RCCG SOUGHOUT DUBLIN 15

New thing (Holy Ghost Rally)

2012-09-06T13:30:00.001-07:00

New thing (Holy Ghost Rally)
Holy Ghost Speak
HG flows like river
HG meal eat all you can
HG faith has Made you whole
God is ready am ready are you ready?
I get to my home and I don't see you do what you do here I will know you are a racist
Jn9:1-7 v32
Dft Isa 43v19
New opp of old never seen done heard
He saw him, there are seeing and there seeing Jesu focused on him , when God focus on you, they were discuss about the man, the moment men begging to diss us you your miracle has started, make mud rob on his eyes, God is limited in the way he performs , God can open your eyes to opportunity, God can open your eyes to solution, God can open your eye spiritually, God can enable you see a glimps of your future, destiny has changed, from unknown to known, can give you a new song, can do a new thing, it is possible for God to make all things new, step to new thing,
Surrender to Jesus
Obey God
Jn5v2-9, lk13v11-13, 1sam1v1-29, ps115v1-3, mt8v1-3, 2kg5v1-15 1kg17v2-3, 2kg4v8-17, mk10v42, 2kg4v1-7, ex15v23-25, 2kg2v9-15, 2kg6v15, 1kg19v17-21, act1v9-6, mk5v1-20, rev21v5, 2cor5v17, isa59v1-3, ex15v26,

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Will soon shout hallelujah

2012-09-06T13:29:00.001-07:00

Will soon shout hallelujah
Because God will do new thing
Shout hallelujah
Rivers in desert now flowing
Hallelujah to our king

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8 sources of divine health rev babalola

2012-09-06T13:27:00.001-07:00

8 sources of divine health rev babalola
Abraham I am your exceeding great reward
Gen17.18-21
The greatest promise is wether God is with you
Isa 43.2
Ps22.4
Direct accessibility
Eph2.13, hew4.15, ph4.15-16

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My Mother

2011-04-02T04:56:00.001-07:00

CLASSIC POEMS FOR CHILDREN

		My Mother
		~Ann Taylor

		Who fed me from her gentle breast, And hushed me in her arms to rest, And on my cheek sweet kisses prest?
		My Mother.

		When sleep forsook my open eye, Who was it sung sweet hushaby, And rocked me that I should not cry?
		My Mother.

		Who sat and watched my infant head, When sleeping on my cradle bed, And tears of sweet affection shed?
		My Mother.

		When pain and sickness made me cry, Who gazed upon my heavy eye, And wept for fear that I should die?
		My Mother.

		Who dressed my doll in clothes so gay, And fondly taught me how to play, And minded all I had to say?
		My Mother.

		Who ran to help me when I fell, And would some pretty story tell, Or kiss the place to make it well?
		My Mother.

		Who taught my infant lips to pray, And love God's holy book and day, And walk in wisdom's pleasant way?
		My Mother.

		And can I ever cease to be Affectionate and kind to thee, Who was so very kind to me,
		My Mother?

		Ah no! the thought I cannot bear, And if God please my life to spare, I hope I shall reward thy care,
		My Mother.

		When thou art feeble, old, and grey, My healthy arm shall be thy stay, And I will soothe thy pains away,
		My Mother.

		And when I see thee hang thy head, 'Twill be my turn to watch thy bed, And tears of sweet affection shed,
		My Mother.

		For could our Father in the skies Look down with pleased or loving eyes, If ever I could dare despise
		My Mother?

Fw: Update from Shannon Taylor: What is Ministry??

2011-03-12T11:18:00.000-08:00

What is Ministry??
By Shannon Taylor on 9/22/2010

ROMANIA.....it's hard to describe! So different to Haiti, Haiti was intense, sweaty and at a very fast pace! Romania is the complete opposite but in a good way! Let me explain....

When we first arrived in Draganesti-Olt, we realised that we would be staying in a house with beds, a toilet that flushed and constant wifi....needless to say, we were over-whelmed with excitement and appreciation!

Throughout the first few days, we began to realise that ministry works very different here! Woody explains it very well "The term "missionary" is very new to the people here in the southern part of Romania. Whereas unlike in Haiti, if you're white, you are probably there to help the people and most likely a missionary. Here in Draganesti-Olt, the way to approach people about the Gospel is much different- the idea of a relationship with Christ is SO new here and a missionaries approach has to have a much stronger emphasis on developing a relationship with the community first." This was hard at the start because I was looking at it as I wasn't doing anything and my 3 hours of ministry a day was worthless! After much prayer and being able to chat with my team, I came to the realisation that my mind frame was all wrong! Ministry isn't only going out and running a kids camp, evangelising or maybe cleaning a house, ministry is wherever God can use you.

I decided to take advantage of this free time and used a lot it diving into His Word. Getting closer and closer to our Father and truly feeling his love for us. We decided to use our own initiative and even though we can't speak the language here, we can still do prayer walks around the town....praying over ever house, shop and person who may walk by. The biggest blessing out of this time is being able to minister to each other as a team especially the girls! Sometimes, I know myself; I can easily get caught up in whatever ministry we may be doing that I can forget about my own growth or my new families' growth. Praying together, worshipping together and just disciplining one another have been a huge growing point for me this month.

One of the main reasons, I am writing this blog is to encourage all of you at home. Make your life your ministry, let God use you as he wants; may that be in work, at the supermarket or even being at little bit friendlier at church. Stay encouraged. God is good.

Most importantly, love each other deeply, because love will cause many sins to be forgiven. Open your homes to each other without complaining. Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others. Be good servants of God's various gifts of grace. Anyone who speaks should speak words from God. Anyone who serves should serve with the strength God gives so that in everything God will be praised through Jesus Christ. Power and glory belong to Him forever and ever. Amen

1 Peter 4: 8-11

Me, Andrea, Marian and Woody at church! Marian and Andrea

are missionaries in Draganesti-Olt.

The just had their first child, a baby girl, Ruth-Naomi!

Marian mainly focuses on street evangalising while Andrea runs women groups throughout the surrounding areas. Our team has been helping both of them with their ministry!

Mel, Dorothy and Me at church! Dorothy has been a missionary in Romania for many years now. She runs kids clubs throughout the area.

Last Wed I went to help out Dorothy with one of her kids clubs, the kids were such blessings :)

I'm have been having the most amazing, life changing and God rocking past 3 months but to continue on this wild adventure I am still in need of $4000 (?3000) to be fully funded. If you feel led to support me financial, you can do so by clicking here.

Click here to comment on this blog post

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"It is not good for the man to be alone.

2010-12-03T04:44:00.000-08:00

and watered all the land. 7And the Lord God formed a man's body from the dust of the ground and breathed into it the breath of life. And the man became a living person.
8Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he placed the man he had created. 9And the Lord God planted all sorts of trees in the garden—beautiful trees that produced delicious fruit. At the center of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches. 11One of these branches is the Pishon, which flows around the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found. 12The gold of that land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there. 13The second branch is the Gihon, which flows around the entire land of Cush. 14The third branch is the Tigris, which flows to the east of Asshur. The fourth branch is the Euphrates.
15The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and care for it. 16But the Lord God gave him this warning: "You may freely eat any fruit in the garden 17except fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat of its fruit, you will surely die."
18And the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion who will help him." 19So the Lord God formed from the soil every kind of animal and bird. He brought them to Adam to see what he would call them, and Adam chose a name for each one. 20He gave names to all the livestock, birds, and wild animals. But still there was no companion suitable for him. 21So the Lord God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. He took one of Adam's ribs and closed up the place from which he had taken it. 22Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib and brought her to Adam.
23"At last!" Adam exclaimed. "She is part of my own flesh and bone! She will be called 'woman,' because she was taken out of a man." 24This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. 25Now, although Adam and his wife were both naked, neither of them felt any shame.

