Mark 12:29-31
Building a Great Church
Introduction – The Keys to Attracting the Unchurched
(This article was written by Thom Ranier. I only quoted parts of this in the introduction.)
We recently conducted a study of formerly unchurched Americans. What made them come to a church? What made them stay? The answers to these questions gave us insight into the mind of an unchurched person, and gave us guidance in reaching them more effectively.
What Makes Them Come?
We found that the reasons the formerly unchurched chose a particular church were complex. But while the teaching and doctrine of the pastor are a leading factor for selecting a church, relationships play a key role in helping the unchurched make their initial church visit.
We found that almost four out of ten of the formerly unchurched indicated that family members were important in their choosing a church. Another one of four said that relationships other than family members brought them to church. That means that 73 percent (48 percent plus 25 percent) of those we interviewed told us about the importance of a relationship in their choosing a church. Although our study affirms how important relationships are in reaching the unchurched, it indicates that other factors as important or more important are at work. We call this “relationships plus.”
Living Example of “Relationships Plus”
Tammy D. is a fairly new Christian; she accepted Christ four months prior to our interview. Due to a crisis in her life, Tammy was looking for relief and answers. She started looking for a church (even though she rarely had attended church in her lifetime). Like many unchurched people, Tammy chose Easter Sunday as her day of entry into the church.
The week after Easter another major crisis took place in Tammy’s life. That same evening the pastor and a woman from the church visited her, unaware that Tammy’s husband had died earlier in the day.
“Their visit was like seeing two angels walk through the door,” Tammy reflected. Shortly after the funeral the same woman from the church asked Tammy to lunch.
Tammy, though a new Christian, was hesitant to go to a church on a regular basis. “Look,” she said, “I knew very little about church. It just wasn’t the life I was used to."
That problem was solved when she discovered that a friend had started attending the same church. “I felt braver going with a friend,” Tammy told us. They continued to attend as they found the church members to be extremely friendly .
But what sealed Tammy’s decision to join the church was the pastor’s preaching. “His sermons are deep but easy to understand. He is always able to hold my attention,” she related.
So, what is the main factor that moved Tammy from the unchurched to the churched? Here are a few to consider:
• Several crises in her life
• The in-home visit of the pastor and church member
• The big event of the Easter service
• The personal evangelistic witness of a church member
• The relationship of a friend
• The friendliness of the church members
• The preaching of the pastor
True, Tammy’s story is not typical, but then again, we rarely spoke to any of the formerly unchurched who had a “typical” story. We cannot offer simple explanations to describe the pilgrimage of a person from the ranks of the unchurched to the churched. But, we can see that in most cases, several factors are at work.
Relationships Are Only Part of the Answer
While the appeal of a pastor or relationships are key to bringing someone in the door of a church. The reasons people stay at a church are very different. Our study asked, “What kept you involved in a church?” We found that a combination of ministry involvement, Sunday School and obedience to God topped the list of reasons why they stayed active at the church. Again, while we can’t discount the value of fellowship, the formerly unchurched told us that their service and ministry in the church kept them coming back each week more than any other factor. Relationships will bring people in the door, good preaching will influence church selection, but connection through volunteer ministry is the most important long term factor for maintaining church involvement.
Adapted from “Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach Them” by Thom Rainer. Copyright 2001 by Thom Rainer. Used by permission of Zondervan (zondervan.com).
Rainer is Dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth.
--Outreach magazine, "Surprising Insights," Spring 2002
As pastors, we often struggle in leading and pastoring the flock God has given us. The call He has given is NOT to be successful in man’s eyes but FAITHFUL in God’s eyes! He is the only One we are meant to please. Having said that, let’s know that…
We must model a Great Commandment Mark 12:29-31
Our faithfulness in God’s work is to be faithful to Him. We should never want to do anything to shame or humiliate His Name! He tells in the Great Commandment to do two things.
Loving God supremely
We are to love God supremely! We are to place Him first in every aspect of our lives. Not number to like Avis and Hertz. Numero uno!
Loving Others completely
Second, we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. We do this by loving them completely, regardless of their color or socio-economic makeup! God loves them and so should we!
Illustration – Love Your Neighbor
Mary Ann Dennis was walking her bull mastiff, Buz, in New York City’s Riverside Park when an elderly man told her, “That guy robbed me.” The suspect, in black jeans and tank top, was fleeing.
Dennis urged the victim to help her follow the robber, but the man couldn’t run. So five-foot-two Dennis went it alone. With Dennis and Buz in pursuit, the suspect raced out of the park, ran one block and hailed a cab.
“I was screaming and waving my hands,” Dennis says, “but a taxi picked him up.”
