The staff was presented with this article yesterday and felt it was worth giving to everyone else! This article is written by Carey Nieuwhof.

There are many, but one of the biggest differences I see is the attitude of the leaders.

The leaders of growing churches almost always share a common attitude.

So do the leaders of declining churches.

And the attitude has a huge influence over the results each church sees.

Attitude may or may not be everything, but it’s close.

Here are 5 attitude differences I see again and again in growing churches and declining churches.

1. We Can v. We Can’t

Perhaps the biggest difference I see between growing churches and declining churches is the attitude around what’s possible.

Growing churches believe they can.

Declining churches believe they can’t.

They’re both right.

One of my all-time favourite quotes is Henry Ford’s “Whether you believe you can or believe you can’t, you’re right.” He’s correct. Growing churches make a way when there’s no way, which seems to be what God specializes in if you read the Bible.

When you sit around your leadership table, do you come up with 20 ways to make it happen, or 20 reasons why it won’t work? That tells you far more about your church than you probably want it to. Growing churches believe they can. It’s that simple. And even if they’re wrong, at least they tried. The mission is important enough to take significant risk.

2. Them v. Us

Declining churches focus on themselves.

Growing churches focus on the people they’re trying to reach.

If your leadership table conversations are all about the needs and wants of your members, it’s a sign that your church is insider focused. The mission of the church is to reach the world. Growing churches not only know that; they live it. Besides, who likes to hang out with selfish people?

And ironically, selfish people almost always end up in a very surprising place: alone. Because a life devoted to self ultimately leaves you alone. That’s also true for selfish churches.

If you’re becoming smaller and smaller, is it because you’re selfish?

3. Principles v. Preferences

Declining churches focus on their member’s preferences.

Todd didn’t like the music.

Allison thinks we’re not deep enough.

Bill wants to start a new program.

And so the leaders respond, trying to please everybody.

In reality, declining churches bend to the preferences of its members.

Growing churches don’t. Instead, they focus on the principles (even strategies) that will help them reach new people. Is your leadership team principle-driven or preference-driven? There’s a world of difference between the two.

4. Proactive v. Reactive

This is a close cousin of points 2 and 3 above, but the difference is deadly or life-giving depending on where you land.

Growing churches are proactive. They choose their agenda and immediately get on issues that can impact their future.

Declining churches are reactive, letting members determine the agenda and reacting to problems as they arise.

In fact, most declining churches are so busy reacting to problems other people raise that they never get around to charting a course for the future. If you never get around to charting a course for the future, you will have no future.

Growing churches have a strong bias for setting their own agendas, not in the selfish sense, but in a way that determined leaders see what the mission requires and decide to deal with it.

The leaders in a growing church simply refuse to yield to the agenda of others that would take them off mission. And as a result, they are far more effective.

5. Now v. Eventually

Growing churches act. And they act now.

Declining churches don’t.

Declining churches don’t actually say they won’t act, they’ll just say they’ll get to it ‘eventually’, or someday, or ‘when the time is right’—which means never. By contrast, as I outlined here, great leaders and great teams banish the word ‘someday’ and other words from their vocabulary.

If you want to be effective, you act. If you want to be ineffective, you don’t.

Talk without action has little value. And too many church leaders specialize in talk.

Below is another article written by one of my favorite preachers of all time – Charles Haddon Spurgeon titled “Edification and Pleasure”

Romans 15:2-3
Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification.…

When Handel's oratorio of the "Messiah" had won the admiration of many of the great, Lord Kinnoul took occasion to pay him some compliments on the noble entertainment which he had lately given the town. "My lord," said Handel, "I should be sorry if I only entertained them; I wish to make them better." It is to be feared that many speech. makers at public meetings could not say as much; and yet how dare any of us waste the time of our fellow immortals in mere amusing talk! If we have nothing to speak to edification, how much better to hold our tongue!

Please join Pastor Aaron this Sunday at 8:30 a.m to pray. You can participate from wherever you may be, or you can join the pastor and others at the church in the conference room (Linda’s old office area).

