Discovering Untapped Gold Mines in Your Church

Rick-Warren-Book-smallPastor, you’ve got a sleeping giant in your church. If you awake that sleeping giant, it’ll change your church, your community and the world.

This sleeping giant in your church is your unengaged lay people.

If 10 percent of your church does most of the work, you have nine entire churches your size sitting on the sidelines each week. Fully engaged, the ministry potential of your church is mind-boggling!

Each Sunday, church pews are filled with members who are doing nothing with their faith except “keeping” it. The designationactive member in most churches simply means those who attend regularly andfinancially support the church. Not much more is expected.

Get Spirit-filled content delivered right to your inbox! Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

But God has far greater expectations for every Christian. He expects every Christian to use their gifts and talents in ministry. If we can ever awaken and unleash the massive talent, resources, creativity, and energy found in the typical local church, Christianity will explode with growth at an unprecedented rate.

I believe that the greatest need in evangelical churches is the release of members for ministry. George Gallup once took a survey and discovered that only ten percent of American church members are active in any kind of personal ministry. He also discovered that 50 percent of all church members have no interest in serving in any ministry.  No matter how much a church promotes involvement in lay ministry, half of its members will remain spectators.

The encouraging news that Gallup uncovered is this: 40 percent of all members have expressed an interest in having a ministry. They would like to be involved in ministry but they have never been asked or they don’t know how. This group is an untapped gold mine! If we can mobilize this 40 percent and add them to the current ten percent already serving, your church could have 50 percent of its members active in a ministry.

Most evangelical churches believe in the concept that every member is a minister. Many even give it a major emphasis in their preaching and teaching.  Still, most members do nothing but attend and give.

That’s what our C.L.A.S.S. system is all about at Saddleback—turning your attendees into members, disciples, ministers and missionaries. CL.A.S.S. 301 is particularly designed to get your congregation out of the pews and into a Christ-exalting local church ministry. Check out the C.L.A.S.S. resources here.

Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life. His book, The Purpose Driven Church, was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He is also the founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for pastors.

For the original article, visit pastors.com.

Get Spirit-filled content delivered right to your inbox! Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.


Dr. Mark Rutland's

National Institute of Christian Leadership (NICL)

The NICL is one of the top leadership training programs in the U.S. taught by Dr. Mark Rutland. If you're the type of leader that likes to have total control over every aspect of your ministry and your future success, the NICL is right for you!

FREE NICL MINI-COURSE - Enroll for 3-hours of training from Dr. Rutland's full leadership course. Experience the NICL and decide if this training is right for you and your team.

Do you feel stuck? Do you feel like you’re not growing? Do you need help from an expert in leadership? There is no other leadership training like the NICL. Gain the leadership skills and confidence you need to lead your church, business or ministry. Get ready to accomplish all of your God-given dreams. CLICK HERE for NICL training dates and details.

The NICL Online is an option for any leader with time or schedule constraints. It's also for leaders who want to expedite their training to receive advanced standing for Master Level credit hours. Work through Dr. Rutland's full training from the comfort of your home or ministry at your pace. Learn more about NICL Online. Learn more about NICL Online.

Charisma Leader — Serving and empowering church leaders