What is Your 2026 Growth Plan?
t's not too late to build a personal growth plan for 2026. Maybe you have already made a list of goals or resolutions and have committed to growing this year. Maybe you have hit the mid January slump and the goals already seem difficult to keep up with. I personally use a simple personal growth plan every year and want to share it with you.
A Personal Growth Plan is Achievable
It's not too late to build a personal growth plan for 2026. Maybe you have already made a list of goals or resolutions and have committed to growing this year. Maybe you have hit the mid January slump and the goals already seem difficult to keep up with. I personally use a simple personal growth plan every year and want to share it with you.
It actually is a growth plan that we see Jesus following and it's found in Luke 2:52. This pivotal verse states, "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man" (NIV). There are four key areas he grew in and we can also build our life in these 4 important ways. This is a simple blueprint for balanced human development, showing He matured intellectually, physically, spiritually, and socially, becoming the perfect example of a complete, servant-hearted person.
Four Ways Jesus Grew
Wisdom (Mental Growth): Jesus's mind developed, showing deep understanding and insightful questions, growing in intellectual capacity and divine discernment. We know he startled the teachers of the day with His understanding of the scriptures. Even though he was born as God, he did study and spent time in the scriptures. Is there an area or goal for 2026 that would challenge you mentally? Is there a non-spiritual area of life you want to study, improve, learn a new language etc…?
Stature (Physical Growth): He experienced normal human development, growing from child to young man, affirming His true humanity and physical health. So many issues stem from the lack of or ill treatment of our human bodies. The Bible says physical training is of value (1 tim4:8) if you have started the new year with a health goal(s) keep it up! Don’t be the guy/gal who starts at planet fitness but gives up by February!
Favor with God (Spiritual Growth): His life demonstrated perfect obedience and a deep, loving relationship with the Father, always pleasing to Him. Have you set faith goals for the year? Do your goals correspond with a ministry at Revive, or maybe a Bible reading plan? Ask the Lord how you can partner with his plans in 2026!
Favor with Man (Relational/Social Growth): Jesus cultivated positive relationships, showing unselfish courtesy, patience, and truthfulness, making Him well-regarded by others. Maybe our current series on forgiveness is challenging you to repair or redeem a current relational situation. Lets remember every day counts and we want big relational wins this year.
Your Own Growth Plan Matters
A Model for Life: Jesus's balanced growth serves as a divine model for all people, showing that true development involves every aspect of our being.
Holistic Development: It encourages striving for a complete, unified life, where mental, physical, spiritual, and relational health all impact each other.
Purposeful Growth: This development prepared Jesus to fulfill His purpose as an obedient servant, teaching us to grow into all God intends for us to be.
If you are interested in having personal coaching or a brief meeting with a leader at Revie Church let us help you find someone who can help you plan, reach and complete goals for 2026. I want to see you grow and I hope this simple lesson and potent scripture is a huge help to you. Take time to ask the Lord how these four areas in your life can be transformed.
To connect, email us info@revivemt.org
Growing in evangelism and reaching people
In Luke 15 we read a story about lost things. The religious types didn’t like that Jesus ate with sinners. He told a parable about a lost sheep. In fact, part of his own verbalized mission statement he said…”I came to seek and to save the lost.”
Why Evangelism
In Luke 15 we read a story about lost things. The religious types didn’t like that Jesus ate with sinners. He told a parable about a lost sheep. In fact, part of his own verbalized mission statement he said…”I came to seek and to save the lost.” The church in turn must turn our eyes to fields that are white unto harvest and find those lost sheep, coins, and sons. Revive Missoula has been in and on a campaign called “The One.” Below is a short list of ideas/thoughts to help get you thinking about how to be missional in life and or as a church. In a small, or large way, these are all things we have implemented as a church to reach the lost.
25 Practical Evangelism Ideas
Halloween Carnival
Super Sober Sunday — Super Bowl
Baptism
Lame Deer Outreach & Baptism
Testimony
Carry A Sheep. We have given out almost 2,000 small sheep figurines as a reminder for people to watch and pray for the ONE! Create small moments or use small things to remind you (the church) of our mission.
