Church Growth 101

I started preaching a series of messages at the beginning 2009. It was a 3 part series entitled "Church Growth 101". It has been an incredible journey as I have gone back to the life of Christ and studied specifically how Christ reached people.

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, I intend to lay out some principles and some questions related to Christ's ministry. I welcome your input and response. Hopefully as I continue to dig deeper, I will be able to draw these principles to a practical application for our ministry today.

I Am...

We started a new series in youth group a couple of months ago entitled "Who Am I"... It has proven to be a fantastic series to work through with our teens. We have covered topics like...

• I am created by God
• I am a dirty rotten sinner
• I am loved by God
• I am saved
• I am a foreigner
• I am an ambassador

But I think that tonight's topic is the one that really hits closest to home for me. It is "I am a seeker." We are going to be looking at Jeremiah 29:11-13 and several other passages. As I have been preparing, I was struck by the idea that being a "seeker" is not just a past time. It is not an obligation, or a demand on my schedule. It isn't just a habit or a project I am working on. It needs to be Who I AM... I need to be consumed by this idea that I am searching and seeking to know God with every bit of my being. I need to understand that each and every thought needs to be brought to focus on this idea of finding God.

The ultimate Goal is to KNOW GOD!!! I need to re-evaluate the things that I am allowing to direct my thoughts. I need to set in place goals and objectives that will drive me towards that end. I need to "Search for Him with all my heart."