The Blessed Church

Description

“In The Blessed Church the biblical principles that lead to true success in the body of Christ are carefully explained.” —Dr. Tony Evans, senior pastor at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship
 
“What you will gain from reading this book is not only inspiration but also principles that will work in any church (or business) that wants to fully maximize its potential.”  –Perry Noble, pastor of NewSpring Church
 
In The Blessed Church, Pastor Morris of Gateway Church explores how a church can be fast-growing and spiritually-enriching—and still healthy. With the powerful stories, candor, and humor he’s known for, Morris shows how every component of your church—including mission, government, teaching, worship, small groups, giving, and outreach—can receive God’s richest blessings.
 
Written for both church leaders and laypeople, The Blessed Church explores the vision and other qualities that make church “work”—regardless of size–in the twenty-first century.  
 
Includes:
Blessed Church Action Plan
A Guide to Effective Church Leadership Retreats
  
“The Blessed Church is a must-read for anyone wanting to know how to build a church that God will bless.”  —Jimmy Evans, senior elder of Trinity Fellowship Church and CEO of MarriageToday
 
“Our world desperately needs healthy, vibrant churches…If you want a growing vitality in your church, you will profit from every page of The Blessed Church.” —Chris Hodges, senior pastor, Church of the Highlands

“God has blessed Gateway Church with explosive growth. Pastor Robert Morris humbly unpacks many of the invaluable lessons he and his team have learned along the journey. His spiritual insight and practical instruction will help you build a stronger, deeper, and broader ministry.”
—Craig Groeschel, senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv and author of Soul Detox: Clean Living in a Contaminated World

“Our world desperately needs healthy, vibrant churches, so I’m thankful Robert Morris has written The Blessed Church—a book that draws on the Gateway backstory to describe the qualities of a healthy local church. More than anything, a heart for God and a love of people define the ministry of Pastor Morris and Gateway Church. If you want a growing vitality in your church, you will profit from every page of The Blessed Church.”
—Chris Hodges, senior pastor of Church of the Highlands

“In The Blessed Church, Robert Morris reveals why Gateway Church in Dallas–Fort Worth has become not just one of the largest churches in America but also one of the most influential. Robert’s devoted, attentive shepherding of this great flock is one reason why Gateway is so blessed. In The Blessed Church, the biblical principles that lead to true success in the body of Christ are carefully explained. If you love the local church, as both Robert and I do, you won’t want to miss the insights found in this helpful and practical book.”
—Dr. Tony Evans, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship and president of The Urban Alternative

“When I refer to the blessed church, I am speaking from firsthand experience. My wife, Betty, and I are active members of Gateway Church, which Robert Morris pastors. We have witnessed and experienced the dynamic power and profound impact made on personal lives, families, the community, the church at large, and the nation. The blessed church members live a blessed life and continually seek to be a blessing to others. Through Pastor Morris’s leadership, Gateway Church has become a model and inspiration to the whole church around the world. Your church can experience the bountiful blessings of our God and Father right here on earth right now!”
—James Robison, founder and president of LIFE Outreach International and co-host of LIFE Today

“Robert has put together a master playbook for victory in the church. Every pastor can learn from the insight and wisdom God has given Robert and the Gateway team. In fact, I truly believe that practicing the biblical principles of health and growth outlined in The Blessed Church will help us all further the Great Commission and experience radical transformation and blessing in our communities.”
—Tom Mullins, founding pastor of Christ Fellowship Church

 “Every pastor, layman, leader, and churchgoer should read The Blessed Church. Morris has done it again. Readable and inspiring, The Blessed Church is a must-read for all who want their own church to walk in the blessings of God.”
—Mark Rutland, PhD, president of Oral Roberts University and Global Servants

“The story of Gateway Church is one of radical trust, bold vision, and the faithfulness of God. Now my friend, Robert Morris, has written a book telling that extraordinary story. Read it! You will realize that God wants to bless your church more than you ever could have imagined.”
—Greg Surratt, senior pastor of Seacoast Church

Robert Morris is the founding senior pastor of Gateway Church, a multicampus church in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Since it began in 2000, the church has grown to over 36,000 active members. Robert is featured on the weekly television program The Blessed Life, which is seen in over 100 million homes in the United States and in more than 200 countries worldwide. He is the author of eleven books, including the best-selling The Blessed Life and The God I Never Knew. He and his wife, Debbie, have three grown and married children and 4 grandchildren.

