Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 380

10 Reasons We Have Not Reached the Unchurched, part 2 (Reasons 6-10)

In last week's post, I covered the first five reasons we, as Christians fail to reach others for Christ. Today I conclude with the final five reasons.

A Desire to Be Tolerant — The message of the gospel, in some senses, is intolerant. The one true God insists there can be no other gods. He is a jealous God and leaves no room for other gods. In the post-modern culture of 21st century America, Christians should know the criticisms of intolerance will come. The great concern is that many Christians are unwilling to take a narrow view because they do not want to be labeled as intolerant. But Jesus never waivered in His insistence that He is the only way to the one and only true God. Losing the Habit of Witnessing — Some Christians have been very active in sharing their faith with the lost and the unchurched. But, for a myriad of reasons, they get out of the habit, and it no longer becomes a priority. Witnessing, like prayer and Bible study, is a discipine. It is a habit to learn, to retain, and, if lost, to regain.Lack of Accountability — Programmatic evangelism in local churches is sometimes denigrated because it is seen as a "canned" approach to witnessing. But one of the strengths of many of these programs is that some inherent system of accoutnability is built into the program itself. Accountability is likely to engender more witnessing attempts to the unchurched. Attempting more evangelistic encounters creates a habit of witnessing that then increases our zeal for evangelism.Failure to Invite — When is the last time you invited an unchurched person to church? When is the last time you offered to take a person to church, or, at the very least, meet him or her at church? It's a simple gesture, yet so few Christians do it.We Go to Churches That Do Not Reach the Unchurched — We only reach one person for Christ each year for every 85 church members in the United States. That is a frightening and terrible ratio. One of the key reasons we do not reach the unchurched is that most Christians in America are members of churches that do not reach the unchurched.

I've now covered ten of the most common reasons Christians fail to obey the Great Commission. This list is not exhaustive though. In God's power, however, we can reverse this trend and reach the unchurched in America.

Which area do you struggle with the most? Which area can you identify as one that can be easily improved in your life?

How Leaders Respond to Written Criticisms

Most of us are old enough to remember the pre-Internet days. Leaders during this earlier era were subject to criticisms, but the platforms of the critics were few. They could possibly write a critical book about a leader, but such an undertaking assumed that the criticized leader had sufficient recognition to write a book about him or her.

The more common written criticisms were newspaper or magazine articles, letters to the editor in a newspaper, or letters directly to the criticized person. Do you remember the days when people actually wrote letters?

The Internet Era and Critics

The era of the Internet and social media has given critics many more platforms to voice their concerns. In many ways, this era is good because it has given power to the individual, and holds leaders to a higher level of accountability. On the other hand, the new era has its downsides as well. Because anyone can blog, tweet, or write emails, the possibility of a critic railing against a leader with unsubstantiated claims is greater than ever.

Leaders can bemoan the increasing number of critics. And leaders can rightly claim that some of the critics play unfairly. The critics can often say what they want without any checks and balances. But such whining accomplishes nothing. At the end of the day, the proliferation of critics will still be a reality. All the complaining in the world will not change that fact.

What Leaders Say

Though I did not conduct a scientific study, I asked a number of leaders I respect how they deal with written criticisms. These leaders come from a wide variety of fields and professions. Some of them are publicly visible; they receive written criticisms frequently. Others are not as well known, but they still receive their share of written criticisms from various constituencies.

I also included some of my own thoughts. More than not, most of us leaders were on the same page. Nevertheless, I learned some key perspectives as I gathered the input from these leaders.

General Themes

I could list more than thirty insights from these leaders, but I have merged most of them into five major themes. Keep in mind, these leaders are sharing with us how they deal with written criticisms.

