From Dr. Charles Wood:

No two churches are exactly alike.  No two pastors are exactly alike.  No two communities are identical.  No two situations are the same.  If there is one thing I have learned, it is that what will work in one place will not necessarily work in another; in fact, trying to put some of these things into practice can cause considerable harm to a ministry.

Often, people will come to a church with their presuppositions that churches do ______________. There are some activities all churches must be involved in. Our church plant’s mission and core values reflect that. However, we need to put the strategy of doing those things in the context that our church is in.

Paul’s normal tactic was to go into the synagogue and reason with and seek to persuade anyone who would listen to him. In Acts 19:8 he does just that in Ephesus. However, after continuing for three months and dealing with stubbornness and unbelief, he changes his tactic. Acts 19:9 tells us that he took the disciples that had formed and went to the hall of Tyrannus, and then, according to Acts 19:10, he teaches there for two years. Paul tried something, it wasn’t showing fruit, and he changed his tactic. Never once did he change the message, however, he did change his traditional way of operating in order to be more effective in Ephesus.

What have you changed in your church lately?