5 Markers of Church Progress - Christianity Today

What had God accomplished in our church? I didn’t really know until I ran out of gas on the interstate one day. My fuel gauge read full, but, in reality, it was empty.

I didn’t have a clue where I was. So, I got out of my van and walked to the nearest mile-marker. I noted the number on the post and turned around with a sense of hope. I didn’t know where I was, but I had a reference point. I wasn’t really lost. I was now able to phone for help with the assurance I would be rescued!

Suddenly I appreciated how important mile-markers are. Even when we’re not stranded, mile-markers are helpful indicators of direction and reminders that we’re making progress.

Sometimes in ministry, we need mile-markers to let us know what kind of progress we’re making. I began looking for mile-markers in our church’s ministry.

No markers on a merry-go-round

No one intentionally decides to become the pastor of a dying church. Any church can be difficult to pastor, but who wants to be known as the funeral director on retainer?

When I arrived at Jersey Shore Church of God, the congregation’s morale was at an all-time low. They had been through some grave times, including two splits, and were facing a long road to recovery. I was just 27 years old, and all I could do was keep asking, “God, what am I doing here?”

That was 12 years ago. In one of my many tough seasons, I complained about all of the things that were wrong with the church. I’ll never forget the words of my dad. He just looked at me and said, “Drew, a small church deserves a quality ministry as much as a large church.” In other words, stop complaining and do something positive!

A church transitioning from death to life will always be in a state of change, but the key is to get off the merry-go-round of expended energy—always in motion but never gaining any ground. To do this, a church must make adjustments that will produce healthy growth and breathe new life into a troubled ministry.

I can hardly believe I have pastored in Jersey Shore for more than a decade. It has been a rewarding experience, because a church that was dying has been resurrected by the power of God, hard work, and prayer.

Here are five mileposts, marking essential transitions our “turnaround ministry” has made. These mileage markers encouraged me that we have made progress.

1. From profession to passion

When I went to college, I had a passion for life. After graduation, instead of having a passion, I had a profession.

Nothing is more important than believing God has called you into ministry and into the church you serve. There should be no question when you wake up in the morning that ministry was God’s plan for your life. You could have done something else as a career, but you didn’t. God chose you, and you love what you do.

This is the fuel that ignites the flame of passion!

One of the early mile-markers of my ministry came unexpectedly. I had been asked to participate in an intervention for a parishioner who was struggling with an addiction. It was not received well, yet by nightfall we were on our way to a rehabilitation center in Maryland. It was vital that this young husband and father get help.

He did. But after a long drive, we did not return home until 4:00 a.m.

I slept for two hours, then prepared to go to church for Sunday morning services. At the end of the service the wife of this man came forward to pray. Her request was simple: “I cannot do this alone,” she said.

I was exhausted and had no words left to give her. I asked if there were any who would like to gather around the altar to pray. To my amazement, the entire church got up and came forward. Not one person stayed in the seats.

As the church prayed, I began to cry. Tears flowed much more easily than words that morning, but somehow there was strength flowing within me that words could not express.

That’s passion! I knew God was using me to make a difference.

In my office there hangs a picture with this caption: “Passion: There are many things in life that will catch your eye. But only a few will catch your heart—pursue those.”

2. From plans to purpose

Purpose is more than knowing you’re called to ministry. Purpose is determining what you intend to accomplish for God and his kingdom.

When I first arrived at our church, we were plagued with the disease of small-mindedness. I made the decision to uncover a stained glass window that had been under wraps for years. Then I made the mistake of wearing sunglasses into the pulpit to announce that “change was coming to Jersey Shore.”

My creative insight was well received by most. But by some in leadership, I had committed the unforgivable sin—casually and arrogantly discounting the church’s past.

I admit I was wrong. Youthful zeal replaced common sense, but this was the beginning of a vital and needed transition. Our congregation had begun to focus on things instead of people. We were not here to maintain a building.

We were called to share the message of Jesus Christ. This episode became the catalyst for writing our statement of purpose, which reads: “The Jersey Shore Church of God exists to make Christ real and relevant to the world.”

Recently the reality of our purpose was made clear when we received a photo of a church in India. It had been built with contributions from our church and dedicated in our honor. Ten years ago this would have been impossible, but our church has changed. God receives the glory, but the congregation deserves credit for transitioning to a God-given purpose.