"Multiply and fill the earth

2010-11-30T02:43:00.000-08:00

22Then God blessed them, saying, "Let the fish multiply and fill the oceans. Let the birds increase and fill the earth." 23This all happened on the fifth day.
24And God said, "Let the earth bring forth every kind of animal—livestock, small animals, and wildlife." And so it was. 25God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to reproduce more of its own kind. And God saw that it was good.
26Then God said, "Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves. They will be masters over all life—the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals, and small animals."

27So God created people in his own image;
God patterned them after himself;
male and female he created them.

28God blessed them and told them, "Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Be masters over the fish and birds and all the animals." 29And God said, "Look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. 30And I have given all the grasses and other green plants to the animals and birds for their food." And so it was. 31Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was excellent in every way. This all happened on the sixth day.

2:1So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. 2On the seventh day, having finished his task, God rested from all his work. 3And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from his work of creation.
4This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth.
When the Lord God made the heavens and the earth, 5there were no plants or grain growing on the earth, for the Lord God had not sent any rain. And no one was there to cultivate the soil. 6But water came up out of the ground

masters over the fish

2010-11-27T07:08:00.001-08:00

the heavens and the earth

2010-11-25T12:15:00.000-08:00

Genesis 1:1-50:26 (NLT)
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. And the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface. 3Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4And God saw that it was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light "day" and the darkness "night." Together these made up one day.
6And God said, "Let there be space between the waters, to separate water from water." 7And so it was. God made this space to separate the waters above from the waters below. 8And God called the space "sky." This happened on the second day.
9And God said, "Let the waters beneath the sky be gathered into one place so dry ground may appear." And so it was. 10God named the dry ground "land" and the water "seas." And God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, "Let the land burst forth with every sort of grass and seed-bearing plant. And let there be trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. The seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came." And so it was. 12The land was filled with seed-bearing plants and trees, and their seeds produced plants and trees of like kind. And God saw that it was good. 13This all happened on the third day.
14And God said, "Let bright lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. They will be signs to mark off the seasons, the days, and the years. 15Let their light shine down upon the earth." And so it was. 16For God made two great lights, the sun and the moon, to shine down upon the earth. The greater one, the sun, presides during the day; the lesser one, the moon, presides through the night. He also made the stars. 17God set these lights in the heavens to light the earth, 18to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19This all happened on the fourth day.
20And God said, "Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind." 21So God created great sea creatures and every sort of fish and every kind of bird. And God saw that it was good.

The Unjust Judge

2010-11-18T02:00:00.001-08:00

The Power of Persistence in prayer.

The story of the unjust judge is the case of a woman that would not give up. This story illustrate the need for constant prayer and that we must never give up.

To persist in prayer and not give up does not mean endless repetition or painfully long prayer sessions. Always praying means keeping our requests constantly before God as we live for him day by day, believing he will answer. When we live by faith, we are not to give up. God may delay answering, but his delays always have good reasons. As we persist in prayer we grow in character, faith, and hope.

Isa. 1.24-,1 Samuel 24:12 --

human schemes

2010-11-14T16:00:00.000-08:00

scheme
1 Samuel 26:19 (NLT)
    But now let my lord the king listen to his servant. If the Lord has stirred you up against me, then let him accept my offering. But if this is simply a human scheme, then may those involved be cursed by the Lord. For you have driven me from my home, so I can no longer live among the Lord's people and worship as I should.

Jeremiah 2:33 (NLT)
    "How you plot and scheme to win your lovers. The most experienced prostitute could learn from you!
2:1-3:5 In this section, the marriage analogy sharply contrasts God’s love for his people with their love for other gods and reveals Judah’s faithlessness. Jeremiah condemned Judah (he sometimes called Judah “Jerusalem,” the name of its capital city) for seeking security in worthless, changeable things rather than the unchangeable God. We may be tempted to seek security from possessions, people, or our own abilities, but these will fail us. There is no lasting security apart from the eternal God.
Ezekiel 38:10 (NLT)
    "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: At that time evil thoughts will come to your mind, and you will devise a wicked scheme.
Micah 7:3 (NLT)
    They go about their evil deeds with both hands. How skilled they are at using them! Officials and judges alike demand bribes. The people with money and influence pay them off, and together they scheme to twist justice.
7:1ff This chapter begins in gloom (Micah 7:1-6) and ends in hope (Micah 7:8-20). Micah watched as society rotted around him. Rulers demanded gifts; judges accepted bribes; corruption was universal. But God promised to lead the people out of the darkness of sin and into his light. Then the people would praise him for his faithfulness. God alone is perfectly faithful.
7:1-4 Micah could not find an upright person anywhere in the land. Even today, uprightness (honesty, integrity) is difficult to find. Society rationalizes sin, and even Christians sometimes compromise Christian principles in order to do what they want. It is easy to convince ourselves that we deserve a few breaks, especially when “everyone else” is doing it. But the standards for honesty come from God, not society. We are honest because God is truth, and we are to be like him.
James 4:2 (NLT)
    You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous for what others have, and you can't possess it, so you fight and quarrel to take it away from them. And yet the reason you don't have what you want is that you don't ask God for it.
4:1-3 Conflicts and disputes among believers are always harmful. James explains that these quarrels result from evil desires battling within us—we want more possessions, more money, higher status, more recognition. When we want badly enough to fulfill these desires, we fight in order to do so. Instead of aggressively grabbing what we want, we should submit ourselves to God, ask God to help us get rid of our selfish desires, and trust him to give us what we really need.
4:2-3 James mentions the most common problems in prayer: not asking, asking for the wrong things, asking for the wrong reasons. Do you talk to God at all? When you do, what do you talk about? Do you ask only to satisfy your desires? Do you seek God’s approval for what you already plan to do? Your prayers will become powerful when you allow God to change your desires so that they perfectly correspond to his will for you (1 John 3:21-22).
4:3-4 There is nothing wrong with wanting a pleasurable life. God gives us good gifts that he wants us to enjoy (James 1:17; Ephes. 4:7; 1 Tim. 4:4-5). But having friendship with the world involves seeking pleasure at others’ expense or at the expense of obeying God. Pleasure that keeps us from pleasing God is sinful; pleasure from God’s rich bounty is good.
4:4-6 The cure for evil desires is humility (see Proverbs 16:18-19; 1 Peter 5:5-6). Pride makes us self-centered and leads us to conclude that we deserve all we can see, touch, or imagine. It creates greedy appetites for far more than we need. We can be released from our self-centered desires by humbling ourselves before God, realizing that all we really need is his approval. When the Holy Spirit fills us, we see that this world’s seductive attractions are only cheap substitutes for what God has to offer.
4:5 This verse may mean that because of our fallen nature, we have a tendency toward envy. James is not quoting a specific verse or passage—he is summing up a teaching of Scripture. See Romans 6:6-8 and Galatians 5:17-21 for more on the human tendency toward envy and discontent.
Romans 6:6 (KJV)
    Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
6:6 The power and penalty of sin died with Christ on the cross. Our “old self,” our sinful nature, died once and for all, so we are freed from its power. The “body of sin” is not the human body, but our rebellious sin-loving nature inherited from Adam. Though our body willingly cooperates with our sinful nature, we must not regard the body as evil. It is the sin in us that is evil. And it is this power of sin at work in our body that is defeated. Paul has already stated that through faith in Christ we stand acquitted, “not guilty” before God. Here Paul emphasizes that we need no longer live under sin’s power. God does not take us out of the world or make us robots—we will still feel like sinning, and sometimes we will sin. The difference is that before we were saved we were slaves to our sinful nature, but now we can choose to live for Christ (see Galatians 2:20).
Romans 6:8 (KJV)
    Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
6:8 Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, his followers need never fear death. That assurance frees us to enjoy fellowship with him and to do his will. This will affect all our activities—work and worship, play, Bible study, quiet times, and times of caring for others. When you know that you don’t have to fear death, you will experience a new vigor in life.
Galatians 5:19 (KJV)
    Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
5:19-21 We all have evil desires, and we can’t ignore them. In order for us to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we must deal with them decisively (crucify them— Galatians 5:24). These desires include obvious sins such as sexual immorality and witchcraft. They also include less obvious sins such as selfish ambition, hatred, and jealousy. Those who ignore such sins or refuse to deal with them reveal that they have not received the gift of the Spirit that leads to a transformed life.

