RAISING A HEALTHY CHURCH: Intentional Growth

It is a sad fact that many ministers, preachers and church leaders have no intentional personal growth plan. They are of the opinion that once you are called into ministry, anointed, ordained and passed out of the bible school; you have arrived and you don’t need to grow again!

However, the reality is that you will have to purposefully, deliberately, consciously and intestinally work out the plans and processes for your personal growth. You will always need to grow spiritually, ministerially, socially, and in your leadership – II Peter 1: 5-10.

A. THE HEART OF ALL KINDS OF GROWTH – I Peter 3: 18

Whenever God wants to grow a church, ministry or work, he usually starts from the heart of the leader.

You have to grow within before you can grow without.
You must first dig deep if you plan to build very high.
You cannot travel without if you have not travelled within.
Your personal growth will either help or hurt your church.
You must lead yourself well into growth before you can lead the church.
A stagnant pastor means a stagnant church.

Your personal growth or otherwise, will affect your personality, relationship, pulpit ministry and leadership ability. It will determine whether your church will go up spiritually, numerically or fall down to stagnation. Empty soul, dry spirit, shallow tongue, carnal attitudes, secular views, poor and oppressive leadership and failed potentials are the hallmarks of non- growing pastors and leaders.

B. PURPOSEFUL GROWTH – Psalm 90: 12-14.

Growth is both supernatural and natural. Growth is the end result of doing something right. In our personal lives and in the church, growth must follow a process.

Grow out – you must grow out of carnality, anger, vestige of sin, cold heart, unstable faith, immoral thoughts and unforgiving spirit.
Grow into – every believer must grow into discipleship, commitment, godliness, purity of heart, Christ- likeness, maturity of emotions and devotion to the kingdom.
Grow deeper – every leader must grow deeper in prayer, love, power of the holy spirit, sacrificial living and selflessness.
Grow more – you must grow more in beauty of God, fruits of the holy spirit and consistency with the lord.

C. PROCESS OF GROWTH.

In creation, growth follows a process. In manufacturing, it is also a process. The church must intentionally create a process of moving people from one growth level to the other. The process of growth will help us and the people to move up in the lord in a systematic way.

To become better and better in the lord, there must be consistency in:

Daily devotional prayers
Regular reading and studying of the scripture
Group sharing and discussions
Proper teachings and training on spiritual matters
Reading of spiritual materials.
Quality time for prayers and intercessions
Taking up challenges and solving problems
Welcome the dealings and pruning of God
Taking courses and getting materials
Solid mentoring and accountability
Time to refresh, renew and re-charge your batteries.

The atmosphere of growth will greatly help your personal growth. You must plan and work out these intentional growth processes in your life and work.

D. TAKE RESPONSIBILTY FOR YOUR GROWTH – Jude 20-21; Phil. 2: 12; 2John 1:8.

Leaders must continually grow in grace, anointing, relational skills, leadership and be relevant in their doings. How will you remain fresh and full always? How and where will you be resourced as you give out?

Growth will not come by accident; you have to be intentional about it. You must plan it and work out that plan.

Make out time in your yearly calendar for time of equipping
Keep going for challenging courses and training.
Be open to continuous reading and learning
Feed you soul and spirit with God’s word
Sit down to hear others. Stop speaking all the time.
Delegate work and give authority to do it.
Accept criticism and profit from them
Change your rigidity to flexibility
Pursue excellence in your life and work
Don’t ever mortgage your prayer life seek for fresh encounter and refreshing from the lord.

Your continuous education, continuous improvement and commitment to excellence will definitely rub off on your work. Your commitment to intentional personal growth will have salutary effects on your church. Your fire will definitely fire them up!

Prayer Points:

Hunger and thirst for growth, possess me now in Jesus’ name.
Every enemy of growth in my life, die in Jesus’ name
Every atmosphere demoting my personal growth, release me now in Jesus’ name