Proven Ways to Reach People

Sunday Sermons

Mark Dunagan
07/15/07 - Sunday Morning

With the Gospel

For years various surveys have been taken by religious groups in the attempt to find out what really appeals to either the non-believer or the professed believer who does not attend anywhere, what some call, “the unchurched” and how to attract them. The results of these surveys in the past have moved denominations to change their worship style, change their names, and alter their preaching. A recent book entitled, Surprising Insights From the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach them, by Thom S. Rainer challenges some modern theories and practices among the denominations.

The Name of the Church

In recent years a popular trend among the denominations was to get rid of their name and adopt something more neutral or one that sounds environmentally friendly, for example a name with words in like creek, stream, hills, valley, meadow, and so on. Yet Rainer writes, “For the most part, neither the presence nor the absence of a denominational name influenced the formerly unchurched’s decision to join a church” (p. 38). He quoted an individual who said, “The name of the church never really entered my mind…After all I really don’t choose a store because of its name” (p. 39).

· Paul simply said, “the churches of Christ salute you” (Romans 16:16). This is the best name for it is entirely accurate, the church does belong to Christ (Acts 20:28), and it is only offensive to the person who does not want Christ in their life. In fact, it is the most inclusive name possible, the name that everyone who professes to love Christ can accept, and others with a common faith can easily find us when they are traveling.

· Rainer notes as well that one effect that the name of a church does have on visitors is that an established name reassured the person that they were not becoming a part of “some wacko cult” (p. 40).

Personal Evangelism

Another myth that Rainer challenges is the idea that unbelievers cannot be reached by direct personal evangelism. This is the belief that visitors are turned off or offended by direct appeals to a bible study and the feeling that attempts to convert people must be done through the back door, that is, attracting them by offering day care for their children, or through some social interaction. Yet Mr. Rainer found in his studies that over 50% said they were influenced by someone from the church talking directly to them about their soul (p. 20). The question here is, “Do we want to attract customers or converts?” People who come to a religious group because of the activities and programs provided are often primarily consumers who are looking for the best deal. Jesus and the apostles placed the emphasis on direct personal contact, and message being the gospel (Matthew 28:19; Acts 8:4; 17:2-3).

Our Preaching

One popular theory is that we must be careful in our teaching and preaching so as not to offend people or confuse visitors with deep biblical truths. Yet Rainer found a completely different attitude and set of priorities among those who had recently joined churches:

· The survey found that the two most important factors influencing a person’s decision to join a group was the preacher and his preaching (90%) and the doctrine presented (88%). “The number one reason given for a choice of a particular church was the theological beliefs and doctrines of that church” (p. 21).

· In fact one person surveyed complained about her visits to area churches. She said, “You know what frustrated me most when I started visiting churches? What really frustrated me was that I had a deep desire to understand the Bible, to hear in-depth preaching and teaching, but most of the preaching was so watered-down that it was insulting to my intelligence”

· Another person noted, “We attended a lot of different churches for different reasons before we became Christians. I tell you so many of the preachers spoke with little authority; they hardly ever dealt with tough issues of Scripture, and they soft-sold the other issues” (p. 62).

· “Now we are hearing from the formerly unchurched that preaching that truly teaches the Bible in its original context is a major factor in reaching the unchurched…The formerly unchurched told us that they were attracted to strong biblical teaching and to understanding Christian doctrine” (p. 58).

· Of course such statements conflict with a number of theories proposed by liberal thinkers that people do not want any absolutes. Even though there are many people who are not interested in absolutes (Matthew 7:13-14), there are other people who are looking for answers. They want some certitude, and churches that have no sense of certitude in their preaching are not likely to grow.

· “One of the reasons the formerly unchurched were attracted to the churches they joined was the churches’ unambiguous declaration of absolutes. In a world of relativity, many seekers desire to know that a black and white reality does exist. The same clarity of absolutes that attracted the unchurched keeps them in the church” (p. 135).

· While fads and theories come and go, what we have learned, and what we seem to learn repeatedly is that God’s method, and in this instance, God’s insistence upon preaching the truth (2 Timothy 4:2) without deviation (John 9), is the best way to attract people who are interested in obeying the truth (Acts 17:11).

When churches forget about people who love the truth (John 7:17) and focus on people with other motivations, they tend to die or become more of a social club. Potential members who do not love the truth will never be that committed because their chief goal in life is something other than honoring God.

The Preacher

Some have felt that in order for a group to grow the person doing most of the preaching needed to be a dynamic and charismatic leader. This theory was not supported by the research. What was revealed is that a preacher needs to be humble, express love and patience towards those with whom he is working, and he must be passionate and convicted in his preaching.

Bible Classes

Another interesting finding is that many visitors, instead of being bored or turned off by bible classes are actually attracted by them. Nearly 70% of those who became members of a church were active in the Bible classes offered by the church (p. 47).

Friendliness

· Most all churches think they are friendly. “Most church members believe they are friendly when in reality they are friendly only to others whom they already know” (p. 96).

· Manufactured friendliness is almost as bad as being unfriendly. “Show yourself friendly and interested in them, not because it is expected of you, but because you are genuinely interested in leading them to salvation”.

What is Not Important

Rainer quotes from a survey by the Barna research group, wherein less than 20 percent of the respondents indicated that the following were extremely important in choosing a church:

· Variety of ministries and programs

· Convenience of worship times

· Music or worship style

· Quality of music

· Amount of music in service

· Length of the sermons

· Easy access to parking

· Location of the building

· The type of people who attend

What does Matter

· The sermon needs to have depth, order and conviction behind it. If preaching is so important to the spread of the gospel, then the preacher needs to study and the lessons need to be well prepared.

· A congregation without strong conviction that unbelievers are lost will not have a strong evangelistic outreach and will not grow. Thus, the belief that Jesus is the only way, that obedience is necessary to salvation, and that hell is real, are necessary components to a growing congregation.

· The manner in which one keeps the building facilities (clean or un-kept) and how worship services are conducted (organized or in a throw-it-together at the last minute approach) leave important first impressions on the visitors, influencing whether or not they will come back.

Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017