Daryl, Scott, Tom, and I attended a Minister’s Appreciation Day at Round Lake a few days ago. We enjoyed connecting with other ministers and learning from well-known preacher, Ben Merold (see picture above). Ben has led more than one church to exponential growth, and even though he is 80+ years old, he is still going strong. One of the topics Ben addressed was “Fundamentals of Church Growth.” I’d like to share with you the four fundamentals he shared with us.

First, the minister must want the church to grow and be willing to pay the price. I don’t think anyone at OCC (including me) would say, “I don’t want the church to grow.” However, actions speak louder than words. That’s why I have to ask myself, “Am I consistently doing those things that position OCC to reach people for Christ most effectively?” One example would be continuing education. I need to grow and learn every day. I need to stay current. I need to attend seminars. I need to connect with other preachers. I need to read books. If I truly want the church to grow, I’ll “pay the price” and do these things.

Second, the congregation must want the church to grow and be willing to pay the price. We’re in this together. It takes everyone in the church to grow the church. We all must pay the price. There’s the price of giving time, talent, treasure, and testimony. There’s the price of change. There’s also the price of breaking fellowship with friends at church for the sake of evangelism. Ben gave an example of he and his wife going out to dinner every week with a couple in the church. They had great fellowship. However, as they talked one evening they decided to stop this weekly tradition. Why? So they could connect better with newcomers to the church and take them out to dinner. Wow! That takes spiritual maturity, but it’s part of the price we’re willing to pay to grow.

Third, the church must look at evangelism as discipleship, not just decisions. Too often we look at baptism numbers or how many people have transferred membership. These numbers are indicators of growth, but they fail to tell the whole story. Evangelism really isn’t complete until people are involved in ministry. Winning them to Christ is the first step, but there’s also training and sending. We’re not just focused on converts; we’re focused on the entire process.

Finally, the church must not have a terminal disease. Ben highlighted three diseases. One was something he called “rigor mortis” or rigidity. This refers to a church that’s unwilling to change. We must never change the message, but we must always change the methods. Ben cited a survey that said most people in churches want change. However, too many church leaders do not. Rather than equip and empower people to serve, they want to maintain control. This is a recipe for stagnation and decline.

How are we doing? I’m glad we don’t have to do everything right to grow. However, the desire and “want to” have to be there. Do we want OCC to grow? Are we willing to pay the price?

Then he [Jesus] said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23

Think on these things. See you Sunday!

Because He Lives, John

One of the reasons we did the series on sex when we did was because of the “Silver Ring Thing.” Scott Provins, our Youth Minister, is leading the charge on bringing this life-changing event to Orrville. You can visit www.silverringthing.com and watch video clips from prior events. It’s an impressive program! Parents and teens, mark your calendars for Sunday, March 15th. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. at Orrville High School. Please don’t miss this opportunity. If you’d like to volunteer, please contact Scott at the church office.

We’ve completed our first “Discover OCC” of 2009. 16 people attended. Most were newcomers to OCC. I asked the attendees to share how they heard about the church. Two couples said their first exposure to OCC was through “Trunk or Treat” last October. Another couple shared that they came because one of their children was involved in Upward Basketball. It was great to hear how these programs led these families to attend Sunday worship. Special thanks to those that serve at events such as these. It matters a lot. Another “entry point” event is coming up – the “Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt.” I hope you’ll get involved and invite your family and friends.

On Sunday, March 8th we’ll begin to unpack “The Lord’s Prayer“ as I start a new series of messages. This series will take us through Sunday, April 26th. There is so much in this prayer that Jesus taught. William Carey, known as the “father of modern missions,” once said these words: “Prayer–secret, fervent, believing prayer–lies at the root of all personal godliness.” Prayer not only changes things, but it changes us. I’m praying this series will change OCC.

Mini-Messages: Spring is only a few weeks away. I can’t wait….I’m attending the “National Preaching Summit“ in Indianapolis this month. I attended this conference last year and was extremely challenged and blessed….Sunday, March 29th will be “Round Lake Christian Camp Day” at OCC. Ralph Eichelberger will be sharing about the ministry of the camp. Brochures are available at the south Welcome Center. Be sure to register your kids for summer camp. It might just change their lives….See you Sunday!

Because He Lives, John

Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m excited about a new message series we’re starting on Sunday, February 8th. It’s called: “Exposed – Putting to Bed the Lies About Sex.” Do I have your attention yet? Sex isn’t talked about a lot at church (if at all), but it seems to be the topic of conversation in our culture. We live in such a sex-saturated world. You can’t even walk through the check-out line at Buehler’s without seeing a scantily clad person on the cover of a magazine. It’s everywhere!

Don’t misunderstand me – sex is a good gift from God. It wasn’t invented in a dark alley behind some porn shop. God created it, and He knows all about it. That’s why the church must not remain silent on this issue. I hope you will join us for this series as we “expose” the myths and confusion about sex, and at the same time discover what God has to say. If you’re single, please know that this series is not just for married couples. It’s for everyone, including teens.

