How Is A Model Different From Principles?

How often have we been asked to follow a model because the model works?

A student with excellent scores or a worker with rapid promotion may sell their model for excellent grades or fast upward mobility respectively.
Likewise, a fast growing church may challenge other churches to adopt their model after all their growth is a testimony that their model works.

What is wrong with this kind of logic?

A church, a student or a worker may do well not just because they adopt one particular model or strategy but because there are a number of things they have done right to achieve those results.

A church may claim that they are growing because they are praying more, or they have great worship, leadership or cell group model or G12 model or move in the power of the Holy Spirit or belong to a certain denomination.

And sometimes it seem that the model does produce growth.
But in actuality, it is not the model itself that is producing the growth but the principles behind the model - the principles they have employed - that is producing the results for the model.

And these principles are universal and will apply to all churches whereas not every aspect of a model is universally applicable.

A top student may achieve excellent results by listening to rock music whilst he studies because he may be blessed with high IQ and multi-tasking and his teachers have already prepared him well for his exams. But the top student's model of listening to rock music whilst he studies may not apply to every student who wants to top the class.
What are the principles behind his achievement of excellent results?
We need to determine these principles and factors for they are the principles and factors that are universal and will help all other students achieve excellent results.

Likewise for a church to grow, there are certain principles that are involved rather than models.

Christian A. Schwarz, in his book Natural Church Development, sought to ascertain "What church growth principles are true, regardless of culture and theological persuasion?"

He analyzed 4.2 million responses from more than a thousand churches from 32 countries over the six continents and came out with 8 Quality Characteristics / Principles that all healthy, growing churches possess.
These are universal principles and apply to all churches.
And after reading these principles, we realize why churches that employ the cell group model or G12 model are really growing.

All healthy, growing churches will have a high rating in these 8 Quality Characteristics:

1. EMPOWERING LEADERSHIP
2. GIFT-BASED MINISTRY
3. PASSIONATE SPIRITUALITY
4. EFFECTIVE STRUCTURES
5. INSPIRING WORSHIP SERVICE
6. NEED - ORIENTED EVANGELISM
7. LOVING RELATIONSHIPS
8. HOLISTIC SMALL GROUPS

Thus, when churches grow healthily, they have an integrated holistic approach whereby all eight of the above qualities are nurtured.
The cell church model which I am familiar with - can be so successful or will be very successful because plainly all eight characteristics have been carefully cultivated.
On the other hand, if any characteristic is under-developed or hampered, then whatever model is adopted will not exactly produce a healthily, growing church.

My experience supports much of the findings of Christian Schwarz.

What are your experiences? What do you think?

How Long?

If we are disciples of Jesus, we would invariably be following up on pre-believers.
How often do we wish they would be converted immediately?
And there are probably some whom we have been following up for years.
So we ask "how long?"

Sometimes in the process of follow up, we pressure ourselves to get those we follow up on to give their lives to the Lord or to attend church.
Sometimes churches unwittingly pressure us to bring people to church or to the cell groups.
What is worse is that we pressure those whom we are following up to go to the next level - whether attending church for the first time or attend more regularly or giving their lives to the Lord - when they are not quite ready.

If this is the case like I do sometimes, then it will be timely to read and reflect on the Parable Of The Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29).

Mk 4:26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like.
A man scatters seed on the ground.
Mk 4:27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.
Mk 4:28 All by itself the soil produces grain
—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.
Mk 4:29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

The parable relates to the Kingdom of God which is growing "all by itself" (4:28). The Greek for "All by itself" is from where we get the English word "automatically."
How does the Kingdom of God grow automatically?

It is when the seed is sown.
Part 1 or the start of the process is when a man sows the seed.
We sow the seed - the Word of God and our testimony - into the pre-believer's life.
The scattering of seed on the ground suggests that we speak into many lives not just one life.

The farmer worries about the rain (too little or too much / drought or flooding), frost, soil conditions and the pests.
But the parable makes no mention of this but instead focuses on general conditions.
Generally, when seed is sown, the farmer cannot control the rain, weather and certain conditions. There are conditions beyond his control.

So the sower goes to sleep - and yet the seed grows and sprouts even though he does not know how.
"All by itself" the soil produces grain.
This "all by itself" is actually the work of God.
God sovereignly works in nature and in our lives.

Part 2 is the work of God in producing the harvest.

So coming back to our follow up of pre-believers, it will be good for us to remind ourselves that our role is Part 1 - sow and scatter the seed.
Part 2 - The timing - when the seed sprouts or when harvest comes - is entirely in God's hands.

Then "all by itself" the pre-believer takes the next step.
The pre-believer suddenly may be more receptive to your testimony or hearing about the Word of God.
Or even attend cell group or church and
finally giving his life to the Lord.

A fine Christian was sharing with me that he had been following up on a group of youths for three years. There was like no fruit. Then "all by itself," one became receptive to attend church.

I had also co-organized the soccer ministry for just over a year now. I have been wondering like this faithful Christian why is it taking so long and I haven't seen visible fruit yet. But God is good.

I sensed a coming out of my Sabbath the previous Sunday as I was worshiping and I was invited to share a sermonette last Sunday.
I took the opportunity to invite one of the soccer players, who is an atheist, to attend the service. And he came.
And he found the message educational.
I was truly blessed and I thanked the Lord.

This is a reminder for all of us:
1. To do our part in sowing the word of God.
2. Leave the rest and the convicting to the Holy Spirit - trusting that the harvest will come "all by itself."
3. Don't pressure ourselves or the people whom we follow up to go the next stage
4. Evangelism is a process - and it can take years for some and days for others.
5. Don't measure evangelism and the success of it by the number of conversions in any of our harvest event. After all it is the Holy Spirit's sovereign work and timing. Also it is a process and people grow in stages - from being resistant, to receptive, to hearing us speaking the word of God, to attending church then accepting the Lord as Savior.
We cannot tell the apple tree to produce apples in one year when it takes a few more years to produce fruit.
6. Take time to thank all who diligently sow the seed and do the follow up even when there are no conversions - yet! Praise God for their effort.
7. This is also a challenge to all of us to be diligent in our follow up - to sow and scatter the seed, leaving the harvest in God's hands because though we may not see visible fruit yet - the harvest will come "all by itself."