It's As Easy As A-B-C

This was written by Allen Ratta......something to think about......

In the beginning, after Jesus had overcome his temptations in the desert, right when He began His public ministry, the apostles Matthew and Mark faithfully recorded the first words of Jesus to the leaders of His Church. And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Mt 4.19, NASB) Jesus was not in the least confused about the Father's strategic plan to advance His Church. His first words carry particular import. They were not just a cute turn of phrase to catch the attention of some professional fishermen. They speak to the very heart of the matter of church leadership.

These ten words speak just as clearly to the aspiring Christian leader of today. "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." The approach is refreshingly simple, timeless, and the key to all sustainable advances of His Kingdom throughout the ages.

Keep It Simple

Let's not get complicated here. We must learn how to successfully fish for people. This is the heart of it. Being an avid fisherman I love the true simplicity of Jesus' approach. As any fisherman knows, catching fish is as simple as ABC.

A = Attract (bait)
B = Bond (hook)
C = Catch (land)

The church leader that puts their primary focus on these three simple things will do well and fulfill their biblical mandate from Christ as a leader in His Church.

Distractions

Alas, how easily we are distracted from the fundamentals! We live in a day and age when the myriads of church programs and philosophies of ministries can blur the essentials. Yet the ABCs serve as a guiding light, our north star, to every question we will face as a church leader. Are we going to be a small group church? What events should we conduct this year? How should be allocate funding? What key staff acquisitions should be made?

Assessing Our Obedience

The ABCs serve to keep us in critical balance. An important question to ask is how well are you doing on each of the three fundamentals of fishing. Perhaps your church looks like the example below.

A = Attract (bait) – doing great lots of community awareness and strong visitor flow
B = Bond (hook) – doing OK many seem to be coming back
C = Catch (land) – doing terribly as very few are making it to the core of the church

Let's be blunt. This is not just a matter of church growth. This is a matter of obedience to Christ. How will the lost be found? How will the cross of Christ be made of great effect in your community? Jesus teaches us the simple answer. We must learn to excel at fishing.

The Weakest Link

A church is only as strong as its weakest link. What good will it do you if you are running your lure through the lake all day long and there are no fish around to see it? I know a lot of preachers who are in this fishing boat. They work very hard at producing great sermons yet the same believers are the only ones there to hear it week after week.

We have to attract, hook, and land a fish. Failure at any one of these three fundamentals translates into a greatly diminished harvest. Conversely the church that can successfully do these three things cannot help but grow. The formula is simple.
A+B+C= Church Growth.