Did you hear the story of Kyle MacDonald and his red paperclip? I wrote about Kyle in a recent blog. He was stuck in a dead-end job and money was extremely tight. He came up with a plan. Starting with one red paperclip, he would trade on the Internet until he exchanged it for a house. Far-fetched, huh? Impossible? First, he traded the red paperclip for a fish-shaped pen. Then he traded the pen for a doorknob and the doorknob for a Coleman stove. He traded the Coleman stove for an electric generator. He traded the electric generator for a Budweiser sign and a keg of beer (sorry, just the truth), which he traded for a snowmobile. Exactly one year and 14 trades later, he finally reached his goal. He exchanged a part in a Hollywood movie for a home in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Kyle MacDonald had a vision of owning his own home. And he had a plan on how he was going to achieve this dream. How does this story apply to Chapin Baptist Church? I'd like to think we're further along than a red paper clip. But for argument's sake, let's say that on January 6, 2008, we are this red paper clip. Going back to the passage of Scripture I read from Acts 2—that's where I want us to be. A church where every member digs into the Scriptures, every member encounters Christ in worship, every member ministers to the poor and hurting, every member builds relationships with other believers, and every member boldly shares his faith with the lost.

And what happened? The church experienced explosive growth. God was adding to their numbers daily. Not transfer growth. Salvation growth. Can the same thing happen today? Yes. Can it happen at Chapin Baptist Church? Yes. Wouldn't that be awesome? So how do we move from a red paper clip to an Acts 2 kind of church? Today I want to share with you a state of the church message. Where have we been? Where are we now? And what do we need to address in 2008?

There are many positive things happening at Chapin Baptist. As I look back over the last twelve months, I have seen the hand of God. You've heard me say many times, and I will say it again. If it were not for changed lives, I believe I would have to leave the ministry. A couple of months ago after one of our services, I was asked to speak to a young man. It was evident that God has broken him. He was emotional, repentant, and ready to give his life to Christ. I had the privilege that day of leading him to a decision for Christ. I recently baptized him. He is a changed man. Still a babe in Christ, but a great desire to move forward in his journey.

My mind goes back to the lake baptism service we had in August where we baptized a ton of children. Some had accepted Jesus in Vacation Bible School. Others, Troy Crump or Virginia Wallace or one of their parents had led them to Christ. They are so hungry for God. Our children's staff has a passion for seeing children and their parents come to Jesus. When Crystal Hewitt hears of a new baby born in the community, she's delivering some diapers and love to the front door of that home.

I think of our student ministry where teenagers are making decisions for Christ. I think of Joey whom God has called into full-time ministry and who is now a student at North Greenville. I think of high school juniors and seniors like Laurel, Dustin, Tyler, and others who are feeling the tug of going into full-time ministry. Changed lives. That's what it's all about.

I think of our senior adults. They love to go places and enjoy themselves. But they're not just into leisure stuff. They engage in ministry projects. They volunteer their time to serve. They are hungry to keep growing spiritually. They love Jesus and they love their church.

It seems that as each year passes more and more of our members are taking part in local ministry projects and in short-term mission trips. Last August more than a hundred of our members met at Goody's at daybreak on a Saturday to purchase $100 worth of new school clothes for about 120 needy children. We made mission trips to Brazil, Moldova, and Peru. We traveled to New Orleans and to Eastern Kentucky. I think of Bud and Janet and others who volunteer countless hours in their retired years. I think of how God has changed Rick's life and how he believes God has called him to give a tithe of his time to serving Christ. We've established a great relationship with Chapin Elementary School. If they come across some special needs, they call on our church to see if we can respond. We've talked a long time about getting outside the walls. And I believe we're doing it.

I could spend my entire time talking about the positive things I see happening around Chapin Baptist because they are many. My prayer is that we will build upon these positives and see even greater life change in 2008.

On the other hand, there are some trends we've picked up on the radar screen that have forced the staff pastors to engage in some lengthy times of praying, dreaming, discussing, strategizing, and planning. Unless these trends are changed, we will find ourselves further and further away from the ideal model we read about in Acts 2.

The most obvious trend is that over the last three or four years our attendance has plateaued. Although our membership keeps increasing, our attendance has not been increasing. This trend is true on every level (adult, youth, children). The number of people joining the church is still significantly greater than those leaving the church. But in the last year or so we've seen a slow down in the number of people uniting with our church. We still have large numbers of new families visiting, but getting them to make a membership decision or to become a part of a small group has become more difficult to accomplish. Through the years our Chapin U has made a tremendous impact on people's lives. But Chapin U's effectiveness has waned over the last couple of years.

What makes these trends even more disturbing is that the plateau has occurred at a time when our community continues to grow. I know there is a slowdown in the housing market; but there are still homes being built in every corner of Chapin. It grieves me that the percentage of people in Chapin living far away from God is probably increasing with each passing year.

I'm not satisfied with where we are. Our staff is not satisfied. And we honestly don't believe God is satisfied with the plateau we're sitting on. We believe God has called this church to serve as a model of what an Acts 2 church can look like. We believe He wants to break through these barriers. Nine out of ten churches (maybe generous) are declining or have plateaued. I'm not content to be one of those nine churches. I believe God is calling us to be one of the ten percent churches that is experiencing significant growth for the kingdom.

