New in Town<\/b><\/p>\n
The first time I worshipped at their church About two months ago I signed the registration card So all of them would know<\/p>\n
That I had just moved into town And needed a little part Of the loving concern for each other That a Christian has in his heart.<\/p>\n
I checked the proper boxes To indicate my age My marital condition My sex, my spiritual stage.<\/p>\n
No one smiled or shook my hand When the services were through And Satan whispered in my ear \u201cSee, no one noticed you.\u201d<\/p>\n
But I stayed home each night that week In hopes someone would call It didn\u2019t have to be the Preacher Just any one at all<\/p>\n
Who cared enough to take the time In our dear Saviour\u2019s Name To bid a stranger welcome… But no one ever came.<\/p>\n
And then a thought came to my mind That I\u2019d like to share with you Why should I sit and wait for others To do what I could do?<\/p>\n
So, I joined that church and here I am… Tonight is \u201cvisitation.\u201d We\u2019re glad you came, We hope you\u2019ll stay And join our congregation.<\/p>\n
Ruth Gruennert<\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n
Statistics<\/b><\/p>\n
\u2022 65% of American churches are declining in attendance<\/p>\n
\u2022 33% of all traditional churches plateau at 50 members<\/p>\n
\u2022 Another 33% of all churches plateau at 150 members<\/p>\n
\u2022 It takes the average evangelical church 100 people and one year to introduce one person to Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n
SonLife Letter, Nov 15, 1994<\/p>\n
In the Name of God<\/b><\/p>\n
ABC presented \u201cIn the Name of God\u201d on March 16, 1995. Peter Jennings analyzed some of the growing churches\/movements in the U.S., and concluded with this question, \u201cAs these churches try to attract sell-out crowds, are they in danger of selling out the gospel?\u201d<\/p>\n
Community Survey Questions:<\/b><\/p>\n
1. Are you an active member of a nearby church?<\/p>\n
2. What do you think is the greatest need in this community?<\/p>\n
3. Why do you think most people don\u2019t attend church?<\/p>\n
4. If you were looking for a church in the area, what kinds of things would you look for?<\/p>\n
5. What advice would you give me as the pastor of a new church?<\/p>\n
6. Are you interested in getting more information about this new church?<\/p>\n
Surveys show that as much as 85 percent of church membership growth is made up of people who church-hop. Other surveys show that there has been no real growth in church membership in recent years; increase in some denominations is simply offset by decrease in others.*<\/p>\n
*Gallup says 81 percent of those who have changed are Protestant, and one out of four have changed faiths or denominations (23 percent). He writes: \u201cA superficial view of the statistics on religious life in America would suggest that there is little change over the decades\u201d (this, in spite of what he calls \u201cconstant denominational shifting\u201d) <\/p>\n
PRRC Emerging Trends (May 1991):1. The Body, Charles W. Colson, 1992, Word Publishing, p. 345<\/p>\n
Churches Ineffective<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cPollster George H. Gallup, Jr. says 70 percent of Americans believe most churches and synagogues are not effective in helping people find meaning in life.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the ongoing vitality of American religious congregations depends, in large measure, on their effectiveness in resounding to six spiritual needs of Americans as identified in his surveys.<\/p>\n
Consider the six needs he discovered in his survey: <\/p>\n
1. To believe life is meaningful and has a purpose.<\/p>\n
2. To have sense of community and deeper relationships.<\/p>\n
3. To be appreciated and respected.<\/p>\n
4. To be listened to\u2014and heard.<\/p>\n
5. To feel that one is growing in the faith.<\/p>\n
6. To have practical help in developing a mature faith.<\/p>\n
This is a powerful indictment of the tepid, culture-<\/p>\n
soaked style of church life in our generation. It is astonishing <\/p>\n
to discover that 70 percent of Americans are now disillusioned <\/p>\n
with the traditional church! I have been following this Gallup <\/p>\n
survey for years, and the trend of American cynicism grows with <\/p>\n
each passing year. <\/p>\n
(Gallup\u2019s report is in the 1992 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, Abingdon Press.)<\/p>\n
Cell Church Magazine, Volume 1, Number 4, p. 4 Houston Chronicle, August 29, 1992, page 3E:<\/p>\n
Love\u2019s Power<\/b><\/p>\n
Show me a church where there is love, and I will show you a church that is a power in the community. In Chicago a few years ago a little boy attended a Sunday school I know of. When his parents moved to another part of the city the little fellow still attended the same Sunday school, although it meant a long, tiresome walk each way. A friend asked him why he went so far, and told him that there were plenty of others just as good nearer his home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey may be as good for others, but not for me,\u201d was his reply.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause they love a fellow over there,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n
If only we could make the world believe that we loved them there would be fewer empty churches, and a smaller proportion of our population who never darken a church door. Let love replace duty in our church relations, and the world will soon be evangelized. <\/p>\n
Moody\u2019s Anecdotes, Page 71\u201372<\/p>\n
