Chapter 7 - Put Structures in Place.

Structure is inevitable if you must have a sustainable growth. Structure itself does not give growth but it does aid and sustain growth in the same way a computer will facilitate your work. So, it will be unwise for anyone to take it lightly.

Structure helps to place a workable system and departments in place. It helps defines the relationship between various departments and establish the hierarchy of leadership.
We Have Different Kind of Structure Such as;

The Administrative Structure.
Activity Group Structure.
The Leadership Development Structure.
The Cell System Structure.
Follow-up Structure.
Soul Winning Structure.
Staff structure.
Service Administration structure etc.

The Soul Winning Structure ensures souls are won on a daily basis which should reflect in the number of first times that visits your church on a weekly basis. The follow up structure ensures they are retained why the cell structure ensures that are nurtured till they too become part of the leadership team of the ministry.

The Activity Group Structure Also Include Departments or Units Created Such as;

The Ushering Unit
The Music Department
Decoration
The Technical Unit
Venue Managers
Counselling Unit
Children Church
New Believers Class
Finance Department,
Security
Outreach Unit,
The Media Unit etc.

There are some of the activity unit that will also require a physical structure like the children church department. It’s unfortunate that quite a few ministries don’t have space where the children can have their church. When you allow children to congregate with the adult, they hardly learn anything except for a few of them who are in their pre-teens. They can also be a source of distraction.

Another unit that requires a separate space or building is the counselling unit. This are those who attend to the first timers and new converts. Most of the time, we just take them to a corner in the church and attend to them there. But, you will get a far better result if you dedicate a separate hall for that purpose. This of course may not be possible at the start of your ministry. You can however plan for it after a period of time.

Virtually everything you do in your church have to be structured. The structure provides a framework for which you organize your activities. It helps to create a platform for the effective functioning of every worker and leaders of the church or ministry. Structure is not static. There will be need for re-structuring after a period of time to accommodate the new membership strength, attend to new issues and plan for another level.

For instance, a church may not have to bother about having a department for those who guard vehicles while service is going on because there may be no vehicle to guard at all at the beginning. But after a while, the church will see the need for such a department.

The early church in the days of the Apostles of Jesus had to put structure in place to cater for the challenge they faced concerning the disputes that arose in their days. The account reads;

Acts 6:1-7
1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.
2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.
3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

Sometimes, you might need to make consultation with experts in any area you have little or no knowledge about. You certainly cannot be Mr. know all. Invest in training and invite resource personnel that have a proven track record in that area of need. There are times you will have to attend organized seminars to get the required skills you need to set up structure. You can also seek the help of ministries that are well ahead of you especially the one you are connected with. With effective structure in place, there is no limit on what you can achieve and there is no height that you cannot attain.

Space will not permit us to talk about all these structures in detail in this book. However, we will discuss briefly in the next three chapters on the three most important of all the structure that must be put in place. They are Soul Winning Structure, Follow-up Structure and the Cell Structure.

Chapter 8 – Set Up a Soul Winning Structure.

The need to set up a soul winning structure cannot be overemphasized. There is no way any church or ministry can grow consistently if there is no plan to win souls. It is however sad to see so many churches without a soul winning structure. Instead of setting up a soul winning structure, they build beautiful worship auditorium and invite sinners or lost souls to come in. The truth is that most sinners don’t go to church. The church is not fashionable to them. Even when they do, they hardly hear the kind of message that will stir them to accept our Lord Jesus as their Lord and personal Saviour. The result of this is that we have a lot of church members who just get churchy but are not truly converted.

The instruction our Lord Jesus is that we should go and fish for lost souls. We have to go to where the sinners are. He said;

Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Notice the phrase, ‘go ye therefore’. The church is doing just the opposite. We are staying back within the four walls of our churches and expect sinners to come in. There is no fisherman that expects fishes to jump out of the river into his fishing net or boat. You must cast the fish into the net to catch them. Hence Jesus told Peter and Andrew;

Matthew 4:19
19 …Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

So, there must be structure set up that is designed to reach out to the lost souls. And it should be on a daily basis. The early church had souls added to their numbers on a daily basis;

Acts 2:47
47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Inspiring your members to participate in soul winning activities begins with what they see you do. This is why, it’s important you lay a good foundation for your ministry. The disciples of Jesus didn’t find it difficult to be involved in soul winning because that was the orientation they received.

So, you must step out in the field first before you can demand that your members get involved. And there should never be a time you retire from field work even though your commitment may not be as it was at the beginning because of many other things you that will be competing for your attention.

Founders of some of the mega churches in Nigeria are evangelically inclined. Even after several years in ministry, you still see them participate in soul winning activities. A good example is Rev. Adeboye of the Redeem Christian church. As busy as he is, he still finds time to participate in their yearly ‘go a fishing’ soul winning campaign.

The church must return to the pattern laid by our Lord Jesus and his Apostles. They took soul winning campaign to the streets and homes. Our Lord Jesus was always on the go. He didn’t build one beautiful auditorium and ask people to come in. He sought for lost souls on the streets and in homes. Hence he said;

Luke 19:10
10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

For details on how to set up a soul winning structure, place order for my book titles, Dynamics of Soul Winning.

Chapter 9 – Set Up Follow-up and Visitation Structure.

Follow up is perhaps, one of the most difficult task in growing a church. It is one thing to win a soul and it is another thing to retain that soul. A large percentage of souls usually won are hardly retained because of ineffective follow up structure. In some cases, it is even nonexistent.

It is therefore imperative to set an effective follow up structure if a large percentage of the souls won must be retained. Follow up is not for new souls only. It is also needed to retain old members who might be tempted to leave the church for one reason of the other.
Apostle Paul followed up on the churches he planted so they can be established in the faith;

Acts 15:36
36 And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, LET US GO AGAIN and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.

