Having been a pastor for 24 years, I understand the frustration of the pastors who have read each chapter in this series to this point. The average shepherd is probably asking, “How are we supposed to put all these laws into practice?” My answer is: Take heart. Carrying out every law immediately is not necessary. It normally takes three to four years to get all these laws running effectively. So you might ask, “Which parts of these laws should be accomplished immediately and what can wait?”

Whether you are starting a church or revitalizing an existing one, the steps are identical. We will address each of these in order, but I urge you not to stop at simply installing these initial steps. These are only the beginning of the process. You should implement all of the other laws eventually.

As we stated in the beginning of this series, there must be sequence in both im-plementation and completion of all these laws for the church to have healthy growth. For example, beginning the Seven Laws of Touches without having in place the Seven Laws of Contacts produces a weak and frustrated church. Even though there was excitement in the beginning, not seeing lasting results can cause your members to quickly become discouraged. The order of implementa-tion is as important as the laws themselves.

The first step I was forced to take was to help my people discover their spiritual gifts. I learned that placing people in positions they are not equipped or gifted to handle caused hardships for every one. Law Five talks about the training of leaders, but it is important to train the whole church so that the right people are functioning in the right position.

In churches I am helping to build or revitalize I use the first Wednesday or Sun-day night as a training session to introduce my book, Spiritual Gifts, Your Job Description from God, Life Springs Resources, 1996. Then I spend 10 weeks going through each gift and explaining its function in the church. At the end of these 10 weeks, each person takes the gift test to establish his/her own God-given giftings. We then place people into positions in the church that utilize those gifts. The rest of the year I train those who can, in turn, train others in all the areas where we want people involved. As we are ready to start the next step, we train the personnel needed.

Training and implementing the first law

The First Law of Seven Impressions required us to find individuals with great testimonies about the church, about their salvation or healing experiences, and about God’s leading them to the church. After coaching them (not to change their testimonies, but rather to condense them into a one minute radio spot), we selected the ones we felt would be the most useful. We stored this information for the time when we would be ready to go on the air.

We also designed an exciting, positive, and uplifting newsletter, which we could use as a tract and a mailout for the church. The newsletter also contained testi-monies and pictures. Even though we prepared these elements in the beginning, we did not put them to use until some other key elements were in place. The church had to be ready to receive the visitors who came. If used prematurely, these good means of advertising can kill a church instead of grow it. In a new church plant you can do much of this preparation before the church goes public or has its first public service. Obviously, this is not the case for an existing church.

Training and implementing the second law

The Second Law of Seven Touches needs to have a person in charge who has the gift of administration. Train this person. Then to ensure that the entire law even-tually is put in place, he or she needs to train other personnel important to its implementation.

Training and mobilizing the parking lot attendant is required. Remember, a parking lot attendant is important not because of the size of the lot nor the number of cars, but to show visitors where to park. Visitors want to park close to the doors. Then, greeters need to be waiting. Train greeters (using those with the appro-priate giftings) and have them ready at the doors to greet visitors, not the regu-lars. They may not have time to do both. Train the "Shuttlers.” They are the peo-ple who show visitors around the church and help them find a Sunday School class. The a pastor or usher can greet late arrivers at the sanctuary door. Both must know what and how to handle visitors. The receptionist who obtains the visitor’s signature in the guest book and a host or a hostess in a visitors’ lounge is also important, if a newcomer is to feel welcome.

Training and implementing the third law

A person should experience the Third Law of Seven Contacts after he or she has visited the church. Once the training is complete, try to make this law fully functional. This law must be in place when visitors start arriving at the church, for it is the most important law to keep the visitor returning.

A well written letter from the pastor, letters from volunteers, and telephone calls encourage visitors to make your church their church. Nothing will substitute for a house call made by volunteers to the visitor on a Sunday or Monday evening. Two weeks after the volunteer’s home visit, a house call from the pastor does more than impress. It tends to bond the visitor to the pastor and his vision for the church.

Training and implementing the fourth law

Put in place the law of making sure that each visitor to the church makes Seven Friends within the First Seven Months of his initial attendance. This does not happen automatically. If these friendships are to occur, pastors have to organize small groups or coach families who will agree to adopt these new families.

Training and implementing the fifth law

The Fifth Law of Assimilating New Leaders begins when the pastor teaches the church regarding spiritual gifts. However, it needs to continue with those who have completed the training who will now help other visitors discover and learn how to use their spiritual gifts. A pastor’s class, begun immediately after the training given to the whole church, is the most effective way of training in the spiritual gifts. This can also be a beneficial avenue for involving newcomers in the ministry of the church.

Training and implementing the sixth and seventh laws

Getting at least seven names and addresses from each new person is one of the most overlooked venues of the church and is the essence of the Sixth Law. Yet this is one of the most important things a church can do to gather prospects. The best prospects for any church are the names and addresses of unchurched friends and relatives of the people in the church. They are the ones who will grow the church, and the church needs to find discreet and practical ways of acquiring these leads. If done correctly, visitors are more likely to give the church these names when they first start attending the church.

Training and Implementing the Seventh Law

The Seventh Law says the church must follow the commitment and involvement of its visitors over the next seven months or they may slip through the “cracks.” The pastor needs to appoint someone with good administration skills to oversee this.

Starting the Process of Reaching the Community

The process of reaching the community happens by using the right persons with the appropriate gifts and training. Training and allowing people to operate in their gifts often creates so much excitement that they invite their friends from the onset. The church starts to grow even before it begins to advertise to the com-munity, using all those great commercials and newsletters we mentioned in the first law.

However, do not allow the initial influx of visitors to stop the first law from be-ing implemented. With all this excitement, advertising becomes twice as effec-tive. Visitors come to the church because they hear about it and stay because they sense enthusiasm. These are good signs of the effects of the Seven Laws of Seven.

This is how it has worked for me as I have tried to make sense of church growth, church revitalization, and church planting. This is how it has filtered out as I studied, taught and implemented these laws in the six churches I have helped revitalize and in the seven I have planted and/or helped plant. Doing these laws in the correct order, even if they are done only half way acceptably, will help any church grow and mature. My prayer is that each church will become a Kingdom church and fulfill the Great Commission by reproducing more churches.

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