educational qualification , in terms of year of schooling, and the effectiveness of church growth methods and strategies (r=0.118). Furthermore this extent of relationship was not significant. Thus, the null hypothesis that there is no significant relationship between educational qualification and the effectiveness of methods and strategies is accepted. This implies that the effectiveness is not associated  and independent of the Minister’s level of education because it is not a guarantee that if a minister is highly educated, he could make the church growth methods and strategies implemented by the church effective. Other factors could influence the effectiveness of the employed methods and strategies.
  Similarly, a negligible correlation was also revealed by the test between PMF Minister’s age and the effectiveness of  implemented growth methods and strategies (r = 0.149). Moreover, the relationship is not statistically significant, indicating the failure of the null hypothesis. This implies that effectiveness is not associated with the ministers’ age. Effectiveness of church growth methods and strategies is independent of ministers’ age. Regardless of the age of the ministers, methods and strategies will be effective due more likely to the characteristics of these methods and strategies.
Finally, work experience had negligible correlation to the effectiveness of growth methods and strategies ( r = 0.091 ). Similarly, this is a failure to reject the null hypothesis. Effectiveness of the methods and strategies for church growth is not related to the work experience of the PMF Ministers who are currently implementing these.
In general, Ministers’ profile have no relationship to the effectiveness of the growth methods and strategies implemented in  their respective churches. Effectiveness is less likely to vary in a church even if different Pastors of varying  characteristics will be assigned.
 

Relationship Between Problems, Issues and Needs of the 
Church and the Effectiveness of Growth Methods and Strategies.
 

 The seriousness of problems and issues and the extent of needs of the church  are correlated to the effectiveness of growth methods and strategies. Similarly, Pearson’s ( r ) was used.
 

Table 17

Test of Relationship between Problems, Needs and Issues
 and the Effectiveness of Church Growth Methods
and Strategies by Pearson’s r

     
Variables Effectiveness of Church Growth Methods and Strategies
 Pearson’s r Interpretation
Problems - 0.048 NegligibleNegative correlation
Issues +0.028 Negligible correlation
Needs 0.613** Moderate correlation
** significant at 0.01 level
 

Table 17 presents the correlation coefficient between problems, issues and needs of the church and the effectiveness of church growth methods and strategies.
 Problems were negatively correlated to the effectiveness of the church growth methods are strategies ( r = - 0.048 ). However, the relationship is only  at the negligible extent. Notwithstanding, the trend was that methods become less effective  as the problems become more serious. Similarly, negligible correlation, although positive, was revealed between issues and effectiveness. This implies that effectiveness is less likely to vary with the seriousness of issues. Furthermore, the tested relationships of variables are not statistically significant, thus failed to reject the null hypothesis.
 In contrast, there was a moderate relationship between the needs and the effectiveness (r = 0.613). This relationship is further strengthened by its high significance at 0.01 level, thus the null hypothesis is rejected. The needs are directly and positively related to the perceived effectiveness at a moderate extent. This indicates that as the need increases, more likely at the moderate extent that the church growth methods and strategies become effective. This relationship is attributed to the strategies and methods that are implemented to address the needs. The strategies become relevant because they address the needs. As the needs increase, the strategies and methods implemented become more relevant, thus increase the effectiveness.
 

Interrelationship among  Problems
Issues and Needs 
 
 The interrelationship among problems, issues and needs are also tested using the Pearson’s correlation. The results of the two is presented in the correlation matrix presented in Table 18.
 
 

Table 18
Test of Relationship Between the Seriousness of Issue and the 
Effectiveness of Church Growth Methods and Strategies
 by the Pearson’s Correlation

Variables  Pearson’s r
 Problems Issues Needs
Problems 1.000  
Issues 0.417** 1.000 
Needs 0.071 0.280* 1.000
*   significant low-correlation at 0.05 level
** significant moderate relationship at 0.01 level
 