ANNIVERSARY PROGRAM

2010-11-11T05:29:00.000-08:00

1. Opening Prayer

2. Opening Hymn

3. Praise and Worship

4. Offering

5. Welcome address and introduction of guest ministers

6. Music Ministration

7. Prayer for the Church

8. Hymn 2

9. Drama presentation

10. Children Ministration

11. The Word

12. Ministers Offering

13. Announcement and introduction of other guest

14. Special Music Rendition

15. Cutting of anniversary cake

16. Closing hymn

17. Announcement

18. Benediction

19. Refreshment

THIS TIME

2010-11-08T01:21:00.000-08:00

I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. (Psa 32:5)

For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. (Psa 32:6)

Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. (Psa 32:7)

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. (Psa 32:8)

Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. (Psa 32:9)

Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. (Psa 32:10)

Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. (Psa 32:11)

Thanksgiving

2010-11-05T06:26:00.000-07:00

Four elements of true thanksgiving are found in this song (psalm): (1) remembering what God has done, (2) telling others about it, (3) showing God’s glory to others, and (4) offering gifts of self, time, and resources. If you are truly thankful, your life will show it

Several parts of this psalm are parallel to songs in the book of Psalms: 1 Chron. 16:8-22 with Psalm 105:1-15; 1 Chron. 16:23-33 with Psalm 96; 1 Chron. 16:34-36 with Psalm 106:1, 47-48.

The Servant’s Role

2010-11-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

Paul compares the body of Christ to a human body. Each part has a specific function that is necessary to the body as a whole. The parts are different for a purpose, and in their differences they must work together. Christians must avoid two common errors: (1) being too proud of their abilities, or (2) thinking they have nothing to give to the body of believers. Instead of comparing ourselves to one another, we should use our different gifts, together, to spread the Good News of salvation.

The Servant’s Role

(Luke 17:7-10)

What is your role? Jesus Christ describe the role of the servant here as one of service to his master. ‘which one of you having a servant after finishing the house work would say to that servant come and sit while I prepare your food’. Rather you will say go and prepare my meal and wait on me while I sup, afterward you can eat. Do you say ‘thank you’ to that servant for doing what you commanded? I don't think so. So likewise when you have done all those things commanded you, don't say I don't get any reward for all my effort, it is your duty to perform.

David Struggle

2010-11-03T09:02:00.001-07:00

11:1ff In the episode with Bathsheba, David allowed himself to fall deeper and deeper into sin. (1) David abandoned his purpose by staying home from war (2 Samuel 11:1). (2) He focused on his own desires (2 Samuel 11:3). (3) When temptation came, he looked into it instead of turning away from it (2 Samuel 11:4). (4) He sinned deliberately (2 Samuel 11:4). (5) He tried to cover up his sin by deceiving others (2 Samuel 11:6-15). (6) He committed murder to continue the cover-up (2 Samuel 11:15, 17). Eventually David’s sin was exposed (2 Samuel 12:9) and punished (2 Samuel 12:10-14). (7) The consequences of David’s sin were far-reaching, affecting many others (2 Samuel 11:17; 2 Samuel 12:11, 14-15).
David could have chosen to stop and turn from evil at any stage along the way. But once sin gets started, it is difficult to stop (James 1:14-15). The deeper the mess, the less we want to admit having caused it. It’s much easier to stop sliding down a hill when you are near the top than when you are halfway down. The best solution is to stop sin before it starts.

Tools for evaluating local play provision:

2010-11-02T03:26:00.000-07:00

Tools for evaluating local play provision: A technical guide to Play England local play indicators
8
1.2 The technical guide
This guidance has been prepared to provide local authorities with a clear
understanding of the performance indicators for play. It provides clear
descriptions and definitions of the indicators, data sources and methods for
collecting and analysing the data. In detail the guidance:
.. explains the purpose of the performance indicators and the
performance information system
.. ensures that the definitions are precise but practicable
.. explains what should be measured
.. explains how the data will be checked and audited
.. explains how the data should be collected
.. provides data collection forms to ensure that it is possible to match data
that comes from different sources
.. explains the technical properties of each indicator, example, with
respect to sampling scheme, response rate in surveys, and precision
.. provides the protocols on how the data will be checked and audited
.. explains how the data will be analysed, and whether there will be any
adjustment for context
.. indicates how the results will be presented, including the protocols
whereby institutions or individuals may be named publicly
.. demonstrates how uncertainty will be conveyed to safeguard against
over-interpretation and misinterpretation.
The indicators and the process of collecting the necessary data have been
piloted by six local authorities. These were:
Chelmsford District Council A largely rural area in west Essex based on the
county town of Chelmsford but also covering a number of smaller villages.
Chelmsford is the only district to have participated and has provided valuable
pointers on the capacity of districts to deliver these indicators.
Kirklees Council A metropolitan council in West Yorkshire centred on the
large town of Huddersfield and also covering a range of smaller towns and
villages. Kirklees has a large range of play provision.
Manchester City Council An entirely urban metropolitan council covering a
large and diverse community which includes a major city centre and inner city
undergoing significant regeneration, and suburban areas.
Bolton Metropolitan Council Covering the large urban area of Bolton and its
immediate surroundings, northwest of Manchester.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea A West London borough
that has some affluent districts alongside wards that are included in the 10 per
cent most deprived in England (Indices of Deprivation, 2007).
Bristol City Council. A large unitary authority in the west of England that
covers a primarily urban area with a diverse population base.
Tools for evaluating local play provision: A technical guide to Play England local play indicators
9
We are very grateful to the many staff involved at each of these authorities for
their constructive and enthusiastic approach to piloting the indicators and to
their contribution to refining this guidance.
1.3 The local play indicators
The performance indicators for play provision are defined in Table 1.
Table 1: Local performance indicators
Indicator 1 Participation Method of
generation
Description The percentage of all children and young people
aged from birth to 16 years (from all social and
ethnic groups, including those who are disabled),
who play out for at least four hours each week.
Household survey
Indicator 2 Access to a variety of facilities and spaces Method of
generation
Description The percentage of children and young people
aged from birth to 16 years that have access to at
least three different types of space or facility
doorstep, local and neighbourhood), at least one
of which is a dedicated place for play and informal
recreation, which are all within easy walking or
cycling distance as defined in Table 3.
Open space and
play strategy
audits
GIS mapping
Indicator 3 Quality of facilities and spaces Method of
generation
Description The proportion of play spaces and facilities with
high scores for location, play value and care and
maintenance as assessed using the Playable
Space Quality Assessment Tool.
Quality
Assessment Tool
Indicator 4 Satisfaction Method of
generation
Description The percentage of all children and young people
(from all social and ethnic groups, including those
who are disabled), who think that the range and
quality of play facilities and spaces they are able
to access in their local neighbourhood is good/very
good.
Questionnaire
survey of children
and young people

