Sermon Cloud

State of the Church – 2008

1 Samuel 7:12-13

Intro: In the country of Romania there is a small town called Voinesti.   Small-time Romanian politician Georghe Dobrescu knew unseating popular Mayor Neculai Ivascu would be a difficult task. Under Ivascu's rule for more than two decades, the townspeople had grown accustomed to the incumbent. How entrenched was Ivascu? Even as the sitting mayor died of liver failure just as voting began, Ivascu's corpse still received 23 more votes than Dobrescu.  One townsperson told the local news, "I know he died, but I don't want change."  The local elections board declared Dobrescu the winner by default, though Ivascu supporters are contesting the decision.

People don’t always like change.

How many Baptists does it take to change a light bulb?  4.  1 to change the light bulb and 3 to discuss how better the other light bulb was.  Change is hard.

July 24, 2007.  Change came to all of us.  A group of you came with Toby’s truck and loaded up. We arrived and Abigail’s first words – “we’re home.”  We may have been home, but a lot of changes were to come.

Proposition: Change is hard, but God uses change to spur on growth.  It is right to look back at what God has done through change and talk about how God may use change to grow us in the future.

In 1 Samuel 7 we hear how God brought change to Israel.  The changes led to victories that needed to be remembered and brought hope of things for the future.

The background of this story is that the Philistines had stolen the Ark of the Covenant from Israel.  Israelites had lost the presence of God and they were living in sinful ways.  They desperately needed a change.  God used Samuel and other means to bring back His presence to Israel and God used Samuel to teach the people to turn from sin and back to God.  When they did, God defeated the Philistines.  And Samuel realized the people needed to remember what God did and they set up a monument.  It said, “Thus far, God has helped us.” 

This morning we are going to talk about how God has used change to help us and how God might use change to help us in the future.  We are going to raise up 5 monuments from this first year and talk about 3 missions I believe God has for us this coming second year.

Five Monuments to God

Monument 1: A Solid Foundation in the Word of God

I believe you felt led to hire me, because as a body you responded to hearing the word of God rightly preached.  My goal as your pastor has been to give you expository sermons in an applicable way.  That is by far my most important job – to preach the word.  And I have enjoyed watching lives changed and decisions made through hearing God’s word.  Nothing else we do will matter if we don’t have this solid foundation set of standing on the word of God.

Study to show yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the Word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

In one year you have heard sermons through every verse of 2 Timothy and parts of Genesis, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Judges, Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, Daniel, Jonah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, Colossians, Hebrews, and James.

Monument 2: Fruitful Ministries to Children

AWANA – Amazed every wed. at how God uses that program.  Carolyn Tingley and her helpers.  90 clubbers a week with over leaders.  Money for missions and food for the hungry.

VBS – Largest numbers ever!  Kids came to know Christ!  Angel and over 60 helpers did an awesome job!

RAs – Resurrected ministry by Wilmores now being continued by Mitch and Matt.

Monument 3: New Areas of Effective Outreach

Sunday School Visitation- The year leading up to this program SS avg.ed 95-110 people a week.  Started program in March when we averaged 110 a week at Sunday school.  By the very next month we averaged 123 and have stayed in the 120s ever since.

The Cross Motorcycle ministries is not part of our church, but we’ve had people like the Schumaker’s and Garners help and watch it grow by leaps and bounds.  People are getting saved!

People are more vocal about the church.  The Deacons (who are wonderful) have become more active in their family ministries.  I have challenged them once a quarter to make contact with every person on their list.  Attendance had gone up from all this activity.  In Jan. 2007 we averaged 123 people in worship attendance.  We now more regularly see attendance between 150 and 170.  God is moving!  And on both Easter and Mother’s day we had over 200 people jam packed into this building!  (Front row and taking people’s seats.)  Baptisms were 1 last year and this year we have had 6 so far, 2 tonight, and at least 1 more from VBS.  We can do more, but we are growing.

Monument 4: A Church of Caring Servants

I have preached many times on servanthood and this is a church of servants.  Ex. Moving in (joke about not preaching their sins.) and then Fall Festival.

Loving Hands, CPC, Food and Clothing Bank, and people just helping each other.

Monument 5: Passionate Giving and Growing Goers

You have proved yourself in giving.  When you have been challenged you have come through.

Special Offerings: (actual time is july-july years)

2007                           2008                Increase

BCH                510                  610                  20%

CPC                 448.29             737.22             64%

World Hun      463.33             774                  67%

State                655                  1085                65%

Annie              962.42             1877.82           95%

Lottie              1103.20           3318.12           301%

Total Income  178,700           222,485           25%

Going: Youth – East St. Louis, Flood damage in TH, WorldChangers.  Others have gone to Lighthouse mission and East St. Louis.  More and more we are realizing how to be both a growing and a going church.

