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Short Term Missions Trip

MINISTRIES IN ACTION

HANDBOOK FOR CHURCH GROWTH


INTRODUCTION

This book contains a detailed explanation of the Ministries in Action Strategy which is an intensive program of church growth and development which is both church-based and church oriented. The strategy has brought new life and vigor to numerous congre­gations in the United States and substantial growth in overseas churches through indigenous adaptations of the Ministries In Action principles.

This strategy was not created for one seminar or by one person. Rather it is the product of an evolutionary and agonizing process through 18 years in which there have been trials and errors, successes and failures. We recognize the "unfinishedness," of this plan. Hopefully it is dynamic and not static. Many godly mission and evangelism strategists have contributed to the material which you will find in the following pages. A sincere effort has been made to identify these "fellow strugglers" and to give credit where credit is due.

 

Ministries In Action's Purpose and Strategy:

 

The Ministries In Action Strategy is a carefully designed and comprehensive program for the development and strengthening of the local church, particularly in the areas of fellowship, discipleship and witness. This is accomplished through a deep understanding of the nature of the church, its ministry and its methods. The implementing procedure is to train seminary students, pastors and lay leaders by:

 

1.         Helping local leaders to analyze and use their manpower resources.

2.         Instructing pastors and laymen in the use of leadership tools.

3.         Emphasizing in a theologically practical context the nature and ministry of the church.

4.         Designing and implementing plans for the total church growth with local leaders. This is done through:

•           Small groups which include prayer, fellowship, Bible study, evangelism and discipleship.

•           Building a friendly church and practicing friendship evangelism.

•           Using special events to proclaim the gospel.

•           Direct methods of evangelism and discipling.

5.         Guiding leaders to involve every member in body-life functions with the goal of developing mature, committed Christians.

 

The Ministries In Action Strategy is taught through practical workshops in seminaries, churches and communities in which leaders actually practice using the skills which they will employ on the job. A comprehensive plan using a variety of methods is used to mobilize every Christian. The ultimate goal of this plan is growth on three dimensions: numerical, spiritual and organizational. This strategy is not just a one-time experience. The recycling aspect provides checks, corrective controls and opportunities for evaluation, all of which maximizes the end result.  Sensitivity to cultural distinctives is also an important feature of this program. Through its extensive experience gained in working in different countries, Ministries In Action has learned the importance of allowing cultural distinctives to shape a particular strategy within the limits of Biblical revelation.

 

Philosophy

 

The Ministries In Action Strategy combines theology and methodology. Often, careful theological study has failed to result in vigorous application in the daily life of the church. On the other hand, there are numerous plans and programs for the church which are based on pragmatic or worldly models and do not take seriously the biblical requirements. In practical theology, as in every other area of theological study, we need to follow the Puritan dictum: "Truth is toward action." The Ministries In Action Strategy combines careful attention to theology, and a practical, dynamic program for the church. It seeks to discover in the Bible the main outlines of a scriptural plan for church growth and development, and allows these biblical requirements to shape and control its methodology. Through its research and experience in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Europe, Ministries in Action is convinced that churches today can be both scripturally and theologically informed and fruitfully active in obedience to God.

 

History

 

Ministries In Action was founded in 1961 by two seminary-trained businessmen, Terry Gyger and David Cauwels. The organization began with a special focus on mobilizing laymen. Special seminars on evangelism were conducted leading up to evangelistic crusades. Gradually, other evangelistic methods were added, including sma1l group studies, friendship evangelism and outreach breakfasts.

A broader thrust developed when Ministries In Action expanded its plan to include development of areas of the church's life in addition to evangelism. Fellowship and discipleship ministries became important segments in the total strategy. Later, a major thrust in leadership training was also incorporated into the plan. Recent additions also include research tools by which a congregation can get an accurate fix on its patterns of growth as well as its strengths and weaknesses. These research and evaluation tools also enable the Ministries In Action staff to judge the effectiveness of its ministry.

