SUGGESTED WAYS TO INCREASE CHURCH GROWTH FROM WORKERS
1.
Newcomers should be given or taken home after service by a worker or two to know their home and pray with them same Sunday of first visit.
2.
Apart from the general evangelism and follow-ups, all departments must have their day during the month to go out and evangelize.
3.
A check team should be put in place to monitor members absent from church. This will help to reach out to them and know why they are not in church at any particular time.
4.
Extending love i.e. brotherly love and kindness to each other.
5.
Organizing crusades within and around Edjeba town.
6.
Youth in church should be used to reach out to their mates as they are a source of influence on their peers in church and at school.
7.
Greater commitment to warfare praying and this should be anchored by the Pastor.
8.
Recognizing the Pastor and his leadership.
9.
Respect for one another ministers to ministers. Ministers to workers and members should recognize and respect their spiritual leaders no matter their person or position.
10.
Mini crusades in public places, parks and market places using missionaries and minded people.
11.
Hospital visitations on monthly basis. Minister to the sick and workers in ward and in materials.
12.
Provide more buses to bring people to church from far place. Church programs and Sunday series be put on air and buses be put in strategic places to bring people to church.
13.
Members should learn to invite people to church. The church has invitation cards and tracks that can be used to invite people to church. Co-workers, family members, friends and neighbours in Warri and environs. A breakfast meetings be organized for last Sundays of October, November and December. During this time, people can be ministered to in word and other areas of needs. Each attendee should be assigned to a church worker to follow-up and weekly report be given by the workers.
14.
Let members chose between themselves as they are seated in church a family or two to be visited at least twice a month. After which, you pick on another family.
15.
Special group programs be introduce at one time or the other that will help to minister differently i.e. that appeal to different class or group of people. This will help to invite all kinds of people to church.
16.
Make an effort to invite at least a person or two every week to church by giving them invitation card.
17.
All areas and provincial programs should be loaded on TVs and radios i.e. should be advertised.
18.
We need to attract the youths, who will eventually take over from these professionals in due course and recruit the good ones into our workers force through the training process. To attract youths, we need to use technology, by making our church a hot spot, anyone with a laptop can log onto the internet free with the church premises. They can obtain password from the church admin. We can eventually block the access and sell it when this strategy succeeds.
19.
The church has a lot of space. We can use some of the youth church to construct a gym, use some of the land for a swimming pool, this will attract members for a fee, and the church would have invested in the physical fitness of the members. If our equipment is good, it will attract members. Our price naturally for now should be subsidized for members.
Encourage holiness of life among the present church members, starting with the workers. Purity of life wherever and whenever we find ourselves has a way of attracting sinners to the truth we confess. No matter how sweet the Jesus we preach sound to the ears of the hearers, without a corresponding lifestyle people will treat our words with levity. Matthew 5:16, John 12:32.
Encourage a life of personal commitment among workers and members. When men lifts the Lord up in their commitment to programs (weekly and other times), they will also be committed to whatever vision the church pursues.
22.
Personal/Group Evangelism should be encouraged as much as possible. Every one of us have a mandate to preach the gospel, and it is the responsibility of the church (leadership) to teach the members the weight and importance God attaches to this commission. This must be emphasized, practiced and encouraged as often as possible. Preferably first and third Saturdays of every month. Individual/personal evangelism be made compulsory for all workers with target of one soul a month
Worship services should be made as interesting as possible. One of the programs that we find new comers more in number is the Sunday worship service, and the moment we fail to make a positive impression on our first encounter, we stand a chance of losing the new comer. Our services should not only contain “power-packed and life transforming” messages but every activity in the service should minister grace to the congregation. This does not only affect our Sunday worship service, but also our weekly programs. I have pointed out in a family meeting/interactive session in the past that one reason we record low turn outs in weekly meetings for me, is the way studies are taken; almost like the outline is being read out word for word. I could as well stay in my office and read it online instead of bothering to take permission to attend Digging Deep in church or I could visit another parish on such days. I am aware of the new directive from the G.O on who takes the Digging Deep and I believe it is a welcome approach.