Plateaus don't just happen. If you're in a growing community and the church is not growing, what's up? What are the issues? Is there conflict in the church? Is there no vision? Have people plateaued spiritually? Are the systems in place that serve as a catalyst to growth? Is the church staffed for growth? These are the questions the staff has been exploring for the last six months. We recognize that if we don't strategically address these issues, we will eventually move from a plateauing church to a declining church. We believe 2008 is a pivotal year. And over the next four to five months we will be revealing some of the strategic plans that I believe will put us on the right track.

I know that God is the one who causes a church to grow. But it's been my observation that God works best when there is a vision, a plan, and the systems in place that cause the soil to be fertile for growth. Our vision has not changed. We still exist to help people connect with God and become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. That's a great vision. We still believe the five purposes of the church are worship, evangelism, discipleship, ministry, and fellowship. However, we must recognize that the strategies and systems that were successful five years ago may not be the ones that will be successful today. In fact, sometimes what was successful yesterday may actually hinder growth today. God's Word never changes. The vision doesn't change. But how we fulfill that vision will always need to be tested, adjusted, and changed. In the time I have remaining, let me give you a snapshot of the some of the approaches we will take to address these issues. Then I want to conclude by giving you a few very specific challenges of how you can be a big help throughout this pivotal year.

Two approaches have guided us in our planning processes. For one thing, as best as possible we have tried to start with a blank sheet of paper. If we were starting a church from scratch, what schedules, systems, and strategies would we implement that would best help people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ? Second, what can we do to simplify our ministries so that everyone can understand fully who we are and what we are about?

For example, we want our whole church family, from this day forward, to think in terms of the three E's. The three E's explain the simple process we will use to help people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. The days of students having their own statement, the children their own, and adults their own…from now on we all operate using the same three-fold process. The three E's are encounter, engage, and express. We want all members to encounter the living Christ through one of our worship services. We want all members to engage in a small group experience that will help them grow deeper in their spiritual journey. And we want every member to express their faith by serving inside and outside the walls of the church and by learning to share their faith story with others. In a few weeks we will begin a series of messages that will take a much more in-depth look at the three E's.

Here is another way we are trying to simplify. For years we have communicated that we want our Sunday School hour to be a time of Bible study, but primarily a time to build relationships. To go deeper in your spiritual journey, we encouraged people to take Chapin U classes. For a long time this strategy has worked, but its effectiveness has significantly waned. So now, we're trying to develop a means whereby we can combine the strengths of a Sunday School class with the strengths of a Chapin U class so that the desired outcome can occur in one environment instead of two.

During the coming months we will share with you some ideas of how we believe this can happen. Right now I want you to start thinking outside the box, outside the normal way we usually do things. For one thing, do we have to be limited to a one hour timeframe? For another thing, do we have to be thinking in terms of Sunday morning only? Can the small group experience happen on Sunday evening or a week night? We already have one class that has decided to move to Sunday evenings so that they can have more time for study and be free to serve in various capacities on Sunday mornings. It is this kind of thinking that I believe will help us burst through the plateaus we've been hanging out on.

God wants His church to grow. And I believe we have a plan that will position us for growth. I'm pumped about what's going to happen. I'm pumped because I really believe we are on the verge of bursting through the barriers that have held us back. And let me assure you—we have a staff team that is not only solidly committed to following God's leadership for this church but are willing to do whatever it takes to propel this church forward. That excites me.

Here is a synopsis of what I have tried to communicate this morning. This is a great church. God is working and lives are changing. However, we are not satisfied with the attendance plateau we've been sitting on. In fact, unless we develop some fresh strategies, eventually we will be joining the ranks of declining churches. I believe we are in the process of developing strategies that will put the ship sailing back into the deep waters. I believe the future for our church is very bright. But bursting through these barriers will require the commitment from everyone who calls Chapin Baptist home.

What can you do? First, you can pray. Pray for the growth of the church. Pray for the lost to be saved. Pray that we will return to days of unprecedented growth. We need more people engaged in the Intercessory Prayer Ministry. I need more people to join the Pastor's Prayer Partner ministry. There is a sign-up sheet in your bulletin materials. Fill it out and drop it in the offering plate in a few minutes.

Second, you can apply the three E's to your life. Are you attending a worship service each Sunday? It's hard to encounter Christ in a corporate worship setting unless you are present. Are you engaged in a small group experience each? Are you serving? Are you inviting your friends to church?

Third, you can give. We ended 2007 on a very strong note. Although we did not meet budget, we did not end the year with any deficit spending. We came up around $15,000 short of our budget needs for the year. I'd love to see us return to the years where we are running $100,000 over budget so we can tackle some of the big dollar items we need to do but aren't budgeted to do. These days can return if everyone does his share. I know gas and grocery prices are skyrocketing. But that shouldn't affect your giving patterns. The tithe (10%) is still God's baseline.

[Figures] Fourth, you can have a healthy, positive attitude. This covers a lot of territory. It means that you have a “count me in” attitude. It means that you have a positive attitude about change, even if it means a new schedule or helping start a new small group. It means you have a spirit of unity. It means that you have a high trust level toward leaders in the church.

Can I count on you for these four things? Kyle MacDonald took one red paper clip and turned it into a house in Saskatchewan. That's one human being working in his own power. What do you believe could happen at Chapin Baptist Church if we allowed God to take our one red paper clip (who we are right now) and transform us into an Acts 2 kind of church? Does that excite you? It does me. I still believe the local church is the hope for our world. When every member does his share, when every member buys into the vision, when every member is committed to being a fully devoted follower of Jesus, imagine…just imagine the impact on our community. God, let it be so.