Conversion or transfer?
As I sit here enjoying this cloudy and bleak morning, I reflect back on the knowledge that I received this week through the teachings of Pastor Ron Woods of The Assembly at Broken Arrow (Broken Arrow, OK), Pastor Glenn Reynolds of Bethel Temple (Hampton, VA), and Dr. Mark Rutland, president of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, OK.
We are so blessed at The Assembly to be able to sit under the ministry and teaching of Pastor Ron week in and week out. It it always something new, fresh, and bold. He gets us outside of the four walls of the church where we can love on our community and our coworkers. He is able to present the Church as a loving place to be accepted, not as a palace for kings to judge others who may decide to show up. The grace that is shown in the church on a daily basis is more than I have ever felt anywhere at any time. We love loving people. It is what charges us up. It is what changes us.
Pastor Ron mentioned at the Preaching & Leadership Lab that we need to start building the church by conversion, not by transfer. So many churches, and we are guilty of this as well, only grow by accepting other Christians from other churches instead of seeking out the lost and unloved. I enjoy reading Perry Noble’s church reports
on Sunday nights. He recaps the day and tells of attendance and most importantly: lives changed. Last week there were 516 new converts and over 14,100 in attendance at his campuses. That is growth by conversion, my friends.
Now I’m not saying that the church needs to grow just so they can say that they have the biggest attendance in the area or in America, but grow because that means lives are being changed.
So what are we doing to create conversation with our friends and neighbors? Are we inviting them to church? How about getting involved in Small Groups so that we can invite our neighbors and coworkers to join us?
Let’s join together and grow our churches, not for attendance records, but to introduce people to the God of MULTIPLE chances, Who never gives up on us.
What is your plan?
