I’m Steve Lawes
Certified Church Consultant
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Helping Churches Thrive
Utilizing a process we call “Virtual Church Consulting” we work with you through a series of steps to help pinpoint problems and offer solutions. This all online church consulting method is effective and affordable.
Internet Impact (Learn about your digital footprint)
Community Statistics (Learn about your community)
Effective Outreach Ideas (Learn how to reach your community)
Church Marketing (Help your community learn about your church)
Internet Impact
Your website is the “digital foyer” for the church. It is the first impression for almost everyone that visits your church.
Community Statistics
Demographic information is helpful in getting an overview of what is happening in your community.
Church Marketing
Church marketing is a tool to help people who are in need of what your church offers to be able to connect with you.
Effective Outreach Ideas
An outreach strategy is a specific set of tactics intended to ultimately attract new people to your church.
Meet Steve Lawes
Steve Lawes is a Certified Church Consultant. He has been the lead Pastor of Keys Vineyard Church in Big Pine Key since 1992. He has a Bachelors Degree in Bible and Theology from Berean University and Masters and PhD Degrees from Atlantic Coast Theological Seminary. He lead the Cuba Missions Team for Vineyard Missions from 1995-2005 and traveled to Cuba more than twenty times helping to plant churches and build up local leaders. He served as the South Florida Area Leader for the Association of Vineyard Churches for ten years. He also founded the Jesus Moment Bible Institute and Seminary in 2014 which has a student enrollment of over 2000. He has written three devotional books, Daily Psalt Intake, Daily Sage Intake and Daily Strength Training which are now out of print but are currently available as free e-books.
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Recent Posts from Church Consultant
The Church’s Role in God’s Kingdom: Living in the Now and Not Yet
The church plays a vital role as God’s instrument for spreading His kingdom on Earth. Rather than just being a building or weekly gathering, the church represents God’s people carrying out His mission in the world.
What is the Kingdom Tension?
We live in a tension between the “now” and “not yet” of God’s kingdom. Jesus inaugurated His kingdom during His first coming, but won’t fully consummate it until His return. In this in-between time, the church operates as God’s primary vehicle for demonstrating and expanding His rule and reign.
How Did the Church Become God’s Instrument?
When Israel rejected Jesus as Messiah, God gave the responsibility of producing kingdom fruit to the church. Starting with a small group of faithful followers after the resurrection, the early church grew rapidly as they demonstrated new creation life empowered by the Holy Spirit.
What Are the Key Relationships of the Church?
The church operates through three key relationships:
Relationship with God
Relationships within the church community
Relationships with future believers yet to know Christ
These relationships, empowered by the Holy Spirit, allow the church to effectively carry out its ministry of reconciliation.
What Authority Does the Church Have?
Jesus gave the church “keys to the kingdom” – not to control who enters, but to provide access to God’s power and presence. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, He reclaimed the authority humanity lost in Eden and commissioned the church to operate in that authority.
How Does the Early Church Model Ministry?
The early church demonstrated effective ministry through:
Devotion to teaching, fellowship, communion and prayer
Sharing resources and meeting needs
Regular gatherings for worship and encouragement
Witnessing to others about Christ
Experiencing God’s power through signs and wonders
Life Application
This week, consider how you can better live as the church rather than just attending church. Ask yourself:
Am I actively building relationships with God, other believers, and those who don’t yet know Christ?
Where do I need to “open the door” and get out of God’s way so He can work through me?
How can I demonstrate kingdom life to those around me?
Am I living with awareness of both the “now” and “not yet” aspects of God’s kingdom?
The challenge is to wake up each day ready to partner with God in His ongoing work, remembering that we have access to His power and presence to fulfill our mission of reconciliation.
This series may be taken as a course offered by the Online Bible Institute. For more information check out the Keys Vineyard Ministries Courses page.
Steve Lawes is a Church Consultant and also provides coaching for pastors, churches, ministries and church planters.
Living in Kingdom Tension: Understanding Our Role as Salt and Light
The concept of “Kingdom Tension” refers to living between Jesus’s first coming and His eventual return. As believers, we are called to live purposefully in this tension while serving as God’s representatives on earth.
What is the Kingdom of God?
The Kingdom of God isn’t a physical place – it’s the rule and reign of God. When Jesus came, He inaugurated this kingdom, though not in the way people expected. Rather than establishing political dominion, Jesus came to save humanity from their real enemy – sin and death.
Understanding the Now and Not Yet
We live in a unique time period between Jesus’s first arrival and His future return. While God’s kingdom is present now through His Spirit and His people, we await its full manifestation. This creates a tension where we experience God’s presence while longing for His complete reign.
What Does It Mean to Be Salt and Light?
Jesus calls His followers to be “salt of the earth” and “light of the world.” In ancient times, salt was crucial as a preservative – it kept things alive and had enduring qualities. As salt, we’re called to preserve and enhance the world around us. As light, we’re meant to illuminate God’s truth and love to others.
