This document discusses key aspects of pastoral success and fruitful churches. It outlines 4 characteristics of a fruitful church: being rooted in relationship with Jesus Christ, being a biblical church that develops God's heart, being willing to change methods while keeping the message, and seeing every disciple as an ambassador. It also discusses high impact ministry, simple church processes, 3 questions for church leadership teams, and effective church ministries that reach the unchurched. Finally, it covers 4 pastoral leadership roles, aspects of winning leadership, and overcoming barriers to church growth.

1. G C N C O N S U L T A N T T R A I N I N G
© D R . J O H N J A C K S O N , 2 0 0 8
Working With Pastors and
Congregations

2. Success?
“Pastoral success is about rightly
understanding, pursuing, and
achieving what God’s vision for your
ministry is all about”

3. Characteristics of a Fruitful Church
1) A Fruitful Church is ROOTED IN
RELATIONSHIP with Jesus Christ
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as
Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up
in him, strengthened in the faith as you were
taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
(Colossians 2:6-7)

4. 2) A Fruitful Church is a BIBLICAL Church
developing the FATHER’S HEART
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority
in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them
to obey everything I have commanded you. And
surely I am with you always, to the very end of
the age’ ” (Matt 28:18-20)

5. 3) A Fruitful Church is willing to CHANGE its
methods without COMPROMISING its message
“Though I am free and belong to no man, I make
myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as
possible. To the Jews I became a Jew, to win the
Jews. . . . To the weak I became weak, to win the
weak. I have become all things to all men so that
by all possible means I might save some. I do all
this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in
its blessings” (I Cor 9:19-23)

6. 4) A Fruitful Church sees every DISCIPLE as an
AMBASSADOR
"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.
Always be prepared to give an answer to
everyone who asks you to give the reason for the
hope that you have. But do this with gentleness
and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that
those who speak maliciously against your good
behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their
slander."
(I Peter 3:15-16)

7. High Impact Ministry
High Impact Churches break through spiritual,
social, and leadership barriers to establish new
churches, new ministries, and reach large
numbers of new people for Christ. High Impact
churches confront the law of inertia and the
reality of human lethargy with a passionate
purposeful pursuit of God’s plan for evangelism in
their area.

9. Simple Church
A simple church is designed around a straightforward
and strategic process that moves people through the
stages of spiritual growth. The leadership and the
church are clear about the process (clarity) and are
committed to executing it. The process flows logically
(movement) and is implemented in each area of the
church (alignment). The church abandons everything
that is not in the process (focus). - pages 67-68

10.  Step 1: Design a Simple Process (Clarity)
 Step 2: Place Your Key Programs Along the Process
(Movement)
 Step 3: Unite All Ministries Around the Process
(Alignment)
 Step 4: Begin to Eliminate Things Outside the
Process (Focus)

11. Focus (Shaping Your Vision)
Alignment (Strategic Planning & Ministries)
Reach (Building Your Team)

12. 3 Questions Every Church Leadership Team should
be asking each year (from Ray Johnston):
 1) What will we do to reach our community this
year?
 2) What will we do to grow our people this year?
 3) What will we do to develop leaders this year?

13. Thinking About People…
 Curious are those interested in what Christianity is
all about…OUTREACH
 Casual are those we challenge to take a next step
with Christ…DISCIPLESHIP
 Committed are those we challenge to discover gifts,
serve, and develop leadership…MINISTRY

14. A Safe Church?
A Safe Church:
 Strives to keep members happy
 Avoids controversial issues
 Remains cautious

15. Dangerous Church (Craig Groeschel)
 Will have an uncivilized approach
(Q: When was the last time you had an uncivilized
experience with God?)
 Will have a consuming focus
(Q: What is blurring your focus?)
 Will have a risk taking faith
(Q: What faith risk is God calling us to take?)
 Will have people with a high pain tolerance
(Q: What painful decision have you been avoiding?)

16. Part II
Working With
Congregations

17. 4 Leadership Roles

18. Cast Vision
 Leaders develop a sense of a preferable future.
 Vision casting requires a passionate pursuit of the
possible even in the midst of the mind-numbing
reality of the present.
 Leaders learn to speak in short sentences that
SING rather than in paragraphs that SNORE.
 Leaders must paint pictures, call forth emotions,
and challenge people to risk

19. Create Environments
 Create environments to reach unchurched, grow
disciples, develop leaders.
 We live in an EXPERIENCE economy…..
 Starbucks is not, in the end, selling coffee!
 Neither is Barnes & Noble selling books!
 And you know that Chucky Cheese is not selling
pizza!

21. Develop Systems
 Manufacturing Model:
 INPUT---THROUGHPUT--OUTPUT
Begin with the end in mind…. (Great Commission,
Great Commandment)

22. Equip Leaders
 MULTIPLY versus ADDING
 Pinpoint HIGH CAPACITY leaders
 VISION DRIVEN releasing ministry requires
personal security…
 Every leader creates an atmosphere of Destiny, a
sense of Family, and a Militant Spirit (Elmore)

24. Effective Ministries
“Churches that are effective reaching people for Christ
see the needs of the unchurched, establish ministries
that allow the church to be present in the
community, and have a process by which they are
able to draw these unchurched people into the safety
of Christ and a local church” (Mcintosh & Martin,
Finding Them, Keeping Them, 22).

25. 4 Aspects of Winning Leadership
(adapted from a Kevin Myers talk, “The Diamond Journey”)
 Calling (Winning with God)
 Character (Winning with Yourself)
 Community (Winning with Others)
 Competency (Winning over Obstacles)

26. Leveraging Your Leadership Style
We believe that leadership is
about positive and proactive
influence in the context of
healthy relationships.

27. Pastorpreneur?
A Pastorpreneur is a pastoral
innovator, a creative dreamer who is
willing to take great risks in church
ministry with the hope of great gain for
Christ and his kingdom.

28. Five Behaviors of Sheep Herders:
 Personally do all the caring
 Attempt to meet all expectations
 Work to the limit of time/energy
 Keep work close to themselves
 Base perspective on present
conditions

29. Five Behaviors of Sheep Ranchers:
 Concerned for high quality
pastoral care
 Set expectations
 Perceive the church
organizationally
 Delegate and involve others
 Develop leadership and
management skills

30. 3 specific applications
1) Single-cell vs. Multiple-cell relationships
2) Centralized vs. Decentralized ministries
3) Control vs. Trust paradigm

31. 125 Barrier (Nelson Searcy)
 1) Grow Myself
 2) Shift from Shepherd to Rancher
 3) Advertise
 4) Pyramid Growth days
 5) Work Through Volunteers and Hire Some Staff
 6) Use a Strategic Series

32. 125 Barrier (Nelson Searcy)
 7) Start new Small Groups
 8) Develop New Leaders
 9) Think Twice Your Size
 10) I must remember the Harvest

33. 200 barrier key factors:
 contagious desire to grow
 identify growth accelerators
 shepherd to rancher
 deal with small church mentality-
focus outward!
 offer leadership and lay ministry
training