A Pizza Parlor
Could you imagine a thought-to-be successful pizza parlor staying in business year after year while only selling an occasional pizza? That’s crazy! In fact, it could never happen. The doors would be quickly shut. Even though a pizza parlor could have good service, a clean environment and friendly employees, it could never last without selling pizza. How then could a church stay in operation year after year with no transformed lives - you know, no conversions? It happens, but it should not.
We gauge “success” as reaching as many people as we can for Jesus Christ! That is our goal and that is our measuring stick. With the debt of Verde Baptist behind us, a facility that is amazing and a full capable staff with a loving congregation of people, we are able to reach people for Jesus Christ better than ever before. We are in unprecedented times, poised better than ever to reach a significant number of people for Jesus Christ.
That’s the good news. The bad news (which is actually great news) is that our success can easily be gauged. As simple as counting the number of pizzas sold, we can methodically gauge our success in two ways. First, are we clearly proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ? From youth ministry to AWANA, men’s and women’s ministries, church services and special events...is the Gospel message the main thing? Please thank the Lord along with me for a healthy congregation and remarkable staff (both paid and volunteer) that lead and guide our ministries in the direction of making Jesus Christ known. But also, please pray passionately that we become even more focused at proclaiming Jesus Christ to a lost world.
Secondly, are people coming to know Jesus Christ? If we are clear with the Gospel, then there will be conversion growth. We do not keep track of professions and baptisms in order to boast but rather we do so in order to stay on track (just as a pizza parlor keeps track of pizzas sold). Please thank the Lord along with me that this fall alone we have experienced dozens and dozens of people make professions of faith. These have occurred in AWANA, men’s ministry, church services and special events. But in the same way, please also passionately pray that we each accept our own responsibility to participate in the Great Commission and become bolder in the sharing of our faith.includes what they do, how long they’ve been at it, and what got them to where they are.