Do not respond immediately. Often our first response is emotional and not well thought. We write things we later regret. And therein lies the danger of this digital communication world. Once we write something online, it’s there for perpetuity. It’s difficult to completely remove something digitally once it’s posted. Some of the leaders practice the 24-hour rule, and will not respond for at least a day. Pray. I was encouraged to hear from a number of leaders that they prayed about their responses to critics. One leader told me that he not only prayed about the response; he prayed for the critic as well. That often changed his attitude significantly about the critic. Decide if any response is necessary. Sometimes the best response is no response, especially if the critic is unreasonable and unwilling to hear another perspective. In those cases, a response will just carry the issue further for many days. It’s tough for many leaders to remain silent. Most of them have a competitive nature, and they want to win the battle of the words with the critic. But sometimes it’s just not worth it. Discern if the criticism has validity. One of the more sobering moments of my own leadership is when I look at a criticism objectively and realize that much of what it says is true. On more than one occasion, I have had to respond with egg on my face and admit I was wrong. In the short run, I’m usually embarrassed. In the long run I’m thankful for the correction. If possible, call the critic. Many of the leaders told me that they would often call a critic. Much is lost and misunderstood in written communications. A few of the leaders even noted moments where they met with the critic face to face. Often times, it’s difficult to resolve differences behind the comfort of a keyboard.

The World in Which We Live

For most leaders, criticism is painful and distracting. It is particularly so in our digital world because the criticisms are sometimes posted for the world to see.

Leaders have no choice but to deal with this reality. It’s not going away. And somehow, in the midst of the pain, distractions, and frustrations, we can become better leaders by dealing with the written criticisms in a healthy manner.

Pastors and Time in Sermon Preparation: Some Good News

My book Surprising Insights from the Unchurched was released in 2001. Part of the research included an analysis of how pastors spent their time in a typical week. The amount of time they spent in sermon preparation was pretty dismal. I was able to demonstrate how greater time in sermon preparation correlated with key metrics of church health. I concluded that the relatively dismal time in the Word was a major factor in the lack of health in many churches.

New and Exciting Research

I commissioned LifeWay Research to conduct a new and updated study that included several questions asked of pastors, including the amount of time in sermon preparation. About 7,000 pastors in my denomination were asked to participate in the study; the total number who participated was 1,066, a healthy statistical sample.*

The research, conducted in April and May of 2012, was weighted to include accurate representation by size of church (in worship attendance) and geographic location of church. The results as a whole were exciting and encouraging.

Some Results from the Research

The change from 2001 to 2012 was dramatic. What a difference a decade makes! Admittedly, the two studies are not “apples and apples” comparisons; still the obvious trends are encouraging.

My 2001 study found that the average amount a time a pastor spent in sermon preparation was four hours a week per sermon prepared. Most pastors then were preparing two different sermons, so they spent about eight hours a week in sermon study and preparation. Now look at the numbers for 2012:

Amount of Time in Sermon Preparation Each Week

Less Than 5 Hours — 8% 5 to 7 Hours — 23% 8 to 10 Hours — 25% 11 to 15 Hours — 23% More Than 15 Hours — 21%

These numbers represent total sermon preparation time per week, and the increase from a decade ago is dramatic. Of the pastors we surveyed, nearly seven out of ten spend eight or more hours in sermon preparation. More than four out of ten spend eleven or more hours; and more than one out of five spend 15 hours or more preparing sermons each week.

I am encouraged. In past studies, I have found a correlative relationship between time in sermon preparation and church health metrics. The greater the time in sermon preparation, the more likely the church is to be evangelistically effective, have a higher retention rate of members, and have a higher weekly per capita giving.

Simply stated, when the pastor spends more time in the Word, the church tends to be healthier.

The Challenges and Opportunities

Not all the research, however, is glowing with optimism. Pastors of the smallest churches (1 to 49 in worship attendance) spend very little time in sermon preparation. That should not come as a surprise. Most of these pastors are bi-vocational; they have a full-time job outside the church. They simply do not have the time to put into sermon preparation as do their peers who are fulltime in their churches. Because we have so many (perhaps as many as 200,000 or more) bi-vocational churches in America, this area should be a focus and an opportunity for the future.

