Searcy, Ignite

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Nelson Searcy and Jennifer Dykes Henson, Ignite: How to Spark Immediate Growth in Your Church. Baker Books, 2009.

Referenced in: Evangelism Approaches – Event Evangelism

LifeandLeadership.com Summary

This is one of several resources authored by Nelson Searcy, the founding minister of the Journey Church in New York City, and based on their success in reaching over 1,000 new people (primarily twenty- and thirty-somethings) in a relatively short time. Before summarizing Ignite, here is a brief list of other works by Searcy. Most are summarized on LifeandLeadership.com.

Each of these is written in the same style, weaving ministry philosophy into a narrative of Searcy’s experience with Journey Church. They present first-level exposure, step-by-step guides, and ready-made forms for those who resonate with his philosophy.

In Ignite, Searcy provides philosophy, motivation, and testimony concerning his proven method of “Big Day” evangelism. This operates from an attractional, church-growth philosophy, and an “event” understanding of conversion where people make decisions for Christ relatively quickly followed by deeper levels of discipleship. It is a method of “immediate church growth.” It covers how to equip the church to pray and prepare for the “Day of Harvest” through activities such as Servant Evangelism Saturdays or “Big Day Sundays.” He defines: “A big day is an all-out push toward a single Sunday for the purpose of breaking the next growth barrier and setting an attendance record in order to reach as many people as possible for Jesus.” (26). It shows how to train members and structure the church to facilitate the Big Day, how to create a meaningful experience for visitors while there, and preserve the results long-term. This method blends well with Searcy’s other volume, Fusion, which discusses how to take people from the status of first-time visitor to fully functioning church member. It also works alongside Activate, Searcy’s book on small groups, as small groups are one of the chief means of training members for the day and then assimilating converts once they are reached. Like other Searcy books, the appendices are rich in usable forms and check-lists.

From the Publisher

Ignite is the ultimate how-to book for church leaders who want to reach more people for Jesus Christ. Pastor and founder of Church Leader Insights, Nelson Searcy, will provide practical, inventive guidelines for bringing first-time guests through the doors.

This book sets forth a step-by-step, biblically grounded, proven plan for creating immediate church growth by utilizing a “Big Day” to mobilize the church for evangelism. This user-friendly guide will show church leaders what they need to do to reach the unchurched in their communities and break through the debilitating growth barriers that are holding them back.

Through the inspiration of testimonies and stories, combined with the down-to-earth, applicable teaching that Searcy readers have come to expect and appreciate, Ignite will give church leaders the tools they desperately need to reach and keep modern-minded, unchurched people to create and sustain growth momentum.

About the Authors

NELSON SEARCY is the founding pastor of The Journey Church of the City in New York, New York, which reaches more than 1100 twenty- and thirty-somethings each week. Over the last three years, Nelson has personally trained more than 1100 church planters through his own seminars and training events with Saddleback Church in California. In addition, he has produced a wide range of successful church planting resources through his website churchleaderinsights.com and has co-authored Launch: Starting a New Church from Scratch. Nelson is an active church planting coach, church growth consultant and publisher of the semi-monthly online resource Evangelism Online, which is distributed to 16,000 pastors each month. Prior to starting The Journey, he was the founding director of the Purpose Driven Community at Saddleback Church.

Jennifer Dykes Henson is a freelance writer based in New York City. Prior to moving to New York, Jennifer worked with Dr. Charles Stanley as the manager of marketing communications for In Touch Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

***For additional information on this resource, including reviews, click the bookstore links. Check the reference at page top or the links below for resource guides on related topics.***

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