Growth Strategy of the Church - Coursework Example

Placement Report of Institute Placement Report This Report is part of the requirements for the successful accomplishment of the module Church Growth Perspective offered at the University. This Report forms part of my career growth as a trainee pastor. In completing this Report, I was first placed at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), The Chapel Outreach Norwich. I started my placement on January 11, 2015 and cleared on March 11, 2015. In short, the placement ran for two months as the school required. I attended series of services and programs in the church both on a Sunday and on weekdays. During these services and programs, I engaged actively with the church congregation and leadership. The lead pastor of the Church, Pt. Richard Benson, supervised me. The Church Growth Perspective module requires that a student go for placement at a church other than the student’s church. While on placement, the student should study the growth of the church from all perspectives. These should then be evaluated to determine the position of the church and future prospects. Essentially, the module requires satisfaction as to the following aspects of growth: i. Evaluation of the overall growth of the church ii. Evaluation of the health of the church iii. Evaluation of the growth strategy of the church iv. Evaluation of the future of the church v. Evaluation of the challenges facing the growth of the church This Report is organized based on the above aspects. Background of the Church The late Josiah Akindayomi, a Nigerian pastor, established the Redeemed Christian Church of God in 1952. The pastor had previously been engaged with several other churches. In the 1970s, Akindayomi searched for an educated successor. He landed on Enoch Adeboye who lectured Mathematics in the University of Lagos. Adeboye joined RCCG in 1973. He was initially an interpreter to translate Akindayomi’s Yoruba sermons to English. In 1975, Adeboye was ordained as a pastor of the church. His appointment as the church’s leader was made formal by Akindayomi’s sealed pronouncement read posthumously. RCCH has been deemed one of the fast growing churches in Africa. It is a homegrown Pentecostal denomination committed to becoming a global faith (Andrew, 2009, 1). One of the pastors in the church has predicted that in five decades to come, every household in the world will have at least a member belonging to the RCCG (Betty, 2009, 1). The Church believes in the Bible and the Holy Trinity. In addition, it believes in the existence of the Devil and that man was created in the image of God. By the grace of God, Man repents to cleanse from sin. RCCG also believes in water baptism and Holy Spirit baptism. In addition, the church believes that one can be healed without medicine. The church forbids worldliness, debts, and rebellion against its authority (The Redeemed Christian Church of God, 2015, 1). The church has its headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria at a suburb called Ebute-Metta. In Africa, the church has its presence in Zambia, Uganda, Togo, Tanzania, South Africa, Malawi, Kenya, Ghana, Gambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Burundi, and Benin. In Europe, the church has its presence in Serbia, Sweden, Span, Portugal, the Netherlands, Malta, Italy, Ireland, Hungary, Germany, France, Finland, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Scotland, and England. In the United States, the church has its presence in Colorado, Connecticut, North Carolina, California, Minnesota, Oregon, Georgia, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, District of Columbia, New England, New York, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Illinois, and Michigan. In the Caribbean, the church has its presence in Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and Haiti. In Canada, the church has its presence in Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec, and Ontario. The RCCG in Canada and the United States have a common headquarter in Dallas, Texas. The church has its presence in Singapore, the Solomon Islands, Samoa, New Guinea, Papua, Thailand, Malaysia, Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia. In the Middle East, RCCG has its presence in Kuwait, Qatar, and Lebanon. There are also a number of branches in India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Pakistan, and Myanmar. The church also operates a number of Bible colleges in Africa, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East (The Redeemed Christian Church of God, 2015, 1). The Chapel Outreach Norwich The Chapel Outreach Norwich is a branch of RCCG located in Norwich, a city in England. This branch was started out of the need to minister to the large number of students in the area. It is located close to a university. The brain behind RCCG Chapel Outreach was a student from the same university in Norwich. He was a Nigerian and had been worshipping with RCCG at home. The young man first started a students’ fellowship. However, the increasing number of students prompted Benson to register the church under RCCG in 2010. It became the Chapel Outreach, Norwich. Following the registration, the branch attracted a large number of attendants. Presently, the church has a population of sixty. Pastor Benson is the pastor in charge of the church. He has many responsibilities, but a Board of Trustees made up of three men and two women assists him. The church is located next to the university and most of its members are students. The founder is himself a student at the university. This factor has had a great influence on the overall growth of the church. To begin with, students at the university are non-permanent members. At one point in time, they graduate and leave the area. It is detrimental if some of these students are devoted members of the church. Take for instance, twenty out of sixty members of the church belong to the same graduation class. When these students