One of the other encouraging results of our study related to the age of the pastors. Those whose ages ranged from 18 to 44 spent more time in sermon preparation than any other age-related group. That means that our young adult, and younger middle age adult pastors are leading the way in this focus. Such a priority can only bode well for the future.

It is certainly true that many of the research reports of American churches have been dismal in recent years. Indeed, I have been a communicator of some of those discouraging findings. But we should pause and take time to celebrate this latest data. Our churches may not be where we want them to be. But information such as this gives us reason to hope. God is not done with our churches yet.

*In the months of April and May 2012, 1,066 SBC pastors participated in a survey asking a number of questions. The sampling was weighted to represent accurately churches by worship size and geographic location. The sample provides a 95% confidence that the sampling error does not exceed +/- 3.0%. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups

Pastor to Pastor is the Saturday blog series at ThomRainer.com. Pastors and staff, if we can help in any way, contact Steve Drake, our director of pastoral relations, at Steve.Drake@LifeWay.com . We also welcome contacts from laypersons in churches asking questions about pastors, churches, or the pastor search process.

Friday is for Freebies: Build Your Library

We're shaking things up a little this week. I am not choosing the book to give away; instead the winner will get to decide his or her prize. I'll provide any book (up to a $75 value) to this week's winner.

All you have to do is tell us what your favorite minor prophet book of the Bible is.

As usual, the deadline to enter is midnight CDT this Saturday. I will draw one winner from the entries on Monday morning.

Notable Voices (July 12, 2012)

The Secret To Creativity -- Ben Terry

With as many creative people as we have here at LifeWay, I see a myriad of techniques to foster that creativity. Some like complete quiet, some like writing outside, and others just prefer the ambient noise of the office. Ben reports on a new study showing how certain levels of noise actually help the creativity flow.

How All 50 States Got Their Names -- Mental Floss

Last week we celebrated the 236 birthday of our country. To celebrate, Matt Soniak compiled the origins of all 50 states' names. As one might expect, many are derived from Native American words.

Making Sense of Scripture's 'Inconsistency' -- Tim Keller

One of the main tactics used by skeptics to counter the authority of Scripture is trying to use perceived inconsistencies in the text to refute its authority. I thought Tim Keller does a nice job of explaining how grace and law relate in the Old and New Testaments.

Prediction -- Mark Marshall

With the recent release of some less-than-wholesome mainstream books and movies geared toward women, Mark explains the potential devastating consequences these will bring. I appreciate Mark's concern and appeal for the sexual purity and holiness for both men and women.

How to Fight Ministry Pornography -- Ed Stetzer & Jon Acuff

Six Keys to Getting Your Book Published

I receive more questions about getting books published that any other question. In the course of a year, I will receive personally over 200 inquiries on this topic. Our book publisher, B&H, receives thousands of inquiries each year; every other publisher does as well. It is an extremely crowded market where one among thousands ultimately becomes a commercially published book.

Is there any hope, then, for first-time authors to get their books published? I think there is. And though these six keys will not guarantee the publication of your book, they will provide you insights that the vast majority of would-be authors never consider. In other words, you will have an edge.

Key #1: Learn the world of publishing. I am surprised that very few prospective authors take the time to go online and study about this world they want to enter. Additionally, there are a plethora of books about publishing and style issues for both the Christian market and the general market. One of my favorite books is The Christian Writer’s Market Guide 2012 by Jerry Jenkins.

Key #2: Discern your best path to publish. The traditional path is to secure a commercial publisher who will edit your book, print your book, make your book available as an e-book, market your book, get your book in retail stores, and secure opportunities for you to speak about your book. Now authors have many more options. Many authors have self-published successfully. The advantage of self-publishing is that you make the decision to publish the book, and you have the potential to keep a lot more of the sales price for yourself. The disadvantage is that not all self-published books have the add-ons of editing, marketing, and retail placement as commercially published books. Still a number of self-publishing companies do offer more and more services a la carte, such as LifeWay’s self-publishing arm, CrossBooks. Also, more authors are selling their books as a download on their blog or other sites. Simply stated, you have many more options today than just going the traditional commercial publishing path.