Dennis kept running. Just as she was losing hope, a white van pulled up beside her. After she explained the situation, the driver said, “Get in!”
When they caught up with the cab, its passenger was gone. The cabby told Dennis the man had fled toward Broadway. She and Buz picked up the chase on foot. Spotting her quarry hopping into another cab, Dennis leaped in front of it, shouting, “Stop! That man robbed somebody.” The thief jumped out and threatened Dennis before running to a third taxi. Dennis jumped in front just before the traffic light changed. Within moments the police arrived and handcuffed the suspect, who was charged with third-degree robbery and criminal possession of stolen property.
Would Dennis do it again? “Definitely! Jesus said love your neighbor as yourself. If the whole world lived that way, this wouldn’t be a cold city.” Debra McGrath-Kerr and Dick Sheridan in New York Daily News, Reader’s Digest, January 1996, pp. 89-90.
The best human definition I have ever heard of love was, “Love is an unconditional commitment to an imperfect person.” Loving others without asking anything in return is loving God through others.
Second…
We must mind…A Great Commission Mt 28: 18-20
We have been given a Great Commission! This commission is to share Jesus with everyone. Hell is hot, eternity is long and there are no second chances!
Our Availability
I have seen many “able” men but many of them are unavailable in God’s work. Do you make yourself available to share His message?
His Authority
ALL authority has been handed to Him by the Father! Jesus accomplished His mission (the cross) and has handed the torch (evangelism) to us. There is no Plan B. since all authority has been given to Him let’s get to work trusting and obeying Him.
Every Christian’s Responsibility
It is every Christians responsibility to share that message. If we have been saved and changed then we should want to honor the One who loves us so. Are you doing your part?
Our purpose as Christians is to MAKE DISCIPLES! We do this by Going, Baptizing, and Teaching the message of Jesus Christ! The wages of sin is STILL death but the gift of God is eternal life!
Ill – New study – Many Paths to heaven
Most American religious believers, including most Christians, say eternal life is not exclusively for those who accept Christ as their savior, a new survey finds. Of the 65% of people who held this open view of heaven’s gates, 80% named at least one non-Christian group—Jews, Muslims, Hindus, atheists or people with no religion at all—who may also be saved, according to a new survey released December 18 by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. This means 52% of Christians do not agree with the doctrines many religions teach, particularly conservative denominations. This is the second study on the topic of salvation by Pew Forum, who re-addressed the issue after pastors, theologians and Christian commentators complained the questions in the last study were too vague. The results of the second, more specific study reinforce the original finding that "Americans really are thinking quite broadly," says Pew Research fellow Greg Smith. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, calls the findings "a theological crisis for American evangelicals. They represent at best a misunderstanding of the Gospel and at worst a repudiation of the Gospel. Overall, the new findings are an indictment of evangelicalism and evangelical preaching. The clear Biblical teaching is that Jesus Christ proclaimed himself to be the only way to salvation." USA Today, 12/18/08.
Finally…
We must make a Great Commitment Mark 8:34
It has been stated, “Commitment is a means to express gratitude, not to win entrance into heaven.” How committed are you in God’s blueprint for your life?
Denial
Jesus repeatedly insists that we must deny ourselves. This infers that our all belongs to Him. Forget what the world offers: HD TV’s, larger and more prestigious jobs or ministries. Keep your eyes on Him.
Death
Dying to self is living for Christ. It is placing yourself on the altar as a living sacrifice.
Devotion
And then keep a solid and complete devotion to Him. Nothing is better than being faithful to the One who died for us!
Illustration - Found Not Guilty
On May 2, 1962, a dramatic advertisement appeared in the San Francisco examiner: “I don’t want my husband to die in the gas chamber for a crime he did not commit. I will therefore offer my services for 10 years as a cook, maid, or housekeeper to any leading attorney who will defend him and bring about his vindication.” One of San Francisco’s greatest attorneys, Vincent Hallinan, read or heard about the ad and contacted Gladys Kidd, who had placed it. Her husband, Robert Lee Kidd, was about to be tried for the slaying of an elderly antique dealer. Kidd’s fingerprints had been found on a bloodstained ornate sword in the victim’s shop.
During the trial, Hallinan proved that the antique dealer had not been killed by the sword, and that Kidd’s fingerprints and blood on the sword got there because Kidd had once toyed with it while playfully dueling with a friend when they were both out shopping. The jury, after 11 hours, found Kidd to be not guilty.
Attorney Hallinan refused Gladys Kidd’s offer of 10 years’ servitude.
From the Book of Lists #2, p. 157
Jesus had our sins imputed or placed upon Him. His righteousness is placed upon us the moment we repent of our sins and turn to Him in faith. Jesus satisfied the ransom and we are found NOT GUILTY!