 Table 18 presents the correlation matrix showing the degree of interrelationship among variables.
 It was revealed that the seriousness of issues and problems are moderately related (r = 0.417). this relationship is highly significant because the probability falls within the limit of not more than 0.01. this connotes that those PMF Ministers who perceived that the issues in their church are serious  likewise believe that the problems encountered are serious. This indicates that the problems are associated to issues, and both could affect the church growth. Thus, these must be managed and addressed together, to ensure church growth. Issues may become problems, and problems are also issues that could affect the church.
 Similarly, seriousness of issues and needs are significantly related but to a lower extent (r = 0.280). This implies that those who believed that the issues in their church are serious, are more likely to believe that there are more things that are needed for the church to grow. It is because issues arise due to some needs, and needs arise because of the different issues. People tend to see the needs because of the issues and they are likely to see issues because of the  needs.
 However, no significant relationship was revealed between seriousness of problems and needs of the church (r = 0.071). There is no definite pattern as to one’s perception of the seriousness of the problems encountered by the church and their beliefs of the needs of the church.

Relationship Between PMF Minister’s Profile and
The Problems, Issues and Needs of the Church

 The relationships between PMF Minister’s Profile and the problems, issues  and needs of the church are examined. Similarly, the test of relationship is through Pearson’s r. 

Table 19
Correlation Coefficient Depicting  Relationships Between  
 Profile and the Problems, Needs and Issues
of PMF Church

Profile Variable Problems Issues Needs
Educational Attainment(years of schooling) 0.157 - 0.001 - 0.099
Age - 0.076 0.154 0.200
Work Experience - 0.045 - 0.011 0.054

As reflected in Table 19, profile variables educational attainment, age and work experience of PMF Ministers are not significantly correlated to the problems, issues and needs of the church. The relationships are at negligible to low extent and are not significant. Thus, the null hypothesis is accepted. There are no significant relationships between PMF Minister’s profile and the seriousness of problems, issues and needs of the church.

 This chapter presents the summary of findings, the conclusions and the recommendations made by the researcher.

SUMMARY

 Church growth is the primary objective of the numerous organized religious groups. It is the discipline which seeks to understand through biblical, sociological, historical and behavioral study, why churches grow or decline.  There are factors that affect church growth in a varying extent. Nevertheless, different programs and projects are implemented to ensure the growing of the church. Furthermore, needs, problems and issues are inevitable and that these may affect to a varying extent the church growth and the effectiveness of the implemented programs and projects for church growth.
 The present study was conducted to determine the church growth of the Philippine Missionary Fellowship, Inc. Specifically, it aimed to do the following:
1. Describe the profile of the PMF Minister respondents in terms of educational qualifications, age and work experience.
2. Find out the specific programs and projects implemented by the PMF Churches in terms of different growth factors.
3. Identify the different problems, issues and needs of the PMF Churches. Determine the extent, in terms of seriousness, that these problems, issues and needs affect the growth of PMF churches.
4. Find out the different church growth methods and strategies implemented in the PMF Churches’ and determine the perception of the PMF Ministers on the effectiveness of these methods and strategies.
5. Determine the relationship between the PMF Minister’s profile and the extent of problems, issues and needs of the church growth.
6. Find out the relationship between the PMF Minister’s profile and the perceived effectiveness of church growth methods and strategies.
7. Appraise the relationship between problems, issues and needs of the church and the effectiveness of growth methods and strategies.
8. Determine the interrelationships among problems, issues and needs of the PMF Churches for growth.

The respondents of this study were the ministers of the Philippine Missionary Fellowship, Incorporated from the different provinces of the country. A total of 54 PMF ministers served as the respondents of the study. The data were collected using a questionnaire as the data gathering instrument.
Descriptive design of research guided the study. Frequency, ranks, means and standard deviation was used to describe the variable studied. Correlation analysis, using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation, was used to determine the relationships between variables. Furthermore, the data obtained were processed using the Strategic Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).