Tools for evaluating local play provision: A technical guide to Play England local play indicators
10
1.4 Practical steps towards a successful data collection and
analysis
From the experience of other schemes, it is important that you try to ensure
that the following requirements are fulfilled.
Clear leadership is essential for good project management. In particular it is
important that you try to avoid split responsibilities. You will need a project
manager with the authority to drive it through. It is also important for you to
have a rapid replacement policy, should the local project manager become ill
or leave.
It is important to establish clear and unambiguous communications
procedures with internal teams, particularly regarding the protocols for data
collection.
It is essential for you to set a clear timetable for your responsibilities in the
procedures for data collection, data analysis and reporting of the results. This
should obviously be compatible with the timetable for data collection. Build in
some slippage time because it is inevitable that there will be delays in
obtaining or analysing some of the data.
Finally, the project manager needs to be clear on a number of things:
.. First, on the definitions of what you are measuring and reporting on. The
next section will help you on this. Any ambiguities remaining in these
definitions should be resolved by discussion with the consultants, not by
second-guessing what should be the right way or by dialogue with other
local authorities. It is vital that local authorities measure and report the
same data, for the reliability of performance measurement.
.. Second, on the procedures for obtaining the data needed to measure the
four performance indicators. You need to either implement these
procedures or monitor them being conducted by other organisations.
.. Third, on the desired outputs of the pilot, ie the measures of the four
performance indicators. These measures have to be consistently
presented by all local authorities.
1.5 Definitions
1.5.1 Designated and non-designated play places
Places where children play that may or may not be specifically designed for
play or informal recreation (designated or non-designated) and may or may
not be supervised by staff trained in playwork or other skills.
The play place grid (Table 2) give examples of the types of facility and space
which offer children and young people the best opportunities for play and
informal recreation and which should form the basis of provision where
children should be able to play freely and free of charge in their own
neighbourhoods.

Why is the resurrection so important?

2010-11-01T01:28:00.001-07:00

Why is the resurrection so important?
(1) Because Christ was raised from the dead, we know that the kingdom of heaven has broken into earth’s history. Our world is now headed for redemption, not disaster. God’s mighty power is at work destroying sin, creating new lives, and preparing us for Jesus’ second coming.
(2) Because of the resurrection, we know that death has been conquered, and we too will be raised from the dead to live forever with Christ.
(3) The resurrection gives authority to the church’s witness in the world. Look at the early evangelistic sermons in the book of Acts: the apostles’ most important message was the proclamation that Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead!
(4) The resurrection gives meaning to the church’s regular feast, the Lord’s Supper. Like the disciples on the Emmaus Road, we break bread with our risen Lord, who comes in power to save us.
(5) The resurrection helps us find meaning even in great tragedy. No matter what happens to us as we walk with the Lord, the resurrection gives us hope for the future.
(6) The resurrection assures us that Christ is alive and ruling his kingdom. He is not legend; he is alive and real.
(7) God’s power that brought Jesus back from the dead is available to us so that we can live for him in an evil world.
Christians can look very different from one another, and they can hold widely varying beliefs about politics, life-style, and even theology. But one central belief unites and inspires all true Christians—Jesus Christ rose from the dead! (For more on the importance of the resurrection, see 1 Cor. 15:12-58.)

An Analysis of Rick Warren’s 40-Days of Purpose Driven Life

2010-10-28T07:16:00.000-07:00

An Analysis of Rick Warren’s 40-Days of Purpose
Movement

by

Mike McMullen, University of Houston-Clear Lake

and

William Kilgore, University of Houston-Clear Lake

Presented at:

Society for the Scientific Study of Religion

Portland, Oregon
October 20, 2006

Introduction
What would Jesus do? The Left Behind series. Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the
Christ movie. The Prayer of Jabez. American evangelicals, at any given moment, have
minds and hearts captured by one Christian fad or another. It is not unusual to see
carefully crafted evangelical-authored books on the secular best-sellers list. Rick
Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life deserves its place at the top of the list of resources
captivating an evangelical audience.
Warren’s book, however, goes far beyond the above-mentioned fads. Yes, the
book has captivated great numbers of evangelicals and even cornered its share of an
expanding secular market for spirituality. Yet it has also spawned the “40 Days of
Purpose” campaign, a program that has been used by churches across denominational
cleavages. This paper will briefly discuss Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, the “40
days of Purpose” campaign, and provide preliminary analysis of a phenomena that has
managed to introduce an evangelical perspectives into churches of all types. Thus far,
there has been no academic research on Warren or his Forty Days of Purpose (FDP)
movement.
Rick Warren: Ecclesiastical Change Agent
Warren pastors the 20,000 member Saddleback Community Church, an
innovative Southern Baptist congregation that sits on 120 acres in Lake Forest, California
(Saddleback, 2005). He is the best-selling author of The Purpose Driven Church and The
Purpose Driven Life, the mastermind behind the popular “40 days of Purpose” campaign,
and is now spearheading P.E.A.C.E., a worldwide Christian-based effort to end hunger
and poverty (Abanes, 2005: 22-26; Morgan, 2005). In 2002, Warren was nominated as

“America’s most influential pastor” (Abanes, 2005: 66). Most recently, Warren has been
called “America’s Pastor,” and compared with Billy Graham in influence, actually
ranking second (26%) only to Graham (34%) in a recent poll of pastors to identify those
having “the greatest influence on American churches and church leaders” (“Pastors,”
2005).
Rick Warren’s beginnings are fairly simple. Coming from a long line of
ministers, including one ancestor who trained under Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892),
Warren was the son of an influential Southern Baptist minister who spent his life
evangelizing and planting churches (Abanes, 2005: 35-38; Mair, 2005: 27-45; Parks &
Stafford, 2003). The Warren household was one that took their faith seriously, and
prioritized their lives accordingly. This is important, as it provides insight into Warren’s
passion to see Christians live out their faith in day-to-day life. By all accounts, his father
represented an example of such a faith throughout young Warren’s life. Both of
Warren’s parents literally died in Christian service: his father passed away while
repeating “One more for Jesus” over and over, while his mother had a heart attack in the
kitchen practicing the hospitality she was so known for (Mair, 2005: 43)
Even as a teenager, Warren was practicing evangelism in a way that was
culturally relevant, which in the 1960s meant growing his hair long and strumming a
guitar (Mair, 2005: 34). While attending a Bible college in California, several Christian
leaders influenced Warren significantly. None of these affected him more than W.A.
Criswell, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, at the time one of the largest churches
in existence (Abanes, 2005: 40; Mair, 2005: 53). In fact, Warren met Criswell during
those days after hearing him preach:

The pastor didn’t just shake Rick’s hand – he looked at Rick and
proclaimed, “I feel I need to lay hands on you and pray!” Criswell then
said, “Father, I ask you to give this young preacher double the portion of
Your Spirit. May the church he pastors grow twice the size of the Dallas
church. Bless him greatly, O Lord” (Mair, 2005: 54).
It is this moment that Warren identifies as his moment of calling, an intense clarification
of his life’s mission, “inspired by God” (Stafford, 2002). While Saddleback Church
received intense criticism from traditional pastors in the early days, Criswell offered his
unwavering support for the remainder of his life (Abanes, 2005: 53).
After graduating from a Bible college, Warren attended Southwestern Southern
Baptist Seminary (Abanes, 2005: 41; Mair, 2005: 54-56). While there, he was self-
engaged in research on church growth (Mair, 2005: 56, 65-68). Warren’s philosophy of
ministry was already coming together during those early days; he was discovering
principles such as the fact that growth requires change and that only a permanent pastor
can be truly effective in a local church (Abanes, 2005: 17, 43-45; Mair, 2005: 60-61, 69).
Warren had chances after seminary to pastor a large church the easy way. Yet he
was compelled to build a church from scratch (Stafford, 2002; Abanes, 2005: 43-44).
After careful demographic research to determine where he would find an abundance of
unchurched people, Warren and his wife secured permission to begin a new church in
Orange County, California in 1979 (Abanes, 2005: 45; Mair, 2005: 68-70). After
arriving, he conducted a door-to-door survey to determine what type of church would
appeal to his local market (Abanes, 2005: 47-48).

