One of the country’s most gifted and inspiring communicators, Harvey Carey is founder and senior pastor of the Citadel of Faith Covenant Church, a congregation of 650 in Detroit, MI. Located in one of the poorest zip codes in America, Carey’s church was identified as one of the top churches in growing people spiritually by the new REVEAL research. A former youth pastor at a large inner-city church in Chicago, Carey has trained and led ministry teams in preaching the gospel in housing projects, shopping malls, and public schools in urban areas across the country. He brings deep insights on how to encourage your people to grow, even in tough circumstances.
Notes from the session follow.
- Ephesians 4:11-
- Growing up we were “po.” We looked up to the “poor” because they had the o and the r.
- Odds are incredibly against Detroit to succeed. In the poorest zip code, in the poorest city, in the poorest state.
- What do you do when faced with insurmountable odds?
- You’ve gotta believe the word of God is true.
- Pastors of 9 churches told him they were going to destroy his church because it was multi-cultural.
- Those of us who have been poor all along know how to deal with a financial crisis.
- We’re not to hire people to do ministry, hired staff are to equip others to do ministry.
- He’s the only paid staff at his church.
- Multi-ethnic is not having two black (or white) people in your church.
- Several people have relocated into the city to do ministry.
- Members must take ownership of the Word. You do that by engaging them in the Word.
- Sunday morning is when we mobilize.
- Many churches just huddle and never play the game.
- The things we learn, we actually do them. Revolutionary!
- We find the crack house and we take about 100 men and camp out in front.
- We shut down 8 of the major drug houses in the community.
- What cripples us is fear. That’s what the Bible is all about… people who felt ill equipt, who God used.
- They’ve given bibles to every person in their zip code.
- Most leaders have paralysis of analysis. You think too much.
- We don’t see the bible at work, because we don’t go into situations where it can work.
- White women from the suburbs went into the city at 1 AM to minister to prostitutes. Both those ministering and those being ministered to were transformed.
- How many prayer meetings do you have vs how many planning meetings?
- What we’ve seen is what the church can do its best, not what God can do.
- Are you building your ministry on the abilities and finances of your church members or on God’s capabilities?
- Detroit has more churches per capita than any other city, but it’s the darkest city.
- Don’t tell me what people who are filled with God’s Spirit can’t do!
- (God wants to do through you what you can’t do on your own)
- In Jesus name, get up and do something!
Be doers of the word and not hearers only.
No, really, I mean it!