What I am about to share with you is one of the most important church growth principle I have ever learned for senior pastors of churches under 1,000 in size. Rick Warren calls it Leadership Evangelism.
Leadership Evangelism is the process by which senior pastors single-handedly ignite a movement within their church that will cause it to double in size in three years or less.
Here’s a common occurrence:
A senior pastor leads a church that hasn’t grown in five years. Funding is tight. They have board members who don’t really get the larger vision. Their staff, if they have any staff, are underpaid, overworked, and just as frustrated as their leader. The senior pastor has tried everything to catalyze growth – drafting a new vision statement, tweaking the worship services, starting a new outreach program, trying to get people to invite their friends – all on top of working to the point of exhaustion. Yet, nothing to date has worked.
The majority of evangelical churches in English-speaking countries around the world are in this exact same boat.
All senior pastor can lead their church to grow. Regardless of age. Regardless of education. Regardless of whether the pastor has the gift of leadership or the gift of evangelism or whatever “gift” they think they need to have, but lack.