leave, the church population goes down drastically. It is very hard to get new members than to lose some members. Losing twenty members in a day is quite disappointing for a ministry looking towards expansion. In fact, it takes months or years for some ministries to have a membership growth of twenty. This could be a great achievement if it happens in a couple of weeks. Benson started the church in 2005 with a membership of eight, but now it has a membership of 60. It means the membership has been growing at an average of ten members per year. There is also the challenge of students going for holidays as per the university program. During holidays, the church membership goes down drastically. The only advantage for the church is that as some students go for holiday others resume from holiday. However, there are certain seasons such as summer when all students go for a holiday. It means the church has no members attending or just a few. Such fluctuations in membership are detrimental to a ministry anticipating growth and sustainability (Hayward, 2007, 180). Where students are given roles in the church such as ushers, instrumentalists, choir members, and administrative duties, the church suffers a blow when some of the students are out on holidays or leave the institution permanently after graduating. The other challenge to student membership relates to financial growth. Most students are never employed and the few that are employed work on part-time basis. In addition, few students engage in meaningful business activities. It means that the members have no income. The church, therefore, finds it hard to raise funds through members. Students will give offerings as low as one dollar. In addition, payment of tithe applies only to the few members who are earning something. Without adequate funds, it is hard for the church to run smoothly. Health of the Church The church is healthy because of a number of reasons. Firstly, there is God’s empowering presence. In a healthy church, there is constant seeking for the direction and empowerment of the Holy Spirit in daily life and ministry. The book of Romans 8:16 provide that "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are Gods children." The church started as a students’ fellowship where students could gather to uplift their spirits. The church has been devoted to fellowship. Not only does it worship on Sundays but also has midweek services. The Church also reaches out to members by attending birthdays and anniversaries. It also holds weddings for members. Nothing is so impressive in the church as its initiative to reach out to people in pubs, streets and shops. The church is committed to converting as many people as possible to Christianity. A glance at any of the members reveals that they are born again and living in Christ. The church has a specific way in which members greet one another. The terms “Man of God” and “Woman of God” punctuate all talks and discussions among members. The church has a servant-leadership development. A healthy church identifies and develops its members and equips then with the gift of leadership so that they can become servant-leaders and steer people in the community to live the Godly way. The book of Ephesians 4:16 confirms that "From Him (Christ) the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." All members of the church, especially students, have taken the word of the Lord to their villages when they close school or graduate. This has been an advantage for having non-permanent members. Their exit is not out of dissatisfaction but because of the circumstances. Students help spread the gospel as they meet new people in their places of work and neighborhoods. Having acquired the skills of leadership from the church, students lead outside the church as they guide non-believers into to walk the path of Christ. Lastly, the church has spiritual disciplines that cater for members of all ages. James 3:17 says that "But the wisdom that comes from heaven if first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." Sunday school caters for children. They have a teacher in charge that guides them through the word of God and teaches then the virtues of obedience, faithfulness, and love. Adult members of the church have special sessions, most of which come during the midweek services and meetings. Choir members meet regularly to practice singing and playing musical instruments. The pastor meets with some members to impart pastoral skills in them so that they can minister to other people. The church holds a seminar on career and spiritual development to help member’s realize their potentials and be committed to reaching out to other students. Growth Strategy of the Church In its journey towards growth, the church uses members to change other people and bring them to church. The same principle is tell a friend to tell a friend. Members are equipped with leadership and ministerial skills, which they use to preach to non-believers with the aim of converting them and making them members of the church. This is unique considering how other churches depend on voluntary membership where non-believers find the church individually (Hayward, 2001, 191). This collective effort will bear more fruits in terms of membership growth. Members often testify about their lives before Christ, in Christ, and expected hope in Christ. This process motivates non-believers and draws them closer to membership especially first timers to the church. The church has since moved to a larger hall that can accommodate 120 members at any one time. This shows that the church is looking forward to a larger membership. This strategy is excellent as it gives room for growth. Members would be willing to stay where there is no congestion. Most churches have had problems with capacity, forcing them to have several services in one day. Although this might be a long-term goal of Chapel Outreach, the present capacity must be filled first. With the heightened move to reach out to