Saddleback Church began in Warren’s mind and heart as a very specific vision. It
was fifteen years and seventy-nine different locations before what people know today as
“Saddleback Church” existed (Mair, 2005: 39, 77). After holding several small meetings
in his home while promoting a kind of “grand opening,” over 200 people showed up for
the Easter service in 1980 (Mair, 2005: 75-76). Warren announced right away that he
intended to grow this church to twenty thousand members occupying fifty acres of land
(Mair, 2005: 76). From the very beginning, the church was “purpose-driven,” Warren’s
goal being “to create a religious community that would extend beyond the established
limits of the Christian population to reach ‘the unchurched’” (Mair, 2005: 137).
Twenty-five years after that first Easter service, Saddleback Church indeed has
twenty thousand members, but sits on 120 rather than 50 acres. Warren preaches simple
to understand, intensely practical messages that meet people where they are, a method he
perfected early in his pastorate (Mair, 2005: 75). His sermons are typically around 45
minutes in length, broken up into 15 minute segments punctuated with contemporary
music – this is done both to appeal to people attending, and to enable Warren to rest a
physical condition that causes him pain when he preaches (Abanes, 2005: 48-49; Mair,
2005: 78). Saddleback also features an intricate small group system with groups for
every conceivable interest and/or issue that meet at various times throughout the week.
Integrity has characterized Warren’s ministry. He has shunned publicity,
especially television ministry (Mair, 2005: 180). He and his wife give abundantly to
charity and even refuse to take a salary from Saddleback (Mair, 2005: 80). In fact, the
Warrens are “reverse tithers,” giving away 90% of their income while living on only 10%
(Abanes, 2005: 19-20).

It has been estimated that Warren has impacted over 180,000 pastors with his
methodology (Mair, 2005: 208). Warren’s church growth principles are also
disseminated over the internet through a website designed specifically for that purpose:
Pastors.com. Much of this has been done through Purpose Driven Church conferences:
People from all fifty states and thirty foreign countries have attended the
Purpose-Driven Ministries conference held at Saddleback, including 3,800
for the May 2002 conference. Many of these churches report an increase
in church enrollment of at least 30 percent, while others report
significantly higher increases (Mair, 2005: 208-209).
Despite his focus on church-growth, Warren strives to downplay the “mega-church
pastor” image as much as possible (Parks & Stafford, 2003):
I dedicated The Purpose-Driven Church to bivocational pastors – the guy
who’s working a 40-hour job and then trying to pastor a small church on
the weekend. Those are the guys I care about – not the big megachurch
pastors. Those are the kinds of churches I grew up in – little churches
(Abanes, 2005: 18).
The Purpose-Driven Life—The Curriculum and Methods of the Movement
Warren’s first major book as pastor of Saddleback Church was entitled The
Purpose Driven Church, and explained in detail the methodology that was responsible for
the growth and success of Saddleback. It was an instant best-seller and has influenced
pastors all over the world. His second book, The Purpose Driven Life, has influenced far
more people and has sold multi-millions of copies in twelve languages (Mair, 2005: 8,
140). In fact, it spent 99 weeks on the New York Times best-sellers list (Caldwell, 2005).

The Purpose Driven Life is organized around five purposes: worship (“You Were
Planned for God’s Pleasure”), fellowship (“You Were Formed for God’s Family”),
spiritual growth (“You Were Created to Become Like Christ”), service (“You Were
Shaped for Serving God”), and mission (“You Were Made for a Mission”). Brief
chapters (from 5-8 pages each), one for each of the forty days, amplify the topic of each
section. The daily chapters include teachings concerning prayer, the local church, coping
with suffering, dealing with temptation, and discovering spiritual gifts. Clearly, Warren
designed the book for reflection and group discussion (Warren, 2002). Warren has
basically repackaged conservative, evangelical doctrine in a way that is accessible to the
ordinary Christian, and is attractive even beyond evangelicals (more on this below).
Beyond the theological factors, and the book’s interdenominational appeal, an
additional note is in order on the growth vs. spirituality debate. Given the amount of
criticism Warren (as well as others) has received for his ideas on “church growth,” such
ideas are conspicuous by their absence in The Purpose-Driven Life (unlike The Purpose-
Driven Church). Warren has claimed to care more about church “health” than growth,
with most of the churches he reaches having between 100 and 200 members (Abanes,
2005: 26-27).
The book is not without its critics, secular and Christian. Secular critics, mainly
journalists, have hinted that Warren is selling a lucrative product in his brand of
spirituality (Mair, 2005: 179-180). Christian critics have been much more numerous and
can be found especially among Reformed Christians and even among Warren’s own
Southern Baptist denomination. It is most interesting that virtually all of them are

evangelicals, given that Warren has successfully managed to get many in mainline and
liturgical churches to embrace evangelical concepts.
In general, Warren’s book contains basic evangelical theology and principles for
life. It is simplified greatly, and some critics complain it waters down conservative
theology. More agree that it is a systematic, if not a bit formulaic, presentation of
conservative evangelical Christianity. Yet, Warren stresses preaching the biblical gospel
entails “life application” as well (Abanes, 2005: 55). Most of the criticisms coming from
his fellow evangelicals concern what Warren chose not to put into the book, or what are
considered to be poor methods of presentation for the material (Abanes, 2005: 69-85)
(such as his use of multiple Biblical translations when quoting from scripture—such as
The Amplified Bible, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word Translation, King
James, Living Bible, New American Bible, New American Standard Bible, New Century
Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Revised Standard
Version, etc.).
If you live in a fairly well-populated area, you have probably seen the big blue
banners hanging outside of churches: “40 Days of Purpose” in large lettering, with a
smaller question underneath, “What on Earth am I here for?” This banner indicates that
the church in question is participating in a “40 Days of Purpose” campaign based on
Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life. Local churches may participate individually at
any time, or as a part of a geographically-organized campaign involving several churches
across denominational lines.
The “40 Days” materials are designed to lead an entire church through a
processing of The Purpose Driven Life. Workbooks are available, in either “small group”

or “Sunday school” versions, that are designed to go along with a video curriculum in
which Warren himself offers brief 15 minute talks before each session (Purpose Driven,
2003, Small Group: 2). The overarching goals of the curriculum are to create a hunger
for Scripture, build community, and get people focused on God’s purpose (Purpose
Driven, 2003, Small Group: 3). Warren attributes the power of the campaign to “five
transforming principles”: “Unified Prayer,” “Concentrated Focus,” “Multiple
Reinforcements,” “Behavioral Teaching,” and “Exponential Thinking” (Warren, 2005,
“Principles”).
Each session includes the five elements of fellowship, discipleship, ministry,
evangelism, and worship (Purpose Driven, 2003, Small Group: 4-5). There is also a
memory verse of Scripture for each week (Purpose Driven, 2003, Small Group: 4). Each
section is designed to process the main ideas from a week’s worth of reading in The
Purpose Driven Life. There are fill-in-the-blank sections that go along with Warren’s
video teaching, followed by a handful of discussion questions for the small group/Sunday
school class. Each workbook includes a directory to list group members and their contact
information, a “Health Assessment” test, a “Health Plan” to carry the person beyond the
forty days, and a section to log prayers requests and answers to prayer. The “small
group” and “Sunday school” versions are different colors, but are only slightly different
as to content.
Warren advertises that he is bringing conservative evangelical theology into
mainline and liturgical churches (Caldwell, 2005; Parks & Stafford, 2003; Nelson, 2005).
The official Purpose Driven website features directory pages for “Purpose Driven
Methodists,” “Purpose Driven Presbyterians,” and even “Purpose Driven Catholics”

(“Purpose Driven Churches,” 2005). Apparently, significant numbers of Seventh-Day
Adventist pastors are also attending Warren’s seminars and using his strategies, though
not without inter-denominational controversy (Kirkpatrick, 2005). Some of these groups,
encouraged by Warren himself, make slight changes to fit their own denominational
context (Nelson, 2005). However, we found in our research that while about 15% of
participating churches were not either Baptist or non-denominational, the vast majority of
responding clergy identify their congregations as either conservative or evangelical.
Warren’s Purpose Driven curriculum is also being used in other venues. For
instance, “Saddleback Church donates materials to any prison that agrees to incorporate
the plan into its rehabilitation regime” (Mair, 2005: 155). Likewise, Warren is now
working with the President of Rwanda to make the country “the first purpose-driven
nation” (Morgan, 2005).