Key #3: Find a niche. Your book must have some unique hook to it. While your biography may be interesting to a few family members, it’s unlikely that it will sell to the masses. And pastors who submit their sermon series are not likely to get published either. Take time to visit a bookstore to see what’s selling. Peruse the top books at Amazon.com in the various categories. Find a message that is unique but will have an appeal to 10,000 or more purchasers the first year of publication.

Key #4: Establish a platform. When I was a young author, the options for establishing a platform were few. You needed to be a speaker, but you were at the mercy of those who invited you. You could write in a magazine, but those options were limited too. Today, you can establish your own platform through blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and self-published downloads. If you can demonstrate to a commercial publisher that thousands of people are tuned in to your voice through social media and other channels, you have a good chance of getting published. In fact, more publishers are actually perusing the blogosphere to discover new authors.

Key #5: Write a great book proposal. Publishers don’t want manuscripts to consider. Most want a well-written proposal with one or two sample chapters. The best guide I’ve seen to writing a proposal is available as a download by Michael Hyatt: Writing a Winning Book Proposal. He has written one download for fiction and one for non-fiction. The cost is well worth the invaluable advice he will give you.

Key #6: Accept rejection. Don’t get discouraged or dejected if your book proposal is rejected. I just completed my 25th book to be released in 2013. In 1988 when I submitted my first book proposal, I was declined 17 times before a publisher took a chance with me. Though the book was not a New York Times bestseller, it did well enough to give me the credibility to continue writing. Don’t give up. Be persistent.

My keys are obviously not exhaustive. What insights can you offer? What questions do have for me about book publishing?

10 Reasons We Have Not Reached the Unchurched, part 1 (Reasons 1-5)

I am often amused when I hear myself identified as an expert in any area. If I am a perceived expert, it is because I have had the wonderful opportunity to listen to thousands of people over the past few decades. They are the experts; I am little more than an interested reporter.

Though much of this information could be regarded as dismal, my ultimate assessment is not that pessimistic. I believe in the God of miracles. If my conclusions focused on human ability and goodness, I would have little hope. But my conclusions presume the God of creation is on His throne.

For now, let us focus on what is wrong. Let us look with stark honesty and candor at the ineffectiveness of most American believers when it comes to sharing their faith. And in coming weeks, let us look at reversing the trend through God's power.

Spiritual Lethargy — One of the main reasons many Christians do not share their faith is simply explained by the word disobedience. Spiritual lethargy takes place when we fail to obey Him. The problem for many Christians is that they are not growing spiritually, and lack of spiritual growth inevitably leads to a diminished desire to share Christ with others.Growing Inclusivism — One of the faster-growing belief systems today is pluralism (all religions lead to God). A variation of pluralism called inclusivism is a dangerous doctrine that is gaining momentum in many American seminaries, Christian colleges, and churches. This view affirms that Jesus is the only way of salvation, but he can be found in other "good" religions. There is a subtle but growing belief among many Christians that somehow "good" followers will make it to heaven outside of a true Christian conversion. Our message will fall on deaf ears if this belief persists and grows.Growing Disbelief in Hell — At one time, this was a view held almost entirely by unbelievers. However recent books by those claiming to be evangelicals have brought this discussion front and center. Those who truly have a desire to reach the unchurched have a burden to see people in the eternity of heaven, but they also desire to see them escape the wrath of an eternal hell. Denying the existence of hell undermines the urgency of placing one's faith in Christ.Busyness — Perhaps one of Satan's most effective strategies is to get us so busy that we fail to do that which is such a high biblical priority. We can be deluded into complacency about the lostness of humanity around us. The unchurched are waiting for you to tell them about Jesus. They need to be on your to-do list. What priority do you give to reaching the lost?Fear of Rejection — In research on this subject, I found that only one in four unchurched persons we be resistant to faith discussions. But nearly four out of ten of the unchurched will be receptive to your concern for their eternity, and more than one out three will simply be neutral to your attempts. Simply stated, fear of rejection is unfounded. The few with an antagonistic attitude are not rejecting your personally; their anger is merely a reflection of something in their past. Fear of rejection is an often-used excuse by Christians for their failure to witness. And it is just that: an excuse.