non-believers, the new hall will be filled in less than a year. Lastly, the church reaches out to non-believers at common gatherings, including pubs, streets, and shopping centers. As strange as it might appear, this is the best way for finding the lost sheep. Non-believers will not come to church unless they are given hard persuasion, which includes finding them where they are and committing the sins that they love most. During the last Christmas, for instance, the church organized a carol in the major pub in the location. This outreach was very fruitful and provided a means of taking the gospel to people in the pub. The Church also reaches out to members through attending birthday parties and anniversaries. Gatherings such as these attract a large number of non-believers who become converted when they hear the gospel and admire the commitment of the church to its members. The church makes use of the youthful members, majority of whom are students, to reach out to fellow youths in the streets and other gatherings. Youths are more inspirational compared to adults (McIntosh, 2000, 55). Their testimonies are quite moving. In addition, the fact that they still have a long way to walk in the path of Christ motivates other people who have given up the walk. Challenges Facing the Growth of the Church As already mentioned above, the church is facing challenges of fluctuating membership and finances. Most members are students and the school program works at the disadvantage of the church. As students close school, the church loses members for the period within which students are on holiday. However, the school program is such that as some students are on holiday, others come from holiday. Most of these students who come from holiday do not worship with the church. It becomes a huge task for the church to start looking for replacements so that the membership can come back to normal. The church has ensured that each class at the university has an average number of believers to avoid instances of huge fluctuations in membership. This is a good strategy as far as consistency in membership is concerned. However, it also poses the challenge of training members afresh on skills and values that were taught in their absence (Crabtree, 2003, 88). When this is done, the permanent members become uncomfortable due to the monotony in sermons and teachings. The other challenge relates to finances. Most of the students are not employed and the few that are employed work on part-time basis. In addition, few students engage in business activities. The church finds it strenuous to fund its activities, including acquiring resources and paying bills. However, the church is reimbursed from the central kitty. The Redeemed Christian Church of God has developed a mechanism for supporting its younger churches until they can sustain themselves. The little amount that the church collects from its members is used to supplement. After all, the work of God is more important than finances. People have worshiped under trees and other places deemed awkward. However, Christ says that wherever two or more gather to worship Him, He is always among them (Crabtree, 2003, 101). The Future of the Church The Chapel Outreach has quite a promising future. Considering the fast growth of the Redeemed Christian Church internationally, it can be predicted that the Chapel Outreach will grow proportionately. The church seems to enjoy wise international support and membership due to their beliefs and manner of worship. The church has in place leaders with standing qualities. Leadership is at the heart of church growth. Akindayomi left the church under the competent leadership, and the same has spread to other branches internationally. In just under a century, the church has its presence in almost every country in the world. As one pastor has put it, every family in the world will have one of its members worshiping in the Redeemed Christian Church of God five decades to come. This is a great ambition, and it will surely materialize. Norwich is a great city. It is only a matter of time before the Chapel Outreach taps the potential of believers. The churches around the region are not many. The question of competition is out of place. The Chapel Outreach has enough room to grow and become one of the leading branches of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. Conclusion The placement at the Chapel Outreach was wonderful. The two months were full of quality experience as far as my course requirement is concerned. The placement for me was very interesting and educative. It gave me advanced knowledge about starting a church from scratch, locating a church next to a school, and having youths as majority members of the church. In addition, the placement equipped me with the skills of strategizing in difficult times and working hard to achieve goals. I also learnt that God can help in times of difficulty. People should not feel discouraged at starting churches to spread the word of God. References Betty R. (2010). Reverse Missionaries. Retrieved 18 April 2015 from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/?p=5359 Crabtree, J. A. (2003). The divergence of Donald McGauran’s church growth movement in North America, 1955—2000. New York: CRC Press. Hayward, J. (2007). A General Model of Church Growth and Decline. The Journal of Mathematical Sociology, 29(3), 177-207. McIntosh, G. L. (2000). Staff your church for growth: Building team ministry in the 21st century. New York: McGraw-Hill. Rice, A. (2009). Mission from Africa. Retrieved 18 April 2015 from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/magazine/12churches-t.html?pagewanted=all The Redeemed Christian Church of God (2015). The Redeemed Christian Church of God Place of His Presence. Retrieved 18 April from http://www.placeofhispresence.org.uk The Redeemed Christian Church of God (2015). Welcome to RCCG - Southern African Region 2. Retrieved 18 April 2015 from http://www.rccgsa.co.za/?q=bible-college Read More