I’m Steve Lawes
Certified Church Consultant
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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
Finding True Faith: Moving Beyond Knowledge to Trust in Jesus
The Gospel of John contains seven significant miracles or “signs” that reveal important truths about Jesus and help us understand what it means to truly believe in Him. Through these signs, we learn that believing in Jesus goes far beyond just knowing facts about Him – it requires putting our complete trust in Him.
What Does It Mean to Have Real Faith in Jesus?
Through three key encounters in John’s Gospel, we see how Jesus addresses different people’s spiritual needs:
Nicodemus (John 3) – A religious leader who needed to move from works-based religion to grace
The Samaritan Woman (John 4) – An outcast who needed to know her worth and God’s acceptance
The Royal Official (John 4:46-54) – A man who had to trust Jesus’ word without seeing
Why Do We Struggle to Truly Trust Jesus?
Like the royal official who begged Jesus to physically come heal his son, we often want visible proof before we’ll believe. But Jesus challenged him – and challenges us – to take Him at His word. True faith means trusting even when we can’t see the outcome.
What’s the Difference Between Knowing About Jesus vs. Knowing Jesus?
The story of the tightrope walker Blondin illustrates this perfectly. Many people believed Blondin could walk across Niagara Falls pushing a wheelbarrow, but none would get in the wheelbarrow themselves. Similarly, we may believe facts about Jesus without truly trusting Him with our lives.
How Do We Move from Head Knowledge to Heart Trust?
Real faith starts with small steps of trust:
Acknowledging we need Jesus as Lord and Savior
Taking Him at His word even when we don’t understand
Being willing to “get in the wheelbarrow” and follow where He leads
Continuing to press in through Bible reading and prayer
Life Application
This week, examine your own faith:
Are you trying to earn God’s favor through good works like Nicodemus?
Do you feel unworthy of God’s grace like the Samaritan woman?
Are you willing to trust Jesus’ words without seeing proof first?
Questions to reflect on:
What area of your life do you need to “get in the wheelbarrow” and trust Jesus with?
Are you relating to Jesus based on head knowledge or heart trust?
What first step of faith is Jesus asking you to take today?
The challenge: Take one concrete step this week to demonstrate trust in Jesus, even if you can’t see the outcome. Remember – it’s not about how much faith you have, but where your faith is placed.
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.
The First Miracle: Understanding Jesus’s Purpose Through the Wedding at Cana
At the wedding in Cana, Jesus performed His first miracle – turning water into wine. This inaugural sign wasn’t just about solving a practical problem, but revealed profound truths about His ministry and purpose.
What Happened at the Wedding in Cana?
Jesus, His mother Mary, and some disciples attended a multi-day wedding celebration in Cana. When the wine ran out – a serious social embarrassment in that culture – Mary brought this problem to Jesus. Though He initially seemed hesitant, saying “My hour has not yet come,” He proceeded to perform an amazing miracle.
How Did Jesus Turn Water into Wine?
Jesus instructed servants to fill six large stone water jars (used for ceremonial washing) with water. Each jar held 20-30 gallons. When the servants drew from these jars and took it to the master of the banquet, the water had become wine – and not just any wine, but the finest quality.
What Was the Deeper Meaning Behind This Miracle?
This miracle carried profound symbolic significance:
The stone jars represented the old system of religious rituals
The transformation of water to wine symbolized Jesus bringing a new covenant
The abundance (120-180 gallons) showed God’s generous grace
The superior quality demonstrated how Jesus offers something better than religious tradition
What Does This Tell Us About Jesus’s Ministry?
Through this first sign, Jesus revealed several key aspects of His ministry:
He came to replace shame with honor
He transforms scarcity into abundance
He offers joy-filled grace instead of rigid tradition
He gives real, abundant life rather than mere religious rules
Life Application
Consider these questions and challenges this week:
What are the “stone pots” in your life – areas where you’re relying on rules and traditions rather than Jesus’s transforming power?
Where are you seeking joy apart from Jesus? Remember that all other sources will eventually run dry.
Practice obedient faith this week, even when God’s instructions don’t make immediate sense.
Take action by:
Finding your joy in Jesus rather than temporary sources
Obeying Jesus’s guidance even when it seems unclear
Reflecting on the eternal joy awaiting believers
Examining what you’re relying on for happiness besides Jesus
Remember: Jesus didn’t come to bring religion, but revolution – offering a relationship with God based on His work, not ours. Let Him transform your “water” into “wine” this week.
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.
Understanding Our Identity in Christ: Lessons from John the Baptist
John the Baptist provides powerful lessons about understanding our true identity in Christ and pointing others toward Jesus. His story reveals important truths about humility, purpose, and recognizing who Jesus really is.
Who Was John the Baptist?
John the Baptist emerged as a unique figure – wearing camel hair clothing and eating locusts and honey in the wilderness. He baptized people in the Jordan River, preaching repentance and preparing the way for Jesus. Despite drawing large crowds from Jerusalem and Judea, he maintained remarkable humility about his role.
How Did John the Baptist View Himself?
When questioned by religious leaders about his identity, John humbly described himself as simply “a voice calling in the wilderness.” He explicitly denied being the Messiah, Elijah, or the prophet. His identity was wrapped up in pointing others to Jesus rather than promoting himself.
How Did Jesus View John the Baptist?
While John downplayed his own importance, Jesus declared him to be “the greatest born among women” up to that time. This reveals an important truth – our worth comes from how Jesus sees us, not how we see ourselves or how others view us.
What Can We Learn About Identity in Christ?
A key insight emerges: Our identity in Christ is received, not achieved. We don’t have to constantly strive to prove our worth or compare ourselves to others. Like John the Baptist, we can rest in who God says we are while faithfully fulfilling our purpose.
How Did John the Baptist View Jesus?
John recognized Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” This profound declaration connected Jesus to the Passover lamb of the Old Testament – pointing to His sacrificial death that would free people from bondage to sin and death.
Life Application
This week, consider these questions:
Are you trying to achieve your identity through constant doing rather than receiving it from Christ?
How can you, like John the Baptist, point others to Jesus with both humility and boldness?
Are you making time to simply “hang out” with Jesus rather than always being too busy doing things for Him?
Challenge: Take time each day this week to sit quietly with Jesus, receiving His love and acceptance rather than trying to earn it. Look for opportunities to be a voice that tells others about the hope found in Christ.
Remember – you are loved and valued by Jesus before you do anything for Him. Let that truth shape how you view yourself and how you interact with others.
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!