Notice the phrase, ‘let us go again’. It means they had visited before. They were committed to the task of visitation and follow up.
Apostle Paul also followed up through the letters he wrote to the churches he planted. These letters are now part of the New Testament books contained in the Bible.
Without effective follow up structure, the time invested in soul winning activities will be a waste. So, we must put up a structure designed to retain a large percentage of the souls won. Even our Lord Jesus emphasized on the need to retain the souls we win;

John 15:16
16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and THAT YOUR FRUIT SHOULD REMAIN: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

The church must have a counselling unit that attends to visitors who come to the church for the first time. But if the ministry is new, the pastor himself or a capable assistance is the counsellor.

A counseling space or building free of distraction should be in place after a while as the ministry is growing. The most important task of the counsellor is to ensure that their personal details such as their names, addresses and phone contacts are collected are properly documented. This is to ensure that further contact or follow can be carried out on them.

Besides, they are trained to give them a very warm welcome. First impression matters a lot. Make these first timers feel loved and welcome. And they will notice it in the manner and ways they were received.

Plans must be in place to follow them up immediately. For effective follow up, they should be visited within 24 hours of their visit to your church. Unfortunately, quite a few ministries don’t make effort to contact these new souls. Those that do only do so via phone calls or text messages. There is a place of visitation that inspires these visitors to want to become members of the ministry. Besides, it is only through visitation you can find out if they are truly born again or not. Although, such validation is also carried out by the counsellors when attending to them. But it is more effective when you meet with them one on one in their homes. There are however some of them who don’t want to be visited for personal reasons. And it’s important we respect their privacy.

Place order for my book, ‘Effective Follow up Structure and Church Growth’ to guide you on how to set up an effective follow up structure.

Chapter 10 – Set Up a Home Cell Structure.


The Cell structure popularly known as home cells is a vital structure for church growth. This structure is needed not just for multiplied church growth but also for leadership development.

Church meetings should not only hold on our central churches. It should be taken to homes and other venues where people meet in smaller numbers. With the cell structure, virtually everyone is cared for and also given the opportunity to develop their gifts to serve God.

The early church had this structure. This was how they were able to manage the thousands of the initial souls that was one by Apostle Peter on two different occasions – Acts 2:41 & Acts 4:4. Thus the scripture says;

Acts 2:46
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.

Apostle Paul also took advantage of this structure to teach;

Acts 20:20
20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house.

In the letters Paul wrote to some of the churches, he mentioned churches that met in homes;

Romans 16:5
5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my wellbeloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.

Colossians 4:15
15 Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.

The membership strength of each home cell group is usually between 5 to 10 people. And as they grow to about twice the membership, they split to form new cells thereby translating to church growth. The people assigned to handle these cells are lay leaders. It is done voluntarily. Some of these volunteer cell leaders later become full time ministers of the gospel.

It should however be noted here that the primary purpose for the cell structure is not just to manage the members of the church but to reach out to lost souls. In other words, the cells are the outreach arm of the church. So, when the cells grow, the church grows. It is also important to mention here that the cell fellowships are not necessarily limited to homes. Meetings can also hold in conference halls, descent restaurants or eateries. There are also some specialized cells that can hold on offices and shops.

The cell structure has so much advantage over the traditional church structure. By traditional church structure, I mean one which the major groups that members identify with are the men’s fellowship, women’s fellowship and the youth fellowship.

Some of the benefits of the home cell structure over the traditional church structure are;

1. The Cell System Carries Virtually Everyone Along. It affords everyone the opportunity to be involved in the work of the ministry which is God’s plan for the church.

Ephesians 4:16
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which EVERY JOINT supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of EVERY PART, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Notice the phrase, ‘every joint’ and ‘every part’ in the above scripture. God wants every one of his children to be vitally involved in the work of the ministry. The cell system is the only system where this vision can be realized. The traditional church system makes most members perpetually bench warmer till Jesus comes and they may eventually lose their salvation. The Bible says,

Proverbs 29:18
Where there is no vision, the people perish….

2. The Cell System Helps You to Develop Many Leaders at The Same Time. These leaders in turn reproduce other leaders. For instance, in a church where you have just one youth fellowship and a few executives, you are just developing just a few leaders for the next level of leadership if any exist. But in the cell system the youth fellowship can be broken into 5 or more fellowships depending on the membership strength and as such, more people are being developed for the next level of leadership which is properly defined in the cell system.

3. With The Cell System Growth Is Not Just Added, It Is Multiplied. The traditional church system only grows arithmetically while the cell system leads to geometric growth.

4. With Effective Cell System, You Can Never Have Stagnated Growth. Even if you get to 100,000 memberships, you will still keep growing with effective re-structuring.

5. The Cell System Brings About Healthy Competition and Therefore Brings the Best Out of the Leaders. The youth president in the traditional church setting might become complacent because he has nobody to compete with.

6. Church Planting Becomes Easier and Faster. This is because you will have enough leaders that have been trained and tested with their commitment in the cell system. “He that is faithful in little is faithful in much” the Bible says.

7. The Cell System Is a Perfect Setting for The Development of All Categories of People - Men, Women, Youths, Teenagers and Even Kids. The traditional church systems do not give much room for the development of the younger group especially into lay Pastoring.

8. People Receive Better Attention Through the Cell System Because There Are Relatively Fewer People to A Leader. This was the relief Moses had after he implemented the counsel of his father -in- law, Jethro.

9. It Is Difficult to Destroy a Church That Operates the Cell System. To do this you have to destroy all the homes and venues where all the cells meet. Even if the main church auditorium is taking over by government and the church does not have an immediate venue to relocate to, with an effective cell system, you can still retain your members.

10. The Cell System Makes It Easier to Take the Gospel to Where the Sinners Are. The traditional church setting waits for the sinners to come in. A few of the traditional church setting are though involved in reaching out to the lost but the retaining of such souls is much easier with the cell system.

