Category Archives: Church growth

Church growth Controversial Issues Discipleship Leadership Replication Maturity Mission

LEADERSHIP – The Way We Do Things Here

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Good leaders feed the sheep, watch over their souls, and mature the saints for more ministry and for growth into being like Jesus.

Most pastors in regular churches strive to develop a stable sheep base, so they have money for their infrastructure. Sure, many hope to actually teach some Bible along the way. But this pattern makes ministry really about placating people’s flesh, so they don’t stop giving. This model wastes a lot of time, hoping to do ministry somewhere sometime hopefully.

By contrast, we hope to develop more shepherds. If one is developing leadership in others, then one must deliver loving correction some times. One must always watch to see if lessons are learned, if tests are passed. One must rigorously lead by doing the best, hearing the best, teaching the best one can. Without this, people are not maturing and not being made ready for leadership. If the people don’t want this, they are not ready to prepare for leadership. They are not really even walking the Christian walk.

Tests for leadership don’t always come in the same order, but here are some very basic ones.
1. Work. You get to lead, or even have a say, only if you are working for the group.
2. Fulfilling the commitments you made. If you can’t do this, you are not reliable. You are not a leader. This goes along with telling the truth.
3. Being coordinative rather than rebellious. There is a place for leadership, so there is a place for respect and working with others, especially in the agreement upon direction.
4. Being civil, respectful, honoring.
5. Learning. How much should a teacher lavish attention on a student who refuses to learn?
This includes just plain being lazy lazy lazy. You were not meant for decoration.
This includes the full cup syndrome, that is, thinking you a lot, but showing you don’t.
This is related to avoiding the demons of division and strife — who often manifest as religious spirits and often get all caught up in nonsensical details.

Everything is a lesson. Everything is a test. Just because no one says anything to you, doesn’t mean they don’t know what you did; it doesn’t mean you got away with it.
We have already seen an amazing amount of spiritual warfare for such a little group. Just because you are the one scandalized, doesn’t mean you are the most right, the most holy. Often it means you are the most demonized. Don’t be scandalized; instead, be delivered, be healed, and be taught.

We know that given our mission and design, we will attract those who want to be leaders, but haven’t been in the past. This can be a place that will heal the wounds, fill in the holes, and cast out the demons. I hope this will help. Only you can make the decisions.

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A New and More Biblical Prosperity Gospel — A Call to Commitment to Assignment

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Studying Haggai. There we are in endtime prophecy. The Lord calls the church to repentance, because it has been building its own house and not his.
This is a new and clearly Biblical prosperity teaching. God would like to bless your house, but can’t if you aren’t building His.
There are a lot of people God has called to leadership. But there are leadership tests that need to be passed. Without a commitment to learn, it is pretty hard to be a Christian. Without commitment to work, you are not a leader. Without a commitment to pull together, you can’t be on a team of leaders.
And yes, sure, there are wounds of previous top leaders who didn’t deploy you, but there needs to be a commitment to healing, too. Come to the Lord.
It is a call to commitment, my friends.

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Time to Listen!

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Today we had a word out of Haggai Time for the church to repent. We followed the request of the President, passed on by Franklin Graham and others, a couple of weeks ago to repent on behalf of the nation — a nation that has passed as law of the land things that are hateful to God, that have always proven to be detrimental to society over the centuries, and have never been tradition in the US. Now, however, we are called to pray for repentance for the church. May the Lord grant repentance to the church. And our loved ones. Time to listen!

It is time for a fear of God. We pray that God grant it to us, to the church, and our nation.

For us, also, time to get stirred up, to open our eyes to the way God sees it. Time to build the Kingdom. And the House. God’s way.

For this, God promises blessings.

Also we got a good example of someone who heard from God to get supplies for his family. That is the way we ought be to: practiced in hearing from God. Let’s work on it. Failing that, good if we have had a history of listening to God and good teaching and being prepared. Failing that, listen now. Sort which teachers are good. And LISTEN!

This is the sequence: presence, power, glory, and shalom.

