PUTTING AN END TO WORSHIP WARS - Elmer Towns

workers, providing adequate facilities for growth, taking neighborhood census to find and enlist
prospects, provide good Bible teaching and preaching, visiting prospects and absentees, and
attempting to involve everyone in the total program of the church. Adherence to these principles
has resulted in the significant growth of the Southern Baptist Convention in the Twentieth
Century. Flake was so convince his program would work he claimed,
Development in Sunday School growth is not confined to any particular locality or
section of the country not to any special types of Sunday schools. Rural churches, town
churches, and city churches, both in "downtown" and residential sections, can experience a
material increase in enrolment and in attendance when right methods of Sunday School building
are employed. 1
TAPPING INTO THE STRENGTH OF THE CONGREGATIONAL
CHURCH
If the strength of the Congregational Church is people participation in ministry, all
churches can tap into the strength of the Congregational Church by returning ministry to the
people. In the pursuit of excellence in ministry, there has been a gradual shift in American
churches from lay involvement to professional expertise in the conducting of ministry. This is
widely perceived as necessary in some circles if the church is indeed going to achieve its goal of
serving God with excellence.
There is a way to achieve greater lay participation in ministry and still maintain a high
level of excellence in the quality of church ministry. This involves using a gift-based strategy for
enlisting workers for ministry. When people use their spiritual gifts in ministry, they are usually
highly motivated and strive to do a much better job than might otherwise be expected. Indeed,
excellence in ministry can be enhanced by enlisting gifted lay persons to serve in their area of
expertise.
In the past, enlisting workers tended to follow a certain pattern. First there was the list of
jobs to be filled. Then there was the list of willing workers, or those who could be talked into
being willing under the right circumstances. A young couple became the youth sponsor because
they could relate to the youth. Mothers with young children were perceived to be the best
nursery workers. The oldest deacon taught the adult Bible class.
A gift-based enlistment strategy begins with the worker and then moves to ministry
opportunities. Those who are gifted in evangelism are challenged to consider involvement in
those ministries which tend to be evangelistic in ministry. Gifted shepherds are asked to consider
leading Sunday School classes or small groups. Mercy showers are scattered throughout
ministries to young children and seniors as well as shut-in and hospital visitation. Each person is
given the opportunity to serve God in the areas in which God has uniquely gifted them.
Under the old approach to enlistment, workers tended to serve out of a sense of duty and
were often motivated by guilt. They worked hard to insure the job was done, but their heart was
not always in ministry and some did not find personal fulfilment in its accomplishment. With the
new approach to ministry, people serve God with the realization they are using the unique gifts