Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 382

Evangelistic Churches and the MPI

What if you could look at the top five percent most evangelistic churches in America and find the common factors in their ministries? One of my twenty-year quests has been to take on that very challenge. My research, both anecdotal and scientific, has pointed me to several commonalities, but this latest discovery really excited me. Indeed I have found at least anecdotally one of those key factors that distinguishes the evangelistic churches from the others.

Defining the MPI

I call this differentiating factor the MPI: multiple points of intentionality. Here is the definition of MPI: The most evangelistic churches in America have three or more ongoing intentional evangelistic efforts. The key is that the local church does not depend on one, or even two, ongoing evangelistic efforts. Each of the churches I’ve studied has three or more.

Demonstrating the MPI

If my thesis is sound, churches should not depend on a one-and-done evangelistic approach; they should look to multiple points of evangelistic intentionality. Let me give you some examples of those points in the churches I’ve studied:

· Highly evangelistic small groups or Sunday school classes. Not just any small group or Sunday school class, but those that have a DNA to reach people with the gospel.

· Ongoing prayer ministries for the lost. Most of these prayer ministries pray for lost people by name. Most churches pray for physical needs of people, but not spiritual and eternal needs.

· Community ministries with evangelistic intentionality. Again, the key is that these ministries to the community are ongoing and intentionally evangelistic. An example would be the “adoption” of a local public school to meet the needs of the students, teachers, and administrators.

· A highly evangelistic pastor. The pastor is sharing the gospel with someone at least twice a week. The pastor also makes local evangelism a high priority in the church.

· An evangelistic Vacation Bible School. VBS is the single most evangelistic church program in America today. But merely having a VBS does not make it evangelistic. Again, intentionality is key.

· A memorized evangelistic training program. Such programs as Evangelism Explosion and FAITH have been key to moving churches toward a more evangelistic mindset. Those programs fail, however, when it is the sole or primary focus of evangelism in the church.

· Evangelistic service events for the community. Community ministries, noted above, or ongoing. Service events take place on a regular but less frequent basis, such as once a quarter. They do not include Christmas or Easter productions that tend to have minimal evangelistic fruit.

· Relational intentionality. Church members are trained and held accountable for developing relationships with those who are not Christians.

· Ministry evangelism. This category is broad. It includes pregnancy ministries, food and clothes ministries, counseling ministries, and others. With community ministries above, church members go into the community. With ministry evangelism, the community members come to the church to get needs met.

Doing the MPI

Pastors and other church leaders often ask me how their churches can reach more people with the gospel. It would seem from this research that multiple points of intentionality are key.

The MPI tells us at least two key truths. First, one evangelistic ministry does not make your church evangelistic. Sadly, over half the churches in America don’t even have one. Second, churches have different “personalities.” They don’t have to do evangelism like other churches. It’s more important to pick three or more evangelistic approaches that will work best in your congregation.

The list above is not exhaustive, but it does provide good examples. Is your church involved in at least three intentional evangelistic ministries? What are some examples not on the list? What is your church doing to reach more people for Christ?

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: Study Bibles

My giveaway this Friday is a pair of study Bibles.

First is the black, bonded leather version of The Apologetics Study Bible. This Bible has a retail price of $59.99 and features more than 100 key questions and articles placed throughout the Bible about faith and science which prompt a rewarding study experience at every reading.

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, tell us who it was that led you to faith in Christ.

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

Concluding Thoughts on the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in New Orleans

I just returned from a night of food and fun in New Orleans with my family. I held my grandson’s hand and watched his eyes dance with excitement. He was getting ready to ride a streetcar for the first time. I looked at my little fellow and realized I need to do all I can for his generation. I need to make this world a better place, and I need to be passionate about sharing the gospel so that generations to come may know Christ as Savior.

In yesterday’s post, I mentioned I was encouraged after the first day of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meeting. Today I am no less encouraged. Perhaps my grandson’s generation will look upon this convention with favor when they see its import and impact. We are far from perfect, but some of the actions and attitudes of the past two days do give me hope. Let me share a few of those developments.

