December 9, 2002
40 Days of Purpose brings big results in Kaufman
___By John Hall
___Texas Baptist Communications
___KAUFMAN--First Baptist Church of Kaufman recently celebrated a "purpose-driven church" emphasis with record baptisms and Sunday School attendance.
___The church baptized 19 people toward the end of the "40 Days of Purpose" program designed by Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Valley Community Church in Southern California.
___Each week, the church's worship service and Sunday School classes focused on the same theme. In addition, members worked through daily devotionals designed to help them think about God's purpose for their lives.
___The program also promoted Bible verse memorization and prayer.
___First Baptist Church of Kaufman joined 1,500 other churches nationwide in the "40 Days of Purpose" emphasis. A similar project is planned for spring, and information is available at www.purposedriven.org.
___The Kaufman church witnessed a surge in energy as a result of the nationwide program. Church members continuously spoke around town and during Wednesday evening meals of what God was doing through the daily devotionals, said Pastor Brent Gentzel. Believers of all ages related to each other through the daily quiet time as they discussed God's activity in their lives, he added.
___"Very rarely do young adults and older adults come together with such energy," said Steve Bezner, teaching pastor at the church.
___After averaging 500 people in Sunday School attendance during the past year, attendance shot up to a record 609 people during the program without any special promotion, Bezner said. That included people who entered Sunday morning Bible study for the first time.
___Gentzel said the program integrates a revival with traditional church activities. While most revivals have been shortened to last three or four days, the 40-day program gives "the Holy Spirit time to work," he said.
___"I've seen more in these 40 days than I have in any revival," said Gayle Bounds, a laywoman at First Baptist Church.
___The church grew together through the daily studies and the Sunday teaching aimed at getting people to understand God's purpose for their lives, Gentzel said. New members easily connected with the congregation because of the program, Bounds said.
___People who previously were not involved in church activities also began ministering through church opportunities, Gentzel said. "We're really beginning to help our people see themselves as ministers with a purpose under God. Every member has been created for a special mission."
___The adage that 20 percent of the people do 80 percent of the work in church doesn't have to be true, Gentzel said. He believes a program like this proves the key is in empowering members to believe they can help.
___"I'm convinced it's not because 80 percent of the people don't want to help," he said. "It's because they've never been told they can."
___Although Bezner initially believed this type of campaign would be a one-time affair, the results have led him to rethink his stance, and the church may participate in a similar effort in the future. The increased spiritual fervor in the church has amazed the staff, he said.
___"Even though we were expecting great things from God, it just goes to show you can't know what to expect when God is working," Bezner said.
___Warren said other participating churches report results similar to what happened at Kaufman.
___"Hundreds of pastors and lay leaders are writing us, saying, 'Our church will never be the same' or 'This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to our church,'" he reported.
___One of the reasons the emphasis works, Warren suggested, is because all "extraneous meetings and emphases" are eliminated for six weeks while the church concentrates on one thing.
___The common theme is reinforced by a seminar simulcast to all participating churches, weekly messages by each church's pastor related to the theme, all church members participating in common daily devotional readings and weekly Scripture memorization, weekly small-group lessons related to the emphasis and distribution of weekly e-mails of encouragement.
___"People heard about God's purposes for their lives over and over," Warren said. "The same truths were taught in different formats. This allowed the truths to sink deeper into hearts, which is essential for any permanent life change."
___The 40 Days of Purpose emphasis also required "exponential thinking," Warren said. "This is thinking so big that it demands that you depend on God to see it happens. It's what I call 'the faith factor.' You attempt to do something so big that it can't be accomplished by human effort alone. It requires a miracle. ... In exponential thinking, you add a zero to your goal."
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