Published: 2023

Deuteronomy 2: 1-3

1 Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the LORD spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days. 

2 And the LORD spake unto me, saying, 

3 Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward

It is important that as the world around us continues to evolve that we as a Church must be ready for constant change. The Church cannot afford to remain in a bubble while the world around us continues to advance. To remain relevant in an ever-changing world we must continually strive to take our Churches to the next level!

As a Church we need to constantly revisit the soul purpose for our existence, we must ask ourselves again and again: Why are we here? (Purpose) What we are about? (Mission) Where we are going? (Vision). Then we must ask if the methods by which we have used to go about achieving our vision are still effective in the changing times that we are in.

The Gospel message that we preach is timeless and should never change, however we must constantly refine the packaging by which we present the gospel and run our Churches in general, and that is why we are discussing the need to take your Church to the next level.

What must we do to move to the Next Level?

Identify the things that are no longer working or effective and have the courage to eliminate them.

Become more concerned about the needs of the members of your Church and devise a thorough strategy for absorbing and retaining new members: Give out brochures containing information about the Church, Have a guest reception and/or “Meet the Pastor” day, Acknowledge birthdays, anniversaries etc., Inquire about people who have stopped coming, reach out to those who are going through situations, Develop a cell group structure to ensure that no one falls through the cracks. Create an atmosphere that portrays love; make new people feel absolutely welcome (e.g. “The Smile Project”).

Hire dedicated staff that are skilled, committed and ministry minded: Inasmuch as Churches have sometimes hired staff based on how much they can afford to pay, we must re-evaluate our staff hiring process. The Church is in dire need of skilled people (Full of the Spirit and Wisdom; see Acts 6:1-7) that understand ministry work and are in-tune with the vision of the Church, people who are knowledgeable and can represent the Church well.

This is very key, because the staff of the Church are also part of the branding of your Church, from the way the phone is answered, to how long it takes to respond to an email inquiry to all the data and record keeping…it is all too important. One of the best sellers of most companies that do well is their customer service and it is the staff, volunteers and Church leaders that can best portray this.

Uphold Excellence at Every Level: When people visit any organization whether it be a hotel, airline or grocery store, they expect to receive a level of service that is accompanied with a degree of excellence. Even the atmosphere and environment in such places must be adequate. Therefore we must ensure that all our volunteers, leaders and staff are trained to constantly uphold a culture of excellence in all their endeavors.

From your Church’s Parking Lot to the setup of your Lobby, to your Offices, Restrooms, Children or Teen Church, all these are key areas that people will look at when deciding to become part of your Church, and we should not let their experience to be less than what they experience in those other environments.

Some other key areas of attention as we strive for the Next Level!

Preaching Style: It must be understandable to all as well as culturally relevant, examples must be about things that people in that locality can identify with. Message must be sincere, inspired by God and be relatable to the people in your local assembly.

Music/Worship Style: Music is a very key element in the life of any Church. Take time to invest in your choir and musicians. Skill and Spiritual training are very necessary. Music must also be relatable and culturally relevant.

Diversity: If your Church will grow beyond the original prevalent indigenous ethnic group that the Church may have started with, then you must give room for diversity. Be creative and deliberate in reaching out to diverse people who may become a part of your Church. Train you volunteers, staff and leaders on diversity. Let your preaching and music show your sensitivity to the diversity within your Church.

Technological Advancement & Communication: Endeavor to move with the times, ensure that you have a viable ‘web-presence’ that is interactive and constantly updated. Upgrade your computers and software; make use of useful tools to keep your Church records and financial accounts. Make use of Email, Texting and Automated Phone-Tree services etc., for easy communication and information dispatch within the Church.

Become aware of the community where you are located and develop programs or events that are targeted to meet their needs: (E.g. Youth/Mentoring, Business/Financial, below-average-income families, Homeless shelters, Health & Fitness, Faith-based projects etc.)

Leadership Development before Deployment: We must endeavor to continue to take our Churches to the next level by constantly developing leaders who are equipped to further the work. We must refrain from producing incompetent ‘half-baked’ individuals to go out and lead others as this will only lead to frustration. We must spend time to duplicate ourselves in ministry, passing down the right values that will be beneficial to others to continue to grow the Church.

The Church of God is a gift to the world that we live in. In the world, people are constantly bombarded with various life issues, trials and afflictions, but the Church has been given to us as a place of succor and rest, however it is not meant to be a place of escape from the rest of the world, but rather a place of power and strategy to affect and influence our world. Jesus told us in Matthew16:18 that “…the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church…”, so in other words we are guaranteed that the Church will stand the test of time.

However, God needs us to constantly re-invent ourselves in order not to drive away the very people that we would like to attract, and also not to lose those who have already come in. The Apostles took the Church to the next level after Christ died and Paul even advanced it further as well as many of the Church Fathers. It is our duty and responsibility to continue to take the Church to the next level. As we know that when Christ returns He will be well pleased to find us doing so. 

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