11. The Cell System Enables Us to Reach Some People That Seem to Be Unreachable Through the Traditional Church System. This is made possible by specialized cells designed to reach a particular group of people.

12. You Spend Much Less Money Trying to Grow Your Church. When you operate the cell system, the burden of church growth is transferred to the cell leaders. Churches that do not have the cell structure in place spend so much money organizing programmes just to ensure growth.

Place order for my book, ‘Home Cell Structure and Church Growth’ to clearly understand how to set up an effective cell structure.

Chapter 11 - Be Resourceful.

Running a ministry requires lots of resources such as money, land, halls, equipment etc. And as it grows, the demand for more resources even increases. You must by the wisdom of God know how to get the resources you need and use them efficiently. God who has called you has a way of ensuring that you get some of these resources without having to pay for them. There are testimonies of people who received free lands, halls and even some equipment for ministry purpose. You don’t however have to wait for free donations for you to operate your ministry.

One of the resources I would love to give attention to here is money. Money is a vital tool that facilitates the fulfillment of God’s given mandate. Thus, the scripture says; “... but money answereth all things.” (Ecclesiastes 10:19).

The one who called you will ensure that your personal and ministry needs are met. As the popular saying goes, where there is a vision, there is a provision. The visionary however does not allow money to be a major factor in the fulfillment of the vision. You do not have to wait for sponsor to step out in ministry. You are the number one sponsor. We mentioned this in an earlier chapter. The major initial sacrifice must be made by the visionary himself. As such it is not uncommon to see great visionary sell off their cars or valuable assets and invest the money in the ministry they are just about to begin. As you faithfully yield to the calling, God will definitely bring sons of consolation to back you up in the ministry.

Jesus received support from some women he had healed and delivered from demonic oppression. Just as it is written;

Luke 8:1-3
1 And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,
2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,
3 And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.

Apostle Paul commended the Philippians church for their unflinching support when he said;

Philippians 1:4-6
4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
5 FOR YOUR FELLOWSHIP IN THE GOSPEL from the first day until now;
6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

The word fellowship here is from the Greek word koinonia which literally means partnership or distribution. They were involved in supporting Apostle Paul financially and materially. Hence in another section of the same letter, he said;

Philippians 4:15-16
15 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.
16 For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.

No wonder he blessed them by saying; “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19).

He however did not fold his hands and trusted that there are people out there to meet his needs. Paul worked with his hands and invested the money into the ministry work. However, don’t engage in the kind of work that will distract you from focusing on your calling. This form of distraction is one of the reasons many ministries don’t grow. The man of God is never around to oversee the daily activities of the church because of his pursuit for money.

The idea of full time ministry does not necessarily mean you should not work. It depends on individual. We are all bestowed with different grace. If you have ideas that can translate into wealth without been distracted from your calling, it is permissible especially at the early stage of the ministry.

If you are under authority and you were posted to Pastor a church in a remote location as a full time minister where you probably had to stay, it is the responsibility of the ministry to provide for basic needs such as accommodation and other things as may be required.

You must also teach the people you are sent to how to give. This is important for them to get blessed. It also helps to cater for your welfare and acquire things you need to effectively do the work in your ministry. God can also meet your ministry needs beyond the financial strength of your congregation. It should be noted here that you cannot run your ministry based on only the Tithe and regular offering that comes into the ministry. Besides tithes and regular offerings are not primarily meant for the logistics cost of the church. You must teach the brethren to give willingly for other projects as the need arises.
Tithes under the Old Testament are meant to support the Levites who work full time in the sanctuary. Today, we also have workers who are full time workers that receive their salaries through tithes giving by the members.
Whenever there is any major project to be carried out, freewill offerings are raised. So, the brethren must be taught to give beyond their tithes and regular offerings if your ministry must have a good financial status.

There are times you might experience temporary financial draught. At such a time, know that it is the handy work of the enemy. Just command the devil to take away its hands off your finances and lay claim on your financial and material needs. Command angels to direct men to bring the monies you need. Put your absolute trust in God and he is able to supply all that you need both for your personal upkeep and ministry work according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Chapter 12 - Have a Good Financial Budget.

It’s imperative for you to have a financial policy based on scriptures and by the leading of the Holy Spirit. We can take a clue from the Old Testament practice and made modification to suit our present needs and the focus of your ministry. In budgeting, however, we should be more people oriented that project oriented even though the projects we carry out are tailored towards ministering to the people in a more efficient way. If a servant of God can pass the test of integrity in the area of financial management especially when it concerns spiritual money, he will pass in every other area of life.

Budgeting will require you to determine the percentage allocation of income to different areas of church expenses such as Church Development funds, Training, TV programmes, Crusades, Staff Salary, Welfare etc. Gross financial mismanagement and misappropriation could affect church growth. Most of the times, special offerings may have to be taken to cater for these different areas of ministry. This is because the tithes and regular offerings are hardly enough to cater for every need of the church especially at the early stage of the ministry.

We do know that Tithing in the Old Testament was used for the welfare of the Priest (Pastors) and Levites (Full Time Staffs) - Numbers 18:1-32. But we do also know that periodically, they were told when they eat the tithes, they should invite the strangers, the fatherless and the widows (Deuteronomy 26:12). Church budgeting these days hardly include the needy of those mentioned above. We must understand the mind of God and disburse the fund according to His purpose. You cannot exclusively lay claim on the tithe because you are the Pastor of the Church and the General Overseer. When your basic need has been met as a Pastor, make budget to accommodate the widows, orphans, fatherless and needy in the church from time to time. If the income from tithe and regular offerings are too small to accommodate welfare needs, then raise free will offering from time to time to cater for such needs.

So, your financial policy can change from time to time depending on the income of the church. At the early stage, it may not even be enough to pay staff salaries. So, it is better not to even employ full time staffs when you know you can’t pay their salaries.