God’s Story, Not Ours

Short of being a passenger on a rocket ship to Mars, I was about as far away from my North Texas home as a man could be. I had just finished speaking at a pastor’s conference in Australia when a young minister from New Zealand
approached me with a question. It was a familiar one: “What’s the key?” He didn’t have to elaborate. I was pretty sure I knew what he meant. But I encouraged him anyway.

“The key to what?” I responded.

“Gateway’s growth. I mean…what in heaven’s name is going on up there? What are you guys doing?”

He was referring to Gateway Church, the fellowship that it’s my privilege to pastor. The “what’s going on” at the heart of his question has been an ongoing story of astonishing growth and rising influence.

How astonishing? Well, Gateway began with a handful of friends and me in a living room Bible study back in 2000. As I write today, the church sees more than twenty thousand people participate in live worship and teaching each weekend. The growth has been steady, dramatic, and shows no sign of slowing down. On the pages that follow, I hope to reveal why I think we’ve experienced the blessings we have.

Nevertheless, I confess that I’ve had to work through some feelings of reluctance and awkwardness about writing this book.

That’s because the last thing we—myself or any of our team—would ever want to do is appear to be bragging or patting ourselves on the back. The very thought of anyone saying “Who does that guy think he is?” makes me want to shrink back and count my blessings in grateful silence. But the Lord won’t allow it.

The fact is, I don’t think I’m anything special. And of all God’s people, I’m the most aware that what we have experienced over the last twelve years has absolutely nothing to do with any smarts, special talents, or abilities I might possess.

On the contrary, I might be the most unlikely candidate you’ll ever meet. But that’s God’s MO, isn’t it? He chooses the rustic, barely educated fisherman Peter to carry the gospel to the cream of Jewish society. And He sends Paul, with
his elite education and sterling religious pedigree, to pagan Gentiles who couldn’t care less about his Jewish credentials.

Thus, I’m not a walking advertisement for the church-growing power of natural talent, clever strategy, and brilliant marketing. I’m a living, breathing testament to the power of God’s unfathomable grace.

Nevertheless, it’s impossible to deny that God has done something remarkable at Gateway Church. Wherever we go, I and members of our team are asked about it. Those questions take a variety of forms:

• “What’s your secret?”
• “To what do you attribute your church’s amazing rate of growth?”
• “How did you become one of the largest and fastest growing churches in America in just a few short years?”
• “How have you been able to remain balanced, healthy, and focused while riding a virtual rocket sled of increase?”
• “How do you identify, develop, and/or attract leaders to your cause?”

It is to bring clear answers to these questions in a spirit of transparency, humility, and gratitude that I have finally undertaken this book. Frankly, God will not let me off the hook.

In the end, the Lord has made it clear that He wants the Gateway story told because it’s His story—not because we’ve done everything right, but rather because He has accomplished something special in spite of our weaknesses and
mistakes. He wants these principles shared because they’re His principles. And the church bodies scattered across planet Earth by the tens of thousands are His too. He wants to see them healthy, growing, influencing, and overcoming.

So on the pages that follow, I’ll share what we’ve learned and what I’ve seen in the Word. Not because I have all the answers, but because I have some answers. A few of them may surprise you. Thus, throughout this book you’ll find
little nuggets of truth and insight labeled “Keys to a Blessed Church.”

To begin, I will share a brief overview of how I came to found Gateway Church and the amazing journey of grace and favor we have been on over the last dozen years. I’ll follow that by sharing the spiritual principles, biblical precepts,
school-of-hard-knocks lessons, and surprising insights that have made that journey so extraordinary.US

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