Spiritual Passion 4 Church Staff by Bill Kemp from the book: “Ezekiel’s Bones: Rekindling Your Congregation’s Spiritual Passion”
Spiritual Passion
4
Church Staff
by Bill Kemp
from the book:
“Ezekiel’s Bones: Rekindling Your Congregation’s Spiritual Passion”
“One of our great allies at present is the Church
itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as
we [the demons] see her, spread but through all time and space and
rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with
banners.”― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
“A moderated religion is as good
for us as no religion at all - and more
amusing.”― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
Spiritual Passion is the fuel that keeps a congregation active and excited
about the faith it has to share with the world. Just as the body is fueled by a nutritious diet, congregational life is
fueled by a healthy, passionate, spirituality.
SPIRITUAL PASSION IS
ABOUT RELEVANCE NOT
DOCTRINEScripture needs to be related to
daily life
Prayer must be related to results
Witness must be focused on
building real relationships with the
unchurched
Worship must be focused on our
relationship with God
THREE RULES
OF ALL SYSTEMS
1. The system is designed for the
results you are receiving
2. The longer you participate in the
system the more normal it feels
3. To implement lasting change you
must use a distributed strategy
Spiritual Passion is the fuel that keeps a congregation active and excited
about the faith it has to share with the world.
SPIRITUAL PASSION’S FOUR
LIFT POINTS
Prayer with
Expectation
Scripture with
Relevance
Witness with Joy
Worship with
Passion
SCRIPTURE
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness, so that the [people] of God
may be thoroughly equipped for every good
work. - II Timothy 3:16-17
WITH
RELEVANCE
PASSIONATE
WORSHIP
When the emotional
tone of each
act of worship
helps convey the
meaning of what
is being said.
“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those
who mourn.” (Romans 12:15)
WORSHIP WITH
PASSION
The minister gave out his text and droned along monotonously through an argument that was so prosy that many a head by and by began to nod—and yet it was an argument that dealt in limitless fire and brimstone and thinned the predestined elect down to a company so small as to be hardly worth the saving.
—Mark Twain,
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
3 QUESTIONS - ONE
ANSWER
What makes a church different
from a social club?
What guarantees diversity in the
church?
What determines the lifespan of a
congregation?
THE LIFE CYCLE OF THE AVERAGE
CONGREGATION CAN BE CHARTED AS THE
RISE AND FALL OF SPIRITUAL PASSION.
Spiritual
Passion
Time
THREE PLACES WHERE A CHURCH CAN STOP BEING
NORMAL
1. Young congregations can continue to be passionate
witnesses for Christ
2. Stable congregations can choose the present over
the past
3. Declining congregations can choose to be born again
1
3
2
Spiritual
passion