But when the income that comes in is big enough to accommodate some of these needs, then make budgets for them and stick to it for a reasonable period of time. As the ministry income grows bigger, you will see the need to begin to make budget for more areas as may be required.

Be careful not to treat the monies that comes to your ministry as personal money unless the part of the budget that you have approved for your personal expenses. So, as soon as the tithes and offerings are counted, first pay the money into the ministry account. If your ministry is not yet registered, use any personal account that you have or talk with your bank and they will guide you on what to do.

Discipline yourself never to spend from source. It gives room for the funds to be misused or misappropriated. And this will in turn affect the growth of your finances. So, pay the money into an account the very next working day. First separate your tithe and pay as a ministry to any ministry that you are connected to. The ministry must be ahead of you and the Pastor must be your role model or someone you want to tap into his grace. You must give up if you want to go up. This does not make sense to the natural mind. Why should you give to someone that has more money than you is the question in the mind of carnally minded people and some minsters.

When Abraham gave the tithe of all he had to Melchizedek, it is not that Melchizedek needed the goods and money but Abraham needed the blessing. So, when you pay your tithe to a ministry you are connected to, you are tapping into the blessing or grace upon that ministry. Sooner or later, you will begin to experience the same result that ministry is experiencing.
You can make withdrawals thereafter according to the budget you have made but they must be carefully documented so you can give account of how the monies are spent.

Financial records must be kept if you want to be a good manager of the funds that comes to your ministry. When the funds are carefully managed, it is the Spirit of God himself that will draw people to your ministry and be a part of what God is doing. But when you misappropriate or mismanage funds that comes into your ministry, it will affect your church growth. Besides, it can cut short your life. Remember what happened to the two sons of Eli when they made themselves fat with the offerings of the people of Israel and even despised the lay down procedure for the Priest’s offering.

Hear what God told little boy Samuel he will do to not only the two sons but also to their father, the Priest who did not retrain them and their entire lineage;

1Samael 3:11-14
11 And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.
12 In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.
13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.
14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, THAT THE INIQUITY OF ELI'S HOUSE SHALL NOT BE PURGED WITH SACRIFICE NOR OFFERING FOR EVER.

Priest Eli had gotten an earlier message from a man of God sent to him to warn him. Read what he said to him;

1Samuel 2:27-26
27 And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house?
28 And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?
29 Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, TO MAKE YOURSELVES FAT WITH THE CHIEFEST OF ALL THE OFFERINGS OF ISRAEL MY PEOPLE?
30 Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, AND THEY THAT DESPISE ME SHALL BE LIGHTLY ESTEEMED.
31 Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house.
32 And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever.
33 And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age.
34 And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.
35 And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.
36 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a piece of bread.

Gross financial misappropriation and mismanagement affects the growth of your ministry. You must be financially disciplined if you want your church or ministry to experience continuous growth. And most importantly, if you want to live long on earth. So, many ministers die before their time because they refuse to judge themselves in this area.

It is God who adds to the church such as should be saved. But, if you don’t do things in the ways that it pleases God, you will not have a divine backing that will ensure sweatless growth of your ministry.

Chapter 13 - Set Goals.

There can be no meaningful achievement without goal setting. Goal setting is a statement that indicates clear cut objectives of the ministry. It becomes a map you must follow in order to get to your destination. Goals are in two categories; long term goal and short term goal. An example of a long term goal could be to move to a new location in 5 years’ time. Short term goals could be to take the Church from its present numerical strength to twice that value in a quarter.
Goals must be written down. Just as the scripture says,

Habakkuk 2:2-3
2 …Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

Don’t have goals in your mind. Write them down. And place them on a daily basis to keep the picture of what you want to achieve in your mind. Besides, reading them to yourself will motivate you to action.

1. Categorize the goals. Put your goals in categories. Examples of goal categorizations are;

*Numerical Goals.
*Financial Goals.
*Staff Strength.
*Training Programmes.
*Outreaches or New Churches to Be Planted.
*Facilities to be Procured
*Seed You Plan to Sow to Other Ministries.
*Support for Orphanage or Widows.
*Crusades to Be Carried Out.
*New Organization Structure.
*Programmes You Want to Air on TV.

2. Specify Your Goals
Attach specific figures to your goals. For instance, in numerical goal, state how many members you want your church to be after a specific period of time. The same goes for financial goals.

3. Prioritize Your Goals
Goals must be stated in other of priority. For instance, if you don’t have a good venue for your church meeting, you could make it top in your priority.

4. Attach A Time Frame.
Usually, the goals are set on a long term and broken down into smaller periods. State the specific period of time you want that goal achieved. Is it after a quarter or a one-year target period?

5. Set Achievable but Stretching Goals
The goals set must be achievable but with a little stretch. In other words, it must neither be too difficult to achieve not too easy. You must strike a balance. For example, growing a church from 100 members to 110 members in a year is an easily achievable goal. And growing it from 100 members 1,000 members might be too difficult to achieve.

6. Strategize
You must put down the different method you want to adopt to achieve the goals. We will talk more on this in the next chapter.

7. Determine What You Need to Accomplish Your Set Goals. This talks about the human and material resources needed to accomplish the goals.

8. Put the Goals Down in Writing
Success motivation speakers tells us that goals written down is half achieved. How true that statement really is and it actually has a scriptural backing. (Habakkuk. 2:2). According to John Maxwell, a study of a Yale University graduating class showed that the small percentage of graduating student who had written down their goals accomplished more than all the other graduate combined.

9. Read out Your Goals
Repetition is the law of deep and lasting impression. What you say constantly becomes part of your inner consciousness and will prompt you to action. This also determines that you must have easy access to your written goals. It is even recommended that you place them on a notice board in front of your office desk or where eye contact can be made easily. Reading out your goals on a daily basis will definitely motivate you to action. Just as it is written, “Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it” (Habakkuk 2:3).

