Lessons from Those Who Reach the Lost (Part 2)
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Sun, October 24, 2004
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- (4) comments so far
While some church leaders debate the best type of small group, most of them agree that some type of small-group organization must be in place both to reach and to assimilate the unchurched. A number of church leaders viewed their small-group organization as indispensable in reaching the unchurched. And while more leaders in our study favored Sunday schools as their primary expression of small groups, most of them saw the outreach potential of numerous kinds of groups.
Lesson 9: Reaching people in crisis
One factor is certain about the leaders of these churches that reach the unchurched: they are highly creative in their attempts to reach the unchurched. A Baptist church in West Virginia has a hospital ministry to new mothers, an attempt to reach these young families in their "positive crisis." A West Coast Evangelical Free Church has reached more unchurched through its crisis pregnancy ministry than any another approach. And a Wesleyan church in the Midwest offers its beautiful sanctuary to prospective newlyweds at a very modest fee -- but only if they agree to four sessions of premarital counseling.
Lesson 10: Reaching the unchurched through quality childcare
We received mixed opinions from the church leaders about the effectiveness of a "mom's day out," a day care or a five-day preschool as an evangelistic tool. Some leaders indicated that these ministries typically lose their evangelistic focus and cater to Christians only. Others said the ministries tend to become a tail wagging the dog. But still some said that, with highly intentional efforts, these weekday ministries can be evangelistically effective.
Lesson 11: Focus evangelistic efforts on children and youth
Our research team's studies indicate that 81 percent of those who accept Christ do so before the age of 20. Whether this number is an indicator of receptivity to the gospel at a young age or the ineffectiveness of the church to reach adults, the case for focusing evangelistic resources on young people is compelling.
Lesson 12: Use a discovery class to reach the unchurched
In a previous study, our research team found that new members' classes were highly effective tools in closing the back door. Many leaders of the effective churches told us that they use these classes for dual purposes: entry into membership and an inquiry class for prospective members including the unchurched. Such an approach makes sense in light of the strong desire of the formerly unchurched to learn doctrine, to know more about the church, and to learn biblical issues. While some leaders of churches created two separate classes, almost all of those we interviewed indicated the ease by which one class can be used for two purposes.
Lesson 13: Find an evangelistic leader
"I have been the senior pastor of four churches in 32 years," the Southern Baptist pastor from Texas told us. "In every church, I've looked for and prayed for someone who is passionate about evangelism. God has answered my prayers. And when you turn that person loose, the gates of hell begin to fall." Four out of ten pastors we interviewed indicated that through an intentional process or by an unsought blessing, an evangelistic leader has emerged. "You wouldn't believe the difference it makes in the church," the pastor told us, "when you have both the pastor and a key layperson being evangelistic champions."
Lesson 14: Marketing tools alone are ineffective
I frequently come in contact with people whose primary vocation is to sell marketing tools to churches. Their products are quality products: direct-mail pieces, visitor cards and response letters, to name a few. And every marketing person whom I have met tells prospective purchasers that such tools are to be used in conjunction with a comprehensive evangelistic strategy. Still some church leaders think neat, well-packaged marketing tools are all they need to reach the unchurched. Even some of the leaders of the effective churches confessed their own mistakes of depending on marketing tools alone.
Lesson 15: Patience is required
We rarely met or interviewed church leaders who said their churches' growth was easy. Many expressed to us their seasons of dryness, growth plateau or decline, and frustration. We heard stories of how a number of these leaders felt like they could not continue in their place of ministry. Yet those who remained faithful and persistent in their places of ministry told us about breakthroughs on some occasions and slow but steady growth at other times.
Dr. Rainer concludes...
Reaching the unchurched world, they said, is hard work. It requires a life of prayer and an evangelistic spirit. It also requires leadership skills. Many of the church leaders shared with us that they found themselves ill equipped to lead their churches. Leadership is vital, they said, but many were not prepared.
Your thoughts? How is your church doing? I'd love to hear your comments and first impressions of what Dr. Rainer said. Click the comments link below to leave your feedback.
Also... you can read the full article now at ChurchCentral.com by clicking here now...
Last week, we looked at some of Dr. Thom Rainer’s fresh research on ‘ breakout churches’ . Today, we’ll continue that discussion with the remainder of the 15 lessons that his research has learned about those who are aggressively reaching the lost. Here are eight more lessons that emerged from the results of interviews with at least 101 church leaders. Dr. Rainer summarized: From their personal authenticity to their refusal to compromise the essentials, there is a lot we can learn from leaders who reach the lost.
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phill on Mon, October 25, 2004
I would like to get a conversation going with people who use crisis as a point of entry…we use support groups to attract people…
David on Mon, October 25, 2004
Celebrate Recovery is intentionally meeting people at the point of their needs, in the midst of crisis and helping them overcome it.
Bernie Dehler on Mon, October 25, 2004
Article says:
“Yet those who remained faithful and persistent in their places of ministry told us about breakthroughs on some occasions and slow but steady growth at other times.”
This is always comforting to hear. We sometimes think we have to be “big” to be successful—maybe obedience and diligence would be more highly valued than “numbers.”
Anyway, is it really about us and a reflection of what we do, or is it about being faithful and letting God work through us… The harder we try, the easier it is to not depend on God to work. We still need to work smart and hard, but also pray and be open for the Holy Spirit to do his work—making it a “supernatural” thing…
Is the goal to become a megachurch? How about rather, focus on spritiual growth and building stronger individuals, whether in small groups, church plants, etc. It’s harder to measure than shear numbers, and thus harder to boast about, but I think we need to look more at the “inside.”
...Bernie
http://www.FreeGoodNews.com
Dan Moore on Mon, October 25, 2004
If you want a big church - go to a big city. If numbers are your motivation - go to an urban area. Size is all relative. I have two pastor friends out west - one in Wyoming and one in Kansas. Both are in counties with a population of less than 8,000. They pastor flocks of 100-150.
I live in a county of 80,000. Only a handful of churches exceed 200 in attendance or membership. Three of the large ones are contemporary, one is blended and the remainder are traditional. All have used small groups with very limited success. Sunday School seems to be the small group of choice.
Developing relationships is the number one outreach in this region. Generally, it is people reaching co-workers and those with similar interests (sports, hobbies, etc).
Just old fashion, “I’m going to church next Sunday. Would you like to come with me?” is a fine method as well.
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