Findings

PMF Minister’s Profile
 The characteristics of the PMF Minister respondents considered in this study were educational qualification, age and work experience. The majority (68.5 percent) were able to reach college level, with a mean years of schooling of 14.04, and Standard deviation of 1.76 years, indicating a narrow dispersion in educational attainment among the ministers. In terms of age, majority (31.5 percent) belonged to age bracket 44 to 49 years old, with a mean age of 44.10 years old. The Standard deviation for age was 9.19, showing a wide dispersion in age of the minister. Finally, the mean work experience of the respondents was 16.26 years and the Standard deviation was 9.85, indicating wide dispersion in work experience. Relatively, majority (57.4 percent) of the PMF Ministers have short work experience. 
Church Growth Programs and Projects
Implemented in Philippine Missionary Fellowship

 In vision growth factors, 35 PMF Churches formulated annual plan of action of church activities while 36 claimed that they envisioned to witness at least ten persons every year. On the other hand, house-to-house personal evangelism was conducted by 54 ministers, while church planting, the lease implemented, was implemented by one minister.
 In the maturation growth factor, 44 churches involved the new believers in church activities while only one church conducted training. The next-in-rank programs that are implemented by 33 churches were conducting of seminars for new believers and scheduling of follow-up lessons for new believers.
 Preparation of the church in the proper atmosphere that is conducive for worship was implemented by 46 churches, and was the most implemented. On the other hand, 29 churches had special numbers before the sermons during Sunday Worship service, and this was the least implemented program in terms of the worship growth factor. In terms of preaching, on the other hand, the most implemented was the adequate preparation of the pastor in his sermon. This was observed in the 48 PMF churches. The least implemented, which was conducted in 10 PMF Churches, was that the preacher should not back away from controversial scripture because it is not popular.
 In the leadership factor, 46 churches had programs in the training of leaders. On the other hand, 44 churches had programs in the selection of spiritual leaders. For giving, 34 churches conducted seminar on the law of commitment, and the least was the seminar on the law of sacrifice, which was conducted by 16 churches.
 Program for the clear definition of the meaning of mission was the most implemented in the mission growth factor. This was implemented by 41 churches. The least implemented, which was employed by 6 churches was the sponsoring of mission trips. On the other hand, proper financial backing for the birthing of new churches was implemented by 40 PMF churches. Only one church considered the availability of church workers.
 Finally, the commitment of leader for the implementation of programs and projects was secured in 43 PMF churches. On the other hand, 34 churches secured the commitment of the church leaders. These were to strengthen the action factor of church growth.

Problems, Issues and Needs
 With the overall mean of 3.06, the problems encountered by the church in its growth were moderately serious. These problems were pessimist member (mean = 3.28), lack of sufficient funds (mean = 3.48), professional jealousy among members (mean = 2.63), lack of committed members (mean = 3.17), lack of leadership training and seminars for pastors (mean = 2.87), and the exhausted condition of pastors due to hectic schedules and activities (mean = 2.96).
 The PMF churches encountered moderately serious issues (mean = 2.90). Specifically, the moderately serious issues are that the members were looking for the educational attainment of the pastor (mean = 3.09), naughty children of pastor (mean = 2.56), non-accommodating wife (mean = 2.59), bossy pastor (mean = 2.65), laxity (mean = 2.82) and the pastor is not full-time (mean = 3.06). On the other hand, high expectation of the members to the pastors in terms of accomplishment (mean = 3.54) was a serious issue on PMF church.

Church Growth Methods and Strategies and the 
Perceived Effectiveness

 Finally, PMF churches also had needs ( mean = 4.03 ). They need committed leader who will help in evangelism ( mean = 4.13 ), committed members in tithing ( mean = 4.24 ) and in supporting church activities ( mean = 4.32 ), spiritually- matured church members ( mean = 4.04), income-generating programs to support church activities ( mean = 3.85 ) and need for the pastor to study church management to enhance leadership capabilities ( mean = 3.59 ).
Church  Growth Methods and Strategies and the
Perceived Effectiveness

Seven of the growth methods and strategies were perceived as highly effective by the respondents. These are biblical preaching ( mean = 4.11 ), hospitality ( mean = 3.69 ), emphasis on relationship ( mean = 3.72 ), enthusiastic worship ( mean = 3.72 ), effective visitation ( mean = 3.85 ), member involvement ( mean = 3.61 ), and Christian fellowship ( mean = 3.85 ).
 On the other hand, rated  “moderately effective” are adequate staffing ( mean = 3.13 ), doing the basics well ( mean = 3.41 ). Vibrant bible classes ( mean = 3.43 ), small groups ( mean = 3.35 ),  space for growth ( mean = 3.15 ) and extension work ( mean = 3.11 ).
 In general, the overall mean was 3.55, indicating that the church growth methods and strategies employed by PMF churches were highly effective.