10. Monitor Your Goals and Take Corrective Actions when you are Off Target. It is important you periodically monitor your set goals. This should be done weekly and monthly depending on the timeline attached to it. And when you find out that you are well off target, take corrective actions to get back on tract.

Chapter 14 – Strategize.

Having set goals, you must plan how to achieve them. In other word, you must strategize. This involves detail plan on how you want to achieve these goals. How do you intend to crystalize your dreams into a living reality? For instance, if you want to double your attendance within the year, your strategies could include;

*Planning a more effective monitoring for the cell system. Each cells are supposed to carry out monthly outreach propgrammes independent of the church programmes. If this is monitored properly; a good percentage of the new souls you intend to should come through the cells.

*Organizing training programmes more frequently for the leaders so they can be more effective in the discharge of their duties.

*Working on the length of time you spend during service. Sometimes people might be discouraged to come to church because of the length of time spent.

*Planning outreach programmes at specific period during the year.

*Improve on the delivery of your message by indulging in deeper study of God’s word.

*Planning periodic one on one soul winning campaign. You can plan for the entire church will go out for soul winning one of the Sundays each month.

*Ensuring a more effective follow up on the new souls that comes into church.

*Planning incentives for soul winner on a monthly basis to motivate them to win souls.

*Planning an empowerment programme for the jobless in the community where your church is situated. This will definitely attract some new souls to your church.

*Printing and distributing newsletters which includes testimonies of what God is doing in the ministry.

*Planning a prayer programme such as all night prayer meeting which could be scheduled weekly or monthly. It could also include prayer and fasting and early morning prayer.

*Carrying our early morning cry and using the opportunity to invite people to your church.

*Planning a ‘love feast’ programme where good meal or snacks will be served to attract sinners to come.

*Ensuring that good refreshments are available for the first timers. The way you treat your visitors will determine whether they are willing to stay or not. If they receive a very good treatment, some of them might even bring their friends and family members in the next major service.

*Using social media platform such as Facebook and Intergram to share testimonies of what God is doing in your church or ministry.

*Investing in the publicity of the church. Publicity makes your church loud. Don’t run a church without a sign board at the venue of your meeting. And if the church is off a major road, place other directional sign boards at the junctions that lead to your church.

The list of things you can do to meet your set numerical goal is endless. Just sit down and think on what you can do to achieve your set goals. And ideas will be given to you. And whichever strategy you choose to adopt, they must be clearly written down and a check list prepared to monitor the implementation and the level of progress.

Church growth does not happen by chance. You make it happen by the strategies you put in place. Most people are too lazy to sit down and think out a way forward even in their ministry work. Our minds have the capacity to give us winning ideas. There is no success without strategy. There are those who just think that God is the one that will bring about increase. Yes, there is an element of grace in church growth but you have to do your part first. This why Apostle Paul wrote;

1 Corinthians 3:6
6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

You can see from this verse that Apostle Paul and Apollos did something before God gave the increase.

The most important part of your time that will translate into church growth is the period you spend engaging your mind for workable ideas. And your mind will naturally respond. It’s just that most of the time; we don’t think deep and give our minds time to give us useful suggestions.

Most importantly, learn to listen to your heart also and the voice of the Holy Spirit. God has given us the Holy Spirit as our Senior Partner in all that we do. You may have a good idea but not a God idea. So, you must get the final endorsement from the Holy Spirit before you conclude on the final line of action you desire to take to actualize your goals.

Chapter 15 - Set a Good Standard.

You must have a standard as a ministry. It will determine the kind of crowd you want to gather and the level of excellence you want to achieve. It also has a way of affecting your growth. There is a common adage which says ‘the way you lay your bed is the way you will lay’. If you start your ministry and decide to use a wooden bench as chairs, there are some people that will never come for your meeting.

A lot of ministers of God have a misconception on the quality of life a Christian should live. To some, we are not supposed to aspire to enjoy any kind of luxury, calling it worldliness. So, they build church buildings that are not painted but they stay in painted apartment. They use hard wooden chairs as seats in the house of God but have cozy furniture in their homes. I think we need to do a re-thinking in this area. Yes, it is true that the building itself is not the church but don’t you think that where God’s children are gathered should have a befitting look? When President of Nations and Governors of states meet, they meet in the best place. We are Kings and Priests and should even be the ones that should have the best place of meeting. When Jesus was about to die, He chose one of the best meeting place in town belonging to a wealthy man and even demanded that it should be decorated before use;

Matthew 26:17-19
17 Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we PREPARE FOR THEE to eat the passover?
18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.
19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.

Our Lord Jesus made His choice. He didn’t just go for dinner anywhere. And the place had to be prepared or decorated ahead of his coming. What standard do you want to attain? Go for the best and let us tell the world we are not bunch of frustrated people. No wonder they had nickname some people, ‘as poor as a church rat’. The different areas that you need to set a good standard in your church or ministry are;

1. The Church Building and Its Environment.

The church building should be an enviable place of worship. If you have to fully air condition your worship auditorium, go ahead and do it. Even if you are using a canopy as a temporary place for worship, give it a good decoration.

The entrance to your place of worship matters. It gives the visitors first impression. Give it the best look you can possibly give it. This in itself will attract some souls to come and worship in your church which translate to church growth.

2. Altar Decoration.

Give your altar the best decoration. Grow above the level of using nylon carpet for the floor. You can do much better than that. You may not be able to have the entire standard established at the beginning but keep the picture in your heart. You will at least know the direction that you are headed for. The altar decoration should progress from glory to glory.

3. The quality of Sound and Worship.

You can also set a standard in the quality of your worship. That would determine the level of your investment in musical equipment. You don’t have to necessarily buy the most expensive equipment but there is a minimum acceptable standard.

Try as much as possible to have the best of sound. If you don’t have the right personnel to fix your sound and give you a good quality, get a good sound engineer.