Below are some items that can be used as your guideline for praying each day this week:

1. Praise God for the continued sense of excitement in our church body. Ask Him to convict those with hurtful attitudes to have a major change of heart and to focus only on His priorities and agenda for His church known as FBC Crowley.
2. Pray for Pastor Aaron as he continues “Together” sermon series – this coming Sunday. He will preach on “Together as Many – Leave the Ego at the Door” taken from 1 Corinthians 12:12-27.
3. Ask Our Heavenly Father to remove the divisions in His church caused by nonessentials which divert precious time and energy from the church’s basic mission.
4. Pray that members of FBC Crowley would set aside their tendencies toward criticism and judgment and act in love.
5. Ask God to help everyone to follow the model set by His son Jesus as Our Savior who did not seek to please himself and bore the insults He received.
6. Pray that God’s people will seek to develop loving relationships with those that they meet and not to treat them as projects.
7. Ask Our Lord to bless Pastor Jaime Perez as he leads Vida Nueva Baptist Church.
8. Pray that He will guide Dexter Laureano as he leads Redeemer Community Church.

This is when our churches and ministries begin to offer people what they want instead of what they need. This is when disciples have a greater, more exhaustive knowledge of their Enneagram number than the attributes of God. This is when disciples are more inclined to read generic spirituality books than the Gospels. This is when disciples don’t have a firsthand knowledge of their sacred text, or basic Christian beliefs, but have exhaustive knowledge of politics, sports, or entertainment. It is when disciples are more shaped by the practices and habits of digital secularism than basic spiritual disciplines.

Deep Discipleship - JT English

1. We have 3 congregations that worship at 11 on Sundays! (FBC, Vida Nueva, and Redeemer Community)

2. GAME NIGHT - First Fridays in the Fellowship Hall (Main building to the right of the lobby)

2. Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions begins in March. Church goal is set by the mIssions committee @ $7,000.

3. Easter is April 17

4. Renewal Weekend May 1

1. We desire to see every person in Crowley and the near regions become disciples of Jesus who make disciples of Jesus. We are a Bible-believing church. Our command from God is to make disciples. However, that looks and feels different than it did when I was a kid! People are farther away from God than ever before. It takes more "touches" and deeper relationships before there can be spiritual conversations.

2. We will love people so they can move forward on life's journey. We have been saying this for a few months now, but want to keep saying it until we live it out everywhere we go! Because people are farther away from God than ever before we must choose to love them with patience, kindness, respect, and conversations - many conversations! We have to respect them as humans before we can discuss other matters. We must be patient with people as they work through the trauma that church and Christians have given over the years.

3. We have established a code of conduct for the FBC family:

• Accept — We provide a welcoming, non-judgmental and safe space where you can take steps of spiritual growth. We are a group open to new ideas and people. We would love to meet you.
• Recognition — We find the good in people and love to share it with others. We would love to get to know you.
• Inspire — We motivate to mobilize people to fulfill their God-given potential. Let us help you reach the heights for which you are designed.
• Serve — We engage our church and community by service projects, providing help when possible and sharing community resources.
• Evangelism — We want to build real, trusting, relationships in order to share the gospel of Jesus Christ that leads to life transformation.
  
  

4. Basic Beliefs - Click for a PDF.

Trevor Dewett March 1

Shelley Alvine March 1

Kay Ardis March 3

Carter Warren March 3

Tom Barbee March 4

Rhonda Kamp March 5

Missy Potts March 6

Amy Barzyk March 7

Brittni Jones March 8

Rebekah Guiterrez (Newman) March 8

Martha Bullard March 9

Sean Brandon March 9

Carla Chamberlain March 10

Kathleen McGaughey March 10

Sara Taylor March 10

Wayne Elkins March 11

Melissa Elkins March 11

Connor Smith March 13

Melanie Wright March 13

Lynette Burleson March 15

Abby Parsons March 15

Linda Jones March 16

Amanda Porter March 17

Sterling Bush March 18

Marilyn Slack March 18

Keegan Whitter March 19

Linda Borunda March 20

Katie Thurman March 21

Reed Wilson March 21

Anthony Hinojosa March 22

Donald Lemke March 22

Nathan Tran March 22

James Dye March 24

Terry Martin March 25

Connor Retzloff March 25

Sharon Hackley March 26

Ashlynn Vickery March 27

Rick Daniel March 29

Melissa Reljac March 31

Email: media@fbccrowley.org
Website: www.fbccrowley.org
Location: 400 S Eagle Dr Crowley, TX 76036
Phone: 817-297-4347
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FirstBaptistCrowleyTX
Twitter: @FBCCrowley