TOO SEPARATED A church had a sign in front: JESUS ONLY. One night a storm blew out the first three letters and left US ONLY. Too many churches have come to that. By Vance Havner
Sermon Illustrations
GET A BIGGER BOWL A favorite fish of many today is the Japanese Carp or Koi. These fish will proportionately grow to accommodate whatever size their surrounding is. In a fish bowl they grow to…
ROLE OF SMALL GROUPS Small groups are usually understood to be groups of less than twenty people. Small groups are not just a nice optional idea. They are an optimum size to enhance mutual interaction.…
DETAILS DON'T MATTER The question was asked the Pastor's membership class why they came to New Hope Community Church and what brought them back. A young woman in the class volunteered that seven years earlier…
PERSONAL INVITATIONS George Barna has written a provocative book entitled, Marketing the Church. He writes about marketing the church as a very special commodity to a very special market. This may not sound too spiritual,…
INWARD OR OUTWARD Leith Anderson tells of an experience which indicated whether the church's vision was outward in serving others or inward in serving its own needs and comforts. Leith and his family were on…
KNOW YOUR DIRECTION One of my young colleagues was officiating at the funeral of a war veteran. The dead man's military friends wished to have a part in the service at the funeral home, so…
A TEAM OF THREE New Hope Community Church of Portland, Oregon uses a practical method of developing small groups. They use a team of three individuals to begin a new small group consisting of 1)…
FLIGHT TRAINING A sign seen on a church bulletin board read: "Interested in going to heaven? Apply here for flight training."
USER- FRIENDLY FACILITIES Here are a few questions which should be asked when planning the construction of new church facilities. These are adapted from a longer list proposed by Lyle Schaller: What image do you…
FOUR BASIC SMALL GROUP INGREDIENTS Ron Nicholas of Colonial Congregational Church of Edina, Minnesota enumerates four basic ingredients of a successful small group. Here is a summary of these four ingredients: 1) Nurture: Growth in…
Cell Groups | Community | Desire | Franchise | Growth | Sanctification/ Small Groups Church | Vision
THE CHURCH OF THE FUTURE Of all the books on church growth that I have read or even know about, the following is the best! It provides an historical and oganizational overview of the church…
FINDING THE LOST Donald A. McGavran and Winfield C. Arn write about how good churches and congregations isolate themselves from outsiders and experience decline. They do not encourage these groups to lower their standards to…
LEARN TO WITNESS Learning to ride a bicycle. Sunday afternoon, took an old red bike from garage. Pushed it on to the top of a little two foot high hill in our side yard, just…
IF YOU WANT IT BAD ENOUGH If you want a thing bad enough To go out and fight for it To work day and night for it To give up your time, your peace And…
LEFT FOOT BAPTIST CHURCH William P. Barker tells about a small town in Tennessee that had a place of worship with a sign in front that read: "LEFT FOOT BAPTIST CHURCH." A student had passed…
THE MAN WITH A CONSECRATED CAR He couldn't speak before a crowd; He couldn't teach a class; But when he came to Sunday school He brought the folks "en masse." He couldn't sing to save…
STEWARDSHIP IS DOING A GOOD DEED: ARE YOU WILLING? If you have a warm handclasp, use it. If you have a gift of speech, speak. If you have energy, spend it for good. If you…
GETTING THE WORLD TO LISTEN An observation made by George Barna is that Americans are most open to accept philosophies, people and programs that respond to their felt needs through "highly personalized and relevant messages."…
PASTORAL LONGEVITY One of the deterrents proposed by church growth consultants to church growth is the short duration of pastors. Strong pastoral leadership is typically seen in growing churches. Few churches continue to find substantial…
