Part 1. RECOGNIZE

First Steps in Turnaround – Part 1. RECOGNIZE

Part 1. RECOGNIZE

This is the first part in a series which comes from the 2016 Turnaround 2020 Plan Book. A full version of this plan book is available by download at www.Turnaround2020.net or by hard copy from Congregational Ministries, 573-785-7746.

What Is Your Church’s Redemptive Potential?

Suppose your church became all that the Lord intended it to become? What might result? What is the full redemptive potential of a local church? Is it measured by attendance, programs, life transformation or some other metric?

A variety of factors impact the redemptive potential of any local church. Some of them are simple and practical. For example, megachurches are always found in large population centers. Villages do not contain the level of population to produce a megachurch.

Other factors are more complex and elusive. Craig Groeschel wrote a few years ago about having “It” and while sometimes “It” can be identified, it is often more obvious when “It” is missing.

In our Turnaround 2020 strategy we first take stock of the current reality. By recognizing where we are, we should be better able to chart where the Lord will lead us as we endeavor to become all that He intends us to become.

A. Church Life Cycles

Churches, like the people who comprise them, move through cycles in their existence. Some of these cycles a church moves through are life cycles. People are born, grow to maturity, then they age and die. Churches, too, are born and grow to maturity. Churches age. Some churches complete their life cycle and others discover new periods of growth and development.

Learning where a church is on its life cycle helps church leaders develop appropriate strategies. Learning life cycle status often provides a sense of urgency for church leaders as they plan for new cycles of growth and development to avoid the life cycle of decline. Life cycle may be measured by attitudes, chronology and comfort zone.

Because the life cycle is not always as predictable and smooth as many may think, it is important to avoid alarm over short periods of plateau or decline. The best possible advice for any church is to remain vigilant. Once a problem is spotted, ensure that all possible measures are taken to reverse decline before it leads to drop out and death. Continue reading

First Steps in Turnaround

First Steps in Turnaround – An Introduction

First Steps in Turnaround: Recognize, Organize, Mobilize

This is the first part in a series which comes from the 2016 Turnaround 2020 Plan Book written and compiled by Dr. Franklin R. Dumond, Director of Congregational Ministries. A full version of this plan book is available by download at www.Turnaround2020.net or by hard copy from Congregational Ministries, 573-785-7746.

I received an unusual combination Father’s Day/Birthday gift this year. The gift was a print out of plans for a new picnic table for the backyard along with the promise of assistance with the labor to construct the project. The plans had been selected based on seating capacity and the design features that would allow an umbrella to be placed in the center of the octagonal shape of the picnic table.

Investigating the plans for shaping rectangular boards into an octagonal pattern revealed a series of angled cuts and pocket holes for screws that seemed a bit complex but manageable. Further investigation of the size of the table and the amount of lumber included suggested that it would be heavy. Indeed, it appeared it would be very, very heavy. Since we planned to place the table in the backyard to take advantage of shade from our large pecan tree, it appeared that the very, very heavy table would need to be moved several times each year to mow the grass.

Evaluating the plans against our carpentry skills and with the notion of mobility in mind led us to scrap the elaborate octagonal shaped table in favor of a traditional rectangular picnic table.

Churches and their leaders who plan and work toward turnaround must use the same kind of process to discern the right plan to both take advantage of the human resources available in the congregation and reach the unchurched and dechurched population in the community.

Turnaround 2020 will assist General Baptist churches to discover and to achieve their full redemptive potential by the year 2020. Many participating churches will see significant increases in attendance. Others will double or triple in size as they realize the potential the Lord has placed before them. Still others will see revitalized programs and more effective ministries as a result of Turnaround 2020.

Turnaround 2020 - First StepsTurnaround, by simple definition, results in something different. Change can be awkward and frightening or it can be pleasant and rewarding. Undergirding our overall approach to turnaround in existing congregations are four core principles that will always show up in turnaround.

  1. An outward focus will be regained or intensified.
  2. Members will display responsible, high-expectation behavior.
  3. A clear discipleship process will be in place.
  4. Leadership and relational skills will constantly improve.

Continue reading

Turnaround 2020

Turnaround 2020 – A Challenge from Clint Cook

2016 marks the first year of a five-year General Baptist initiative called TURNAROUND 2020. Turnaround 2020 will assist General Baptist churches to discover and to achieve their full redemptive potential by the year 2020. What if…

  • What if more of our General Baptist churches would double or triple in worship attendance over the next five years?
  • What if our General Baptist churches experienced the largest number of conversions and baptisms ever in our history? Would we be a healthier church? A healthier movement?
  • What would happen in the communities where our General Baptist churches are located if we went outside the walls of our buildings and ministered to the hurting, the needy, and the underprivileged, just like Jesus did when he walked the dusty streets of his hometown?
  • What if, as church leaders and members, we started praying intentionally for the lost and unchurched people of our communities to come and visit our churches for the first time?
  • What would happen in our General Baptist churches if we wept and prayed over our communities as Jesus did over Jerusalem?
  • What would happen to all of our General Baptist churches if we once again relied on the power of the Holy Spirit to change lives and bring a fresh wind of revival and renewal to every General Baptist member’s heart?

If this initiative called “TURNAROUND 2020” is going to happen, please allow me to challenge our pastors and church leaders in a few areas.

First

I want to challenge our pastors and preachers to remember God’s call. Go back in your mind and recall what it was like when you first heard His voice, as Samuel did, or as Isaiah did. Do you remember specifically what you felt and how you answered? Can you feel the heavy burden He placed upon your heart? Church leaders, do you realize we only have a limited amount of time to share the gospel?

We must remember that when God called us to preach, or to pastor, or to teach, or to minister, or to start a local church, it was not an afterthought – it was for a specific reason. God does not call a person or start a church without a specific reason for doing so. Continue reading