Research Methods
Starting with Saddleback Church’s websites that includes listings of churches who
have participated in the 40 Days of Purpose (FDP) curriculum (see: http://www.saddleback.org/,
http://www.saddlebackfamily.com/, http://www.purposedrivenlife.com/, http://www.purposedriven.com/, and
http://www.pastors.com/), we compiled a list of Texas churches who reported having
participated in the FDP program between 2002 and 2006. We mailed out our
questionnaire to 403 Texas churches in April 2006 to be filled out by the
pastor/minister/priest, then sent a reminder email to those churches with email addresses.
Finally, in August 2006, we sent out a new paper copy questionnaire to those who still

had not responded. In total, 142 questionnaires were returned, resulting in a response rate
of 35.2%.
Results
While this research is only preliminary, several interesting patterns have thus far
emerged in our analysis. We found that most churches surveyed conducted the FDP
program in 2004, just two years after Warren published his book The Purpose Driven
Life. Table 1 gives a summary of the motivations for the church’s leadership to
implement the PDL curriculum.

Table 1. Motivation for a local clergy to have a FDP campaign in their church (check all
that apply).

Motivations for Percentage
Using PDL Respondents

Local minister read Warren 63%
Contact with other local ministers
Who used PDL 36%
Organized campaign in area 19%
Encouragement of
Denominational Leaders 8%
Denominational literature 6%

As can be seen in Table 1, by far the most influential reason for using the FDP
curriculum was an individual minister’s contact with Rick Warren’s book (reported by
almost 2/3 of respondents), and then contact with other local clergy who read The
Purpose Driven Life (another 1/3 of respondents).
Table 2 gives a summary of data that indicate the ways in which the local minister
advertised the FDP program to the church congregation.

Table 2. Ways local minister advertised the FDP program to congregation (check all that
apply).

Advertisement Percentage
Methods Respondents

Weekly church bulletin 97%
Word of mouth 88%
Posted flyers 85%
Weekly sermon 85%
Church newsletter 84%
Mailout to church families 61%
Other advertisements 30%

As can be seen in Table 2, clergy made ample use of multiple advertisement methods to
let parishioners know about the FDP campaign.
Of the churches who responded to our survey, overwhelmingly most were
theologically conservative. Table 3 indicates that only 19% of responding ministers said
their church was theologically moderate, and just over 2% were either “somewhat
liberal” or “very liberal.”

Table 3. Theological Outlook of Congregation as reported by clergy.

Theology Percentage
Reported by clergy Respondents

Very Conservative 26%
Somewhat Conservative 53%
Moderate 19%
Somewhat or Very Liberal 2%

Table 4 reports the number of respondents who self-identify using the following
theological/social labels. By far the most often reported label to describe the congregation
was “Evangelical” at 70%.

Table 4. Theological Label of Congregation as reported by clergy (check all that apply).

Theological Percentage
Label Respondents

Evangelical 70%
Mainline 39%
Liturgical 12%
Fundamentalist 6%

Table 5 reports the number of respondents who indicate various types of worship
styles for those utilizing the FDP curriculum. As can be seen, there is an equal mix of
contemporary and traditional styles in participating churches (sometimes both found in
the same church).

Table 5. Types of worship style of Congregation as reported by clergy (check all that
apply).

Worship Percentage
Style Respondents

Contemporary Worship Style 58%
Traditional Worship Style 57%
Other Worship Style 29%

Clergy reported that the median number of participants in FDP was 245, the
median size of participating churches was 600, and the median proportion of each
congregation’s members who actively participated in the FDP program was 60%. Table
6 gives a summary of some of the demographic characteristics of participating churches.

Table 6. Demographic characteristics of participating churches.

Demographic Percentage
Characteristic Respondents

Median weekly attendance 325
Median yearly church budget $500,000
Mean percentage members white 88%
Mean percentage members
with college degree 45%
Mean percentage who conduct services
in language other than English 9.9%

When asked if their church’s participation in the FDP program encouraged
additional activity in their church’s life, nearly 80% of responding clergy indicted it had.
The comments overwhelmingly indicated that internal small group activity accelerated in
the aftermath of FDP. Over 85% of the comments indicated that small groups were
formed such as Bible studies, home study groups, Stephen Ministry programs, adult
Sunday school classes, support groups (singles, divorced, etc.), visitation programs for
shut-in church members, and other spiritually-oriented Christian courses, such as the
Alpha Course. Several respondents noted that their congregation was planning to conduct
Forty Days of Community, the follow-up program also developed by Rick Warren. Less
than 5% of respondents indicated that FDP resulted in church growth or increased
membership. Finally, less than 10% of responding clergy revealed that FDP led to an

outward orientation of the church community. Only a few indicated that greater
evangelism activities intensified as a result of FDP, or that mission work or other service-
oriented activity (such as hospital visits or food pantry assistance) strengthened.
Discussion and Conclusion
This preliminary analysis of data is the first study we know of that analyzes the
impact of Rick Warren’s 40-Days of Purpose curriculum on the life of congregations who
participate. By and large, those churches which participate are medium-sized with
members who are predominantly white, middle-class, and identify as evangelical
Christians. In this sense, the curriculum of FDP fits well with an evangelical worldview,
emphasizing personal spirituality and a congregation’s inward-looking concerns. No
responding clergy indicated that greater political activity resulted from FDP programs,
reinforcing Warren’s contention that his mission is spiritual development, not political
activism.
Additional comments provided by responding ministers frequently used terms like
“engaging and inspiring,” “transformational” (for the individual), “rejuvenating,”
creating “vision and unity of purpose,” “generating excitement and enthusiasm” and
“deeper commitment” among participants, and was comparable to an “effective revival.”
Several ministers reiterated the impetus for the congregation to begin small group
ministries which focus on the needs of parishioners. Other respondents said that the FDP
program “gave our church a boost but the lasting effect is minimal,” and that “the book
was difficult to adapt because we are a liberal church.” Finally, one minister said that “25
percent of the congregation said it was life-changing, 25 percent said it was a good
experience but not life-changing, and 50 percent are just glad its over.”

Data indicate that in many ways FDP had an impact on individual participants,
but the activity generated by the campaign was inwardly-focused. This reaffirms what
social scientists from Wuthnow (1988) to Putnam (2000) have said about the core of the
small group movement: that it reinforces the individualism in much of American
Christianity. In fact, Putman (2000) says that evangelical churches are effective at
creating what he calls “bonding social capital” that reinforces ties to existing group
members, but tends to not generate “bridging social capital” that forms links between
church and the wider society. Given the characteristics of churches and their participants
revealed in this study, and the fact that according to these data, very few churches
actually grew as a result of FDP, it is not surprising that the effect of FDP in our sample
was limited for the most part to internal (inwardly-focused) small group development in
participating congregations, and had little or no effect on the outward looking mission of
the church.
References
Abanes, Richard (2005). Rick Warren and the purpose that drives him: An insider looks
at the phenomenal bestseller. Eugene, OR: Harvest House.
Allen, Jessica, & Jett, Cathy (2005). “More miracles of ‘The Purpose-Driven Life’.”
Christianity Today. <http://www.christianitytoday.com/global/printer.html?/tc/
2005/004/6.24.html>. Accessed 19 September 2005.
Caldwell, Deborah (2005). “The man with the puepose.” Beliefnet. <http://
www.belief.net/story/162/story_16242.html>. Accessed 10 September 2005.