3. From pain to promise

In 1995 our church moved to a new facility. It was a tremendous step of faith. For a while I thought we were the exception to the rule that, “When you build you will lose some of your membership because of change.” How wrong I was!

In one year alone we lost 48 people. It is always hard to see people you love leave, but my most difficult moment was still on the horizon.

One of my elders called. An angry member had bombarded him. Although the elder’s intentions were right, he made some comments that were wrong, and now I had an unforeseeable confrontation on my hands. It was up to me to deal with the incorrect actions of one of my leaders and still try to heal the hurt that had been caused. It was then that I realized I was the one hurting.

I don’t know what snapped inside of me. I found myself jumping into my car and just driving out into the mountains. Finally I stopped my car and put my head on the steering wheel. I broke. I literally broke down, but it was in that moment that I had a life-changing experience.

God replaced pain with a promise. He reassured me that this was his church.

He was the Gardener, and it was time to do some pruning in the body and in me. It was time to stop running and start resting in him. He was going to bless me if I would just allow him to be in control of the church and my life.

Was it painful? Change most often is. Was it worth it? Absolutely! I learned that pain can be a significant mile-marker of progress in God’s work, if I chose to view it as such.

4. From programs to people

I used to pray, “God, if I just had a different group of people, I could really grow this church.” God’s response was simple and straightforward: “No.”

As I was studying the parable of the talents, it was as though God spoke directly to me. He said, “I cannot give you more until you are faithful with what you have.” If a pastor is going to turn a church around, he or she must be a leader of people—not a leader in preaching or programs, but a leader of people.

I have discovered that a true mile-marker of progress is the pastor’s ability to lead and involve people in ministry. A dying church expects the pastor to be a miracle worker while possessing very few resources. But, in fact, our greatest resource is our people. They must be encouraged, equipped, and put to work. Then the church will grow.

Rod was on the board of elders when I first came to the church. He was a committed Christian, but he didn’t seem to be happy on the board. After teaching a session on spiritual gifts, we discerned that Rod’s ministry was encouragement and evangelism. As we began our small group ministry, Rod was the first person who came to mind. He didn’t need to be an elder to perform his greatest ministry. He helped me lay the groundwork for our small group ministry, and, after eight years, Rod’s small group is still one of our best attended. Why? We helped Rod discover where he fit and how God wired him for ministry.

People are not the problem. People are the ministry!

5. From paralysis to prayer

I constantly depend on prayer! At every turn, our church has continued to develop ways to make prayer our focus. There are prayer groups meeting before our services. We have a prayer club. Each year we emphasize 40 days of prayer and fasting in the spring. In the fall we have an around-the-clock prayer time for one week called “Pray Where You Are.” And above our sanctuary doors hang these words: “God’s house shall be called a house of prayer.”

If a church is going to turn around and fulfill the great commission, prayer will be the essential ingredient.

A mother came to the altar after a Sunday morning service. Fearful, she was desperate for help because her teenage child had run away. She had one request: that God would bring her child home. We prayed. The entire church gathered at the altar and lifted up her request with one voice. That afternoon I received a call. The teen had come home. Our prayers were answered.

All churches pray, but prayer must become our lifestyle. It must be intentional and specific. When prayer becomes the heartbeat of the ministry, God will bless his church, bringing health and progress.

And other sources of strength

As the new century begins, I am able to celebrate the many other mile-markers our church has experienced. Our average attendance has grown to 400, an increase of 1,000 percent over the last 11 years.

On my first Sunday in 1988, only five children were present. This summer, 11 babies will be born into our church family. Last fall it became necessary to remove two walls in order to increase our children’s educational space. We even had to move our church offices off campus to make room for an expanding nursery.

We are growing! People are discovering their spiritual gifts, and more and more believers are involved in weekly ministries.

But the greatest blessing of all came just recently. During a sermon, I asked those to stand who had accepted Christ as their Savior or recommitted their lives to Christ in the last 11 years. Tears came to my eyes when more than 300 people stood to their feet.

A growing ministry is a changing ministry, but we must remember that God is more concerned about our hearts than our success in ministry. This is why we must follow the counsel of the writer of Hebrews: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” God wants us to run the race marked out for us. He wants us to run from stagnation to growth.

These mile-markers let us know we’re making progress.

Drew Wilkerson is pastor of Jersey Shore Church of God in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania. He can be reached at drew@jscog.org