I’m Steve Lawes
Certified Church Consultant
Free Assessment
Not sure if a church consultant is really needed at your church? Use our FREE Church Assessment Tool to find out.
Certified Church Consultant
Schedule your FREE, no obligation, thirty (30) minute Zoom initial consultation.
Church in Decline? Plateaud?
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)
Church Health Survey (Learn about your church)
Effective Outreach Ideas (Learn how to reach your community)
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 Health Survey
A church health survey/assessment is a helpful tool that will give you information on the overall health of your church.
Effective Outreach Ideas
An outreach strategy is a specific set of tactics intended to ultimately attract new people to your church.
Church Consulting & Coaching
We offer a wide range of Church Consulting and Ministry Coaching Services. Our desire is to help pastors and churches thrive so that they are able to fulfill the calling that God has on them for their community.
Church Marketing
Think of church marketing as a tool to help people who are in need of what your church offers to be able to connect with you. We are not trying to sell something people don’t need. We are trying to connect them with the One who changes everything. Click on this link to read more about developing a Church Marketing Strategy.
Church Revitalization
Church Revitalization is the process of leading a dying or declining church back to a healthy place so that it can continue to carry out the calling and purpose that God has for it. Steve Lawes is certified in Church Revitalization with Church Answers.
Ministry and Pastoral Coaching
We offer a wide variety of Coaching Services for pastors and churches. For more information go to Church Encourager.
Disciplship Training
Partnering with the Jesus Moment Bible Institute and Seminary we are able to offer a wide variety of Discipleship Training opportunites for pastors and churches.
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 1800. 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.
Free Ebook - Nine Point Church Consulting Strategy
Recent Posts from Church Consultant
Kingdom Revealed Part 5
We are in a series called Kingdom Revealed and we are taking a deep look into the first two chapters of Genesis. The last few weeks we have been talking about humans as imagers. In the weeks ahead we need to talk about trees, rivers(water), mountains, and gardens. This week, we are going to start talking about trees.
Genesis 2:4–9 (NIV)
4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden was the tree of Life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Three things come out of the earth here—water, humans, and trees. Throughout the Bible, there are connections between all three and between people and trees and people and water and trees and water. Here is an example:
Psalm 1:1–3 (NIV)
1Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.
Since we have been talking about being imagers and the royal priesthood recently, let’s continue in Genesis and work from the royal priesthood into our discussion about trees.
Genesis 2:15 (NIV)
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
The description of the role of humanity in the garden is to “work it and take care of it” and is used in other places to describe the role of the priests and Levites working in and around the temple.
Numbers 18:7 (NIV)
7 But only you and your sons may serve(shamar) as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the service(abad) of the priesthood as a gift. Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary is to be put to death.”
Adam (human) was a model of the priesthood in the cosmic temple called Eden. In taking care of the cosmic temple, Adam was called to “work and take care of it” and was given the divine command.
Genesis 2:16–17 (NIV)
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Notice that God’s divine command begins with a generous invitation to enjoy the bounty of the garden. God wants you to enjoy Him and creation. That is His heart. It doesn’t start with what you can’t do.
Genesis 2:16 (NIV)
16And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;
Then, in the second part of the divine command, there is a prohibition.
Genesis 2:17 (NIV)
17but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
The prohibition serves the purpose of safeguarding the divine intent that humanity enjoy God’s own life in the garden.
Next week, we will be looking at the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This week at Keys Vineyard Church, we will also be looking at the connections between humans and trees, so make plans to join us in person or online.
Steve Lawes is a Church Consultant and also provides coaching for pastors, churches, ministries and church planters.
Kingdom Revealed Part 4
We have discussed being imagers for the last two weeks as we dig into our Kingdom Revealed series of Genesis Chapters 1 and 2. From time to time, we will move a little forward in the bigger story to make some connections, and we will do that now as we finish the circle of being an imager.
Genesis 1:27-28
27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
As we have looked at being created in His image, we talked about being an imager. Another way to say it is that we are a royal priesthood. This is what the Apostle Peter was saying in 1 Peter Chapter 2:
1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
The royal part is our vocation. God wants us to partner with Him to steward the creation, to make the planet like Eden.
The priesthood part is us reflecting the image of God to one another and the world. Here is the same concept in the Old Testament:
Exodus 19:5-6a (NIV)
5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’
Unfortunately, at the fall, we stopped being the imagers we were called and created to be.
Romans 1:20-23 (NIV)
20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
Since the fall, the problem is that instead of worshipping and imaging God, we have worshipped and imaged or reflected bits and pieces of the creation, which is idolatry. And when we worship something other than God, something happens to your image bearingness, your humanness. You start becoming less than the human you were created to be and live in a subhuman way. And the way that you realize this is that you do things that are less than fully human. That’s how sin happens. It is not just keeping or breaking specific rules. It’s worshipping one or more of these forces, and it keeps us from being fully human. Idolatry and sin go together. We swap the glory of God for something far less.
Fortunately for us, Jesus has come, and in Him, we are renewed imagers—more on this and a fantastic poem from the Apostle Paul this weekend at Keys Vineyard Church. We hope to have you with us in person or online.
Steve Lawes is a Church Consultant and also provides coaching for pastors, churches, ministries and church planters.
Kingdom Revealed Part 3
We are in a series called Kingdom Revealed, and we are taking a deep look into the first two chapters of Genesis. This week, we will look into Genesis 2 and talk more about being created in the image of God.
Genesis 2:4-7 (NIV)
4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Have you noticed that Genesis 2 is not following chronologically with Chapter 1? There seems to be a different order of things. This is an excellent place to have a think. Some people believe Chapter 2 is building on day six, some think it is building on day three, or some combination of day six and day three, but there are problems with all those ideas. Perhaps it is a more detailed description of what is actually happening in the garden. Perhaps Genesis 1 is the ideal, and Genesis 2 is more of the reality.
Anyway, make a note to have a think, and let’s continue deeper into Genesis 2:
Genesis 2:18–25 (NIV)
18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” 19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 Adam and his wife were both naked and felt no shame.
After all of the “it was good” in Genesis Chapter 1, now, in verse 18, we see a problem. It is not good for man to be alone.
Genesis 2:18-20 (NIV)
18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” 19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.
Could God have given the animals names? Yes. But as I have said over and over again, the heart of God is to partner with His human family to steward the planet. I also believe the picture here is that animals are presented in pairs to Adam, and Adam sees that none of them is the partner he needs.
Genesis 2:21–23 (NIV)
21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22T hen the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
In verse 24, there is a solution to the problem we saw in verse 18. Adam (mankind) was one alone, so God made him two (male and female), and then they connect in relationship as one flesh. One becomes two, becomes one. We will look at this and more at Keys Vineyard Church this weekend, so join us in person or online.
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.
“
“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!
