Sticky Church

by Osborne, Larry

• ISBN13: 9780310285083
• ISBN10: 0310285089
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-10-01
• Publisher: Zondervan

Summary

There are plenty of ways to get people to come to church. Keeping them there is another matter. Many of our churches seem more like teflon than velcro. So what will it take to make your church sticky?

Author Biography

Larry Osborne is lead pastor of North Coast Church in northern San Diego County, widely recognized as one of the most influential and innovative churches in America

Table of Contents

The Sticky Church Advantage	p. 11
Sticky Church	p. 13
Why the front door is highly overrated
A parable lots of people know but not many understand
Why stickiness is so important
The purpose and format of this book
Who Are These Guys?	p. 19
Why it might not matter if your church stinks at marketing
Small leaks, big messes, and church growth
Come and see evangelism
The 80 percent factor
Scalability and slow growth
How I Learned about the Importance and Power of Stickiness	p. 24
Killing the dream - and why it was one of the best things I ever did
Tools or sheep?
Pastors who don't like Christians
Why marketing too early can actually keep people away
Why Stickier Churches Are Healthier Churches	p. 30
Why closing the back door can make the front door seem bigger
The tell-tale mark of a raving fan
The high price of bait and switch
How one seeker church made sure no one brought any seekers
How Small Groups Change Everything	p. 39
Velcroed for Growth	p. 41
Why most of our discipleship models don't work very well
How people grow
Velcroed for growth
Why the New Testament is absolutely silent about small groups
How Small Groups Change Everything	p. 47
Critical mass-why it's so important and what it takes to get there
The Holy Man myth
The Holy Place myth
Why empowerment needs a platform
Still More Ways That Small Groups Change Everything	p. 53
Why small groups make a church more honest and transparent
Why they always increase the level and practice of spiritual disciplines
The very best gift we can give a child or teenager
Making the Message Memorable: How Sermon-Based Small Groups Made Me a Much Better Preacher	p. 59
A bunch of stuff that didn't work and the one change that did
The simplest way to increase attention and note taking
Why my sermons are always worth talking about
Four stages of knowledge and why lots of people tend to bail out before they're finished
Making the Message Accessible: How Sermon-Based Small Groups Made Us a Much Better Church	p. 66
Reeling in the marginally interested
Why it doesn't matter why someone joins a group
Why even the unmotivated will spend an hour preparing for their small group
Facilitators and teachers
The death of idiot questions
Sermon-Based Small Groups	p. 73
Why Some Groups Jell and Some Don't	p. 75
Why size matters
Comfort zones
The "me too" factor
The magic number when attendance becomes predictably sporadic
Getting the right people in the right group
The difference between Christian unity and close friendships
Schooling fish
Why people are like Legos
Why friendly people can leave new people feeling frustrated
New groups for new people
Why dividing to grow might not be such a good idea
Flies on the Wall: What Happens When a Sermon-Based Small Group Meets	p. 82
Why there is no such thing as a "typical" sermon-based small group
Refreshments and personal updates
Why it's vitally important that everyone answers their homework questions ahead of time
Three types of questions
Why silly questions can be important questions
Why you always want to look at some passages that weren't mentioned in the sermon
Prayer
Freedom to digress
Worship
Service projects and socials
Overcoming the Time Crunch	p. 91
Why most of us have just two time slots to work with
The difference between selling out and adapting wisely
Why cutting the competition is so important
What Henry Ford taught me about small groups
Cutting too much too fast can be hazardous to your ministry
Hamstringing the competition
Making leadership manageable
Why summer breaks are essential for long term success
Determining Your Primary Purpose	p. 100
Determining your primary goal
What happens when everyone uses a different measuring rod
Alignment
What we can learn from Wall Street and LA Fitness
Making disciples
Staying healthy
The need for warmth
The dangers of mission creep
Measuring success
Entry Points and Escape Routes	p. 108
My first small group
The dreaded weasel factor
Entry ramps and escape routes
Why ten weeks is nearly magical
How groups grow deeper
What happens when life happens
What happens when it doesn't
Aligning sermon series and small group schedules-why it's no big deal
Why Dividing Groups Is a Dumb Idea	p. 115
What most church leaders think
Why those who are actually in a small group see it so differently
Small groups and steroids
Another look at Legos
What the military taught me about small groups
Mayberry in San Diego
Fresh blood
Hiving versus dividing
Finding and Developing Leaders	p. 123
What to look for
Who to avoid
The best fishing pools
The worst fishing pools
Why you don't want to ask for volunteers
How to scare off potential leaders
Training Leaders	p. 134
Why staff members and lay leaders see training so differently
Bite-sized training
Time shifting
Why turning down the intensity won't harm your leaders or your groups-and why it might help
What every rookie needs to know
The one thing every veteran leader needs to know
Why Cho's Model Didn't Work in Your Church	p. 140
Why most of our small group models don't work very well
The Korean connection
Coming to America
A nagging question, a surprising answer
Why my parents won't walk into the Buddhist temple
Prayer Mountain, military coups, and powerful pastors
What a mobile society, extended families, Armenians, and mutts have in common-and what they don't
Before You Start: Five Key Questions	p. 149
What a poorly aligned set of tires can teach about vision and ministry
Who are you trying to reach?
What are you trying to accomplish?
How do these two match up?
The funnel test
Mentoring, education, and apprenticeships
Speed modeling
Acknowledgments	p. 159
Appendixes
Writing Great Questions	p. 160
Sample Sermon Note Sheet and Study Questions	p. 165
Sample Growth Group Covenant	p. 170
End-of-the-Quarter Evaluation Form	p. 173
Leader Training Topics	p. 176
Leader Responsibilities	p. 178
Host Responsibilities	p. 180
A List of New Testament "One Anothers"	p. 183
Study Guide: Follow-up Questions for Each Chapter	p. 188
Notes	p. 201
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