Evangelism

Surprising Insights – Part #1

/ Steven Ruff / Leave a comment

Today, I am beginning my review of Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach Them by Thom Rainer.

This book is a research project. If you enjoy research, you will enjoy this book. Surprising Insights is about the formerly unchurched and their journey to becoming active in the local church. The goal then is to study what moved them to the church and develop strategies to reach the millions who were previously like them. The working definintion of formerly unchurched, according to Rainer is, one who has not been in church except sporadically, for at least ten years, but has recently become active in a church.

America is becoming an increasingly unchurched country as each generation passes. Chapter one gives the telling statistics. Only 41% of Americans attend church services on a typical weekend. In America, at the printing of this book (2001), it takes 85 church members to reach one person for Jesus Christ. I have a feeling that number is higher in 2009.

The bulk of this chapter covers nine myths the formerly unchurched destroyed about reaching the unchurched population. I have to admit, I have been guilty of believing at least one of these myths. I list them here for you to consider.

1. Most unchurched think and act like Anglo, middle-class suburbanites with no church background.

2. The unchurched are turned off by by denominational names in the church name.

3. The unchurched never attend church.

4. The unchurched cannot be reached by direct personal evangelism.

5. The Pastor must be a dynamic and charismatic leader for the church to reach the unchurched.

6. We must be careful in our teaching and preaching so that we do not communicate deep and complex biblical truths that will confuse the unchurched.

7. The Sunday School and other small groups are ineffective in attracting the unchurched.

8. The most important evangelistic relationships take place in the marketplace.

9. The unchurched are only concerned about their own needs.

Wow.

Fluid Plans

/ Steven Ruff / Leave a comment

surprising

I heard a quote the other day that stopped me in my tracks. It was very simple. It was something I believe that I already knew. The more I have thought about it the more of an impact it has. I pray that it always will. I intend to share this quote in a post at a later time with some application.

In the meantime, this quote has caused me to change what I am reading. Last week, I wrote that I was going to review the book Simple Life. That has changed. Instead, I have begun a reread of a book that I read a year or so ago. This book is entitled Surprising Insights from the Unchurched. I expect and believe this book will have an entirely different meaning. Also, I will be offering a review of this book as well.

Changing Faces at the IMB

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The International Mission Board has reported that Dr. Jerry Rankin, president of the IMB has announced his retirement that will take place on July 31, 2010. Dr. Rankin made this announcement while in Jacksonville, FL at the IMB Missionary Appointment Service that was held at FBC Jacksonville where 60 new missionaries were appointed. You can read about that service here.

Let me say that I have never met Dr. Rankin personally. I have heard him share mission messages and his heart for the lost at various convention settings. This man has a true heart for mission work and the lost. I am thankful that such a passionate and humble man had led our IMB fo the past 17 years. During his leadership, the missionary force has grown to what it is today. Here is how the IMB looks today. There are over 5500 missionaries, nearly 27000 churches have been planted in total, 101 new people groups have been engaged for a total 1190 different people groups being reached.

I have served on six short-term mission trips through the IMB to Honduras and Nicaragua. I have been impacted and challenged by Dr. Rankin’s vision for the IMB. As I have watched and participated in IMB ministry over the years, the IMB has had some real challenges. One challenge has always been present and will always be there. I am speaking of the challenge to take a message of love and hope to an unloving world. It is a call to take the message of Jesus to the unsafe and dangerous parts of the world. Dr. Rankin has consistently encouraged and challenged the Southern Baptist Convention to trust God above all else and go. We are seeing time and time again individuals and couples willing to put their lives on the line tht othes might hear. Amazing.

Another challenge that has surfaced recently is the decrease in giving to the Cooperative Program. As you may or not know, our missionaries are solely funded by the CP gifts from every SBC church and from the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. As a result of these tough economic times, mission funding has decreased. I have written about that here. Today, the IMB has candidates who willing, capapble, qualified, and approved to go the field, however, the money is not there to send them. Tragic.

I will be praying earnestly for our IMB. I cahllenge you and encourage you to pray as well. How can you pray? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Pray the IMB will seek a president that has a passion for the lost and that will listen to God as how to reach them.

2. Pray for the safety, security, and success of our missionaries already on the field worldwide.

3. Pray the funds will come available through increased CP giving to be able to send those missionaries who are waiting to go.

4. Pray that God will open a door for you to go.

A Pastor’s Reflections on VBS

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Vacation Bible School has ccome to an end. The screams and shouts of kids running through the halls and in the sanctuary are now a memory. Decorations have coome down and the once vibrant and colorful rooms and hallways have rturned to their traditional look. It is as if VBS never happened. It has been  an exceptionally long week. Longer than normal. I am a big fan of VBS and understand how important it is in the life of the church. Now than that VBS is over, I have a few observations I want to make from a pastor’s perspective.