Our Role as a Royal Priesthood
Scripture describes believers as a “royal priesthood” – chosen people who serve as God’s representatives. This role involves:
Being God’s portable presence in the world
Serving as living temples of the Holy Spirit
Carrying Jesus’s presence wherever we go
Making disciples and bringing others to know God
The Church’s Mission of “One More”
Every believer has a purpose in God’s kingdom. Our primary mission is to bring “one more” lost child back to the Father. This happens through:
Building authentic relationships
Showing God’s love to others
Living as new creation people
Serving others as Jesus did
Life Application
This week, consider how you can live out your role as salt and light in your daily life. Ask yourself:
How am I preserving and enhancing the lives of those around me?
In what ways am I reflecting God’s light to others?
Who is my “one more” that I can help draw closer to God?
Challenge: Identify three specific ways you can be “salty” this week – whether through acts of kindness, words of encouragement, or simply being present for someone in need. Remember, you are God’s portable presence wherever you go.
This series may be taken as a course offered by the Online Bible Institute. For more information check out the Keys Vineyard Ministries Courses page.
Steve Lawes is a Church Consultant and also provides coaching for pastors, churches, ministries and church planters.
Walking with Jesus: Understanding the Road to Emmaus Story
On the day of Jesus’ resurrection, an incredible encounter took place that demonstrates God’s personal care for those who are discouraged and doubting. This powerful story reveals important truths about Jesus’ mission and his ongoing presence in our lives.
The Context: Crushed Hopes on the Road
Two disciples, Cleopas and likely his wife, were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, processing the devastating events of Jesus’ crucifixion. Their hopes that Jesus would be Israel’s redeemer were crushed. During their seven-mile journey, Jesus himself joined them, though they didn’t recognize him.
Why Didn’t They Recognize Jesus?
Despite walking and talking with Jesus, the disciples were prevented from recognizing him initially. This mirrors how we often fail to recognize Jesus’ presence in our own lives, especially during times of disappointment or confusion.
Jesus’ Response to Their Doubt
Rather than immediately revealing himself, Jesus:
Asked them questions about their discussion
Listened to their story of disappointment
Used Scripture to explain how everything pointed to him
Showed how his suffering was necessary before glory
The Connection Between Suffering and Glory
Jesus explained that the Messiah “had to suffer these things and then enter his glory.” This reveals an important truth: the cross and throne are connected, not opposite. The cross demonstrates:
The ultimate display of divine power
God’s love at its deepest
The path to glory through suffering
Three Significant Suppers
The story connects three important meals in Scripture:
The Fall (Genesis 3) – Where humanity fell through taking and eating
The Last Supper – Where Jesus instituted the new covenant
The Emmaus Meal – Where the disciples’ eyes were opened
Life Application
This story challenges us to:
Recognize Jesus’ presence in our daily walks
Trust that God is working even when we don’t understand
Look for Jesus in Scripture and in the breaking of bread
Questions to consider:
Where do I need to recognize Jesus walking beside me today?
Am I allowing disappointment to blind me to God’s presence?
How can I be more intentional about studying Scripture to see Jesus throughout?
This week, take time to invite Jesus to walk with you, especially in moments of disappointment or confusion. Remember that He is never too busy to join you on your journey.
This series may be taken as a course offered by the Online Bible Institute. For more information check out the Keys Vineyard Ministries Courses page.
Steve Lawes is a Church Consultant and also provides coaching for pastors, churches, ministries and church planters.
Testimonials
“Steve and his team at Keys Vineyard Church have built a church that has done an inspiring job reaching their community. Steve is a treasure trove of experience and has continued to prioritize learning and growth throughout his more than 30 years of ministry in a way few pastors have. You’ll get a lot out of connecting with him!”
“I watched first hand as Steve experienced the devastation of hurricane Irma in his town of Big Pine Key, Florida. The town was destroyed, the church building rendered unusable and the staff impacted personally. I watched a leader rise to the need of his community and minister in a situation that not very many could. He has a powerful voice of experience and wisdom earned the hard way.”
“Steve Lawes is a valuable coach/ mentor. I’ve watched Steve over the last thirty years build a substantial outward focused church with disciples who do what Jesus did. He has inspired leaders of churches with simple/tested ideas to develop leaders and grow churches.
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“Steve Lawes is an outstanding coach. He is authentic, creative, and personable. He has more cutting edge ideas than any pastor I know in regard to evangelism and meeting the needs of people in his community.”
Interested in Becoming a Church Consultant?
We are pleased to be partnering with the Jesus Moment Bible Institute and Seminary to be able to offer Free Church Consulting Training. Even if you are not looking to become a certified church consultant, the free church consultant training will be beneficial for your personal ministry.
One of the greatest questions Jesus asked was “Do You Want to Get Well?”
I t would seem that the answer was obvious. But getting well for the man who had been not well for a very long time meant that he would have to do something different. It is not easy to change, but it always starts with a first step.
Take that first step now by sceduling your no obligation, free thirty (30) minute Zoom meeting with us today. You have nothing to lose and it may be your first step to a new and healthy way of doing and being the church.
Don’t Wait Any Longer. Take The First Step Toward Getting Well Today!