Since its beginning the organization has served over two thousand congregations. Most of these have been involved in extended two year projects. Programs in the United States have varied in size and intensity. Some have involved only local congregations, while others have brought together churches of various denominations. In one area of Ohio, over 100 churches were involved in a two year program.

The Ministries In Action Strategy was extended into the Caribbean area in 1968. A pioneer, 12 month project was conducted with 30 cooperating churches in the island of St. Vincent. Following the success of this project, invitations from other countries were extended to the Ministries In Action team.

In 1979 the Christ Pour Tous program in Southern Haiti entered its 10th year. In this continuing program, seminars are conducted in a four phase strategy-leadership development, prayer cells, faithful witnessing and indoctrination. Thirty-seven superintendents are given special training who then return to their districts to train some 200 pastors who in turn train the Christians of their congregations. Over 5,000 first time commitments to Christ occurred during 1979 and the denomination, the Mission Evangelique Baptiste Du Sud D'Haiti, also experienced growth in spiritual and leadership dimensions. In a second denomination in central Haiti, approximately 40 pastors and 1,000 church leaders were trained in the second cycle of their program. Eight hundred new decisions for Christ were recorded in this effort. A third denominational project involved 40 pastors and 700 lay leaders in the Port-Au-Prince area and northwest Haiti. Forty thousand witnessing booklets, especially prepared for the Haitian culture, have been used by Christians in sharing their faith.                        

Through l0 years of involvement with the Haitian church a plan of evaluation has been developed. Through an extensive reporting system denominational leaders are able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the program. Changes in leadership and strategy can be made in the next cycle all of which results in the deeper and wider growth of the church. In many areas of Haiti the church is experiencing 35-40% net increase per year.

Ministries In Action has been assisting churches in Jamaica since 1970. During this period, over 300 congregations have been involved in various training seminars. Many of these training programs have been interdenominational in character involving most of the congregations of a parish (state). Denominational projects such as the one with the United Church of Jamaica and Grand Cayman have contributed to the growth of local congregations in almost every area of the country.

1976 marked the beginning of Ministries In Action's seminary project. This three-year effort conducted in three seminaries involved students in a series of training seminars, designed to teach the Ministries In Action Strategy to future pastors and church leaders. Many of these men have been able to implement the program in congregations to which they have been called. Whenever we consider the subjects of evangelism and church growth, we are immediately faced with a temptation. Like all serious temptations this is powerful in its pull. There is a strong tendency to go immediately to programming. "Let's get going .... let's do something!" This often results in a puzzling predicament down the road in which we have to stop, scratch our heads and ask, "Where am I going?" Before we can strategize we need to theologize. There is a lot of activity around but is it progressing toward God's goal... calling out a people for His name, and the ingathering of these redeemed people into congregations, the church, where Christ is not only Saviour but also Ruler. How can we cooperate with Christ in the building of His church if we are unclear on what the church is supposed to be? Throughout evangelicalism there are views of the church and practices in the church that are scripturally inadequate.

For example we have contemporary churchmen who say that what is needed is a "touching" church. The foundation and practice of the church ought to be based on its relational dimensions. Surely there are dimensions of truth in this emphasis, but in Biblical theology, there is more to God's design for the church than the relational aspect.

For others, the church can be described on how it interacts with the world in the task of communication. We might call this the "dialoguing" church. "We have something to say, but so does the world." We are being told by the "secular theologians" (whatever that could mean) that we might learn more about real religion from the world, than from the church. Therefore the church spreads before its members a sort of theological/philosophical smorgasbord. If that is the kind of church which is to be built in the world, then that calls for a certain structure and program.

To these we might add the "dancing" church. "It isn't the objective message that we are conveying, if there is such a thing, but it is the medium." The medium is our message. And in today's church we have the full spectrum of media.

To these suggested models many others could be added. What procedure and source can be used to determine an adequate definition of the church?

Copyright © 1983 by Ministries in Action

Ministries In Action grants exclusively to the viewer the right to copy and reproduce selected pages of this work for the use of church study groups but prohibits the sale of any such copies and otherwise prohibits the reproduction or publication of the contents, except as noted, without the express permission of Ministries In Action.

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