1. Attendance: This is the criteria by which VBS is judged a success or a failure. Our average attendance for the week was 74. Our average was lower than in the past two or three years. I believe there were several factors contributing to this lower average. First, there were four other churches in our community holding VBS the same week and the at the same time as us. Second, I believe our low number on Sunday has to do with the fact that we started on Sunday. The kids who attend church were attending their church and the unchurched (those who were our focus) don’t normally come to church on Sunday, regardless of the event. Third, about Tuesday night I noticed that all of our kids that were enrolled in VBS were connected to someone in our church. There were no kids from the community in church for the first time this week. I was disappointed by this. However, I was encouraged that our people were active in inviting others to church.

2. Workers: I am thankful to all who worked this week. As  I mentioned earlier, it was a long week. It was also very hot. I am especially thankful to all teachers who worked full-time jobs and left work, came straight to church for five straight days. I want to especially mention and thank those who worked in the kitchen all week. During our VBS, we skip the Snack Rotation. Instead, we choose to provide a meal every night. Our kitchen workers come out early, set everything up, served the kids, and stayed until all was cleaned up. Thankyou.

3. Ministry: Anytime you have kids on campus you have an opportunity to be engaged in real, one-on-one life-changing ministry. I have to believe that is what happened this week. VBS is intentionally evangelistic. We are diligent to make sure that we communicate the gospel message all week long, not just on the night of the “evangelistic” lesson. With that being said, we did not have any public professions of faith this week. This is the second VBS in a row this has happened. I can not explain it. What  I do know is this. We are here to share a message and plant a seed, understanding that it is God that gives the increase. Real ministry takes place when you take time to listen to a child, talk to a child, and show love toward them in the name of Christ. This is what we did this week. If down the road a year or two, in God’s timing, a gospel presentation is given and they respond because of something that planted in their heart this week, then we were faithful to have done our part.

4. Sharing: Once again this year we had the opportunity to share and pass on the decorations we used to another church who needed them. The bulk of our props, supplies, and decorations went to two different churches. I believe this is a stewardship issue. Lifeway VBS material is not cheap. It does not make sense to speand all of that money and then store everything in a closet. One of the churches using our material was thinking about not having VBS at all due to a small budget and limited funds. I am pleased that we were able to help them.

Overall, we had a great week and look forward to what comes out of the efforts of this week. I again want to thank every teacher, worker, and parent who allowed their child to be a part of our VBS.

Toward a Great Commission Resurgence

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Today, Dr. Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church of Woodstick, Ga and President of the Southern Baptist Convention released a declaration entitled, “Toward a Great Commission Resurgence”. The goal and purpose of this declaration is a renewed attempt to unite all Southern Baptists around the common cause of a renewed focus on the Great Commission given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ. You can view the declaration at www.greatcommissionresurgence.com

I encourage you to take time and read the declaration carefully. Dr. Hunt has penned some very powerful, stirring, convicting, and challenging words for us as a convention. There is a place provided for you to sign if you are in agreement.

A Marriage of Evangelism and Relationships

/ Steven Ruff / Leave a comment

I am always intrigued when a secular newspaper writes about matters pertaining to Christianity, especially the Southern Baptist Convention. The USA Today printed an article recently entitled, “Southern Baptists Urge Their Members to Evangelize More”. You can read the article here. This article highlights the need for increased evangelism and the possible reluctance to do so, in the face of the North American Mission Board’s national initiative that begins in 2010 called GPS, God’s Plan for Sharing. I’ll write more about GPS later.

The conclusions drawn come from a pool of 15,173 people who were surveyed by Lifeway Research. The results of the survey reveal the top two ways that people today would be somewhat willing to “receive information” about Jesus. I was not surprised by these two conclusions.

63% would be somewhat willing to receive information about Jesus in a personal conversation with a family member.

56% would be somewhat willing to receive information about Jesus from a friend or from the church.

The reason that I don’t find these results surprising is that I strongly believe that relationships matter. I believe relationships build the bridge that carry the gospel from those who believe to those who need to hear. Ed Stetzer, the Research Director for Lifeway said, “Baptists like to talk more about evangelism than to actually do it.” That is a spot-on assesment.

Other outreach methods were presented and were not favored as highly. These methods included print advertising, notes on doors, billboards, radio, television, and door-to-door knocking. Here again, no big surprise. I can understand why knocking on doors might be the least favorable approach. The majority of people have a fear of being rejected that keeps them from this form of evangelism. There are others who do not feel adeqaute enough or feel as if they know enough to speak to someone on a “cold” visit. Above all, this article reinforced a principle we have all heard before. People want to know how  much you care before they will care about how much you know. Relationships matter.