As a follow up on above, Ministers and whoever climbs the stage should be given proper orientation on GOOD AND CORRECT STAGE PRESENTATION/GROOMING. I say this with all humility. A church as big as the Redeemed Christian Church of God attracts a wide range of people from different backgrounds and orientation, with some more socially inclined. Sir, it is a big turn-off very many times the way Ministers conduct/moderate services. The totality of the activities in a worship service is supposed to be connected; from the opening prayers to the benediction. Whoever is moderating a program should learn to encourage the congregation gets the best from the meeting. It does not matter what the person’s responsibility is at such gatherings. Let me share a scenario with you sir; imagine that the choir had just finished leading the praise worship session, and the whole congregation is lost in worship with some lying down, some crying and a of others lifting up holy hands unto the Lord. The moderator walks to the stage and abruptly says; in Jesus name we worship!!! He goes ahead to raise a song that is completely off tune and takes every one away from the mood they were in, and a whole lot of drama follows. This has been an issue with some ministers in the church. This does not only smolder the amber of grace in you, it also discourage attendance to such a church. Leading a section of a church should be linked to the previous one by short scriptural reference, prayers, corresponding similar song etc. It goes to show a whole lot of things that I may not be able to mention here. You will agree with me that the age the church finds herself today is so advanced, and so are people, some of us are quite touchy about this. The things that would not matter in the previous age do now. With the increase of televised churches, ministry, stage programs (reality shows), it has become NECESSARY that we take advantage of available knowledge and resources to reach out to the lost, like I said earlier; by all godly means possible, we must reach out and save as many as we can. Let it not be said of us that “the children of the world in their generation are wiser than the children of the kingdom” (Luke 16:8).
We must improve on our MUSIC. I will not say so much here because our PCIP has earnestly begun a revolutionary effort in this regard. Permit me however to point here that the age we live today could also be described as “Music age”. Music has always moved people from time immemorial; however music in this age has been taken to a very different level. The quality of sound (whether in gospel or secular music) is of prime importance, even to the layman on the street. Good Music move people, either to the church or to the club house. I believe both the choir members and the pastorate are deeply conscious of this and are working to use this department in the achievement of the vision that is so boldly written “upon the tables” (Hab. 2:2). Also, if we can assemble some good professionalssingers, like pastor Okome invites some times, and do more of congregation participatory praise worship, we can attract members. The challenge is that we may pay some honorarium to these singers but I think it is worth it.
We also must improve our sounds or generally; our audio-visual aids.Pastor, if you tune tour television to any Christian/secular channel on your DSTV, MYTV, HITV etc you will be impressed if not captivated by the quality of their audio-visual presentations; sounds, picture/video projections etc. the Technical group in Shekinah are trying considering the amount and quality of resources at their disposal-human and otherwise, but we can still do more I believe.
Regularly organizing life impacting programs. It has become a tradition for churches to organize different types of programs, although the impacts in some cases are hardly felt or do not last as they should. Programs born out of vision and commitment go a long way touching lives to God’s glory. This I believe should be our drives when programs are organized. These programs could be; Bible expository (preaching/teaching the WORD), Music fiesta (worship or praise) which may involve inviting Born again Gospel artists (foreign or local- I strongly subscribe to this as this would not only bring in people but also encourage the host choir and members to serve God), economic empowerment summits.