Relationships between Ministers’ Profile and
Perceived Effectiveness of Church Growth Methods and Strategies.

 Using the Pearsons’ Correlation, the PMF Ministers’ educational qualification had negligible correlation to the perceived effectiveness of church growth methods and strategies. The correlation coefficient was  0.118. Similarly age ( r = 0.149 ) and work experience ( r = 0.091 ) had negligible correlation to the perceived effectiveness of the methods and strategies

Relationship between Problems, Issues and Needs and the
Effectiveness of Church Growth Methods and Strategies.
 Between problems and effectiveness, the correlation coefficient was - 0.048, indicating a negligible negative correlation between the two variables. Similarly, issues were correlated to effectiveness at negligible extent ( r = 0.028 ). However, the relationship was positive.
 Statistically significant moderate correlation, on the other hand, was revealed between needs and effectiveness. The correlation coefficient was 0.613, which is significant at 0.01 level.

Interrelationship Among Problems, Issues and Needs

 Of the tested relationships, only the correlation between needs and problems were not statistically significant ( r = 0.071 ). Issues were significantly related to the moderate extent to problems ( r = 0.417 ).  Furthermore, needs had significant correlation, at low extent, to issues ( r = 0.280 ).

Relationship Between PMF Ministers Profile at the
Problems, Issues and Needs of the Church

 No significant relationship existed between the respondents profile as to age, educational attainment and work experience and the extent of problems, issues and needs of the church. The relationship found ranged from 0.001 to 0.200, or no correlation to negligible.
Conclusions
 

 Based on the highlights of the results of this study, the following conclusion were drawn.

1. Majority of PMF Ministers has college degree, with the mean age of 44.10 years old and mean work experience of 16.26 years.
2. The PMF churches headed by Ministers, implemented different programs and projects in terms of different programs and projects in terms of different church growth factors.
3. The problems and issues encountered by the PMF churches were moderate serious. The needs, on the other  hand, were at the second high extent.
4. The methods and strategies employed by the PMF Churches were perceived highly effective for church growth.
5. No significant relationship existed between the respondents’ profile and the seriousness of problems, issues and needs of the PMF for church growth.
6. The needs of the PMF churches were significant, correlated at the moderate extent to the perceived effectiveness of church growth methods and strategies.
7. Educational qualification, age and work experience of the PMF Ministers were not significantly correlated to the perceived effectiveness of church growth methods and strategies.
8. Needs of PMF churches were not significantly related to the seriousness of problems. On the other hand, issues were significantly correlated  at moderate extent of problems, and at low extent to needs.

Recommendations:

 The following recommendations are made by the researcher based on the pertinent findings of the study.
1. Continue implementing programs and projects in order for the PMF churches to grow.
2. Provide the PMF Ministers with adequate and relevant trainings or seminars that will enhance their preaching and church management capability.
3. Problems, issues and needs of the church should be addressed immediately to avoid adverse effects to church growth.
4. Future related studies are recommended to further substantiate and strengthen the results and findings of similar investigations.
5. Issues which pose moderately serious problems should be analyzed, alternative solutions be considered to eliminate problems between the church leaders and church followers.
6. Church growth methods perceived to be effective should be used more often but efforts to improve other church growth methods should be exerted.
7. While educational qualification, age and work experience of the PMF Ministers were found not to be significantly correlated to the perceived effectiveness of church growth methods, further observation, and investigation could be made to ascertain the validity of the findings.
8. Since the needs of the church though correlated at low extent to church growth  methods, it is recommended that a clear identification of church needs should be made and appropriate church growth methods be applied.

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ARTICLE I – THE NAME
 

Section 1. The Name of this religious organization shall be: THE PHILIPPINE MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP, INC.
Section 2. The name may be changed by the two-thirds (2/4) votes of the whole membership of the Philippine Missionary Fellowship at its General Conference, provided that the change will not go contrary  to any governmental rules and regulations in regard to the incorporation of religious organizations.
 