Three Missions from God

Mission 1: Take people from members to active disciples.

Churches always deal with the issue of a sort of revolving door.  People become new members and do not ever become a part of the church.  Jesus did not call us to go out and make new church members.  He told us to go out and make disciples.  And really – every church member should be and is expected to be a passionate disciple. 

How are we doing to do that?  New class in fall working through four areas: membership, discipleship, ministry through gifts, and missions.

Mission 2: Become more active participants in church planting and missions.

Begun a process in working with church plants.  5 options we are looking at.  Most of them have been in communication with us.  Healthy things grow.  Part of growth is not just these walls – but being involved with kingdom growth.

We have begun to go on mission.  But we need more people.  It’s not just for the young.  Also, we need to go globally as well.  My hope is that every year we will have church mission trips – and every couple of years have international ones.  I plan on looking into leading a trip in summer or winter break of 2009.  Start praying about going.  Also I would like us to have a mission fund for sending people within our church.  And I pray that people from our church would hear the call to give their life to mission service.

I also want us to be more intentional in looking for areas of influence God has given us and be intentional about being missionaries in that area.  Most obvious is in youth sports.  I have been clear that I don’t want people missing church for sports, but I think we have missed out on a great opportunity God has given us to use influence we have.   Let me read to you from an article in our On Mission (NAMB) magazine.  The article really convicted me.  Now if you don’t like what it says, I’m not the one who wrote this.  The article is called The Power of Sports Evangelism

"Instead of criticizing church families for over involvement, maybe it's time to start commissioning them.  Think about it, what if your church teamed up with parents who already are involved in local soccer, baseball, softball, and football leagues.  Rather than instilling guilty feelings about missing (church stuff), how about commissioning these parents as missionaries to the local athletic fields."

I felt God was leading me to see about creating some type of sports evangelism team.  The next night at the nominating committee meeting I saw something I had never seen before on the list of committees.  There is a Recreation Committee and it was listed as not active.  I think God got me thinking on sports evangelism, so I would know what to do when I saw that.  I told the committee that we need to get into doing sports evangelism.  Our church is filled with parents and kids who are already passionate about sports - especially kid sports.  I told them we need to start doing sports evangelism and I believe that can be done through the Recreation Committee. 

Mission 3: Remove hindrances to growth.

I talk about this last for a reason.  Some people think building a new building, adding more services, ministries, or staff will automatically lead to growth.  “If you build it they will come.”  That isn’t true.  However, you need to know that growth can be hindered.  When you are growing and you run out of space or staff ability- you stop growing.  You can be doing everything right, but without proper space and staff the growth will eventually slow down, then stop, and then eventually go backwards.

Ex. Some fish only grow to size of tank.  But a lot of fish keep growing but in a deformed way.  They can no longer swim.  They become inactive and usually die.  Same thing happens with churches.

Ever wonder why the vast majority of churches stay between 100-200 people?   Ever wonder why this church through the decades have fluctuated in those numbers?  Ever wonder why a church that is over 60 years old would have basically the same amount of people going to it for decades?  Shouldn’t it grow?

Church growth principles: 80% rule.  Sanctuary, Sunday School, or Parking gets 80%.  We are already there folks.  Cheap and quick solution is multiple services.  Time to start praying about that.  Even with a new building we will not have more space in this sanctuary. 

Also, our building program is being revamped.  We will relaunch it this fall, but with a big chunk of money already set aside.  August 12^th having a meeting.

Another church growth principle is that you need 1 paid pastoral staff for every 150 people.  A pastor can only do so much.  I am well aware that there were issues in the past with adding on staff.  I am not presently asking for a new staff member.  However, we do need to start praying if maybe God wants us to add on a part-time paid staff member some time in the future.  FSBC is smaller than us and has 2 part-time staff added on: Youth and Children’s.

Change can be painful.  But healthy things grow.  I think Abigail grows out of old clothes every day.  She is healthy.  And with God’s grace we are a growing family helping others connect to each other, Jesus Christ, and the world.

Conclusion: Feet in a bucket of water.  My feet have gotten wet.  It’s time to move forward.

Have people either walk through the water or cross a line.

(Amy sings O Church Arise.)

The song starts off:

O church, arise and put your armor on;
Hear the call of Christ our captain;
For now the weak can say that they are strong
In the strength that God has given.
With shield of faith and belt of truth
We'll stand against the devil's lies;
An army bold whose battle cry is "Love!"
Reaching out to those in darkness.