Hot Rod Sunday could not have gone better. Seven hundred people crowded the church building for the morning service. Speakers set up in the parking lot relayed a timely Gospel message to a standing-room-only crowd of community members. The day continued with burnout competitions and drag races, complete with trophies and prizes. For the people of Princeton, Minnesota, Hot Rod Sunday would be remembered as a family friendly good time that everyone in town enjoyed. For Pastor Chuck Pruett and his congregation at New Life Church, this was becoming business as usual for the growing body of believers.

Momentum. This word began to define Pastor Chuck’s church not long after his arrival in 1997. Chuck had spent the last 10 years of his ministry journey as a children’s pastor at a large Assembly of God church in Minnesota. While he found great success, he felt the Lord’s call towards being a lead pastor, and approached his district superintendent for some guidance. His superintendent opened his eyes to see what he called the “Ring of Fire”, representing dozens of small communities in a “ring” around the Twin Cities where God’s Spirit was doing amazing things. When he considered Princeton, a town of 4,200 with a dying church of just 26 members, Chuck jokingly commented “I had to pray about even praying about it.” However, the gentle tug and steady hand of the Lord led Chuck and his family to follow God’s call and begin pastoring the church.

Near death experiences have a way of putting things in perspective, and the Princeton Assembly of God church was no exception. Facing dramatically shrinking membership, the church was willing beyond all else to reach people, even if drastic change was necessary. This recognition of the need for change allowed Chuck to quickly establish a new mindset in the church. The strategy was simple: reach kids, then their families, and by doing so reach the community. This was the vision. This was the building block and foundation of why they would exist as a church and people began to respond almost immediately.

An afterschool program for elementary age kids quickly grew to 130 kids weekly. Sunday services followed suit. Each new event maintained the heartbeat. Harvest Festivals on an annual basis eventually drew crowds of over 1,600. Sunday attendance climbed steadily eventually reaching 900 consistent attendees. Hot Rod Sunday, an event reaching 700 members, both was and was not monumental. It represented, on one hand, an incredible bridge built with the community and a wonderful Gospel presentation. However, what has not been surprising has been the prevalence of God’s blessing on the church as events like this take place in the community.

Growth such as this does not happen without a lesson attached. As we talked, Chuck spoke as much about the church itself as he did the leadership lessons the Lord taught him along the way. He began with this heartbeat:

“It is easier to raise a generation than it is to reach a generation.”

This model remains the DNA of New Life Church. The budget, staffing, event calendar and services are all geared towards effectively loving, winning, and discipling children. Chuck saw it happen more times than he could count. The kids would “drag their parents to church” and then grandparents visiting the church on Easter would stay too. This led to a multigenerational church with strong family ministries.

Sunday services became an extension of this drive. If the church itself existed to reach kids, Sunday services were going to be relentlessly centered around reaching today’s adults ages 28-42; the most likely demographic to have elementary age kids. The money showed the priorities, with every surplus amount flowing into kid’s and family ministry. Kids began to be utilized at every stage of development within the church. They began to serve as ushers, worship team members, leaders in various ministries, and event staff. This integrated approach helped kids remain grounded and connected in the local body and created a strong culture of leadership development within the church. Chuck mentioned with excitement that many of the pastors on staff were raised from within the church body instead of brought in from outside. The big picture of this church is one of incredible kingdom impact in their community.

In light of what God has done through the church, I asked Chuck something many pastors wonder: What’s the secret sauce? How does one reproduce this kind of spiritual and kingdom impact as a leader? What are the takeaways for other pastors? He shared a few common principles that may help with growth:

1) Hold vision close, hold everything else loosely.

The vision of reaching kids and families is the heartbeat of New Life Church. Beyond that, a culture of steady change is fostered. The goal of this is simple. Growing churches with good visions frequently stop growing because they become more focused on how something is being done versus the goal in mind. Instead of reaching families, a congregation settles for arguing about musical styles, refuses to abandon dead programs or events, or begins to let personal projects drain time, effort, and resources. Chuck said a key to the vision was a constant reevaluation of methods in order to reach the goal.