People Will Stay if \u2026<\/b><\/p>\n
90% of new members will stay in the church if: <\/p>\n
(1) They can articulate their faith (implies need for membership and evangelism classes).<\/p>\n
(2) They belong to subgroups (i.e. choir, Bible Studies, Sunday School classes, etc.).<\/p>\n
(3) They have 4\u20138 close friendships within the church. <\/p>\n
Leadership, IV, 3, p. 46<\/p>\n
America\u2019s Faith<\/b><\/p>\n
Things churches can do to build greater interest in religion, according to a Gallup survey: improve communication with members (21% of respondents); concentrate more on personal spiritual matters (19%); become more involved in community matters (18%); focus more efforts on young people (14%). Other suggestions include more social activities for church members, more personal contacts between clergy and families, including pastoral visits, less emphasis on money, advertise more, strive for unity, and stay out of politics. <\/p>\n
The survey was made for the book, \u201cThe People\u2019s Religion: American Faith in the \u201890s,\u201d a Gallup compilation of more than 50 years of public opinion polls. <\/p>\n
Figures in the book show a consistency over the years: about 94 percent believe in God, 90 percent pray, 88 percent believe God loves them, and more than 75 percent say their religious involvement has been a positive experience. <\/p>\n
Co-author Jim Castelli says he was surprised at the steadiness of the figures. \u201cThe percentage who went to church in the last week is the same today (42%) as it was in the \u201830s,\u201d he said.After surveying 10,000 people, the Institute for American Church Growth concluded that 79 percent began attending church after receiving such an invitation. Only 6% were attracted by the pastor, 5% by the Sunday school and 0.5% by an evangelistic crusade. <\/p>\n
Focus on the Family, July, 1984<\/p>\n
Group Survey<\/b><\/p>\n
A survey conducted by Group, the Loveland Colorado-based youth-publishing ministry, suggests that ministry to youth is a greater contributing factor to church growth than in generally acknowledged among church-growth experts. Eighty percent of the families surveyed for the report \u201cYouth Ministry: Its Impact on Church Growth,\u201d according to Group, said their church\u2019s youth ministry was an important consideration in their decision to join. A Group press release notes that, according to the American Institute for Church Growth, over 75 percent of lay people say they visit a church because of a friend or a relative. But the number-two reason families join a church, Group\u2019s research concluded, is the church\u2019s ministry to youth. The number-one consideration is preaching. <\/p>\n
Christianity Today, October 20, 1989, p. 43<\/p>\n
Like Ripe Blackberries<\/b><\/p>\n
Like picking ripe blackberries. During the summer of 1983 the blackberries on Whidbey island were thicker than ever before. It was an outstanding year, with gallons and gallons of ripe blackberries waiting to be picked. Conclusions: <\/p>\n
(1) go where the berries are ripe; <\/p>\n
(2) pick fast and furiously; <\/p>\n
(3) don\u2019t expend too much time where picking is slim; <\/p>\n
(4) unpicked berries rot and fall; <\/p>\n
(5) thorns can impede picking.<\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n
Dead or Alive<\/b><\/p>\n
\u2022 Live churches\u2019 expenses are always more than their income; dead churches don\u2019t need much money!<\/p>\n
\u2022 Live churches have parking problems; Dead churches have empty spaces!<\/p>\n
\u2022 Live churches may have some noisy children; Dead churches are quiet as a cemetery.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Live churches keep changing their ways of doing things; Dead churches see no need for change!<\/p>\n
\u2022 Live churches grow so fast you can\u2019t keep up with people\u2019s names; In dead churches everybody always knows everybody\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Live churches strongly support world missions; Dead churches keep the money at home!<\/p>\n
\u2022 Live churches are full of regular, cheerful givers; Dead churches are full of grudging tippers!<\/p>\n
\u2022 Live churches move ahead on prayer and faith; Dead churches work only on sight!<\/p>\n
\u2022 Live churches plant daughter churches; Dead churches fear spending the money, time, and talent!<\/p>\n
\u2022 Live churches outgrow their Sunday School facilities; Dead churches have room to spare!<\/p>\n
\u2022 Live churches welcome all classes of people; Dead churches stick to their own kind!<\/p>\n
\u2022 Live churches\u2019 members read their Bibles and bring them to church; Dead churches\u2019 members seldom do!<\/p>\n
\u2022 Live churches\u2019 members enthusiastically support the ministries; Dead churches have no ministries\u2014only functions! <\/p>\n
\u2022 Live churches\u2019 members look for someone they can help; Dead churches\u2019 members look for something to complain about!<\/p>\n
\u2022 Live churches\u2019 members reach out to share their faith in Christ; Dead churches\u2019 members don\u2019t have enough to share!<\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New in Town The first time I worshipped at their church About two months ago I signed the registration card So all of them would know That I had just moved into town And needed a little part Of the loving concern for each other That a Christian has in his heart. I checked the … Continue reading “Church Growth”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=482"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}