CHAMPS

“THE EXTREME MAKEOVER: CHURCH ADDITION”

       In his book, “The Simple Church”, Thom Rainer refers to a popular television reality program entitled “Extreme Makeover: Home Addition”.  Home owners are suddenly brought into realization of what their home could become and in stark contrast to what it had become. The difference between the two was startling. Unfortunately, many, if not most of our churches today have lost their visionary eye sight as it relates to what the church could become. Even more so, they have become tunnel versioned as to what the church has become.

            Across the Southern Baptist Convention and in the South Carolina Baptist Convention it is estimated that approximately eighty percent of our churches have become plateaued or are in decline. That is an alarming statistic. The biggest problem is that many churches do not even realize their current state and do not have the passion, vision or focus to turn things around.

            The South Carolina Baptist Convention in its partnership with the Associations and with the local church has a concern and commitment to doing what it takes to help our churches to Experience Kingdom Life through a Church Health Assessment and Mobilization Planning Strategy. CHAMPS

            Along Highway 460 between Appomattox and Lynchburg, Virginia was a Norman Rockwell style country church. It was a small white building with a beautiful bell tower nestled on the side of a small mountain. From the road it was a picture of a symbol for an old country church. What stood out, however was a small sign where the foundational stone should have been that said, “No Trespassing.” For some years the church had been abandoned and the local community knew nothing about it nor did they know its name. The church has since been torn down and there is no sign that there was ever a place there where a Kingdom Church stood. The question that comes to mind is “What happened?” Unfortunately, there are many churches today that have never “voted to die, they are simply voting not to live.” Sometimes, it takes a jolt of reality (Extreme Makeover) to understand that it is time to revisit their vision, focus, calling and passion as a church. 

           Church Health is the key to building a foundation for the Kingdom’s work. And the key to understanding the health of the church is to be able to get into the heart and mind of the members of the church. Healthy churches can grow and reach far beyond their potential. Sometimes we need a little help along the way to be able to determine how to take the next step. One of the prerequisites for determining the next step, however, is having an honest assessment as to where the church is in terms of its health. The CHAMPS process has, as its centerpiece, the Church Health Survey called the SDI (Strength Development Index). The SDI is an assessment tool used to measure the attitude, perception and beliefs of the membership as it relates to the six functions of the church found in Acts 2:42-47 (Worship, Prayer, Evangelism and Missions, Fellowship, Discipleship and Ministry. )

            The biblical model for this process is found in the book of Acts where Paul is relating to the churches in three ways: Assessing (Acts 15:36), Assisting (Acts 15:41) and Coaching or Mentoring (Acts 18:23).

            How does the CHAMPS process work and how does a church take advantage of this Church Health Consultation? Simply call or email the Church Health and Cooperative Program Group of the SCBC and a consultant will contact you about how to get started. This is a great way (non-threatening) for a struggling church to rekindle its passion and vision, as well for a growing church to determine how to raise the bar to the next level. For more information, please contact Gary Anderson, Director of the Church Health and Cooperative Program Group. Also, please refer to the Church Heath and Cooperative Program Web page at www.scbaptist.org/revitalization.

 To order CHAMPS information packet, contact Gary Anderson at 803-227-6107.