Growing God’s Church

Through Evangelism

STAF – Our History

Mother church had not grown significantly in last 30 years

Core group – Five Families – Most were not in leadership

Started with 15 adults

No financial support from mother church or conference

Committed to the Adventist mission and message

Our intent was to raise up a church of new Adventists

STAF – Our Progress

We have grown from 15 to 700 members

We have realized 500 baptisms in 7 years

We have reclaimed at least 50 inactive Adventists from other churches

We believe we contribute 10 to 15 baptisms in other churches per year

We have purchased a 33,000 square foot building on more than 50 acres worth $3.5 million (<1M Debt)

We launched our second campus on October 2006

We launches our third campus (Spanish) in May 2007

STAF – Our Progress

We plan to plant a new English campus every two years.

By end of 2010, we plan to grow the combined membership over 1200.

Discovering Your Core Values

What is the secret to the success of South Tulsa Adventist Fellowship?

• Are we more talented?• Do we have more money?

• Is it easier to win people in Tulsa?

STAF – Our Secret

Discovering Your Core Values

Here is the secret to our success…

• We know our purpose

• We are passionate about staying

focused on our mission

STAF – Our Secret

To create a church with the sole purpose of winning the lost.

STAF – Our Purpose

…Since winning the lost was the sole purpose for starting the church…

Evangelism would be the primary activity of the church.

STAF – Our Plan

Create a church for the purpose of conducting evangelism

Non-stop evangelistic meetings

40-50 meetings held to-date

STAF – Our Strategy

Here’s what our critics were saying-

• You cannot keep doing evangelism at the pace• You will run out of money• You will wear your people out & you will burn out• You will saturate the market & become ineffective

How Does an Church Stay Focused on its Mission Year after Year?

or

How Does a Church that has Lost its Sense of Mission Rediscover it?

• Passionate, non-negotiable convictions that are expressed in consistent behavior.

• They are the few extremely powerful guiding principles that guide all actions.

• Values have great influence on our attitudes, which then affect our behavior.

What is the Purpose of a Core Value?

What is the Purpose of a Core Value?

1. They remind those in the organization what our purpose is and why we exist.

2. They communicate to those outside who we are, not just what we want to be.

3. They inform people who join us, what is expected of them.

1.FamiliesWe committed from the onset to CELEBRATE

families. We recognized that STAF would be a family of families. Children’s Ministries will be a dominating influence in the operation of STAF.

Rationale:One of the reasons young couples come back to

church is wanting their children to grow up in church.

STAF – Our Core ValuesSTAF – Our Core Values

2. Worship

We promised to provide quality worship experiences every single week. We recognize our worship services provide an opportunity to bring our congregation into the very presence of God.

Rationale:For many people their only spiritual activity through

the week is to attend a worship service.

STAF – Our Core ValuesSTAF – Our Core Values

3. Fellowship

We seek to provide an environment that will provide constant and varied opportunities for fellowship.

Rationale:People are looking for a place to belong. People

may be members of the church, but until they participate in fellowship, they are not connected to the body.

STAF – Our Core ValuesSTAF – Our Core Values

4. Evangelism

We will seek the lost by any and every method that is available to us. The greatest way to demonstrate love and concern to others is to share the love of Jesus with them. Evangelism will be at the core of everything we do.

Rationale:Jesus calls us to go, teach and baptize new

believers. It is the primary work of the church.

STAF – Our Core ValuesSTAF – Our Core Values

Children’sMinistry

Small Groups

Sabbath School

Evangelism

Outreach

Health

Socials

Church(Sabbath Services)

Traditional Church Centered Model

Children’sMinistry

Small Groups

Sabbath School

Church(Sabbath Services)

Outreach

Health

Socials

Evangelism

Evangelism Centered Model

Who is the church for?

Matt 28:18-20And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All

power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy

Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

Go, teach, baptize and teach some more.

1. Understand that it is God’s will for every church to grow.

2. Then…commit to do whatever it takes to grow.

Steps to Growing a Church

1. Understand that it is God’s will for every church to grow.

2. Then…commit to do whatever it takes to grow.

Steps to Growing a Church

If it is God’s will for our church to grow, it is our responsibility as leaders to do whatever it takes to grow our church.

1. Understand that it is God’s will for every church to grow.

2. Then…commit to do whatever it takes to grow.

Steps to Growing a Church

If it is God’s will for our church to grow, it is our responsibility as leaders to do whatever it takes to grow our church.

Is the Lord pleased if a church is working hard trying to win the lost and yet is unsuccessful?