2) Create strong administrative structures.

This is the most BORING and incredibly useful detail in the whole interview. No one I know gets very excited about administrative structure. However, each new growth bracket, from 26 congregants to 900, necessitated the creation of strong administrative structures. New positions had to be prayed about and created based on where growth was going to be, not where it was at the moment.

Pastor Chuck guided the board through the process of becoming a vision driven church instead of a deacon driven church. This created a case where resources could be spent and used without having to jump through red tape and layers of committee approval, allowing the work to go forward quickly. Positions were added only when deemed absolutely useful or necessary, balancing the need for more workers with the availability of resources. The celebration of 1,600 harvest festival attendees resounded loudly from atop a foundation of administrative backbone.

3) Develop leaders. Seriously, just do it.

This seems like a no brainer. However, as Pastor Chuck spoke to me, it became clear that true leadership development is a highly intentional process that takes immense pastoral discipline to carry out. This does not mean it cannot be done anywhere; quite the opposite. It simply means many are not willing to undertake the task. Pastor Chuck delegated pastoral authority and then let those people have the freedom to run events or ministries without micromanagement. Strong leaders will usually be attracted to a church that allows for that kind of trust. He also began entrusting leadership roles to people being raised in the church, giving students as young as elementary age a stake in the church in some way that kept them around through adulthood. The culture of developing leaders is key to church growth in any context.

Growing churches sometimes appear to be like the Great and Terrible Oz in the Wizard of Oz. The impact they have for God’s kingdom can be so immense that it seems intimidating and impossible to approach. However, behind the curtain exist regular people, faithfully serving the Lord. Behind the curtain we often find people like Chuck Pruett, who have worked within God’s call and put into practice common principles that other churches can, and should do, in order to see growth.

Questions for Reflection:

• What is the vision of your church? Is it easy to define? Do your resources go towards your vision?
• What formats or “ways of doing things” need to change to accomplish God’s vision for your church?
• What administrative structures need to be written down, updated, fleshed out, or strengthened to make the vision possible?
• How are you engaging young people and families in church leadership?
• How are you as a pastor personally developing leaders in your church? Or, as a lay person, how can you take steps toward being developed as a leader?

The post God is Still Moving in Minnesota’s Ring of Fire appeared first on Rural Advancement.

By Hope Danzl

When young pastor, Paul Richardson, arrived at Licking Assembly of God at age 24, he said yes to God’s call giving his first years of ministry to serve a small town. Now, at age 34, Licking, Missouri has seen what can happen when a dedicated pastor gives his life to the call of God and passes this dedication to future leaders.

When Richardson moved to Licking ten years ago, the congregation averaged only 20 people, yet this young leader saw a desperate need for a vibrant, Pentecostal church in the community. Richardson believed God’s grace and his youthful energy could advance the church and reach the community.

Helping this intimate congregation of 20 people overcome obstacles required more than a strategy. It called for diligent and willing leadership that would “pour out” dedicated ministry, despite the small size of the community, the congregation and the challenges that would come.

Richardson commonly heard from people around him that Licking was too small of a location for such a young pastor. Their comments of concern resounded in his head—could he really make more impact and do bigger things at a bigger church? Despite his certainty of God’s call, Richardson asked himself multiple times, “Am I truly willing to pour out the best years of my life in one, little town with a population of 1,300?”

Over the last ten years, Richardson has continued to face this question, yet God has continued to remind him why he daily lays down his life to say yes to the call. As a result of God’s faithfulness and Richardson‘s dedication, the church has grown from 20 to 160 members. Licking Assembly and Richardson keep maintaining a mindset of “we can and we should grow,” rather than simply having a survival mindset.

Opportunities to spread Christ’s hope expanded as Licking AG experienced numerical growth. Partnership with the local community and Rural Compassion, facilitated hope and encouragement for the church, the community, and this rural pastor. This vital encouragement strengthened Richardson when he was tempted to “do all, be all” or to fall into the role of a “jack of all trades.”

