Intentional Churches

I have been reading "Intentional Churches" by Bart Rendel and Doug Parks. This book is full to the brim with information, concepts, and tools for becoming an effective and growing church. 

• There are no silver bullets, but sadly, too many of us are waiting for one. 
• Copying the church down the street, across the state keeps us stuck. Stop cloning another church's strategy, instead rely on a system.
• When it comes to resources we need to ask, "what must we do?", "What is best to do?", and "What do we want to do?"
• Great ideas take time to root.
• There is power in incremental improvements. 
•   Maybe the most important point of the book is that to achieve a balanced Great Commission, (Matthew 28:16–20, where on a mountain in Galilee Jesus calls on his followers to make disciples of and baptize all nations in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) you must have a ratio of 70/30 towards the one and not the 99. Anything less with turn you into an inwardly focused church, one that stagnates. 
• The best way to grow the 99 is to be the church built for the one. 
• Do we have the proper leadership to fight the inward pull of the 99?
•  How does this change what you are currently doing? How does it change worship?
•  The ultimate purpose of our activities must be to partner with Christ on his mission to seek and save the lost.
• How are we providing relevant next steps for the one?
• Your Engagement Pathway or Discipleship Pathway needs to have baby steps that are connected. Don't increase the commitments, break them down into doable steps. Filling out a card is too much. Make a relational connection and that information will come when they trust you. 
• Get a loving person to connect to the one that comes into your doors. 
• 4 Helpful Questions:
  • What are we doing right that we can amplify?
  • What isn't working that can be fixed?
  • What is missing that needs to be added?
  • What is confusing that we can clarify?
• New ministries are a zero-sum game. What is languishing that you can give up to start something new?
•  We have four commodities: time, effort, money, and attention. What can go away, what can wait, what's next? 
• Stages of spiritual growth. 1. Searching for God, 2. Exploring Christ, 3. growing in Christ, 4. Close to Christ and 5. Christ-centered. 
• We must constantly break down the steps of increasing commitment into small, easy steps the ONE can and will take. 
• Get relationships established as soon as possible.
• Map out a typical sequence of connections.
• It must add value to someone's life.
• People grow in steps, not program to program.
• Create a first steps class. Cater a meal. give a gift. (week 1 a bible) make them feel special
  • in week 1. who is Jesus?
  • week 2 what is the bible? 
  • week 3 what is prayer and how do I pray?
  • week 4 how do I have a daily relationship with Jesus?
• Create a Second Step Class
  • Covers the four topics of giving, serving, small groups, and sharing your faith.
• Visions and Dreams of ministry should create a healthy tension, a sense of the possible only with God's help.