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Generals of the Faith Warned Us — The Church Didn’t Listen

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https://mariomurilloministries.wordpress.com/2020/03/26/they-tried-to-warn-us-4/

Aren’t you finding that? People who weren’t listening are still not listening? Those who were too proud to listen to good advice are now running with their hand shaking in the air. Those who mocked have just left. Those who shut out God, still are trying other things. It is sad. Perhaps the church is sadder – either scared, or making negative contributions when they could be showing the way, or else into speculations.

Please hear the words of the generals. Mario has quoted them. They say: get serious. Actually seek God instead of just your own comfort. When you do church, do it right. Don’t be distracted.

Let’s us listen. Let us, those who are in the game, step it up.

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Church at Max 10 means lots of House Churches

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Many of you have churches that will broadcast that is great. Others do not. Do this.
Invite your neighbors and have church. You can either all watch a broadcast or have service in a format I will give you.
But listen, if you have a broadcast service, don’t leave it at that. Real fellowship is more than shaking hands — which you might not want to do anyway. Real fellowship is: “how are you doing?
” “Is there anything I can help with.” We need that today.

If you want a broadcasted service, I recommend All Nations in Fort Mill, South Carolina:
chavdaministries.org/Groups/1000047680/Chavda_Ministries_International/Media/Media.aspx

Will try to reco one in California.

But look, people are very interested in their style of worship. Fine, just share.

Now, here is an alternative method, and really superior if you can pull it off.
Coffee/tea
Some method of starting. You can call that “A Call to Worship” A scripture works well.
Some worship via music. If your group can sing, that is superior. At the minimum, you can play a worship song on your phone.
Prayer time.
Message from the Bible or Bible Study.
Announcements
Potluck

We do this, except we have a sermon and prayer time to close, then have break for coffee and pastries, and then have Bible Study.

The rule for Bible Study is comments are permitted only about the verse we are all looking at. Personal reflections and personal experiences only. No doctrine from somewhere else. So, not expect5ed that we must all agree, but is expect6ed that everyone interacts with the text and is transformed, God working with each one where they are. Now, of course, when I run them, I do field questions. If questions arise in your group that no one can answer, fine, write them down and call someone later. Then share the answer next week.

This could be a great time: revival of real community, awakening for neighborhoods, and getting to know neighbors and the Lord!

Also, you might want to go down the block to be sure everyone is okay. Maybe two by two. Everyone is watching the Christians. Let’s reflect the Light of the Lord.

Church growth Controversial Issues

Good and Bad Leadership

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Last Sunday we considered how to identify and be good leadership rather than bad.

Who were good leaders? Obviously Jesus. What did he do? Spent time with God, healed and taught the multitude, and invested heavily in the 12 — to bring them to leadership. Moses. Spent time with God, handed down the law to create a people, judged the people, and created a leadership structure. Paul. Not smooth, not always polite, argued with other leaders. Spent time with God, had revelations, went out and founded lots of churches, wrote, and mentored leaders. Deborah. Judged Israel. Was a wife and mother. Directed the generals, Prophesied. Celebrated volunteers. Check it out.

So good leaders follow God. Good leaders feed the sheep, rather than eat them. Good leaders develop other leaders. Check out Zechariah 10 & 11. And read closely Ephesians 4:11-13 or so.

Oh, you should have been there. We are small enough that you get to ask questions during the sermon!

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Reaching Out

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I have observed  4 things:

  1. Most people need to feel love. Indeed, I think much of the younger generation has given up on it, they are so starved. Yet they are still interested in spiritual things.
  2. One hundred and fifty people a day (150) are coming into Austin and have been for years, yet churches are not being planted or growing at that same rate.
  3. Nascent leadership is not being nurtured or welcomed.
  4. In almost none of the churches is there any attempt to disciple anyone.

Yet, Jesus clearly said to disciple all people groups, to invite (KJV compel) people to come to dinner, that the five-fold ministry is for equipping people to do the work of the ministry, and that we should pray for the Lord to send harvesters.

So the Lord has given us a plan for addressing this matter. I am calling for nascent leaders and hurt leaders and turned away leaders to gather and  fix this in our town. It is time now for healing and relaunching.  We have a plan for multiplication. Let’s start with a matrix of love and discipleship. Praying earnestly for partners and sons&daughters — leaders to be launched and re-launched.