10 Ways to Wake Up Your Church

Meetings, committees, budgets. Is your church drowning in the details and losing sight of its mission
to reach the unchurched?
More than 1,500 pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or
contention within the Church. And although 4,000 new churches open each year nationwide, more
than 7,000 close. The details, meetings, and time it takes to run a church can often turn the Great
Commission into the drained commission as pastors, staff, and members physically, mentally, and
spiritually burn out.
Sound familiar? Here we give you 11 proven ways to take the lead and wake up your church!

1. Read The Bible And Fast Company.
Thats right. Read Scripture and secular magazines, books, and Web sites. Not at the same time, for
the same length of time, or with the same trust of the authors. But make sure your reading is varied
and diverse.
Have you ever met a pastor whos the real-life version of the phrase so heavenly minded that youre
of no earthly good? He or she can quote boatloads of Scripture but cant carry on a conversation with
a gas station attendant or a waitress. These pastors spend 100% of their time with Christians,
engaging in church conversation, studying the Bible, reading Christian magazines or books by
Christian authors, preparing messages, and going to Christian conferences. They have no connection
to the real world.
Of course, its essential to read the Bible every day. But its also important to spend some of your time
reading material that can prepare and equip you to reach your community. Check out some secular
books or magazines that offer best practices from the business world, and learn what you can do to
lead your church more effectively. Moreover, newspapers, movies, and books that are culturally
relevant can help you tune in to your community.
By augmenting your spiritual study with secular reading and viewing, youll likely discover new ideas
and information that can help your church. Topics often explored in-depth in secular publications
innovation, creativity, financial management, and growing an organizationtranslate well to the
church.
And youll know firsthand what many in your church and community are reading and watching, helping
you relate and connect with the unchurched people around you.

2. Eliminate Committees And Multiply The Ministries.
Ever hear of a church that had so many committees it even had a committee of committees to keep
all the other committees organized? It existsno joke. It doesnt take a church growth expert to know
thats too many committees!
Get rid of committees and create ministry teams, who will meet occasionally to plan, reflect, set goals,
and measure performancebut their primary function will be ministry.
This doesnt have to be as radical as it sounds. Simply changing your terminology can make a
difference. The word team connotes vision, goals, purpose, unity, equal effort, and accomplishment.
The word committee is draining; it communicates bureaucracy, policy, power, status, and lots of
meetings.
If your churchs culture values people more highly in meetings than in ministry, you need to begin to
change your culture. If your church has a team mindset but uses committee instead of team, you
need to change your terminology and re-educate your congregation on the difference.
God calls us to ministry, not meetings.

3. Recruit Constantly.
As a ministry leader, one of your primary roles is to recruit continuously to build teams and help
people plug into ministry.
Always be on the lookout for new people to fill ministry roles. Plug them into ministry and help them
develop relationships that offer mentoring and discipleship. Some ministry roles need committed
Christ-followers. Some require skilled technicians. Others need servants who are available and willing
to be trained.
This idea of constant recruitment may sound sacrilegious to the purists out there, those who believe
that when it comes to asking people to step into ministry, theres an appropriate path volunteers must
take. Many believe that people must wait until theyve attended a church for at least 12 months and
have taken a spiritual gifts test. Or they have to be Christ-followers with baptism certificates.
But the reality is that some people will go through the strategic steps youve established. Others will
never get connected in relationships and, unless someone asks them to join a ministry team, they
may never take steps toward a spiritual journey. It may be only through that volunteer experience
that they build the necessary trust with team members to ask the tough faith questions and meet
Jesus for the first time. Increasingly, people are belonging before they are believing.
Youll never have enough volunteers, so the recruitment process should be ongoing.

4. Throw Parties.
Were all two-year-olds at heart, arent we? We love to be cheered and affirmed. Even though our
hearts desire is to deflect that attention to God, it sure feels good to be appreciated.
However, when we grow up, we tend to overanalyze potential responses to any praise we might offer:
If I praise him too early, he may think the job is done and he doesnt have to finish. Or If I give her
too much praise for a small success, what am I going to do for something big? Or If I make a big
deal about this, wont it set a precedent that obligates me to do the same thing every time for
everyone?
The key is to not think about it. Just do it. Dont determine your action based on a predicted response.
Dont worry about precedent or patterns or what ifs. Just choose to develop a culture in your life and
in your congregation that notices and affirms the smallest successes.