Christianity Today editorial (2004). “Forget your bliss: The success of The Purpose
Driven Life reveals a cultural opportunity.” Christianity Today. <http://
christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/003/35.29.html>. Accessed 21 September 2005.
Kirkpatrick, Larry (2005). “How present fads blockade present truth.” Great
Controversy. <http://www.greatcontroversy.org/gco/rar/kir-fads.php>. Accessed
17 November 2005.
Mair, George (2005). A life with purpose: The story of the man behind The Purpose
Driven Life. New York: Berkley Books.
Modern Reformation (2004). “A purpose driven phenomena: An interview with Rick
Warren.” Modern Reformation, 13(1), pp. 37-39.
Morgan, Timothy C. (2005). “Purpose driven in Rwanda: Rick Warren’s sweeping plan
to defeat poverty.” Christianity Today. <http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/
2005/010/17.32.html >. Accessed 15 November 2005.
Nelson, Chris (2005). “Rick Warren’s ministry toolbox: Purpose-driven for the mainline
church.” Pastors.com. <http://www.pastors.com/RWMT/
printerfriendly.asp?issue=123&artID=4605>. Accessed 19 September 2005.
Parks, Ted, & Stafford, Tim (2003). “The shockingly ordinary purpose-driven life of
Rick Warren.” Christianity Today. <http:// christianitytoday.com/tc/2003/006/
4.16.html>. Accessed 10 September 2005.
“Pastors reveal major influencers on churches” (2005). The Barna Group. <http://
www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=178>.
Accessed 19 September 2005.

“Purpose driven churches” (2005). Purpose-Driven. <http://www.purposedriven.com/
en-US/ 40DayCampaigns/PurposeDrivenChurches/PDCHome.htm>. Accessed
10 November 2005.
Purpose Driven Ministries (2003). 40 days of purpose: Small group study guide. Lake
Forest, CA: Purpose Driven.
Purpose Driven Ministries (2003). 40 days of purpose: Sunday school study guide. Lake
Forest, CA: Purpose Driven.
Putnam, Robert D. 2000. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American
Community. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Saddleback Church (2005). <http://www.saddleback.com/>. Accessed 26 October 2005.
Stafford, Tim (2002). “A regular purpose-driven guy.” Christianity Today. <http://
www.ctlibrary.com/print.html?id=8738>>. Accessed 27 September 2005.
Warren, Rick (2002). The purpose driven life: What on earth am I here for? Grand
Rapids: Zondervan.
Warren, Rick (2005). “Rick Warren’s ministry toolbox: The principles behind 40 Days
of Purpose.” Pastors.com. <http://www.pastors.com/RWMT/
printerfriendly.asp?issue=123&artID=4323>. Accessed 19 September 2005.
Wuthnow, Robert. 1988. The Restructuring of American Religion: Society and Faith
Since World War II. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Why Churches Fail Part I