Carry a Sheep in your prayers. Begin a prayer strategy for those who are missing sheep.
Ask for Laborers. The church is not facing a harvest problem but a laborer shortage. Mt 9:38
Identify, equip and release ‘Evangelists’ in the local church. (Many evangelists go the parachurch route for their work and we also need them to work in and through CHURCH.
Build a Church that has a ‘FIND A NEED - FILL IT’ kind of attitude. You have heard it said, “people don’t care what you know until they know that you care.” Serve your way into people's lives.
EVENTS/HOLIDAYS are fantastic times to bring in different crowds to your church community. We started a SOBER BOWL: a Super Bowl (American football championship game) watch party to support and reach the ‘recovery crowd.’ (now several hundred in attendance each year) celebrating and continuing in sobriety from dangerous drug and alcohol abuse.
TESTIMONIES build faith and reach the lost.
Worship time contributions can be geared to those who are far from God. Leverage powerful worship times to make appeals (pause the normal order of service to share the gospel).
DUST OFF YOUR CHURCH BAPTISMAL…and use it! Include their ‘how God found me story!’
Adopt a Block or Helping Hands ministries (strategy in book). Find a way to serve your local neighborhoods. I recommend Matthew Barnett's book “The Church that Never Sleeps,” as inspiration.
Raise up and release ‘Visitation Pastors’/Leader.
Turn Tests into Testimonies: during preaching include stories of redemption, freedom, healing etc.
Capture your CLOSING moments of a message. Many preachers work on sermons for hours but not many plan the closing. Develop a list of closing scriptures and or illustrations to pepper into your closing message.
Adopt a School. Many of our churches have people who could donate time to local schools as safety monitors, substitutes, bible club leaders, mentors, language teachers etc. Over 10 years ago God brought us a Principle of a local elementary school and ever since we have served alongside that school. (ask a school what they need and serve without bringing your agenda.)
Feed hungry Bellies.
GET YOUNGER ONLINE! Turn your social media and web presence towards those young in their faith or those without faith. MANY people will visit your church online before they come in person.
Lace your Language with initiating inclusion (avoid christianese). Refrain from alienating the non christian with phrases like “turn to the book of judges… we will hear about Gideon today…you all know Gideon.” Make simple or introductory statements that help people feel included. Most people new to church don’t know who Gideon is.
Create ‘hope packets’: hygiene or health kits that church members could carry as a point of contact to share something with a non-churched or marginalized person.
Find a church office in the world: like a local starbucks or a place where you can meet people. Work there.
Look for those ‘Good Samaritan’ moments. (Luke 10:25)
Pray for God to give you ‘a Samaria.’ (a people group in your area that is different from you but close enough you can reach.) We have an outreach called ‘hope for Lame Deer’ to one of America’s first nation peoples. They are a tiny nation in our state (Montata) that we are walking with and serving the local churches in that area.
EXPECT GOD TO MOVE! Every time your doors are open God could be directing a lost sheep to you.
Make some public Sunday gatherings CRISP! Some church services are dreadfully long and don’t consider the non/future churched people. Consider shortening the worship/preaching time and include meals together etc or just leave time for people to visit. Gatherings can be crisp and still POWERFUL.
A preaching series on “THE ONE” could include people like Zaccheus, the woman with the issue of blood, man at gate beautiful, the lost son(s): one out of the house and one in the house, the one leper who came back to worship Jesus, etc. Remind people God does love nations, but in those nations are individual people who God is pursuing.
Gather your team and ask the question: Are we an externally focused church? Work on that question and leverage the gifts in your church to become that. (BOOK FOR STUDY) by Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson
Evangelism Scriptures
Isaiah 53:6, Proverbs 27:23, Luke 19:10, Jeremiah 3:15, John 10, Psalm 23, John 1:29, Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 5:2.