Theres really no way to mess this up. Model this attitude for your church, and develop an
environment that consistently lauds people for their contributions to the mission.

5. Read Your Comment Cards.
If your church is growing, youre likely designing a weekend service to reach a certain target audience.
Whoever your audience and whatever your purpose, its essential to know if and why something isnt
working.
Unfortunately, you cant simply ask people, especially first- or second- time guests, how they feel and
expect to get an honest answer. In being kind and considerate, they wont tell you the truth.
Instead, include a reply card in the program or bulletin. Or follow up on Monday with an e-mail if they
listed an address. Title it: Tell us about your experience today. Include ample space for people to tell
you about the good and bad of their worship experience. Whether the card is signed or anonymous,
read every response.
Youll learn tons of stuffeverything from how the lawn sprinklers are spraying car windows to the
loudness of the worship band. Youll also get positive input and suggestions.
Whatever your system is, figure out a way to get some honest feedback from attendees, especially
first-time guests. Take to heart what needs to be addressed and forget the rest. And then, remember
to act.

6. Frequently Visit Other Churches And Steal Their Stuff.
Unfortunately, some church leaders dont see value in visiting other churches. They firmly believe the
Bible is Gods revealed will, and all the necessary ideas will be found in His Word. But we are to be
students of our ever-changing culture and should therefore continue trying to figure out the best way
to communicate the timeless message of the Gospel. Tens of thousands of churches across the world
are engaged in the same effort. Many of them have already figured out how to be effective in an area
in which youre looking for answers.
Jump in a car or plane to visit a church thats hitting the ball out of the park in an area where you
need help. Everywhere you go, theres something to be learned, and perhaps even stolen.
Of course, the word stolen is figurative. If you quote from a message or a book, give credit to the
author. Get permission to reprint published material or copy a logo or graphic design. Typically,
churches are honored to be asked and recognized.
Possible ideas that can be adapted from other churches:
Compassion care ministry from Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, La.
(healingplacechurch.org)
Drama scripts from Willow Creek Church in South Barrington, Ill. (willowcreek.com)
Creative theme ideas for childrens rooms from Church on the Move in Tulsa, Okla.
(churchonthemove.net)
Youth-building ideas from Resurrection Life Church in Grandville, Mich. (reslife.org;
getfloored.org)
Advertising ideas from Cedar Creek Church in Perrysburg, Ohio (aroundthecreek.com)
Video venues from North Coast Church in Vista, Calif. (northcoastchurch.com)
Weekend message series ideas from David Foster at Bellevue Community Church in Nashville,
Tenn. (hopepark.com)
Flexible auditorium design from Northwoods Community Church in Peoria, Ill. (nwoods.org)
The Purpose-Driven Church model from Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif.
(saddleback.com)

7. Fuel The Pioneering Spirit.
Church leaders often have good memories of their early days in leadership. Phrases like Everyone
was pulling in the same direction and We knew we were accomplishing something big are common.
There was a sense that God was using them and that everyone was serving and contributing because
there was so much to do. They were always looking forward to the next week to see what God would
do.
Thats a pioneering spirit, probably similar to the spirit of the early pioneers who headed West. They
saw the whole country before them, even when they werent sure what was waiting for them around
the next mountain or through the next forest. They anticipated the adventures that lay ahead.
Often, a church loses that pioneering spirit as it ages and settles in. People stop serving, excitement
wanes, and complaining becomes more prevalent than vision casting.
It doesnt have to be that way. Its possible to strategically build events or occasions in the life of your
church that innately produce momentum and motivate involvement. Work with your staff and ministry
teams to plan churchwide events, campaigns, or projects at least every six months to generate and
maintain momentum in your congregation and in your community.
Schedule momentum builders on the calendar every six months for the next two years. In his
book, The Maxwell Leadership Bible (Nelson), author/pastor John Maxwell says, Without momentum,
even the simplest tasks can seem insurmountable. But with momentum on your side, the future looks
bright, obstacles appear small, and trouble seems temporary. With enough momentum, nearly any
kind of change is possible.

