The Wright Word
May-July 2006
We continue to hear reports, in minister’s lunches and Executive Committee
Meetings, from those who are seeing the movement of the Lord in their church and
community. The Lord is moving in Mobile and we are able to be part of what He
wants to do here.
Dealing with Change
Many of our pastors are giving excellent leadership for the church to discover
and change areas that improve evangelistic ministry. It is amazing how many of
our members detest change, even though the entire planet changes daily. We need
to continue to lead in biblical change that demonstrates the relevancy of the
church. Continue to pray for those who move beyond disagreement to innuendos and
lies. It is encouraging to remember that God will not allow them to undermine
His anointed without personal consequences for their unbiblical actions.
Leading in Church Growth
By now you have begun to lead your church toward the Baptism ratio of 1:10, (One
baptism each year for every ten attendees). Here are some ideas to help lead
your church to grow.
What do you want your church to be like five years from now? Why not take a deacon’s meeting to discuss that question. Also, discuss that question with your Sunday School teachers and other leaders. Set specific goals of what you want to do.
Ask, “What do we mean when we say; we want our church to grow?” Do you want to be as big as you used to be or as big as you can be to reach our community.
When you have agreed on specific goals, discuss what changes have to be made to reach that goal. Will you need to make changes in the inside or outside of the building, the classrooms, the music or preaching style, the children’s area and nursery? (To reach young families your first refurbishing must be in children’s and nursery areas). Consider beginning a day care or school.
Consider a separate worship service with a different style than you currently have, but one that will appeal to people in your community.
Set a timeline and budget to reach the goals.
Call a business meeting to vote on the specific goals for the church in the next five years and make assignments to complete the goals.
Welcome Stacie
The Lord has led Stacie Greene to serve as our Mission Service Corp (MSC)
Community Ministries Consultant. She and Michael are members of Tillman’s Corner
and she is a graduate of Southwestern Seminary. She will be serving with Chuck
and Dave Hudson to consult with churches about ways to earn credibility in the
community so we can share Jesus.
Follow Up to Franklin Graham
We have been given a wonderful opportunity in Mobile to take advantage of the
increased prayer and outreach brought by the Festival. Every person in your
community should hear from you at least five times a year. Now is a good time
for a mail out to your community. Include in the flyer your address and a simple
map, meeting times for Bible study and worship, web page address, and “Everyone
welcome, child care provided.” Also, use a “Redeem this coupon for a free ‘meet
your neighbors meal’ on Wednesday night” or a special planned meal function.
Keep praying for lost friends, family, and contacts.
Counselors in Your Churches
The same approach you saw at the Festival with counseling decisions can be
applied in your church. Every person who makes a public decision in your church
needs to speak to a trained counselor who confirms their decision and begins
follow-up. It provides a solution for those awkward moments when a person comes
forward with extensive needs, it also allows the very shy to meet with a
counselor immediately following the service.
Evangelistic Ministries Committee Trainings (Creating an Evangelism Plan for
Your Church)
Our first four trainings for the Evangelistic Ministries Committees were
excellent. See page 2 for the next scheduled classes. These classes are in
addition to the Biblical Prayer Training for your leaders and Biblical Prayer
Committees and the separate Prayer Walk Training.
MBA Foundation
Our Finance Committee is exploring the creation of a Foundation to help
underwrite the ministries of the MBA. It would be great for the Foundation to
eventually handle all administrative expenses so that 100 percent of church
gifts can be dedicated toward Biblical Prayer, Evangelistic Ministries, Church
Development, Church Planting, and Partnership Missions.
Executive Committee May 9
Our call to prayer continues from 9:30-9:45 before the Executive Committee
Meeting begins at 10. Thank you for making time in your busy schedules to help
set direction and allocate funds for our cooperative ministry in Mobile.
Addine Maynard Offering for WMU
It is time again for the yearly Addine Maynard offering to support WMU
ministries in the MBA. Those funds are collected by the WMU during Associational
Missions Week and are allocated by the WMU Leadership Team to ministries in
Mobile County.
Volunteers Needed at the MBA Office
The added emphases and MSC staff are increasing the work load in the office. We
need volunteers to serve one day a week to answer phones, input data, work on
the web pages, prepare mail outs and help with multiple other tasks. We need
groups of volunteers of all ages to prepare the newsletter every two months. We
also are praying for the Lord to send us an MSC African American Church
Development Assistant, an Assistant Disaster Relief Coordinator, and an MSC
Academic Dean for the MBA School of Theology that we need to begin.
It is a blessing to serve Mobile County with you.
In the Lamb,
Bro. Thomas