Teddy James
AFA Journal staff writer
March 2010 – According to The Barna Group, a research and resource group focused on the intersection of culture and faith, “Since the 1950s, mainline churches have fallen on hard times, declining from more than 80,000 churches to about 72,000 today.
While the number of churches dropped by 10%, the number of people in the pews has seen a much greater decline. The same Barna study stated, “In the past 50 years, mainline church membership dropped by more than one-quarter to roughly 20 million people.”
Changes need to be made. Changes not in the Gospel but in how we “do” church. Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay, a Christian retail chain selling literature and ministry resources, said, “The American church is far less evangelistic today than it has been in the past. In 1950, 1 person was reached for Christ for every 20 church members. Today, that ratio is an abysmal 1 for every 44 members among evangelical churches, and even worse among mainline churches.” The needed changes will not happen overnight. They will take time, perhaps the rest of this decade and beyond. In fact, changes are already being made in evangelism and discipleship.
Church in community
Jonathan McIntosh, pastor, speaker and founder of Rethink Mission, has some hope. He says, “Evangelism has begun to happen where it should, in the context of community. When non-Christians are surrounded by Christian community, they get to see definitively that the Gospel works. They get to ask questions and process their doubts in a place that’s safe for that kind of dialog.”
Kevin Mangum, pastor of River Point Community Church in north Georgia, concurs with McIntosh. “Churches that are most effective in reaching people for Christ in the 21st century are very relational,” he said. “They help individuals get engaged in groups of transformed individuals. When persons without Christ are surrounded by transformed people, they hunger for a relationship with Christ and life change themselves.”
“The church of Jesus is neither founded nor centered in America. Lee Grady, editor of Charisma Magazine, sees the church with a global perspective: “Let’s remember that the church is not just in the U.S. I spend much of my time with Christians in the developing world.
“The center of gravity of Christianity has shifted to the Third World. Those believers seem much more open to the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. You don’t build a church on miracles, but miracles definitely help draw people to Christ and this is happening in many parts of the world. Nations in Asia, Africa and Latin America, have churches that are growing rapidly. Christian faith is vibrant and growth has created many challenges. Meanwhile in Europe and in North America, faith seems to be cooling in many sectors. We are in need of a spiritual awakening.”
Evangelism in community
Mangum sees the need of a spiritual awakening as well. As a pastor, he feels it will best be accomplished by individual believers fulfilling the Great Commission. “I really believe the days of tricks and trends in evangelism are over,” he said. “This generation of people long for something that is real and life changing. The days of gimmicks to get people into church seem to be coming to a close. The ministries I hear of that are seeing people come to Christ and follow Him have moved away from programs trying to entertain people into the Kingdom. These times have forced people to move to something more real. The most effective ministries that I hear of have moved back to the Jesus and Paul model of life-on-life communication of the Gospel.”
Looking at church from almost a bird’s eye view, Rainer added, “One of the most significant trends in the church today is the growth in the number of multi-campus churches. However, it is too early to provide an analysis on the evangelistic effectiveness of these churches.”
Grady, with his broader view on the situation of church planting said, “In most parts of the world, evangelism is still primarily done New Testament style, through personal evangelism as well as church planting.”
Despite shrinking numbers in the U.S. church, Grady said, “There is a renewed interest in church planting and I see many new churches popping up all over the place, many of them led by gifted young leaders. Here in the West, forward-thinking leaders are also discovering new ways to reach people through new media.”
Ministry and technology have always had a strained relationship. Some churches are obsessed with having the newest product or best projector. Some churches mix projection screens and flat screen LCD TVs with something akin to rock music in an attempt to draw younger crowds. And while the role of media is certainly growing in the 21st century church, Mangum still focuses on relationship. “The most effective methods are the most personal or relational methods,” he said. “The least effective strategies focus on numbers and results that validate giving more money to the ministries but have no changed lives to look at to validate Biblical authenticity.”