Southern Baptists gave affirmation that we want to work together for the sake of the gospel. Two resolutions passed that sent that clear signal. One resolution explicitly said that we would cooperate even though some of us may have different secondary views on the doctrine of salvation, and we would continue to affirm the primary issues on salvation as articulated in the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. Another resolution took the high ground and affirmed the “sinners prayer” as a biblical expression of repentance and faith, while cautioning that a memorized incantation without a true heartfelt decision for Christ can lead to false professions of faith. The convention voted by a 53% to 46% margin to affirm that churches could use “Great Commission Baptists” as their denominational identification while others continue to use “Southern Baptists. “ The relatively close vote sent two messages. First, many Southern Baptists don’t want a regional denominational name to be a deterrent to evangelism and church planting. Second, an almost equal number of Southern Baptists value the history and heritage of our current name. I pray that those on both sides of the decision can see the results as win-win. All of the committees did an incredible job that is largely thankless. I was particularly impressed with Jimmy Scroggins as the chairman of the resolutions committee. He demonstrated wise leadership, diplomacy, and integrity. Bryant Wright did a masterful job serving as president of the SBC for the past two years. He is a fair and gracious man. Bryant and his wife, Ann, deserve our gratitude for their tireless service. It has been my pleasure to work with Bryant on many occasions, and I look forward to working with him more in the future. I am so thankful that for the recommendation and affirmation of Danny Akin to preach the convention sermon in Houston next year. As I noted in yesterday’s blog, there seems to be a leadership void left by the death of Adrian Rogers. Perhaps God is preparing Danny Akin to be that leader who will bring our churches and convention together for the sake of the gospel.

The hour is late and the body is tired. The SBC in New Orleans could have gone a number of ways. We could have departed more divided than ever. We could have been ridiculed by the watching world for majoring on minors. But, in my humble opinion, neither of those are the case. We still have a long way to go to see our convention and our churches head in the right direction for the gospel and glory of God. But, perhaps when we look back on the 2012 SBC, we will see not only the election of our first African-American president, we will see a point in our history where we truly made a turn for the better.

Such is my hope.

Such is my prayer.

Reflections on the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting

This blog has a diverse readership, including many who are not part of my denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention. Because we are in our annual meeting, I did want to take time to address those in my immediate denominational family. All other readers are welcome to listen in on this conversation.

Day one of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) meeting in New Orleans is over. Though we have a full day remaining, I wanted to give you some of my impressions from a high level. I will leave more detailed discussions to more able writers and reporters.

The big news going in was the impending election of Fred Luter as the convention’s first African American president. The big news coming out of the annual meeting will be his actual election. It is good that such an historic moment dominates the conversation. Until this moment took place, I don’t think we have truly been able to move from our past of racism and segregation. There is healthy conversation taking place about how big the doctrinal tent of the SBC should be. Much of the discussion has been between Calvinists and, for lack of a better word, non-Calvinists. To this point the discussion has been good without name-calling and ad hominem attacks. I pray that such an irenic spirit will prevail and continue. The SBC voted to allow churches to identify themselves as “Great Commission Baptists” or “Southern Baptists.” The new descriptor is an effort to move away from our perceived regionalism to a more global and missional name for those churches that choose to do so. I am encouraged by what I perceive to be a desire of most of the messengers to move away from matters of less significance to matters of greater substance. Indeed, I have had more conversations of that nature than anytime since I’ve been president of LifeWay. Southern Baptists will always have their opinions on almost anything, but the mood and the trend is encouraging to me. My final note for today is my high level of encouragement about the discussions, preaching, and presentations related to the Great Commission. It was articulated in a number of ways: reaching unreached people groups; sharing Christ personally; having an evangelistic church; and proclaiming the gospel in every sermon.

A conversation I had with several folks reminded me of a great need in our convention. Since the death of Adrian Rogers, the SBC has really not had a unifying voice to keep us focused on those things that really matter. Perhaps God is calling such a leader now. Perhaps we will soon see one or more key leaders rally the largest Protestant denomination to a true Great Commission focus.

After at least one day of the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, I must say that I am more optimistic than I have been in years.

Five Obstacles Facing Small Groups

Over the past two weeks, we've covered the five myths facing small groups as well as the five benefits of small groups. Unfortunately, there are still challenges and obstacles that hinder transformation in and through small groups.

The first obstacle to transformational small communities is that the transference of information is valued much more than life transformation. Biblical illiteracy is a problem in North America and even the church. But the work of a small group or Sunday School class does not end when the members can all find Thessalonica on the map in the back of their Bibles. The purpose of community must be to engender the desire and see the effects of transformation. Somewhere between biblical literacy and biblical minutia we find spiritual maturity. Knowledge puffs up and cannot be the goal alone. Transformation includes biblical learning, but it does not end with it.

