More than 100 years ago, Arthur Flake introduced a formula for church growth to Christendom. His methods proved to be effective, with pastors and education ministers seeing immense, effective, and healthy growth in their small-group ministries by implementing, and adhering to, Flake's five basic principles. In Revitalizing the Church through Flake’s Formula, Arthur Flake's long-proven church growth strategy is re-imagined and written specifically for local church pastors as they go about their work of church revitalization. This documented process for growing churches will assist pastors who find themselves in situations with declining or plateauing church congregations, but it also offers a simplified approach for organizing and preparing churches for what God wants accomplished: reaching new people with the Gospel message of Christ.

Revitalizing the Church Through Flake's Formula

Priest, Kenneth

Religion & Spirituality

Auxano Press

The bonsai pot may be the most identifiable accessory for growing bonsai trees. The pots come in numerous shapes and sizes. Some are very shallow, designed for planting a bonsai forest (several trees grouped together). Others are tall and somewhat narrow, used primarily for trees that cascade downward. Many look simply like miniature versions of more familiar flower pots.   Most are ornate ceramic pots with Oriental-looking scenes and beautiful glazes. All of them are expensive when you consider their relative size.   You might think that you wouldn’t have to pay so dearly for such a small hunk of clay.  After only a cursory reading of my collection of bonsai books, I discovered that fitting the right pot to the right tree was an integral part of growing bonsai. The bonsai grower must take into account factors such as the size, shape, and color of the tree when making this crucial decision. In my case I added a fourth criterion – price. Once the pot and the plant have been chosen, you’re ready to go to work. The small tree must be placed in just the right position in the pot for the proper aesthetic beauty. Once this task has been completed you have embarked on your bonsai journey.  Yet the pot is much more than a simple decorative holder for a little tree. The pot in many ways helps to determine the size of the tree. The beautiful glazed dish must hold the dirt and roots that will support the tree’s healthy growth. One of the secrets to the small size of the bonsai is the limited space for root growth.  This discovery about little trees applies to churches as well. The size of the container in which a congregation is planted will in many ways determine the size it will grow to in maturity.  We have seen this principle at work in the plants inside our home. Let’s say, for example, that you purchase a small decorative fig tree from the local nursery. It comes to you in a one gallon container.   You place your prized possession by an appropriate window and water it on a regular schedule and watch as it grows naturally for a year or so. We are surprised to see that it will grow with the virtual “benign neglect” that many of our plants receive. After about a year, you notice that the color of the leaves appears to be less vibrant and that some are actually falling from the tree. You continue to water your prized possession and even add a bit of fertilizer, but to no avail. What’s the problem? It has become root-bound. The root structure has outgrown the one gallon container. The tree must be dug up, the roots untangled, and the tree repotted in a more spacious container if growth is to continue. If the container can impede the growth of a perfectly healthy house plant, then the “church pot” can inhibit natural growth, even in a healthy church. Bonsai pots come in different shapes and sizes, but all are designed to keep the root structure of the plant small. In like manner, there are different “pots” your church must think about to promote healthy growth.

Bonsai Theory of Church Growth: Overcoming Artifical Barriers to Kingdom Growth

Hemphill, Ken

Bonsai Theory of Church Growth

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Are you ready to experience turnaround in your church? Before Julius Caesar became the undisputed ruler of the Roman Empire, he and his army had to make an irrevocable decision--to cross the river Rubicon. Likewise, in the work of church revitalization there are barriers your church must resolve to cross, knowing that once you do you can never look back. In Rubicons of Revitalization, Mark Clifton and Kenneth Priest outline eight of the most common barriers to church renewal and, more importantly, how to cross them with courage and wisdom. If you are ready to lead revitalization in your church, this resource is for you. Your church can experience turnaround. Will you wade into the waters with them?

Rubicons of Revitalization: Overcoming 8 Common Barriers to Church Renewal (Replant Series)

Clifton, Mark

Acoma Press

Discipleship originates in the pulpit. Though it certainly does not end with the pulpit, preaching sets the trajectory and culture of the church. Therefore, one of the most pressing needs for churches in decline is to connect the public preaching with their congregational life.
In this book, Kenneth and Alan outline an actionable strategy for doing just this, proposing a process for spiritual renewal that involves uniting preaching with small groups. If you are a pastor or member of church looking to bring new life to your congregation, this work will help you use groups… to revitalize the church.

Groups that Revitalize: Bringing New Life to Your Church through Sermon-Based Small Groups (Replant Series)

Stoddard, Alan

Replant Series

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