SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP

SERIES SIX
MODULE FIVE:
12 KEYS FOR
CHURCH GROWTH

Outline Session 1 - 3
1. 12 KEYS FOR CHURCH GROWTH (Part 1)
2. 12 KEYS FOR CHURCH GROWTH (Part 2)
3. 12 KEYS FOR CHURCH GROWTH (Part 3)
 SESSION ONE: 12 KEYS FOR CHURCH GROWTH (PART ONE)

1. STRONG PRAYER MINISTRY / CONSTANT PREVAILING PRAYER

The place of prayer in a local church is indispensable.
A. You, as senior minister, must have a strong prayer life, and a deep commitment to
prayer.
B. Recognise and affirm the ministry and gift of intercession and the intercessors.
C. Mobilise the young to pray.
D. Have regular prayer emphasises.
E. Pray for the sick either during or after worship services.
F. Teach and preach on prayer.
G. Have regular church prayer meetings.
H. Staff and key leaders (e.g. elders) should meet regularly for prayer.
I. Join in gatherings with other churches and movements for citywide or community
wide prayer.

2. CLEAR GOD-GIVEN VISION & STRATEGIC PLANNING

Vision is the specific, revealed purpose of God for a particular local church. Vision comes
from God, but strategic planning is our response to God-given vision.
A. Pray and seek God for a very clear vision of what he wants to do in and through the
church, so you know where the Lord is leading you, and where you are leading the
people.
B. Develop and implement strategic plans and actions, so you and the people know
how you will accomplish the God-given vision.
C. Cast and communicate the vision on a regular basis through whatever means is
available and appropriate.
D. Orientate the leaders of the church, especially the ministry (department) leaders, to
align their ministry with the vision and strategic plan.
E. Integrate your preaching and teaching with the God-given vision.
F. Align all major ‘leadership’ decisions (e.g. eldership, board, executive) with the
vision.
G. Ensure all leadership and staff appointments are people who share and affirm the
church’s vision.
H. Chair regular ‘strategic’ meetings with the appropriate people to plan and strategize
for the future. Th
I. Keep focused on the vision God has put in your heart.
J. Measure the implementation of the strategies with ‘goals’.
3. LIFE-GIVING WORSHIP SERVICES
The ‘worship service’ is the place where the ‘church’ gathers to glorify and worship God,
fellowship with one another, hear God’s Word, be ministered to and minister to others.
A. Organise a team of enthusiastic greeters at the door to warmly welcome people to
the service.
B. Have life-giving, contemporary worship that relates to the majority of the
congregation.
C. Follow a service program, but make room for the Holy Spirit.
D. Seek for the manifest presence of God in each service.
E. Allow for the prophetic and other gifts of the Spirit (if your church tradition is open
to that).
F. Keep announcements to a minimum (best done on video if possible).
G. Give adequate time for the preaching of the Scriptures.
H. Build in time for ministry at the end of the service.
I. Expose younger leaders to ministry opportunities.
J. Avoid repetitious, lifeless meetings.

4. RELEVANT LIFE-GIVING PREACHING AND TEACHING

One of our primary roles as senior leaders is to preach and teach God’s Word.
A. Allocate time every week to the study of the Scriptures and preparation of
messages.
B. Constantly seek God for the ‘word of the Lord’ (which may develop into a theme or
series).
C. Plan your preaching series to be consistent with the direction of the Holy Spirit and
the vision God has given you.
D. Ground each message with clear applications.
E. Biblically address key themes of church life throughout the year.
F. Expose younger preachers.
G. Preach ‘Scripture’ not just homily or motivational thoughts.
H. Develop a preaching / teaching team.
I. Be creative in your preaching (e.g. power points, You Tube clips, drama, props).
J. Select guest ministry carefully to complement your style.
 SESSION TWO: 12 KEYS FOR CHURCH GROWTH (PART TWO)