Speaking of teens, please read Scott’s article on the back of this page (click here) for information about the “Silver Ring Thing.” OCC is bringing this top-notch program to Orrville. It’s going to be life-changing for many students and parents. Please take advantage of this opportunity.

We’re making progress on “Blazing New Trails” – our six key initiatives. One of the initiatives involves hiring a full-time worship minister. We are in the process of networking with various churches around the country and advertising for this important staff position. Please pray for wisdom and discernment as we begin to sort through resumes and talk with possible candidates. Some of you have voiced concern about this hire because of the current economic decline. We appreciate that. Right now we are moving forward with this initiative and hope to have someone hired by August 2009. It’s obviously important that we continue to meet and exceed our weekly budget need. If anything changes, we will let you know. I appreciate your support as we continue to “blaze new trails” and bear more and more fruit for God’s purpose and glory.

Mini-Messages: Jacy, our daughter, is doing extremely well. We don’t have to see any specialists for six months. Yea God!…Beth and I will be attending a “Focus on Marriage” seminar sponsored by Focus on the Family on February 28th. If you’re interested, go to www.focusonmarriage.com….Married couples, listen to these words from best-selling author and psychologist Dr. Kevin Leman: “From my experience of working with thousands of couples, I’ve become convinced that this wonderful gift of sex makes everything nicer. A couple’s sex life is usually a microcosm of the marriage.” Couple and singles, you need to be in church February 8th….See you Sunday!

Because He Lives, John

One of the great things about a new year is the “fresh start” it provides. It’s a time to evaluate the previous year and look ahead to the next. Granted there are many unknowns and things we cannot control, but there are also things we can control and choose to do.

Every year the OCC elders evaluate my ministry and leadership. They point out things I’m doing well and things I need to improve. They also help me set goals for the upcoming year. I have 9 goals this year. One goal is to read one leadership book each month. Another is to attend at least two conferences or seminars for personal development. Yet another is to overcome my growing Starbucks addiction.

What about you? Got goals? (Remember, if you shoot for nothing you’ll hit it every time!)

I recently came across a great blog post by Mark Batterson (evotional.com) on “How to Set Goals.” Here are ten steps (slightly adapted) he suggests:

1. Start with Prayer – Set your goals in the context of prayer so your goals are conceived by God. Then they become an expression of faith.

2. Check Your Motives

3. Get Ideas from Others – Don’t copy other people’s goals, but it’s OK to get ideas from others.

4. Think in Categories – Different categories help us think of different kinds of goals. Examples include: family goals, travel goals, physical goals, experience goals, and influence goals.

5. Be Specific

6. Write Them Down

7. Include Others – Take other people along for the ride.

8. Celebrate Along the Way

9. Think Big – Big goals are good because they force you to work like it depends on you and pray like it depends on God.

10. Keep Dreaming – It’s never too late to be who you might have been. It doesn’t matter how old you are or how many times you’ve failed. Keep setting new goals.

Let me encourage you to spend some serious time thinking about how you can steward 2009 in the most God-honoring way. Set some goals today!

See you Sunday or sooner.

Because He Lives, John

Merry Christmas! I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season. Let me encourage you to invite your family and friends to our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. We will have two services again this year – 5:30 and 7:00 p.m. Last year both services were very well attended. Let’s make it “standing room only” this year as we celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord.

I want to thank everyone for your encouraging words and overall support regarding our six key initiatives. These are exciting days at OCC as we “blaze new trails” for God. Let’s be a church of prayerful, faith-filled contributors! Again, let me review the initiatives briefly. With God’s help, we would like to accomplish these goals over the next two to five years.

- Debt Elimination: We want to eliminate the $1.6 million debt on our building. This will free up additional resources to expand our ministry.

- Counseling Center: We want to open a professional, Christian counseling center. This will open doors to provide care and help for hurting people.

- Ministry Leadership Training: We want to develop new and existing leaders for ministry. This will tap into our leadership potential and ensure future stability.

- Short-Term Missions: We want to expand short-term mission opportunities locally and globally. This will help us become more externally focused.

- After-School Program: We want to launch a Christ-centered after-school program. This will provide a safe environment for children and strengthen families in our community.

- Worship Minister: We want to hire a full-time worship minister. This will add leadership to our current worship ministry and position us to reach more people for Christ through our Sunday worship services.

Please continue to pray for these initiatives and the teams that are working hard to make them happen. The best is yet to come!

Mini-Messages: Our daughter, Jacy Grace, continues to do well. We have follow-up doctor’s appointments in December. We would appreciate your continued prayers….Peter Benson says, “Religious life in the home is more influential than the church.” Parents, teach the Bible to your kids. Pray with them. It really matters….Don’t forget the prayer time at the church building Monday through Friday at 12:15 p.m. We’ll continue this through the end of the year….See you Sunday!

Because He Lives, John