Day 24
Topic: Partnering with a local church
Title: What to look for as you get connected
Truth Verses: Matthew 16:18 & Ephesians 5:25 I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not
overcome it...Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
Truth Story: In 1669 Sir Christopher Wren was named royal architect, a post he retained for more than 45
years. The greatest and most celebrated design was Saint Paul's Cathedral in London. From 1670 to 1711
he designed 52 London churches, most of which still stand, notable for their varied and original designs
and for their fine spires. There is a famous story which involves Wren visiting the St Paul’s building site and
speaking to three unsuspecting stone masons. Unaware of who the great man was, Wren asked each
mason what he was doing. The reply came back from the first mason ‘just earning a living”, the second
mason replied ‘that he was just building a wall”. When he asked the same question to the third, rather
insightful mason, his reply was ‘Helping Sir Christopher Wren build a great cathedral to the Almighty!”
Truth Unpacked: We gain perspective when we understand we are supporting Jesus’ architectural vision
of building His church. Jesus and His church become our reason d’être- our reason for living. Jesus said I
will build my church. Consider too, Isaiah’s prophetic challenge to us, asking what sort of house will you
build me? Are we just dutifully going along to church or do have that different perspective? Serving God and His purposes becomes paramount, when we realize that we are actually the church, His church – “the called out ones” - God’s expression of the Kingdom of God on earth today!
Christian Swartz is a church growth consultant, producing the most comprehensive research on church health and growth ever conducted. More than 1000 churches in 32 countries on all six continents took part in his study called Natural Church Development. In the end, nearly 4.2 million responses were analyzed. His approach is that, just as crops grow all by themselves if the weeds are taken out of the way, churches will experience growth when those barriers to growth are removed. With this as the backdrop, Schwarz identifies eight distinctive quality characteristics which are seemingly more developed in growing churches than in those he sees as experiencing zero or negative growth. These require ‘unpacking’ (see handout for details) but listed are: Empowering Leadership, Gift-Oriented Ministry, Passionate Spirituality, Functional Structures, Inspiring Worship Services, Holistic Small Groups, Need-Oriented Evangelism & Loving Relationships
Prayer: Lord, help us remove the ‘weeds and barriers’ that hinder personal growth. Thank you that you are the architect and builder of your church. Help me connect to Your agenda so that it becomes my agenda, that Your ways become my ways. Thank you that you loved the church and gave yourself for it. Amen.