ARTICLE II – THE PURPOSE
 

Section 1. It shall be the purpose of this organization to establish missionary local churches, according to the New Testament pattern both in the Philippines and abroad, as the Lord directs through the following means: by sending our missionaries to directly preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, viz-a-viz, by mass or personal evangelism; by establishing non-profit organizations such as schools, hospitals, orphanages, and publications, or other institutions helpful to the achievement of the purpose of PMF.
Section 2. For implementation of the above purpose, it is therefore necessary for this religious organization to have power to administer its temporalities, acquire, possess and dismiss its members.

Section 3. The PMF should be incorporated according to the laws of the Republic of the Philippines in order to lawfully pursue its objectives.
 

ARTICLE III – THE CENTER OF BUSINESS
 

Section 1. The central office of this organization shall be in Metro Manila, or such other place in the Philippines as the Board of Directors may designate thereafter. Any change of the location of the Central Office of the PMF from Metro Manila to any other places in the Philippines should be made known to all members of the PMF thirty (30) days before the office is finally moved.

ARTICLE IV – THE STATEMENT OF FAITH
 

The following Statement of Faith shall be doctrinal stand of this organization:
Section 1. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three Persons: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Section 2. We believe in the deity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return to earth in the power and glory to judge the living and the dead.
Section 3. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling presence the true believer is enabled to live abundant and victorious life, and to do effective works of service for the building up of the Body of Christ, while at the same  time rejecting any extreme charismatic practices.
Section 4. We believe in the divine inspiration of the Scriptures, the Bible, the infallible and authoritative Word of  God, which is able to make the true believer in Christ wise unto salvation.
Section 5. We believe that for the salvation of the totally depraved, sinful human race, the regeneration of the Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary.
Section 6. We believe in the resurrection of the both saved and the unsaved; they that are saved unto the resurrection of eternal life and fellowship with God, and they that are unsaved unto the resurrection of eternal damnation and separation from God.
Section 7. We believe in the universal church of Jesus Christ, the unity and fellowship in Him of all true believers.
 

ARTICLE V – MEMBERSHIP
 

Section 1. The Membership of this organization shall be composed of:
A. Regular Members
1. The regular and volunteer missionaries who subscribed to the Statement of Faith of this organization, and whose membership has been approved by the Board.
2. Pastors called by the local churches through the approval of the Area Advisory Committee and who willfully subscribed to the Statement of Faith of this organization, and whose appointment as local pastors have been confirmed by the PMF Board of Directors.
3. Church Members who have been converted and baptized through the ministry of PMF, and who willfully subscribed to the Statement of Faith of the organization.
B. Honorary Members. The honorary members of this organization included any local church, workers or church members who willfully affiliate to the ministry of PMF, and whose formal affiliation have been approved by the PMF Board of Directors.
 

ARTICLE VI – THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
 

Section 1. The Board of Directors of PMF shall be composed of nine (9) members who may be increased to no more than fifteen (15) or decreased to no less than five (5) members in accordance with the law.
Section 2. The nine (9) members of the Board must be composed of five (5) regular missionaries elected by all missionaries attending the National Conference; one (1) local pastor elected from among themselves during the National Conference; and three (3) church leaders representing the regions of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao elected by the respective regional representatives during the National Conference.
Section 3. The term of office of the Board of Directors:
A. The term of office of the members of the Board of Directors shall be two years and subject for re-election but not to exceed six (6) years continuous service. However, he is eligible to be elected as Board of Directors only after two years have lapsed. Furthermore, those who have been member of the Board for a total of twelve 12 years is no longer qualified for election to the same office. Instead, they automatically become members of the Council of Advisers to the existing Board of Directors.
B. Those five (5) missionaries elected to the Board must be from among the regular missionaries who served with PMF in the field continuously for seven (7) years.
C. The local pastor who is previously a PMF regular/volunteer missionary is automatically qualified to be elected to the Board.  However, the local pastor who is not previously a regular missionary of PMF, nor a volunteer worker, nor a church member of the mission, must be qualified only to be elected to the Board if he has served the PMF church continuously for two (2) years.
D. In case of vacancy in the membership of the Board of Directors that demand replacement, the next in the rank during the National Conference election automatically take the vacancy.
Section 4. The Board of Directors shall be the legislative and judicial body PMF:
A. It shall promulgate legislation(s) which are conducive to the growth and harmony of the PMF.
B. It shall see to it that all the laws and regulations of PMF are faithfully obeyed by its constituency.
C. Having to act in the capacity of elders, the members of the Board of Directors must possess the qualifications for such office as provided in the New Testament.
D. The Board of Directors shall have the authority to exercise discipline over all the members of the PMF.
Section 5. The Board of Directors shall oversee the proper implementation of the laws and regulations by all its constituency through the Executive Department headed by the Executive Director. The Executive Committee consists of the Field Director, Business Manager, Director for Pastoral Ministry and Director for Church Relations. The Department is authorized to execute all things in accordance with the approved legislation and decisions of the Board, the Constitution and By-laws of the mission and approved principles and practices of the same. Consultation with members of the Board will be sought for by the Executive Department prior to any action not covered by the above limitations.
 