Another obstacle to transformational small communities is that teaching is valued more than learning. We have already pointed out the danger of only recruiting the uber-qualified as leaders for classes and groups. The goal must be that people are joyfully learning, not that one person is happy teaching. Leaders should focus as much on application of the truth as the delivery of it. For small groups to be transformational, they should include monologue and dialogue. Leaders of groups should always have these questions in mind:

How well are members applying God’s truth? Where is each participant with the Lord?

Remember the agenda is Christ being formed in the lives of those involved in your small group.

The third obstacle to small communities is when they become a reflection of past practices. Churches with a strong history and tradition can be closed to deeper discussions and questions. They have done groups a certain way for years. The way is safe. The connection is important. Group life is a tool of God for His purposes, not an institutional expectation. Groups provide the opportunity to live life on life.

The fourth small communities' obstacle is a segmentation of the mission of God. The mission of small communities is not to teach the Bible only. Every expression of church owns all the mission of God. Your smaller community owns the mission of God. You have been called and empowered. The danger of segmentation is great. The smaller communities say that is not their role. Our purpose is to get through the study, they think. Instead, every small group could adopt a nation in the world or a people group. We are going to go. We are going to connect. We own the mission of God.

The fifth small communities' obstacle is a lack of intimacy. We use the term community freely, yet there are multiple layers of community. Community in a broad sense is achieved around common interests. The most concrete example of community is your local neighborhood. You may not have any significant conversations with your neighbors, even though you have lived on the same street for years. Normally if there is a series of break-ins on your block or another neighborhood crisis, you start talking to your neighbors. You now share a common interest: the security of your personal property. Although new friendships can begin because of the mutual interest and corresponding conversations, you only experience community on a shallow level.

The next level of community is critical for a smaller group to become transformational. The word is communitas. Communitas is a threshold or space where deeper sharing and conversations take place. The dynamic of a deeper level or threshold of sharing is not automatic. The smaller group becomes a safe zone where deeper questions and struggles can be discussed. The environment is relaxed and open. People can pray for one another in the moment. People can pray (and do in a transformational small group) beyond living rooms and meeting times. More conversations evolve outside the meeting. Actions and accountability take place.

What obstacles are small group facing? Are you developing true community?

Adapted from Transformational Church (2010, B&H Publishing Group)

President Fred Luter Jr.

Tomorrow the Southern Baptist Convention will elect its first African American president. Southern Baptists don’t like you to presume upon them, but I don’t think it’s any big leap of faith to declare that Pastor Luter will be elected.

By human standards, his journey has been unlikely. Fred Luter grew up New Orleans’ impoverished Lower 9th Ward. He was the third of five children raised by a divorced mother who worked as seamstress and surgical scrub assistant.

The Call to Ministry

When he turned 21 in 1977, Luter was in a terrible motorcycle accident. With a compound fracture and a serious head injury, he began to do some serious reflecting on his life. God used that incident to bring him back to serving Him.

Though he was working as a commodities clerk at the time, he began doing some street preaching with megaphone he dubbed his “half-mile” hailer. In 1986 he became pastor of the Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, a place he serves to this day. Today his church is a megachurch, and he is one of the most beloved pastors in America.

Personal Connections

It has been my joy to call Fred Luter my friend for many years. Many years ago, when I was serving as dean and on the faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the campus newspaper did a profile on me. I remember the question, “Who is your favorite living preacher?” I answered without hesitation, “Fred Luter.” My opinion has not changed in the fifteen years since then.

Fred and I seem to cross paths quite frequently. We seem to have a lot in common:

We have spoken on the same platform dozens of times. One of my greatest fears is following Fred Luter speaking. We are about the same age. We began serving as pastor close to the same time. We both married our high school sweethearts. Elizabeth Luter is one incredible lady. Fred served on the board of LifeWay Christian Resources when I was voted as president.

But the commonalities end there. In reality, I could never come close to comparing favorably to a man like Fred Luter. I have rarely known a greater preacher. I have rarely known a greater pastor. I have rarely known a greater family man. I have rarely known a greater man of God.

Simply stated, Fred Luter is one my favorite people. Period.

An Historic Moment

Indeed, it is a historic moment. The denomination whose roots are tangled in the destructive and poisonous weeds of racism now has an African American president. The timing is late, but the choice is right. And it is right that we note the historical import that a black man will lead our convention.

But Fred Luter is not only a great African American, he is a great man as well. One poignant moment remains with me, a moment that boldly confirms the incredible character of this man.

