Perry Noble recently wrote, “I am seeing more young men rise up and plant churches…men with vision, passion and courage, men who refuse to accept the status quo, men with a genuine passion to see people far from God come to know Christ, men who refuse to become people pleasing pastors and who also refuse to allow critics to shape the trajectory of their ministry! Men who have been called to lead…and by God’s grace and gifting that is EXACTLY what they do!
“His church is GROWING, lives are being changed, families are being put back together, the excluded are being included, addicts are being set free, repentance is being lived out…and JESUS is getting the glory for it all (PerryNoble.com, January 4, 2010).”
So what causes growing churches to grow? They grow because they are healthy. Health fosters life, and life reproduces.
In my three decades of working with churches, I have noticed that healthy churches are composed of people who have the following attitudes …
- The people are Humble – humble people seek to help others and do not need to be ‘all the cheese and half the macaroni’ when it comes to either seeking or serving in ministry. They are relationally deferential.
- The people are Evangelistic – evangelistic people reach out and invite their friends into their lives, of which Jesus is the center. They are relationally connective.
- The people are Adaptable – adaptable people know that what works today may not work tomorrow, so they willing change, even when it’s inconvenient. They are relationally flexible.
- The people are Loving – loving people are sacrificial by nature, therefore they give of their time, talents, treasures and tribes. They are relationally generous.
- The people are Transparent – transparent people draw others into their lives whether they are visiting, working, running errands or partying with friends. They are relationally open.
- The people are Helpful – helpful people have the ability to discern the needs of others before they are expressed and then meet those needs. They are relationally supporting.
- The people are Yielded – yielded people have chosen to set aside their needs and their agenda to meet the needs of others. They are relationally assisting.
Like those with spiritual gifts, no one has all of these attitudes. However, again, like with spiritual gifts, the more of these attitudes that are found in a local church the more the level of heath and vitality increases. Nurturing these attitudes raises the viability of a local church so that it will grow and reproduce itself in the lives of others.
The question today is, how are we birthing and nourishing such attitudes in the people we lead?
Excerpted from Dr. Smith’s new book in process, “The Tantrum-Driven Church.”
