REVIVING THE LOCAL CHURCH BY EQUIPPING SERVANT LEADERS

About this sermon

In 2005, Pastor Jean was commissioned to oversee a parish in Rwanda. His mission: to bring new life to the dying church. On the brink of closure, the church was suffering from poor attendance and lack of interest within the community. With the enormous challenge before him, Pastor Jean had no idea where to begin. But God had big plans in store for the little church. As one of 200 selected Rwandan pastors, Jean took part in Purpose Driven Church training on how to build a healthy church and implement the PEACE Plan. The strategies immediately made sense to Pastor Jean, and he soon began sharing his newfound knowledge with the struggling church. “I tried to put into practice what I had learned,” he explains. “I started small groups, classes, activities in the community, and the 40 Days of Purpose campaign.” At the end of the campaign, transformation was almost instant. Attendance went from 30 members to 700; Giving went from 40,000 Rwandan Francs to 700,000; Baptisms went from one person per year to 30 per month. These staggering numbers were in addition to the 407 people who were baptized at the end of the campaign. After the success in the church, the young pastor was transferred to another parish near the Ugandan border. He knew there was no other way to build a healthy church than by implementing the Purpose Driven paradigm. Applying these same strategies, he began by training the elders and members before launching 40 Days of Purpose. In less than a month, 800 people were baptized. Attendance was so high that they had to open a second parish. Pastor Jean says he has seen firsthand the benefits of building a healthy church and credits The Purpose Driven Church for giving him tools to bring new life to communities. As one of 2,000 pastors who have received Purpose Driven training, Pastor Jean is now one of six PEACE Plan Master Trainings in Rwanda. Pastor Jean adds, “When I see what God has done, I know that my life has value and meaning.” To learn more about what Saddleback Church is doing through the PEACE Plan in Rwanda and how you can get involved, visit http://saddleback.com/connect/ministry/the-peace-plan/lake-forest

Topics

• Humility
• Leadership
• Service & Ministry
• Church & Fellowship
• The Church