It matters who lead your worship and praise. The psalmist said; “Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.” (Psalms 66:2). It is also imperative you get good instrumentalist that can play with skills. Hence, the scripture says; “Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.” (Psalms 33:3).

4. The Dress Code of Ushers and Choristers.

How your ushers are dressed? The ushers are the first people visitors encounter when they come to church. Their appearance matters. They should be corporately dressed. And more importantly, they should be decently dressed. There is nothing as offensive as visitors seeing your ushers dress in an offensive manner. It can put them off and discourage them from coming back to your church.

The choristers should also be properly dressed. It is an embarrassment to the Kingdom of God to see Choristers dressed in a very shabby way to minister. So, ensure your choristers should be decently dressed.

5. The Outfit of the Pastors.

It is an understatement to say that the Pastors should be decently dressed beginning from the most senior Pastor to every other pastor in the ministry. The pastor or prophet is the focus of everyone when he mounts the pulpit. When you preach prosperity, they want to see it in your appearance. The dress you put on doesn’t have to be the most expensive but it should look glorious. This is what the Lord commanded the children of Israel to do concerning the dress of the Priests;

Exodus 28:2
2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother FOR GLORY AND FOR BEAUTY.

The same command was given for the dress of Aaron’s son;

Exodus 28:40
40 And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, FOR GLORY AND FOR BEAUTY.

6. The Kind of Chairs Members Sit On.

It matters the kind of chairs you use in your church. The least expected kind of chairs you should use for members to sit on are plastic chairs. But after a while, it should be upgraded to conference chairs. Never remain at the same level of glory for a long period of time. There are people that may never attend your church meeting until you attain to a particular standard. And it will get to a point in your ministry, where you will begin to have multiplied growth because of the standard you have attained.

So the bottom line is maintaining a good standard in every aspect of your ministry and keep progressing from glory to glory. The God of glory who called you will supply the resources and the right people you need to take your church or ministry to enviable heights as time progresses.

Chapter 16 - Create Good Publicity.

This aspect is often overlooked by some ministries probably because of anticipated cost. Publicity is indeed expensive but it is essential if you must have an outstanding result in your ministry. If as a marketer, you have a product you think the customers need and they cannot get it elsewhere the way you package yours, you would love to let everyone know about it through every available means. And every ministry has a special grace that is peculiar to it. In addition, every ministry has its crowd.

Importance of Publicity

1. For Direction. When souls are won or people are invited to your church or ministry, they need to be properly directed so they can locate your church easily. So, it will require you to place a banner in front of your church or a sign post of your church at the entrance to the street if your church is off a major road.

2. There are so many churches that don’t even have a single sign post or bill board in front of their churches. Some that have letters that are not bold enough to be read at a glance. Don’t let your publicity banner or billboards be too crowded with information. Design it in such a way that vital information can be read at a glance.

3. It Creates an Awareness of Your Presence in The Area You Are Located. At least through your banner or sign board of your church, people around or and those passing by will know that there is a church around them. And some of them will certainly come and worship sooner or later.

4. It Helps to Reach Wider Audience. This happens when you engage media such as the social media, radio and television to publicize your church.

5. It Helps to Engage People. This kind of publicity like opening a Facebook group or twitter gives opportunity for your audience to make their comments which might be positive or negative.

6.Publicity Helps to Keep Your Voice Loud. When you invest in publicity, your ministry name of church becomes so loud such that an inner consciousness of your ministry will be in many hearts. In addition, it becomes a household name in the area you are situated. The influence of some ministries has even grown so strong such that their names are used as bus stops. If we look at the society today, industries that are doing well are those that invest more in adverts.

7. It Helps to Communicate Your Vision. Print media which is a form of publicity is an avenue you can use to communicate the vision of the ministry and draw those who believe in it to participate.

8. It Is Used to Announce Events or Programmes. Without effective publicity, most programmes or events will be poorly attended.

9. It Inspires Members to Stay Committed. When you move around and see your church banner or bill board in most places, it makes you feel proud that you are part of that family.

10. For The Purpose of Giving Relevant Information. Information such as days of meeting and hours of meeting are very important to those planning to worship for the first time.

11. For Contact Purpose. There are those who might need to make contact with the church for prayers, counselling or one issues or the other. They can make use of the phone contact on the banner for such contacts.

12. It Aids Growth. A church that invest in publicity is more likely to experience more growth than the one who doesn’t. someone may just have watched your programme on air and get inspired by it such that he desires to worship with you. Others might be inspired by the testimony of others they read on a newsletter or magazines.

13. It Makes It Easier for Your Ministry to Spread. For instance, when a new branch is opened, some of those who have watched your programmes on television or listened to your radio programme might love to attend even without invitation. So, it makes the work easy for the local pastor sent to plant that branch.

Use every available means to publicize your programme; banners, bill boards, TV ad, Radio jingles, face caps, tea shirts, fliers etc.

Publicize your ministry as though you are the only one in that environment. It will definitely give you an edge over those who don’t especially if you have something to offer.

Chapter 17 - Be involved in Consistent and Fervent Prayers.

Without consistent fervent prayer, you will not experience remarkable church growth. We do have an enemy, the devil who will not let his captives go free except by a strong hand. Your church must be a praying Church especially prayer in the Spirit (tongues).

Acts 1:8
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

The word power is translated from thy Greek word dumanis and it means in inherent power that needs no external support. It is a dynamic ability to cause changes. This is the power of the Holy Ghost. It is the most precious gift we have received as believers and we must take advantage of the gift. All you need to do is to activate that power by praying in the Holy Ghost. Pray until the tongue begins to flow freely such that you don’t feel like stopping. It is at this point that changes are been effected in the realm of the Spirit. Besides, this kind of prayer keeps you on the high charge.

1 Corinthians 14:4
4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.

Prayer also helps you to stand in the gap for those you want to reach. You must break the influence of the powers of darkness over their lives through prayers before you can have impact on them in the physical realm.