ARTICLE VII – THE OFFICERS: THEIR DUTIES AND THEIR POWERS

Section 1. General Assembly/National Conference. 
A. The PMF General Assemble/National Conference is the gathering of all regular Missionaries, Volunteer Workers, Local Pastors, and Official Delegates from every PMF Local Churches. This is to be held every two (2) years during the month of May with the dates and venue decided upon the Board of Directors. (As amended on May 9, 1997). 
Section 2. The Board of Directors 
A. Being the body delegated with the legislative and judicial duties of the Mission (PMF) the Board of Directors shall have its stated regular meeting at least once in every four (4) months. Such meeting which the Board of Directors deems necessary for the effective prosecutions of it duties bay be held at the call of the President and four (4) other members of the Board. (As amended on May 9, 1997). 
Section 3. The Quorum 
A. All actions taken in any business meeting during the General Assembly/National Conference, can only be legitimate and binding, if and when majority of the total Official Registered Delegates are present in such meeting. 
B. All actions taken in any business meeting of the Board of Directors can only be legitimate and binding if and at least majority of the Board membership is present at such meeting. 
ARTICLE IX – ELECTION 

Section 1. The members of the Board of Directors shall be elected by the conference every two (2) year during the General Assembly. (As amended on May 9, 1997). 
Section 2. The Members of the Board of Directors will elect from among themselves the officers of the Board according to the Article VII. (Members of the Executive Committee will all be appointees of the Board based on the recommendations of the Executive Director. (As amended on May 9, 1997). 
Section 3. All election must be done by secret balloting, and without nomination. (As amended on May 9, 1997). 
Section 4. Volunteer Missionaries who have been certified by their Area through the Area Coordinator to be working for four (4) years are qualified to vote in the General Assembly but cannot be voted to any elective office. (As amended on May 9, 1997). 
Section 5. Regardless of how many delegates hey sent to attend the National Assembly, only two (2) delegates from every church will be considered official, therefore the only one who can participate in the voting during the business meeting. (As amended on May 9, 1997). 
Section 6. All elections shall be preceded by a special season of prayer. 
Section 7. any form of electioneering either for or against a certain member shall be regarded with contempt. 
Section 8. Only those who will get three – fourth (3/4) of the votes of all present at the General Conferences shall be declared elected. (As amended on May 9, 1997). 
 
ARTICLE X – FINANCE 

Section 1. The Philippine Missionary Fellowship, Inc., being a faith Mission, entirely depends upon God’s provision for the achievement of its objectives. Believing that God moves the heart of men, the Mission/Corporation would rather resort to prayer than make any financial campaign. (As amended on May 9, 1997). 
A. No solicitation of funds from non-Christian is authorized. 
B. When a need arises, no solicitation of funds shall be made without prior written approval from the Board of Directors. 
C. All money received under the name of the Mission/Corporation not designated to individuals or to special projects shall be considered as part of the General fund. 
D. Voluntary financial contribution offered by sympathetic Christian individuals or Organization to the Mission/Corporation shall be deeply appreciated. 
E. All money received and disbursed in the name of the Mission/Corporation shall be properly receipted by the PMF Business manager/Treasurer. (As amended on May 9, 1997). 
F. A periodic audits of the books of the Mission/Corporation shall be done and accomplish by a duly authorized licensed Public Accountant. (As amended on May 9, 1997) 
G. The Mission’s Business Manager shall give quarterly financial report of the Corporation to the Board of Directors, and a two year consolidated financial report to the General Assembly meeting. (As amended on May 9, 1997)  

