Six levels of ministry (originally posted August 30, 2005)

If we as a church are going to be effective in reaching “as many as possible” we must understand that people are at different levels when it comes to their walk with Christ and we must reach out to these different levels in different ways. There are six levels of ministry that show where people are in their spiritual journey. These include:

The COMMUNITY: Those who live within driving distance of Grace Church but have no connection at all with Grace Church or with Jesus Christ. Demographic studies tell us that there are 250,000 people that live within 10 miles of Grace Church. Our goal is to have events and activities which break down all barriers and allow people to have a very enjoyable time and to gain a positive perspective of Grace Church.

The CROWD: Those who have had very limited contact with Grace Church but have no real connection with Grace Church or with Jesus Christ. Perhaps they come to the church to vote or their kids have attended Bible School. They have had some good contact with us but nothing regularly. Our goal is to have events or activities which are fun and exciting but which also present the Gospel in a non-threatening way.

The CURIOUS: Those who have a more regular contact with Grace Church but have made no commitment to Grace Church or to Jesus Christ. Perhaps they attend our special events regularly and maybe even attend our Sunday Worship services occasionally. Our goal is to have events or activities that are not only exciting and present the Gospel, but which also gives the opportunity for individuals to respond to the Gospel invitation.

The CONVINCED: Those who have made a decision to give their life to Jesus and now need to grow in their faith. Our goal is to have events or activities which allow those who have made a decision for Christ to grow in their faith and get grounded in the Word.

The COMMITTED: Those who have learned the basics of the faith and are now ready to dig deeper into the meat of God’s Word. Our goal is to have events or activities which allow those grounded in their faith to learn and apply the deeper truths of God’s Word.

The CORE: Those who are ready to lead ministries within the church and who are spiritually reproducing themselves in others. Our goal is to allow mature believers to take on positions of leadership and invest in the lives of others in the levels below.

The goal of evangelism as a church is to move people from one level to the next. We want to see the Community become part of the Crowd; the Crowd become part of the Curious; the Curious become part of the Convinced; the Convinced become part of the Committed; and the Committed become part of the Core. Imagine how much more effective we would be as a church if every event and activity specifically and strategically targeted one of these six levels and if every ministry within our church strategically planned events over the course of a year that targeted each of these six levels!