Engage your leaders and staffs in prayer routine. Church staffs should be able to pray at least twice in a day for at least one hour each in prayer section. Leaders also should be encouraged to pray always. Different leadership groups should organize all night prayer meetings. There should be no week an all-night should not hold in church. There can be a general all night prayer meeting once in a month. Routine fasting and prayer programme is also highly recommended.

In the days of the early church, they didn’t have special days of prayers. They had hours of prayers each day;

Acts 3:1
1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple AT THE HOUR OF PRAYER, being the ninth hour.

Notice the phrase, ‘AT THE HOUR OF PRAYER’. So, make prayer a daily routine. The content of your prayers matters also. Pray in line with New Testament revelation. You don’t have business fighting with the devil as though you are operating on the same spiritual level. You have been raised far above all powers and dominion. Place him and his cohorts where they belong. Engage him from the stand point of a victor. He is a defeated foe.

You can take a clue from recorded prayers in the Bible especially that of our Lord Jesus and Apostle Paul. Space will not permit us to include them here. But try as much as possible not to be selfish in your prayer. Don’t limit your prayer point to you and your ministry. Stand in the gap also for nations, leaders and other ministries. Hence, Apostle Paul wrote;

1 Timothy 2:1-4
1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Below is an excerpt from my book, ‘The Cell System Dynamics’ on how to pray for your leaders, pastors and other related areas of ministry.

1 Pray for our Leaders - President, Senators, Speakers, Governors, Local Government Chairman, Councilors, Traditional Rulers, Heads of Schools, Teachers etc. All these people mentioned play major roles in nation building. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

Prayer Points:

*For wisdom - That they will take wise decision that will move our nation in a direction of progress and peace. (Proverbs 4:7, 23:3)

*For the fear of God to rule and reign in their hearts such that they only do things that are right. (Proverbs 1:7, Hebrews 12:28).

*For their salvation. God wants all men to be saved not willing that any should perish. (2nd Peter 3:9, 1st Timothy 2:1-5).

*Against the wrong influence of people in their lives that could give them wrong counsel. (2nd Samuel 15:31, Isaiah 46:10).

*Against corruption amongst our leaders, etc. (Exodus 23:8, Proverbs 17:23).

2. Pray for our Church Leaders - Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Evangelist, Teachers, etc.

Prayer Points:

*For boldness to proclaim the gospel as they should. (Ephesians 6:19, Acts 4:19)

*That they will be delivered from wicked and unreasonable men and women. (2nd Thessalonians 3:2, Romans 15:31).

*That they will have the right helpers in ministry to help them carry the vision. (Romans 16:3, Philippians 4:14-19, Luke 8:3).

*That they will have all financial and material support for the work they are involved in. (Psalms 23:1, Philippians 4:19).

*That they will overcome every temptation of the evil one that might discredit them in the ministry. (Matthew 6:13, 2nd Peter 2:9).

*That God will protect their families as they commit themselves to the ministry work. (John 17:15, 2nd Thessalonians 3:3).

*That the God given vision will continually expand and affect more people and nations. (Matthew 16:18, 1st John 5:4).

*That the word they minister will have a free course and be glorified. etc. (2nd Thessalonians 3:1, Colossians 4:3).

3. Pray for our Lay Leaders - Lay Pastors, Deacons, Deaconesses, Cell Leaders, etc.

Prayer Points:

*Pray that their jobs, family and challenges will not be distraction to their ministry commitment. (Romans 8:35-39, 1st Corinthians 7:35).

*Pray that they are strengthened by the Spirit of God in their inner man to fulfill their responsibilities. (Ephesians 3:16, Colossians 1:11).

*Pray that doors of blessings will open for them in their jobs and businesses as they offer themselves to selfless service. (Proverbs 28:20, Matthew 6:33).

*Declare that the students involved will not suffer any setbacks in their academic. (1st Corinthians 1:9, 2nd Thessalonians 3:3).

*Pray that they will clearly understand the vision of the ministry and the responsibility committed to their trust and be faithful to it. (Proverbs 29:18, Acts 26:19).

4. Your Local Church, Cell Groups, Departments and Weekly Activities

Prayer Points:

*Ask for mercy on behalf of you, your church or cell group. (Hebrews 4:16, Psalms 33:18).

*Commit your goal for the week, month, quarter and year into the hands of God. (Proverbs 16:3, 1st Peter 5:7).

*Pray that God will send you more labourers to join you in the work of soul winning. (Luke 10:2, Matthew 9:37-38).

*Pray that the members of the church understand the vision of the cell structure and run with it. (Proverbs 29:18, Habakkuk 2:2-3).

*Pray that the work of God will go unhindered in the place you are planted. (2nd Thessalonians 3:1, Matthew 16:18).

*Declare that the financial needs of the church and cell group are met. (Psalms 23:1, Philippians 4:19).

'Pray that the members of your church or cell group will be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. (Ephesians 1:17-19, Colossians 1:9).

*Pray that God will deliver you from the hands of wicked and unreasonable men and women whose target is to frustrate the work of God. (2nd Thessalonians 3:2, 2nd Timothy 4:18).

*Pray that God will strengthen you and your members by his Spirit in your inner man. (Ephesians 3:16, Colossians 1:11).

*Bind every works of darkness projected against you, your church or cell groups. (Matthew 18:18, James 4:7).

*Commit all weekly activities and programmes into the hand of God. (Philippians 4:4-7, 1st Peter 5:7).

*Ask God for direction for your Church or Cell group that will take you to your next level. (Ephesians 5:17, Acts 9:6).

*Pray that the new converts in your church be establish in the faith and rooted in the word of God. (Ephesians 3:17, Colossians 2:7).

*Pray that every member of your church or cell group will walk with one mind and one heart towards the advancement of the work of the ministry. (Philippians 2:2-4, 1st Peter 3:.