8. Never Launch A Ministry Without A Leader.
How many times have you heard someone in your church suggest, sometimes strongly, that the
church establish a new ministry? Maybe its a ministry for more community outreach, a new program
for single parents, or an initiative targeted to the next generation. For most churches, each one seems
like a valid ministry initiative; however, many times, the people recommending them arent prepared
or skilled to step up and lead them.
Many excellent ministries may fit your churchs mission and vision, but if God hasnt also helped
identify a leader for that ministry, its probably not the right time to launch. Often, ministries begun
prematurely end up on a staff persons plate. Unless you plan to remove another ministry function
from your or your staffs responsibilitiesand thats a valid considerationdont commit to starting a
program without first selecting a leader.
If you determine that a new ministry fits the churchs purposes, identify someoneoften a layperson
to lead it. Select a leader only after youve chosen someone on your management team, paid or
unpaid, to oversee that new initiative. For example, to begin a divorce-recovery ministry, choose one
of the senior management team pastors to oversee the effort, and charge a staff or volunteer leader
to run point and execute it.
Identifying leaders before starting new programs forces you to focus on the Churchs primary
purposeto fulfill the Great Commission. Dont just evaluate every ministry proposal, weighing
whether or not it fits the churchs mission, vision, and values; determine if theres someone to
effectively lead this ministry.

9. Create A Church Culture That Expects Volunteers To Do Ministry.
Want a foolproof way to stop ministry from happening in your church? Each time a task must be
completed, hire a new staff person to do it.
In any church, growth and outreach require pastors and staff to empower volunteers to do the
ministry. Your church will never have enough money to employ people to fill every key ministry role,
so only hire people when unpaid servants cant accomplish the task.
In October 2002, Granger Community Church in Granger, Ind., had more than 1,800 people
connected in some form of ministry, either through small groups or task teams. Thats more than 50%
of the weekend attendance. With only 35 full-time equivalent employees on staff, attendance growth
would have stalled a long time ago had the church not released ministry to lay people.
On any given weekend at church, Granger has nearly 1,000 children from birth through fifth grade
involved in the childrens ministry, which is staffed by only three people. Obviously, these three people
cant come close to touching the lives of these kids on their own. Instead, the church has 255 active
volunteers in the childrens area who serve from week to week.
These volunteers have grown accustomed to the practice of encouraging people to attend one service
and serve during a second service.
Some volunteers check children in. Some prepare art projects, lead music, or direct dramas. Others
provide care for children as they form small groups. Some volunteers teach. Several key lay people
oversee entire age groups in significant leadership roles. The list goes on.
The three people on the childrens staff are the vision champions, ensuring that the childrens ministry
team is focused on fulfilling the churchs mission. They build teams and equip volunteers to carry out
the ministry.
Its a simple strategyvolunteers need to do it first.

10. Tell Stories.
Announcementsyou may call them family time or strategic concerns. Often people are arriving,
getting settled, and taking off their coats as announcements are made. After three or four minutes,
people finally begin to focus and see that someone on stage is talking.
But what if you and other speakers enlisted the compelling art of storytelling during the
announcements or other parts of the service? A personal story may last only 60 to 90 seconds, but it
will get their attention. For example, if youre announcing sign-ups for childrens camp, tell a story of a
camp you attended as a child and how it made a difference in your own life.
Stories keep people focused. Moreover, they remember them. After all, Jesus primary style of
communication was storytelling and anecdotal.
When practiced consistently, these 10 strategies have the potential to raise morale, build momentum
for life change, involve more people in ministry, and wake up your church to reach the world outside
its doors.
Tony Morgan, is the pastor of ministries at West Ridge Church near Atlanta. Hes also a strategist,
coach, writer, speaker, and consultant who equips leaders and churches to impact their communities
for Christ. Follow Tonys ministry at TonyMorganLive.com..

Tim Stevens, serves as executive pastor for Granger Community Church in Granger, Ind., one of the
fastest-growing churches in the nation. Tim has written/co-written several books on church leadership.
Read Tims blog at LeadingSmart.com.