Work Until Momentum Comes

Photo by Scott Meis

At the start of this month I began challenging First Baptist Church of Bowling Green (FBCBG) to add ten people to our regular attendance each month for the next six month so that we can begin building momentum.  I want to share with you a few thoughts on the subject of momentum.  Michael Hyatt, John Maxwell and many other leaders espouse a philosophy of incremental growth.  In essence these dynamic leaders say we over emphasis a singular event and under emphasis the impact of daily steps of incremental change which in the end creates big change.

Let me unpack this thought a little more.  At FBCBG we do multiple events throughout the year called Carrying Christ to Our Community or C3.  For example, we have coming up on April 30 from nine to noon a car wash at two different locations in Bowling Green.  The purpose of these car washes is to just show people in a tangible way that we love them as we clean their car.  We want nothing out of the people that stop.  We hope to have conversations with them and to possibly pray for them.  We have hosted concerts in the park with bounce houses and food.  The point is we put a lot of time, energy and money into these events, and rightfully so, but we often times expect big responses as a result of these singular actions.  The reality is these events are more for changing public opinion so that we can earn the right to do the daily steps of incremental change.

I have shared this before, but Jim Herring, my back door neighbor invited my parents (long before I was born) to church week after week for almost an entire year.  Finally, my parents said, they would go to church with the Herring’s and that has made all of the difference in my life.  This was a small thing done over a long time and it resulted in my parents salvation and my own.  Was it worth Jim asking week in and week out for my parents to come to church?  I am eternally grateful he performed this simple act on a regular and consistent basis.

As a church we voted and passed a vision for our future.  It is a fifteen year projection of turning our church into a community whose DNA reflects the idea of being Christ centered, gospel driven, joyfully united and prayerfully obedient.  There are a lot of little steps on which we are working daily.  At the moment, these little steps do not seem to be bring big results.  Yet, if we will continue to do the right things and move in the right direction, eventually we will look back and say, “How did we get here?”  There will be a literally momentum shift as we do the right things over and over again.

It is hard on the onset of changing currents and momentum.  Let me encourage you not to give up or grow weary as we continue to do good deeds for the glory of God.  Keep inviting people to church.  Keep telling them your story.  If you do, before you know it, we will have sixty more regular attender at the start of our next church calendar year.  Invite someone today.

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