And any other prayer points as you are led. Remember to pray more in tongues.

General Scriptural Prayers for the All Saints
Paul’s Prayers:

“Now the God of patience and consolation grant YOU TO BE LIKEMINDED ONE TOWARD ANOTHER according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:5-6)

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, THAT YE MAY ABOUND IN HOPE, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 15:13)

“Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; THAT I MAY BE DELIVERED FROM THEM THAT DO NOT BELIEVE IN JUDAEA; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints; That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed. Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.” (Romans 15:30-33)

“And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. THE GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST BE WITH YOU. AMEN.” (Romans 16:20).

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.” (2 Corinthians 13:14)

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may GIVE UNTO YOU THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND REVELATION IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIM: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,” (Ephesians 1:17-19).

“That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; THAT CHRIST MAY DWELL IN YOUR HEARTS BY FAITH; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; AND TO KNOW THE LOVE OF CHRIST, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19).

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, THAT UTTERANCE MAY BE GIVEN UNTO ME, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:18-20)

“And this I pray, THAT YOUR LOVE MAY ABOUND YET MORE AND MORE IN KNOWLEDGE AND IN ALL JUDGMENT; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11)

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

“For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire THAT YE MIGHT BE FILLED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WILL IN ALL WISDOM AND SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; (Colossians 1:9-11)

“Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, THAT YE MAY STAND PERFECT AND COMPLETE IN ALL THE WILL OF GOD.” (Colossians 4:12)

“Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might PERFECT THAT WHICH IS LACKING IN YOUR FAITH? Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. AND THE LORD MAKE YOU TO INCREASE AND ABOUND IN LOVE ONE TOWARD ANOTHER, AND TOWARD ALL MEN, even as we do toward you: To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” (1 Thessalonians 3:10-13)

“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God YOUR WHOLE SPIRIT AND SOUL AND BODY BE PRESERVED BLAMELESS UNTO THE COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

“Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and FULFIL ALL THE GOOD PLEASURE OF HIS GOODNESS, AND THE WORK OF FAITH WITH POWER.” (2 Thessalonians 1:11)

“Finally, brethren, pray for us, THAT THE WORD OF THE LORD MAY HAVE FREE COURSE, AND BE GLORIFIED, even as it is with you. AND THAT WE MAY BE DELIVERED FROM UNREASONABLE AND WICKED MEN: for all men have not faith.” (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2)

“And the Lord shall DELIVER ME FROM EVERY EVIL WORK, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (2 Timothy 4:18)

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, MAKE YOU PERFECT IN EVERY GOOD WORK TO DO HIS WILL, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21).

Jesus’ Prayer

“...Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that THOU SHOULDEST KEEP THEM FROM THE EVIL. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. SANCTIFY THEM THROUGH THY TRUTH: thy word is truth.... that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, THAT THEY ALSO MAY BE ONE IN US: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, THAT THEY MAY BE MADE PERFECT IN ONE; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. .... And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: THAT THE LOVE WHEREWITH THOU HAST LOVED ME MAY BE IN THEM, and I in them.” (John 11, 17:15-26).

Also take some time to pray for your family in the flesh. If anything negative happens to your family members, it could cause a big distraction to you. Pray also for your friends especially for their salvation if they are not born again. Most importantly, if you are a cell leader, you must pray for all your cell members individually as we have mentioned before. And don’t forget to pray for yourself. For more details on how to pray see my books, Scripture Guide to Praying Right, Dangerous Prayer Languages, Daily Prayer Guide.

Chapter 18 – Stay Within God’s Plan and Purpose.

Every ministry has a special calling which is clearly revealed in the vision. The total picture will certainly not be unveiled from the onset but as you faithfully follow that which is revealed unto you, you will move to new levels as you progress in ministry.

It is imperative to stay within your calling. There is always the temptation to copy what another ministry is doing. That one particular ministry did something that worked for it doesn’t mean you have to do the same thing. When God called Moses, he was instructed to build a tabernacle in accordance to the pattern revealed to him;

Exodus 25:8-9
8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

In another verse of the same chapter, it was reemphasized;

Exodus 25:40
40 And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.

Everything about your ministry should be patterned in line with the vision. The vision defines the mission. It should reflect even in the pattern of your services and programmes.
From time to time, God will reveal specific things he wants you to do which includes programmes he wants you to organize or the kind of meetings he wants you to periodically organize. You will only get details of all these in the place of prayers and by being sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

For instance, there was a time a popular ministry in Nigeria held a programme tagged ‘Total Experience’. Soon after that so many other ministry began to adopt a similar name. It’s either they will name their programme, Total Deliverance’ or Total Solution’ etc. This shows clearly they are not in tuned with God. Know what God wants you to do at each point in time and abide by it.

If you hold a programme that God is not in it, the programme will flop. And never compete with what someone else is doing. Follow God’s plan and purpose for your ministry and let him alone guide you by his Spirit to bring it to fruition. The scripture says;

1 Corinthians 12:6
6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
Romans 8:14
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

In a book written by Robert Liardon titled God’s General, he wrote about a great healing Apostle, John Alexander Dowie who started well by ended his ministry in disaster because he swayed away from God’s calling to fulfill a personal ambition.

His influence grew so mighty in ministry that he thought of building a city. He built the city and named it city of Zion. He soon got distracted with the daily challenges of running the city such that he never had time anymore for his healing crusades. One thing led to the other, he eventually lost his reputations and lost followership also. He was even voted out as the General Overseer of that city before his death.

So many ministries and ministers have ended their ministry in failure because they went outside of God’s plan and purpose for their ministry.

Get these books;

1. God’s Generals by Roberts Liardon – In this book, you will learn from the mistakes of great heroes of faith who started well but ended their ministry failure.

2. Plan, Purpose and Pursuit by Kenneth Hagin. This books will guide you on how to understand God’s plan and purpose for your ministry and pursue it.