We are in week #2 on a series of messages called "The Good to Great Church." I believe that the Church is the greatest force on Earth. It has survived persistent abuse, horrifying persecution and widespread neglect. Yet despite its faults (which, by the way, are due to our sinfulness), it is still God's chosen instrument of blessing and has been for 2,000 years. I believe the Church is the hope for this fragmented, troubled world.

The Church will last for eternity, and because it is God's instrument for ministry on Earth, it is truly the greatest force on the face of the Earth. That's why I believe tackling the world's biggest problems—spiritual lostness, poverty, disease, ignorance—can only be tackled effectively through the Church.

More than 2 billion people claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. That's one-third of the world's population. The Church has about a billion more people that the entire nation of China. Last weekend, about 100 million people in the United States attended church. That's more people than will attend sporting events in the United States throughout the year. The Church is the largest force for good in the world. Nothing else even comes close.

But our world is filled with too few great churches. The world is filled with good churches. But to live out our potential for being the greatest force in the world will require that local congregations move out of their zones of mediocrity and become great churches.

How can Chapin Baptist Church become a tremendous spiritual force in our community and beyond? How can we move from being a good church to a great church? Last week we identified one way. We become a great church by protecting the unity of our church. Today I will teach you a second way—by sharing the responsibility of my church. My message is brief because I want to allow significant time for us to observe the Lord's Supper. So let me share with you three ways you can share the responsibility of your church. I challenge you to make these three commitments personally.

First, I will share the responsibility of my church by praying for its growth. Some people say our church is large enough. I say that as long as there is one lost person left in our church field, there is always room for one more. Jesus taught the disciples an important lesson about spiritual lostness and the growth of the kingdom. After breaking a bunch of cultural rules by witnessing to an immoral Samaritan woman, he told His followers: "Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest" (John 4:35).

He was saying, "Guys, now is the time. Not a month from now. Not two weeks from now. People are ready to hear the gospel now." In another similar teachable moment Jesus looked over the crowds of lost people and said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field" (Matthew 9:37-38).

I don't know how large our church will become. But I know that the growth of our churches is not keeping up with the rate of population growth. I pray that we will one day be able to plant additional churches. But please understand that we never intend to stop growing. The church that doesn't want to grow, in effect, is saying, "It's okay with us that lost people go to hell." That kind of attitude certainly is not acceptable to God.

One of our most significant ministries at Chapin Baptist is the Intercessory Prayer Ministry. Today I've invited {Bonnie Gregory, Cindy Corley, Bill Bird} to come and talk about how God has blessed their lives through this ministry. [Spend a few moments explaining the bulletin insert for IPM and PPP.]

Second, I will share the responsibility of my church by inviting the unchurched to attend. One day Jesus told a parable about a man hosting a huge banquet. The original invitees made all sorts of excuses why they couldn't come. So the host instructed his helpers: "Go out into the country…and urge anyone you can find to come in, so that My House will be full" (Luke 14:23, LB).

The message here is that God wants His house full. Look around you at the empty seats. You need to invite someone this week to join you next Sunday to fill up that empty seat next to you. Usually in my 101 class I will ask the participants to share what prompted them to first attend Chapin Baptist Church. In my most recent class, one new member said, "My hairdresser, Jolie Shakkori, invited me." Another said, "My boat salesman, Johnnie Snipes, invited me." Another said, "Scott Donaldson, at Back in Shape, invited me."

God powerfully uses something as simple as an invitation to reach people for His kingdom. Who have you invited recently? Who will you invite this week? Think of the people who cross your paths everyday. They are the very ones Jesus was talking about when He said, "The harvest is ripe" and, "Urge anyone you can find to come in, so that My House will be full."

Third, I will share the responsibility of my church by warmly welcoming those who visit. The Bible says, "So, warmly welcome each other into the church, just as Christ has warmly welcomed you; then God will be glorified" (Romans 15:7, LB). The first-time guest surveys we receive overwhelmingly talk about the warmth and friendliness of our church. And we are to be commended for that.

However, it's those occasional negative responses I receive which make me cringe. One elderly couple recently responded that they visited on a rainy Sunday. They were struggling getting a walker out of the car and people passed them without anyone offering to help. Inexcusable. Another one responded, "No one spoke to me except during the planned handshaking time." Inexcusable. Or, "Before the service I stood in the crowded foyer by myself; no one spoke to me." Inexcusable.

When things like these happen, it means that friendliness and warmth have not fully been assimilated into our culture. We will never become a great church without a welcoming, accepting, warm and friendly culture.

Can I give you some Friendliness 101 rules? First is the "everyone is a guest" rule. Treat everyone as if they are a guest. If you do this, you can eliminate the excuse, "Well, our church has become so large that I don't know who is a guest and who is a member." Second is the foyer rule. When you walk through the foyer, stop and speak to the one(s) who is standing alone. Third is the guest parking rule. Take notice when you see someone getting out or getting into a car parked in a guest parking space. If you are a member, on Sunday mornings stay out of the guest parking spaces. If you see a member parking in a guest space, lovingly and gently confront him/her. Maybe we could put a notice on the windshield that says, "Your tithe just increased to 15 percent."

Fourth is the three-minute rule. When church dismisses, spend the first three minutes speaking to people you don't know; then hang out with your friends. Fifth is the hallway rule. When walking in the hallways, make eye contact, smile and speak to every person you see.

Can you imagine the difference this would make if every member applied these Friendliness 101 lessons? It's your responsibility as a Chapin Baptist member to warmly welcome those who visit. And the best way to do this is simply to warmly welcome everyone, guests and members alike.

Great churches are made up of great Christians. Great Christians protect the unity of their church. Great Christians also share the responsibility of their church by praying for its growth, by inviting the unchurched to attend and by warmly welcoming those who visit. Chapin Baptist will become a great church as we unify ourselves around the vision of helping people connect with God and become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Observing the Lord's Supper together is a tremendous way to unify body. So as we take the elements of the Supper, let's all pray that God will help us become a great church.