Have you used any of these reasons not to reach the unchurched? How did you overcome them? What have you done to combat them in the future?

Seven Questions to Help Leaders Avoid Committing Sins of Omission

I confess. I shouldn’t have this nagging fear, but I do. I am sometimes haunted by the possibility that I failed to make a critical decision as a leader, and I missed the opportunity to make a difference in this world.

It’s easy sometimes not to make a decision, to let the perceived status quo become our daily agenda. Instead of becoming a leader who is a change agent, we become managers who carry out routine tasks.

Frankly, I don’t want to live my life in the world of “what if?” I don’t want to look back on this brief time God has given us, and realize that I failed to act or to make key decisions. I don’t want to be guilty of one of the most damaging types of sins, the sins of omission.

So how can we leaders make certain we are not seeking the comfort of sameness and committing sins of omission? What checks can we have to remind us that we must ever be vigilant lest we fail as a leader who acts and takes risks? I suggest we constantly ask ourselves these seven questions.

Do I take initiative or do I wait for an assignment to be given to me? Leaders who rarely want to make their own decisions or take actions on their own are not leaders at all. It is a comfortable place to be where you are not responsible for any of your own initiatives. But comfort is the place where most sins of omission take place. Am I constantly seeking ways to break out of the status quo? It is cliché to say that this world and culture is changing rapidly, but it is true. Those who attempt to hold onto to the way we’ve always done it will be left behind. The irony is that the status quo is no longer a reality, and those who attempt to hold it tightly are holding on to an illusion. Is my approach to leadership only incrementalism, or do I at least on occasion seek to lead major changes? Leading by incremental change is okay for most seasons, but there are times when leaders must take major risks. I love the oft-told story of Thomas J. Watson, Jr., and the introduction of the IBM 360. On April 7, 1964 IBM introduced the 360, the first large family of computers to use interchangeable software and peripheral equipment. It was a bold and courageous departure from the monolithic, one-size-fits-all mainframe. Fortune magazine dubbed it "IBM's $5 billion gamble." But the gamble paid off, and the world was changed by that decision. Am I willing to make a decision even if I don’t have all the facts? No one would suggest a leader make a major decision without good information. But many decisions must be made with some level of uncertainty and without all the desired facts. Ultra-conservative leaders who keep waiting for all the facts to come in usually have a good rear view of other leaders who have passed them by, Am I willing to accept criticism? You can play it safe and avoid criticism. In fact, you can join the legion of Monday-morning quarterbacks who take great delight in pointing out where risk-taking leaders failed. But those second-guessers have stopped leading when they make decisions to minimize the criticisms. Am I willing to fail? You can choose not to act, not to take initiative, and not to take risks. In doing so, you will not fail at a particular task because you have attempted nothing. But you will ultimately fail as a leader. Every true and seasoned leader can attest to some failure in his or her life. That is the price we pay when we lead and take risks. Do I really want to make a difference? If the answer is yes, there is a price to pay. I have briefly enumerated some of them. We can’t merely declare that we want to make a difference. We must be wiling to accept the pain that often comes with bold and courageous leadership. For the true leader, it is price worth paying.

We have such a brief time to make a difference in this life. If God has given you a place of leadership, consider that opportunity a sacred trust. Don’t live this life wondering “what if.” Don’t look back on key life points and realize you failed to act, that you committed sins of omission.