ARTICLE XI – DISCIPLINE 
Section 1. For all the Members of the Mission 
A. Regular and Volunteer Missionaries. Any regular and voluntary missionaries accused and convicted of having taught or causing to be taught any doctrine contrary to the Statement of Faith of PMF involved in immorality, malversation of Church or Mission, Funds, repeated misconduct meted previously by a discipline, insubordination, shall be expelled/terminated from the organization by the actions of the Board of Directors. (As amended on May 9, 1997). 
 Any regular and volunteer missionary of PMF living a life and or inconsistent with the Christian principles as revealed in the Bible is subject to the disciplinary action by the Board. (As amended on May 9, 1997). 
B. Local Pastors. Any Local Pastors accused and convicted of having or causing to be taught any doctrine contrary to the Statement of Faith of PMF, involved in immorality, malversation of Church / Mission funds, repeated misconduct meted previously by a disciplinary action, insubordination, shall be expelled / terminated from the Church of PMF through the action of the Area Missionary Churches Association and as confirmed by the Area Advisory Committee. (As amended on May 9, 1997). 
C. Regular / Honorary Church Members. Any Regular / Honorary Church Members accused and convicted of having taught or causing to be taught any doctrine contrary to the Statement of Faith of PMF, and living a life contrary to the Biblical principles is subject to the disciplinary action by their respective Church councils, Board of Elders. (As amended on May 9, 1997). 

Section 2. For the Board of Directors. Any or all member of the Board of Directors may be removed from Office for a cause by a two thirds (2/3) votes of the corresponding sector that elected them to the Office; Regular/Volunteer Missionaries, Local Pastors, and Regional Representative Disciplinary action against any Board Members can be administered by the sector concerned acting as a body. (As amended on May 9, 1997). 
Section 3. For the Executive Director. The executive Director can be removed from the office for a cause through a vote of no confidence by the conference in session. (As amended on May 9, 1997). 

ARTICLE XII – PERSONNEL 
 
Section 1. All officer or field personnel of the PMF must necessarily be a member(s) of the PMF except where specialized personnel, such as clerk, office manager, bookkeeper, accounting, etc cannot be found within the membership of the PMF. 
Section 2. The PMF Board of Directors will consider loaning PMF personnel to other Mission Organization of like faith, with the understanding that they are going to subsidized the support of the worker up to but not in excess of 50% of the standard support figure currently in force in the Mission. 
Section 3. The PMF still have the disciplinary authority and 50% financial responsibility towards its loaned missionary/missionaries.
 
ARTICLE XIII – PROPERTY 

 
Section 1. All real fixed or expendable properties either donated or purchased with funds donated to the PMF shall be registered under the name of the Philippine Missionary Fellowship. 
Section 2. No PMD Missionary, Local Pastor, or any Church Board, shall dispose any PMF property or use it as loan collateral unless authorized by the Board of Directors. When authorized to do so, all proceeds of such sale/loan shall be turned over to the PMF Business Manager/Treasurer and be allocated by the Board of Directors to any priority project. However, if the Worker and the Church Council concerned sought the approval of the Board to sell or use the property as collateral for a loan for the purpose of using the proceeds to finance their Church priority project, the PMF Board of Directors must give the church first priority in the allocation of the funds generated by the sale/loan. (As amended on May 9, 1997).
 
ARTICLE XIV – AMENDMENTS 

Section 1. This By – Laws of the PMF may be amended by any regular General Conference of PMF, provided that the members are duly informed of the intent and the part or parts of the By – Laws of the PMF to the amended thirty (30) days before the meeting is held provided the majority of entire membership approved the said purpose of amending this constitution and By – Laws of the Philippine Missionary Fellowship, Inc.