Ben Merold on Church Growth, Part 3: Priorities and Lessons Learned

Ben shared lessons from his 80+ years of life and decades of ministry…

Prayer: A Prayer Emphasis and a Prayer Council

The prayer council meets every Saturday, both to pray, and to organize prayer throughout the congregation. The group has two foci: getting the church to pray and teaching the church to pray.

Summertime Evangelism

About 19.2% of the people move every year. 64% of those will move between mid-May and mid-September. Yet often they visit churches “at our very worst” — when we reduce our ministries and programs to a minimum.

Ben puts a strong emphasis on not writing off the summer, but emphasizing the opportunities to connect with those new to the community. One example — a month-long “Harvester Goes Country” theme.

While the ebb and flow in California is different than the midwest, the principle is the same.

Benevolent Program

Harvester is located in a river bottom, an area with great pockets of poverty. The church became a licensed food pantry, which required building a new building to house the program. They have since started houses for battered women, give away about 15 cars a year, and many other benevolent ministries. The church has faced challenges in helping these people take responsibility for their own souls, but the church continues to be driven by both grace and generosity.

The church’s benevolent efforts haven’t necessarily resulted in the recipients becoming followers of Jesus and church members, but instead has resulted in other people, who want to be a part of a church like this one, making those decisions as they see the church engage in community benevolence. Today the church invests $350,000 a year in community benevolence, all given over and above the general giving to the church and its other ministries.

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