5. BUILD A HIGH CALIBRE MINISTRY TEAM (STAFF)

One person (the pastor) can’t do everything, no matter how omni-competent they may be.
The key is to raise up a high calibre team of gifted ministries.
A. Select prayerfully, carefully, slowly and with due diligence.
B. Choose people with specific competencies and skills that match the role and
objectives you hope will be accomplished in that particular area of leadership (e.g.
children’s or youth ministry).
C. Develop them personally and proactively.
D. Write detailed position descriptions for each team member.
E. Build a sense of ‘team’ among them (e.g. ‘we’ not ‘I’).
F. Have regular team meetings.
G. Keep team focused on the church vision.
H. On a yearly or bi-annual basis, review the effectiveness of the team member against
the vision of the church and their position description.
I. Build relationship with them on a personal level.
J. Ensure you have the right ratio of team members to the number of people you
minister to.

6. DEVELOP A SOUL-WINNING CULTURE

Equip and mobilise the church to intentionally reach lost people.
A. Build a soul-winning culture, rather than just rely on event-driven evangelism.
B. Give a salvation altar call in every service.
C. Equip people with the skills of how to be a witness in their everyday world.
D. Bring in ‘evangelists’ to equip the church for evangelism, and to conduct evangelistic
campaigns.
E. Plan outreach events to supplement the church’s ongoing personal soul winning.
F. Engage with the community in any and every way possible to show the love of Jesus
in practical and tangible ways.
G. Regularly have people share their testimony of salvation. This is powerful.
H. Begin a new Christian class to ground new believers in their faith.
I. Train people to disciple new converts, but do so in such a way that those being
discipled can disciple others.
J. Develop a network of small groups (life groups) and orient the leaders to embrace
and integrate new Christians.
7. EQUIP THE PEOPLE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY
Equip the church through practical training to live their Christian lives and to serve in an
area of gifting.
A. Embrace the biblical teaching of Ephesians 4:11-16 that one of our primary roles as
ministers is to equip the people to serve the Lord in and through his body – the
church.
B. Develop pathways for people to grow from spiritual infancy to maturity.
C. Develop or utilise an ‘identify your gift’ course.
D. Develop a ‘Leadership 101’ course for all emerging (potential) leaders.
E. Provide courses that equip people to live their lives in the real world (e.g.
stewardship, marriage, raising kids, etc.)
F. Preach ‘grounded’ messages which contain a lot of ‘application’ (i.e. how to, what I
need to do about this? Remember Howard Hendriks’ quote: ‘There is a lot of
exhortation, but no explanation.’
G. Preach and teach on Paul’s ‘body’ metaphor so people understand that each person
has a part to play.
H. Appoint a leader whose sole responsibility is the development of people.
I. Constantly direct the ministry team / department (ministry) leaders to identify
places where people can serve, and to develop ways in which people can serve and
be validated in their respective areas.
J. As senior leader, allocate time for the development of your ministry team / key
leaders.

8. INTENTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF LEADERS / DEVELOP AN INFRASTRUCTURE TO

SUSTAIN GROWTH
Develop pathways for the development of leaders and develop a structure that can facilitate
future and accelerated growth.
A. Develop a process for identifying emerging (potential) leaders.
B. Write or find courses for training emerging (potential) leaders.
C. Instruct new leaders in the vision and values of the church.
D. Train existing leaders in discipleship so they are equipped to disciple others to
disciple others.
E. Facilitate regular meetings with all the church leaders so they hear your heart, vision
and prophetic direction.
F. Organise a clear organisational structure with defined tiers and lines of
communication and responsibility.
G. Communicate the structure so the leaders clearly know who they relate to about
what.
H. Mentor the department / ministry leaders in how to lead the leaders under their
care and responsibility.
I. Maintain a good balance between lay leaders and pastoral staff.
J. Develop an expanding model for small-group ministry. Find a model or structure that
serves your growing needs.
9. SPECIFIC PROGRAMS FOR DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHICS IN THE CHURCH (especially youth
and kids)
Provide specific ministries for the multifaceted ‘groups’ within the church and the
surrounding community.
A. Prioritise children’s ministry.
B. Prioritise youth ministry.
C. Develop specific ministry for ‘men’ and ‘women’ that address their specific needs.
D. Develop specific ministry for the aged. Honour them.
E. Note the social groupings in your community and develop outreach programs
specifically targeted at them (for example, refugees, youth-at-risk, etc.).
F. Identify cultural demographics that need an identity and specific ministry.
G. Engage in the local schools in whatever way possible (e.g. chaplaincy, after school
programs, feeding programs).
H. Support other churches in their initiatives.
I. Give the various ministries profile in Sunday services.
J. Advertise the programs and key events.
 SESSION THREE: 12 KEYS FOR CHURCH GROWTH (PART THREE)