YOUTHS; I have reserved this for the last, though it is not the least of the issues. We cannot deny that the church is slowly but assuredly taking over the church. In as much as we announce that the youths are the leaders of tomorrow, we find it rather difficult to accept the change we so preach; difficult to allow them expression or encourage their spiritual or physical evolution (growth if you may). You will agree with me sir, that of all the suggestions you will receive from this exercise, 90% of the issues that will be discussed can ONLY and EFFECTIVELY be carried out by the youths. They have got the strength, mental capability, initiative, drive etc to move the church to the desired level. I have been appalled over time in this congregation that the youth are hardly encouraged from the pulpit. Certain of the ministers have hardly allowed their minds to see the potentials in these young people. They still see them as “Edjeba” or “Warri” youths-connoting worthlessness to say the least; this was the situation I met on ground when I came to this Parish and was one of the bitter the complaint of the youths, yet, despite all efforts from the Pastor and Youth Leadership, this perception still persists. There is power in the pulpit, and we must use it to encourage others in ways that both edify others and glorify God. Everyman is encouraged when he is recognized as “somebody” and the psychology of the youth is no different. Human perception is quite difficult to change but not impossible to deal with. I am still within the “youth” category myself, and I am concerned because of what I have felt and experienced since I came here. Accolades for these young people when they do right are scarce luxuries you can only longingly hope for, however when they do wrong, it is a different story; this ought not to be, (Prov. 22:6, Eph. 6:4). Pastor, please note that I am not saying that the rod should be spared here (Prov. 23:13-14, 29:15), but the human psychology is such that encouragement can sometimes do the magic reproof cannot perform. In this direction still, I propose approaches that will not only encourage the youths in the church but also draw others to the parish;
Encourage creativity and diversity among the youths. Many of the youths who are hiding in the congregation are amazingly gifted and skilled in several arts and handiworks. The onus lies with the church leadership to provide an environment where they can find expression. Some of them are yearning to use their talents for God, and when they cannot do so they hide those talents. This could be in music, drama, technical, any other special group directed toward getting them out of their comfort zones and into the battle front. You may find them a whole lot different from what you are used to in your time as a young Christian or compared to the youths you know from whence you are coming, irrespective of whatever anybody may tell you, the youths must be found out, encouraged and challenged to get involved in the vision. And we will be amazed at what a quiver-full of youths can do (Psalm 127:4-5).
Capacity building/empowerment seminars should be organized for the youths. This goes s long way to show them how much the church values her tomorrow-the youth. The national headquarters is seriously committed to this vision because of its usefulness and ripple effect which is both on the membership of the church and other potential members. Other ministries have long been taking advantage of such avenues to build leadership from and in their youths.
Educational Aids/Grants to the Youths. Most of the youths here and students and some do not have the financial strength to comfortably go through their studies and so would need some aids to cushion whatever they get from home. Over time, some of us among the youths who are privileged to have some source of income have been trying to help in the little way we can though it has not been enough. We have tried registering some of them for JAMB, WAEC etc, aided their craft trainings, send funds to those in school etc. and we have noticed that most of the time they have been encouraged by such gestures to be more active in church and in their commitment to God; These in most cases have been our own encouragement.
30.
Jesus said in Matthew 24:28 and Luke 17:37 that wheresoever the body/carcass is, thither will the eagles be gathered together. If carcass is available in Shekinah, then no doubt eagles will come. Sir, let a notable lame walk, or a dear man restored to life, there will be no empty seat the following Sunday.
31.
People should be involved in prayer ministry.
32.
There should be more emphasis on the recognition of first timers after the message. Those first timers who came late should also be identified and recognized.
33.
The church should provide spiritual materials, that will develop and encourage the physically and spiritually growth of new comers.
34.
There should be training programs for the various departments of the church to enlighten them on the purpose of that department and encourage their commitment.
35.
The church should reach out to the needy in the congregation, especially those with; accommodation, fees and feeding problems.
36.
The church should also endeavor to reach out to widows; for instance during the forthcoming Christmas. We can organize a training workshop for them, and also empower those who need capital for business.
37.
The church should learn to practice love instead of just preach it.
38.
Organize special revival programs.
39.
Create a counseling program that will be championed by a full-time minister.
40.
Introduce a prayer chain program among workers and ministers.
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