May the words God gave Joshua become His words for our lives today: “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9, HCSB).

What are some of the common sins of omission you observe in some leaders? What are some other checks we can have to avoid committing these sins?

What They See When They Come to Your Church (Part 2)

In my post last Saturday, I noted five aspects of churches most frequently mentioned by first-time guests. The five I discussed were limited to the physical facilities of the church. In this article, I look at four key areas other than physical facilities mentioned by guests. Though I cannot prove it objectively, the intensity of guests’ comments about these other areas tells me that they are more important than those related to physical facilities.

Four areas stood out in the responses of first-time guests. They are listed here in order of frequency of response.

Genuine Friendliness of Church Members

One of the more artificial moments in most churches is a time when the pastor or other church leader tells everyone in the worship service to stand and greet one another. All of the sudden doleful faces are transformed into a brief burst of plastic smiles and awkward greetings. Guests see right through this charade. They know that these moments of friendliness are not genuine if the members were not greeting guests and saying words of welcome before the pastor told them they had to do so.

Guests in your church are observing intuitively how friendly members are well before an official and perfunctory time of greeting takes place. Did someone speak to the guests as they walked into the church? Did someone offer to give a guest direction if he or she seemed to be looking for something? Did members break out of their holy huddles to speak to someone they didn’t know?

True Worship

Guests undoubtedly have their preferences regarding worship and music styles. But that’s not their focus when they visited churches. They told us about their perceptions if the members were truly in a spirit of worship. They could recognize immediately if the members were just going through the motions of a routine order of worship. They could tell if their hearts and minds were truly engaged in the music and the preaching of the Word.

Guests are likely to return if members are really worshipping the one true God. And they can distinguish true worship from perfunctory participation.

Humility and Transparency of the Pastor

In other works, I have written about the vital importance of the preached Word. First-time guests are undoubtedly impacted by a powerful message from God’s messenger. But that’s not what they typically share with us after they visit a church.

Instead, they notice if the pastor is genuine. They comment about his apparent humility and transparency. In simple terms, they want to see a pastor who is real. And many of them intuitively know if he is or not.

Joy and Laughter

Guests are observing members from the moment the set foot on the church’s campus. Is there apparent joy in their lives? Are they joyous in their interactions with each other? Guests often comment about laughter in churches, both in informal settings and in the worship services. They see that laughter as a genuine byproduct of the joy that is in the church.

Is your church a joyous place? Is their real happiness evident in the lives of the members? Is healthy laughter normative in both informal and formal settings? The answers to these questions often determine if a guest will return or not.

Are these four non-facility issues healthy in your church? What other factors do you believe to be important for a guest to return?

Pastor to Pastor is the Saturday blog series at ThomRainer.com. Pastors and staff, if we can help in any way, contact Steve Drake, our director of pastoral relations, at Steve.Drake@LifeWay.com . We also welcome contacts from laypersons in churches asking questions about pastors, churches, or the pastor search process.

Friday is for Freebies: HCSB Study Bible & Kingdom Man

The first item in this week's giveaway is the Kingdom Man DVD leader kit, a 6-session Bible study for men by Dr. Tony Evans. This study is designed to empower men to exercise the God-given dominion they were created for by giving them a Kingdom understanding, vision, and perspective on their identity and responsibilities along with practical steps on how to become a man who rules his world well.

The second is the black, genuine leather version of the HCSB Study Bible. This Bible has a retail price of $79.99 and features 15,000 study notes, 290 Hebrew and Greek word studies, 66 highly detailed book introductions, 62 maps, 27 topical articles, 20 charts, and 18 illustrations, all focusing on the most important topics and questions in Bible study.

To be eligible to win, answer the following question:

If you could only read one book of the Bible for the rest of your life, what book would you choose?

The deadline to enter is midnight CDT this Saturday. We will draw one winner from the entries on Monday morning.