McIntosh continued this train of thought: “Jesus said over and over that when the world sees the church acting as a loving community, people will know we are His disciples. The world will see that the Father has indeed sent the Son. Are we giving non-Christians safe ways to enter Christian community? Are we inviting them in as they are, warts and all? Are we providing avenues for them to process their doubts, fears, hurts and issues?”
“Here in the West,” Grady said, “we are so intellectual we often leave the miraculous aspect out of our faith. We like to do things by the book. But in the Third World today they are seeing the most effective growth because they pray, fast and expect God to heal the sick and cast out demons. Just look at the number of people who are coming to Christ in India and China today. The numbers are phenomenal.”
Ministry in community
Although most churches are aware of these strategies, many are still plateaued or even seeing their ministries dwindle. “While culture has changed immensely,” Mangum stated, “the church has not. For the most part, the church in general does things much the same way it did in 1990. Some churches still do things the same way they did in 1950. American culture has become much more visual, much less attentive, and far more technical. While the life-changing message of Jesus Christ should never change, the method of the message being presented must be changed if it is to stay the same. Churches that are attentive to these changes have music that is reflective of the culture, use technology to maximize communication of the message, and make worship environments as varied and as visual as possible.”
Rainer reiterated Mangum’s view on the Gospel: “The Gospel is unchanging. The Word of God is timeless, but the context in which many American churches find themselves has shifted dramatically in 20 years.”
But for those churches which are looking to meet the 21st century head on with all its unprecedented situations and even more evil to face than any previous generation, there is hope. Grady said, “Innovative leaders are using new media in tandem with church planting. By combining digital media with old-fashioned hard work, plus lots of prayer, you can effectively reach an area with a new church in very effective ways. Many denominations and newer church networks are discovering these strategies.”
But even a church that has existed for many years does not have to plant a new one. Mangum pinpoints what it takes to be an effective ministry: “Effective ministries build Christ’s kingdom and are only pleased when He gets the full glory. Ineffective ministries may boast big attendance, big budgets and big buildings but always lack life.”
An effective ministry is one that stands the test of time, results in lives changed and focuses on Jesus. The difference between an effective ministry and one on life support is simple. An effective ministry woos people, the ineffective wows them. Many churches attempt to attract visitors by having the biggest building or best speaker. The problem with this approach is that ministry must keep up the profile no matter what. When the ministry hits hard financial times and the world-renowned speaker leaves, what is the church left with?
The effective ministry woos people with the Gospel of Jesus. No matter the circumstances, the Gospel is the constant. These ministries do not emphasize any person other than Jesus. The pastor, youth pastor and worship band are not the central figures. The cradle and the cross are.
Jesus told the church in Acts 1:8 to take the Gospel to the ends of the world. He never told the church how that should look. While one congregation holds hymnals and sits in a pew, another holds a fresh Starbucks coffee and looks at a big screen. While one congregation meets in a white steepled church built 150 years ago, another meets in a leaky thatched hut built last week. Location and style are not to be the focus. Worship, reverence and devotion to God are. 
Suggested ministry evaluation questions
▶ Is this ministry focused on Jesus?
▶ Does it present the Gospel in the language of the culture?
▶ Does it attempt to woo or wow people?
▶ Is the emphasis on a pastor, a style of worship, a denomination, etc., or on the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
▶ Is your ministry open to the leadership of God’s Spirit, or limited by cultural or denominational tradition?
____________________
Writer Frank Decker summarizes 20th Century Welsh scholar C. H. Dodd’s definition of the Gospel:
▶ In the fullness of time, God sent Jesus the Messiah as the Scriptures foretold.
▶ He died in shame on a cross, bearing our sins.
▶ He rose again from the dead.
▶ He is now Lord, which He proves by His Spirit today.
▶ God’s kingdom will be consummated when Jesus returns.
▶ Our response: repent, believe and live as members of God’s kingdom.
Decker is vice president of the Mission Society in Norcross, Georgia, an independent sending agency. His column appears in Good News Magazine (www.goodnewsmag.org).