The biggest, boldest lie in Adventism…

a. Evangelism is too expensive

b. People are not interested

c. People baptized leave shortly after the meeting is over

Public evangelism doesn’t work any more.

Steps to Growing a Church

A Proven Three-Point Plan to Grow any Church…

1. Step 1 – Little Growth - Do Evangelism. (Little evangelism, little growth)

2. Step 2 – Moderate Growth - Do More Evangelism. (More evangelism, more growth)

3. Step 3 – Much Growth - Do Even More Evangelism. (Much evangelism, much growth)

Steps to Growing a Church

MY THEORY ON CHURCH GROWTH

The more evangelism your church does, the more you will grow.

What is the primary purpose of the church board?

1. It’s Biblical

Why Public Evangelism?

Acts 2:41

Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Acts 4:4

But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand

Acts 14:1

At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a

great number of Jews and Gentiles believed.

1 Corinthians 1:18

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God…

…For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

1. It’s Biblical2. Jesus did it3. The early church in Acts did it4. The early Adventist Church did it5. I’ve never seen a church grow* rapidly

without doing public evangelism. *Kingdom Growth

Why Public Evangelism?

Matthew 9:35

And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people…

Matthew 9:37

Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

“God could have reached His object in saving sinners without our aid….” DA, p. 142

Why Us?

“God could have proclaimed His truth through sinless angels….” AA, p. 330

Why Us?

“The angel sent to Philip could himself have done the work for the Ethiopian….” AA, p. 109

Why Us?

Why Does God Use Men and Women?

1. It is a Test of True Conversion.

Why Us?

“If the church members do not individually take hold of this work, then they show that they have no living connection with God. Their names are registered as slothful servants.”

5T, p. 462,463

Why Us?

“There is no such thing as a truly converted person living a helpless, useless life.”

COL, p. 213

Why Us?

“The spirit of Christ is a missionary spirit. The very first impulse of the renewed heart is to bring others also to the Saviour.”

GC, p. 70

Why Us?

1. It is a Test of True Conversion.

2. It is the Divine Plan to Develop a Christ-like Character.

Why Us?

“God could have reached His object in saving sinners without our aid; but in order for us to develop a character like Christ’s, we must share in His work.”

DA, p. 142

Why Us?

1. It is a Test of True Conversion.

2. It is the Divine Plan to Develop a Christ-like Character.

3. It is the secret of Growth in the Christian Life.

Why Us?

“The only way to grow in grace is to be interestedly doing the very work Christ has enjoined upon us to do.”

CS, p. 101

Why Us?

1. It is a Test of True Conversion.

2. It is the Divine Plan to Develop a Christ-like Character.

3. It is the secret of Growth in the Christian Life.

4. It is the Divine Plan to Conserve the experience of Salvation.

Why Us?

“It is not for lack of knowledge that God’s people are now perishing…Light, precious light, shines upon God’s people; but it will not save them, unless they consent to be saved by it…and transmit it to others in darkness.” CS, p. 39

Why Us?

“There is danger for those who do little or nothing for Christ. The grace of God will not long abide in the soul of him who, having great privileges and opportunities, remains silent.”

CS, p. 89

Why Us?

5. It is an Antidote against Dissidence and Apostasy.

Why Us?

“Christians who are constantly growing in earnestness, in zeal, in fervor, in love…never backslide.”

Why Us?

“It is those who are not engaged in this unselfish labor who have a sickly experience, and become worn out with struggling, doubting, murmuring, sinning, and repenting, until they lose all sense as to what constitutes genuine religion.”

Why Us?

“They feel that they cannot go back to the world, and so they hang on the skirts of Zion, having petty jealousies, envyings, disappointments, and remorse. They are full of fault finding, and feed upon the mistakes and errors of their brethren.” CS, p. 107

Why Us?

5. It is an Antidote against Dissidence and Apostasy.

6. It is the Best Way to prepare for the Coming of Christ.

Why Us?

“We are in the waiting time. But this period is not to be spent in abstract devotion. Waiting, watching, and vigilant working are to be combined.”

CS, p. 85

Why Us?

5. It is an Antidote against Dissidence and Apostasy.

6. It is the Best Way to prepare for the Coming of Christ.

7. It is the Remedy for Spiritual Luke-warmness.

Why Us?

“There is but one genuine cure for spiritual laziness, and that is work,- working for souls who need your help.” CS, p. 107

Why Us?

Pastors Need to Understand

“Those who stand as leaders in the church of God are to realize that the Saviour’s commission is given to all who believe in His name.”

AA, p. 110

Why Us?

Q & A