• 25 Questions for people who want to make churches grow

    1. Do you have a decent church website?
    2. Is it up to date?
    3. Is it responsive – ie does it work on mobile phones?
    4. Does your own online profile feature your ideas and hopes and dreams other than a desire for people to turn up to church?
    5. Do you know what you are doing with twitter and facebook?
    6. Who could you learn more about social media from?
    7. Do you have a compelling reason why people should come to your church other than where it is or what denomination it belongs to?
    8. Can everyone in the church tell you in one sentence what that compelling reason is?
    9. What is your beginners’ course like?
    10. What comes after the beginners’ course?
    11. Do people like the preaching?
    12. Do people enjoy the music?
    13. Have you dealt with conflicts from the past?
    14. Are the people friendly?
    15. Do you have any new groups starting soon?
    16. Do you talk about making the world a better place?
    17. How will people experience joy if they come to your congregation?
    18. If someone from your past turned up unexpectedly at worship how would it make you feel?
    19. How do you identify newcomers and what do you offer them?
    20. What problems will arise if you do grow and how will you deal with them?
    21. Do claims that you welcome everyone stop you working at welcoming those who traditionally find it hard to find a home in church?
    22. Do you use language that is inclusive of everyone?
    23. How do you know?
    24. Is there any identifiable group of people that you can’t explicitly say are welcome because of how an individual or group in the congregation will react?
    25. Do you want to grow or not?

4 responses to “That Damn Magnificat”

  1. Sue Matthews Avatar

    We don’t get a word, as the mother of one son, a miracle having been told early in my adult life there would be no babies, a son arrived. No words would have been possible, having nurtured, taught, loved, HOW, HOW, HOW has it come to this. Yet all His life she had known He was different, witness the wedding wine, only His mother could have asked for the miracle, because she knew !!!and maybe always knew it could not end well so stood in speechless sorrow lest she scream out.

  2. Rod Gillis Avatar
    Rod Gillis

    Thanks so much for this! I watched the video version as part of my daily office for this Holy Saturday. Much appreciated.

  3. Peggy Brewer Avatar
    Peggy Brewer

    One of the best sermons I’ve heard! Thank you!

  4. Rosemary Hannah Avatar
    Rosemary Hannah

    All I ever knew when I believed my own child would die, that the only person I could bear to think of in the agony of grief and fear was her. Because she knew. She KNEW.

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