Bringing Acts 2 To 2023!

Author

Jacob Schmelzer
July 23, 2023

As I was reading my Bible recently something stuck out to me…

Right at the end of acts chapter 2, a passage we‘re all familiar with, there is a line, “and the Lord added to their fellowship daily those who were being saved.”

It’s interesting that there's a distinction between salvation and being added to the fellowship.

And I think this indicates, something I’m sure we agree on, that the early church practiced both Gathering and Going.

In other words, they gathered for worship and for fellowship with believers. But they also went out into the world to preach the gospel and reach the lost in response to the great commission. And brought the lost into the family of God!

And this is exactly how it should be for us in 2023, over 2000 years down the road...

We are Gathering people and Going people.

That is the one-two punch where the true power of the church is lived out!

If we only gather, we lose our missional edge. If we only go we lose our fellowship.

So a healthy local church does both. That’s why at Joy Church our strategy comes right from the book of Acts. I call it the R.A.D. plan which stands for relational, attractional, discipleship.

We create a relational culture and use attractional strategies like Facebook ads, big days, and inviting people to church and to respond to Christ.

But the overall mission is to make disciples in response to the commission of Christ.

If you’d like a helpful refresher in your mission and vision as a church then check out my new resource that shares many of the tactics we use to leverage this Biblical strategy: 20 Ways To Grow Your Church.

It’s over 90% off for a very limited time and I've also included some great bonuses.

Gathering and going,

Pastor Jake

PS - Want all of my courses including: Facebook Invitation System, Church Marketing Masterclass, Building A Ministry Pipeline, How to Break the 100 Barrier, Guest Follow Up System, and more? Plus a vibrant community of pastors and leaders and a live weekly coaching session? All for less than attending 1 conference a year? Check out UpLevel Leader right here: https://uplevelleader.com/

How We’re Helping Churches Get The Employee Retention Tax Credit (avg. $18,000 per employee)

Right now I’m helping churches get connected with a firm that assists them determine their eligibility for the ERC tax credit. The average check to the church we’ve seen is $18,000 per employee. Incredible right? It’s already been a HUGE blessing to hundreds of churches across the US. But there is a TON of misinformation, misunderstanding, and even scams out there so getting the right help is important. If you’d like more information please reply to this email with the phrase: ERC HELP and I’ll follow up with you.

Free Resources

Here’s a couple of cool FREE resources I’ve come across that I wanted to share with you!

The Pour Over: Politically neutral, Christ-first, news source.

The biggest news of the day, summarized in a way you'll actually understand and enjoy, paired with brief Christian perspectives.

Eat God’s Way: FREE Newsletter

Daily encouragement to ditch the Standard American Diet, get healthier & happier, and save money on groceries... without giving up the foods you love or spending all day in the kitchen!

Click here to get it. (page might take a few seconds to load)

Telling better stories means being a better communicator and inspiring people to change and grow!

Recommended Tools:

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1) Email Newsletter Software - Beehiiv

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