Many pastors find themselves encumbered taking on the routine responsibilities of the whole church, but Richardson intentionally gave others the opportunity to minister. When individuals, couples, and families come to him in need of practical, or spiritual assistance he often directed them to resources that provided them with better solutions than what Richardson could offer.

“Pastors often embrace a savior complex that says they need to do it all. Yes, we must work hard and go above and beyond. Sometimes the answer is, ‘I’m not the best solution, but let me connect you with someone in the church or community who is.’”

When pastors take on the role of a director of resources, they increase their ability to dedicate more time to pastoral leadership. For Pastor Paul, raising up local leaders became a time investment that sent four individuals out from the church to lead ministry in other places over the last eight years.

When raising people for ministry, Richardson looks for a willingness and eagerness to serve, character founded in integrity, and a disposition of readiness to become “poured out” for Jesus. It’s easy to get sucked into the allure of ministry, of standing on a platform and receiving acknowledgement for one’s hard work, but Richardson asked potential ministers in his church questions such as:

• Are you willing, and even eager, to serve without recognition?
• Can you be faithful wherever the Lord places you and find contentment there?
• Are you able to find your contentment rooted in Jesus alone?

“If you’re not willing to be ‘poured out’ where you are, you won’t be willing to be ‘poured out’ where you’re going.”

God often rewards faithfulness in small things with opportunities to serve in greater things. Jesus told his disciples, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much” (Luke 16:10 NIV). Richardson’s strategy of training leaders to be content in the “unseen” areas of ministry became foundational to developing impact in the “seen” areas of ministry.

During intentional training periods, Richardson provides his disciples access to the nuts and bolts of pastoral work. He also gives them a view into the everyday world of pastoring a church. He invites young leaders to share in the problems he faces and to experience the process of debating how to make the right decision for forward movement, without the responsibility resting on their shoulders.

Richardson adopted a philosophy of loosely holding onto these young leaders. He says, “Jesus gave ‘the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers’ to the church (Eph. 4:11), expecting the Lord would direct them.” Realizing God gives the gift of each disciple for a season that does not last forever, Richardson rejoices when the Lord moves them somewhere else to bless others.

As a mentor to these future pastors, he accepts the responsibility to discover ways to strengthen each one in areas of weakness. Richardson encourages spiritual and practical disciplines. His mentoring gives opportunities to develop new strengths, so that when leading their own churches in the future, they will already have experience and discipline in their lives.

Richardson wished that he had realized ten years ago that being a rural pastor is a call not a drive. A calling roots pastors in the place God has asked them to serve even when the drive dies out and desires to chase something different arise. If pastors understand that God called them to a place, they can find their identity “in Christ,” rather than relying on the drive of personal motivation. Richardson’s grounding during the hard and frustrating days reaffirmed his faith in his calling that God asked him to minister in this place and to this people.

What can happen when pastors pour out the best of their lives in a small town? The decade of faithful ministry Richardson gave to Licking, Missouri created kingdom impact beyond the limits of this small community. Four pastoral leaders have launched into ministry in other rural churches. God called all believers to give every year, as the the best of their life. Indeed, Christ requires nothing less of every believer (Mark 8:34). For Richardson, the answer to the question, “Will you pour yourself out?” is, and will continue to be a responding “yes.”

If you are interested with connecting with Pastor Paul Richardson and Licking Assembly of God in Licking, Missouri, you can visit their website at https://lickingag.com/.

Reflective Engagement:

1. How much of Your life would you be willing to lay down if the LORD asked for all of you?
2. What does it mean for you to “pour yourself out?”
3. Is your assignment a calling or a drive?
4. Who are you discipling?
5. Are you giving them an example of faithfulness in the little things?

• Are they willing, and even eager, to serve without recognition?
• Can they be faithful wherever the Lord places them and find contentment there?
• Are they able to find their contentment rooted in Jesus alone?

6. Have you discovered ways to strengthen them in areas of weakness by encouraging spiritual and practical disciplines so they can lead their own church?

The post Poured Out appeared first on Rural Advancement.