10. DEVELOP FINANCIAL RESOURCES AND EXERCISE RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP

Maximize the giving potential of the church, build the church’s financial base and administer
the church’s finances with accountability and transparency.
A. As the senior leader, you must model a lifestyle of giving, generosity and sacrifice.
B. Develop a capacity and skill to raise funds.
C. Cast and regularly communicate the church’s vision.
D. Teach and preach annually on giving, tithing, stewardship, generosity and sacrifice.
E. Run annual stewardship campaigns toward specific objectives or church programs
(e.g. missions, building fund).
F. Provide options for how people to give (e.g. on-line, credit card, or cash.
G. Appoint church board (council / elders) members who have a proven generous heart
(not stingy mindset), big thinking (not narrow-minded), experienced and skilled in
managing financial resources.
H. Appoint a faithful and trustworthy church Treasurer (Accountant / Administrator).
I. Put accountability measures in place to ensure accountability and transparency with
the government, church Board (church council) and congregation.
J. If there are surplus funds, invest wisely in appreciating assets (e.g. land), or in sound
and safe interest bearing funds.

11. COMPETENT ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT

Develop and maintain competent personnel and systems to administer and manage the
operational side of the church (or ministry).
A. Appoint a skilled and experienced administrator to oversee the operations of the
church.
B. Appoint a godly, skilled church ‘board’ (council) to represent the congregation in
matters pertaining to the law, governance, property, salaries and workplace health
& safety.
C. Appoint a competent, skilled personal assistant.
D. Ensure compliance with federal, state and local legislation, regulations and
requirements.
E. Adopt best-practice approaches to Human Resources and accounting, remembering
that a ‘church’ is still a ‘workplace’.
F. Form a ‘branding’ or ‘marketing’ team (or engage with a firm / ministry) to help you
think through how you will promote the church.
G. Produce a quarterly or bi-annual church magazine (printed or virtual) to showcase
what God has been doing in the church over the previous few months, and to
communicate where the church is going.
H. Ensure all church advertising, giving forms, new people’s forms, etc. are available in
the foyer and information desk prior to Sunday and on-line.
 I. Regularly promote one or two of the ministries of the church each Sunday to lift its
profile and to honour those who serve in that area.
J. Plan ahead. Think about what is coming up. Delegate people to do specific tasks.

12. ADEQUATE FACILITIES FOR GROWTH

Provide the present and future congregation with the facilities necessary to deliver the
various ministries and services.
A. Wherever possible, choose a location that is visible and accessible (near major roads
and access to public transport) and the signage is clear and visible.
B. Build or maintain suitable, clean amenities (toilets).
C. Adequate parking for growth (and car park attendants), plus security of parked
vehicles during services.
D. Choose a meeting location large enough to conduct services with sufficient,
comfortable seating.
E. Purchase and maintain a suitable PA system, data projectors, screens, and the
appropriate IT, software and hardware to run the systems.
F. Where possible and practical, have an adequate foyer or area where people can
gather for ‘community’ either before or after the service, and which contains an
Information Counter for people seeking to make enquiries.
G. Designate a dedicated area for the children’s ministry.
H. Provide an office area with sufficient space for the operational and pastoral side of
the church, and the infrastructure (e.g. computers, software, desks, chairs, work
areas) to facilitate a growing staff.
I. Maintain an up to date and user-friendly web address and social media sites so
people can connect or check the church out electronically.
J. Think generationally. Plan and purchase for the future.