2010-10-27T05:08:00.001-07:00

Why Churches Fail Part I
By Dr. Richard J. Krejcir

The problems of Church can be solved and used for His glory!
The LORD is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1
I was teaching at a pastor’s conference recently. So many pastors were literally crying on my shoulder because of the overwhelming problems they face. This is no surprise; usually, I am the one crying! However, the surprise here was the focus (or the lack thereof) from these pastors. Most of them did not consider effective Bible teaching or discipleship important for their church. Furthermore, discipleship was considered useful for attracting people, not for mentoring and teaching them. Most of them did not think prayer was important; rather, it was about crafting a catchy sermon with a catchy title to draw people into to their church. And, it gets worse from there.
When I led a workshop on “Biblical Church Growth,” I spent some Q & A time with these pastors. And of course, they had “real” reasons why their churches were declining and in decay. One was the trend that since the early 70s, white, Protestant churches are no longer vogue in American culture. Many sited statistics and research about how churches grow only when the pastors can attract congregational members with similar attitudes or connect with church members during times of crisis and life changes (which are valid and effectual reasons, but miss the main point). And, most felt that prayer and even faith decisions are deep, nevertheless personal and not an essential component to building a church. And yes, this was for a main-line church conference. I challenged them with my statistics on why churches failed. It was like I was speaking with three heads. Prayer, Bible literacy and its relevance, and discipleship were considered juvenile to them. Yes, their despair was sincere; they just could not make the connection that real church development has to do with focusing on who the church is for—and that is Christ! Most thought the church was for their own amusement and agendas. Seriously, how do pastors miss the point so significantly?
Faith is what moves a real effectual and effective church!
In my first doctoral dissertation on “why churches fail,” I tracked over 1,000 churches for over 10 years. I looked for the marks that caused people to leave. I found the top four reasons why a churchgoer leaves their church.
1. The number one reason why people stop coming to any given church, (your church) was reported by over 91% people citing the significant factor or main reason being conflict and gossip! (James 3:5-6)
2. The number two reason that people leave a church is the hypocrisy and judgmental attitude and actions of people. Seventy-eight percent (78%) of people who left a church stated they experienced church people being judgmental to them, the hypocrisy they witnessed especially by pastors and leadership, or the hurt by church members they experienced. Another significant factor in this category was the poor “people skills” of the pastor and/or leadership! Why? Because they do not manage the judgmentalism, conflicts and/or gossip! (Matthew 5:9)
3. The number three reason why people leave a church is because they wonder, where do I fit in? They experience a lack of hospitality and concern or care from the leadership or people in general. Sixty-six percent (66%) reported that if people do not feel they belong, they leave. (2 Corinthians 5:20)
4. The number four reason why people leave a church is the unwillingness to deal with sin. This creates strife and factions in a church for which sixty-two percent (62%) of people reported to be the reason they left. The atmosphere of contention they feel is the primary basis for factions—the dissatisfaction, disagreements, and dissention (if they stay), all because they do not feel at “home,” having a place to care and to share. Thus, the poor “people skills” of the leadership, the unwillingness to deal with and resolve conflict, and the lack of seeking Christ first and foremost cause the majority of conflicts between the people in the church and the pastor. (Matthew 6:33)
These top four problems cause the vast majority of people to leave a church, over ninety-one percent (91%): unresolved conflict, gossip, no teaching, and inhospitality that prevent “connection.” (This statistic discounts people who move for a job or school change, which is around nineteen percent (19%); this was removed from statistical relevance in the percentage hierarchy.) Over ninety percent (90%) of people surveyed and interviewed felt a significant, overwhelming lack of courtesy, absence of Fruit, and bad character that led to broken relationships and the flight from their church. Over eighty-five percent (85%) reported no one ever called, visited them, or asked why they left within the first four months after leaving. Eighty-two percent (82%) stated that if they were visited and given a reason and/or an apology, resolving the conflict or action was taken to resolve it, they would return. Over seventy percent (70%) of them were in leadership of some kind, and thirteen percent (13%) were pastors! These reasons led to over ninety percent (90%) of feeling shunned, feelings of rejection, and/or not feeling wanted or cared for there. This prevented them from getting anything significant or spiritual out of church, so they left.
My personal observations were simple; Ephesians 4:1 - 5:2 was not applied or sought by the leadership. This comes from a lack of quality, biblical understanding from the leadership. This Bible illiteracy and feeling that it is not relevant resulted in a lack of quality expository or exegetical Bible teaching. In addition, discipleship was not considered important nor was Fruit being modeled by the church leadership.
Of the churches and people surveyed and tracked that were satisfied and healthy, the Bible was taught effectively, the church was healthy, and when problems came, they were met and turned into happenings of connection and learning. After that, the congregation was better able and willing to put God’s precepts in practice with real, authentic Christian character and faith. Problem churches turned around and factions ended simply by seeking Christ first. It starts from the leadership. People do not know the Word or the precepts of our Lord because the Bible is not taught in such a way that it is real and can be applied to their lives and situations. Sheep who are not being fed will feed upon one another and not love one another! The Church is called—even mandated to equip and disciple its people, not just in the basics of the faith, but also in how to be Christian in their families, work, school, and relationships. When churches do not engage in this vital call, they create ineffective Christians who do not seek to live their lives to His glory (Psalm 119:9-12)! After a while, the church stagnates to nothing and eventually will close its doors.
When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Psalm 27:2
So, how are churches run?
The great American way of doing church these last ten or so years is to do church in the ways of the world and business community, and not in the Way of God. In so doing, we have been crafting and creating our own problems and dilemmas. These place the church outside of biblical principles because we seek our ideas outside and away from Christ, resulting in individual, then collective failure. We fail as Christians, then as churches, and then as an effectual and effective Church for the Kingdom of God. So, what are we doing instead of placing Christ first and teaching others about Him? Crafting the trends and formulas to grow a church and be successful are:
· First, find a pastor with the right vision and upbeat, contagious, charismatic personality. He or she can lead by a force of will and/or charisma. (The Bible calls us to be led by the character, call, and precepts of Christ!)
· Second, add in a clever marketing strategy from “door hangers” to TV spots. Make your church look good and appealing. (Painting a rotten fence does not fix the fence!)
· Third, dumb down the Word of God so people get “pop” psychology and self-help rather than biblical instructions. If you teach too deeply, people will get frustrated and leave. You can’t attract people with teaching the Bible; you must use other means such as stories, life issues, entertainment, and relevant psychology. (Yes the Bible is an offence; however, our call is not to please people, but to please God and love the people!)
· Fourth, use the best, most modern means of communication so to be flashy and catchy. If you do not have the best power points and plays, forget about getting people to come to your church. (Fluff does nothing when there is no substance!)
· Fifth, no longer make the goal of the Church to be authentic worship and discipleship; it is the goal of being more “contagious” to be like Dr. Phil and Oprah and not like Spurgeon or Schaeffer. We win by our numbers and not by our authentic maturity in Christ. We worship by modern music secular people know and can relate to. Worship is about your people, not about praise to God. (The point of worship is our praise and gratitude to God; He is the audience—the One we seek and please!)
These pastors attended another conference seeking to copy the great big church and the great pastor guru they admired, but it was not working. Instead of putting their resources in the winning channels of prayer and spiritual growth, expository preaching, counseling for the hurting, and training for those who help and serve, they decided to compromise their training and legacy. They cut back on their personal, spiritual growth to have more room for marketing and trend-setting. They read self-help books and gleaned ideas for the sermons from them and not from His Word. They spent their church budget on advertisements, not on missions and real evangelism; then they wondered why it was not working.
Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. Psalm 27:3
This trend-based way of doing church may sound good, and we can do some of it without compromising the Gospel, such as advertising, finding out what people need, and helping them as long as the gospel is presented, His Word is not compromised, and discipleship is commencing. But, what usually happens is that all the time and resources are spent on the fluff and none on the substance. There is nothing greater a church can do than praise and be grateful to God, then seek and worship Him. And, there is noting wrong with being a good communicator as long as you are communicating biblical, real, life-changing truth. But, most churches are not doing that!
Unfortunately, I was one of the people making up this stuff and propagating these trends for years as a Church Growth Consultant. ashamedly, I admit my mistakes. We have created trends, inclinations, and traditions that are not rooted in biblical precepts and have turned our churches toward skewed agendas. This has caused our churches to be turned into merely civic centers without real depth or function for the Kingdom of God. We are no longer the haven of rest because we exchanged the Word and the training grounds for Christian servers and worshipers for God’s glory into theaters of entertainment and complacency that fuel self-satisfaction and immaturity. We created gossipers and legalism, handcrafting our own dysfunction and strife. We have become churches of “pew-sitters” who have become mere consumers of church and not builders or owners who grow in Christ and build His Church.
One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. Psalm 27:4
The dilemma is that this formula has, for the most part, actually worked and people are coming to the mega churches that have been born from these guidelines. This trend of doing church has become front and center for whom and why we are to do church. The essentials are mostly good. For the most part, these categories of formulas have some good to offer us. We want to be contagious for the Gospel, we want to attract people, and we want to communicate effectively. But, what we do not want to do is water down the message or forsake the training and equipping of His people so we can gather more consumers, and not participators in His Kingdom. When we dilute and dismiss His Word, we end up trading in our beautiful “classic car” of our Christian formation for an impaired vehicle that has a great paint job and looks good, but it does not run or function or take us in a direction that glorifies our Lord and builds His Church.
Thus, the sheep starve for food; we bite on one another, creating chaos, engaging in gossip so that the desiccation of our call becomes our meal replacement, resulting in infighting instead of the spiritual growth needed if outreach and missions are to be possible.
For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Psalm 27:5
Our churches fail when we fail to know and grow in Christ, when we fail to follow Him and Him alone! It is His Church; we are the stewards of it. We must act like it. All we do is for His glory, not ours, or even for the people in our neighborhoods!
Churches fail when we fail Him—Christ the LORD!

You can turn around your church; all you have to do is know Christ and follow Him. Jesus knows us intimately; He knows our situation, our struggles, and our opportunities. He wants us to take hold of His grace and love so we can focus on Him and lean on Him both in our jubilations and in our struggles. The key in these passages is to stay faithful in our Christian identity and our leadership of others, and to remain loyal to Christ. We are not to allow our doubts, fears, state of affairs, or our whims, ideas, and aspirations to occupy His place in our hearts and minds.

A Process For Parish Development

2010-10-26T03:08:00.000-07:00

a process for parish dev

shared leadership and responsibility

1.1. bounded by routine: what would u do if u were not afraid?

1.2. learning from others: training pastor on leadership, the church as a family, chosing leaders from among the families, training this leadership from among the people

strategic planning

2.1. what is happening within our organisation and what is happening outside our organisation which might impact on what we want to do?

2.2. what are the strengths and weakness within our organisation?

Strengths	Weakness
Pro-active parish, good range of parish organisations	Lack of volunteers, declining church attendance, declining church collection
Opportunities	Threats
Make more use of church venue, develop special program for young people, celebrate good marriages	Loss of workers, continuing failure to attract volunteers, continuing scandal in church.

2.3. what are the opportunities and threats we may face?

2.4. what changes do we want to effect? In other words what is our vision for the future?

Make sure you will go to heaven	Take as many people as possible with you to heaven
Live a life of holiness	Preach the gospel throughout the world
Plant churches in every nation of the world

2.5. what is our mission, why do we exist, what is our purpose?

2.6. what aims or goals might we set ourselves as we try to achieve our vision?

2.7. what tasks need to be accomplished if we are to realise those aims or goals?

2.8. what resources will we need to enable us to carry out the tasks we have set for ourselves? Where and how might we access these resources?

2.9. when will we carry out our task? What is our programme of work?

2.10. how will we monitor and evaluate our progress

summary of process

working at the parish dev

calling the community
consulting the community
gathering the community
empowered by the community

partnership

seven habts of highly effective partnerships
partnership with the pastoral council
partnership through the pastoral council

evaluation

is it all worthwhile?

resources

starting up
pastoral council feast
books and media
other useful materials

spirituality

rooted in the scriptures
the disciples on the road to Emmaus
the person of Christ

church

the wedding feast at cana
the transfiguration

evangelisation

the prayer of jesus at the last supper
the commission of the disciples

vision statement

people first
everyone who wants to be involved can be involved
everyone feels valued and welcomed
pastors and people work in partnership
we have the courage to invoke change
we care for everyone
young people play an active role
our faith is strong and vibrant
we have good relationship with other churches.