Shortly after the August 2005 devastation that Katrina brought to our nation, I found Fred in the halls of LifeWay. His church had been destroyed by the worst natural disaster in American history. Recalling his return to the church building full of Mississippi mud and fast-growing mold, Fred had to pause. Tears were flowing from his eyes.

“Thom, he began, “I just hurt for our people. They have no homes. They have no church. They have lost family. They have lost so much.”

The moment was powerful for me. You see Fred and Elizabeth Luter had lost so much too. Their home was destroyed and their lives were displaced. But there was not a moment of self-pity. There was no questioning of the will of God. Yes, there were tears. But those were the tears of a shepherd who loved his flock so much that he could hardly bear their pain.

Man of God.

Powerful preacher.

Great husband and father.

Selfless and sacrificial man.

And now president.

President Fred Luter Jr. of the Southern Baptist Convention.

I love you my friend.

I really do love you.

Three Questions Pastors Often Ask about Church Finances

“They didn’t teach me about church finances in seminary,” the pastor told me. “Now they expect me not only to be knowledgeable about it, I’m supposed to lead the church in finance and stewardship issues.”

I hear similar comments often. Through social media and personal contact, I have accumulated several questions pastors ask about this important matter. I am very appreciative of pastors, other church staff, and laypersons sending me these questions so I can get a good idea where the most significant gaps are. In this article, I address the three most frequent questions I have received about church finances.

What is the amount of personnel expenses that should be in a church budget?
First, I’ll give the simple response. Personnel expenses typically should not exceed 55% of a budget. But such guidelines are subject to a number of caveats. If the church has debt obligations in its budget, for example, those payments will reduce the amount a church can put toward personnel costs. The average personnel costs are about 40% of budget, but averages can be misleading as well. As a general guideline, however, I would say the broad range of personnel costs should be 35% to 55% of budget.
What are the sources of income for most churches?
As you would expect, the tithes and offerings are the dominant source of income for churches. About one-third of all churches have no other sources of income. But many church leaders may be surprised to know that, on the average, churches receive 13% of their income from other sources. These sources include investment income, ancillary ministry income (such as a school or mom’s day out program), denominational support, and rental income.
How can I know if the amount our members give to the church is healthy or not?
Begin with an average and work from there. The average weekly per capita giving (WPCG) in an American church is $26. That is the amount, on the average, that every adult and child gives to the church each week. To calculate your church’s WPCG, divide your average weeklyundesignated receipts by your average worship attendance (including children). For example. If the average weekly budget receipts are $4,000 (roughly an annual budget of $200,000), and the average worship attendance is 150, the church’s WPCG is $26.67 ($4,000 divided by 150). That number would be very close to the national average. The economic demographics of your church, however, could affect this number significantly.

Please feel free to ask any clarifying questions you may have regarding my responses. You may also have some insights you would like to share with other church leaders. Finally, please let me know what church questions you would like me to address in the future or in the comments of this post.

Friday is for Freebies: Subversive Kingdom

My giveaway this Friday is a copy of Dr. Ed Stetzer's newest book, Subversive Kingdom, as well as the Subversive Kingdom DVD Leader Kit. Dr. Stetzer is one of the great missiologists of our time and a leading voice among today's evangelicals. I am delighted to have him as one of our executive leaders at LifeWay and am proud of his commitment to serving churches around the world.

Subversive Kingdom is a personal call for Christians to reorient their thinking and lifestyle to match what Jesus described of His people in Scripture, while teaming up with other believers through their churches to bring light into a dying and darkening culture. Dr. Stetzer uses the parables of Christ to unlock the "kingdom secrets" that bring this mysterious concept within understandable reach, while urging Christians to turn this knowledge into practical, everyday, ongoing missions designed to set people free from lives headed for hopelessness.

The Subversive Kingdom DVD kit includes six DVD teaching sessions examining the parables of Jesus regarding the kingdom in Matthew 13 and the Bible study workbook.

To be eligible to win, tell us about the ministry your church is doing in your community.

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

Notable Voices (June 14, 2012)

My New Place of Ministry -- Sam Rainer

This past Sunday, my son Sam announced he would be transitioning to a new season of ministry as pastor of Stevens Street Baptist in Cookeville, TN. I'm thrilled to have him and his family moving closer to Nashville. I also thought the letter Sam wrote to his congregation at FBC Murray was a great example of leaving well.

Generational Values and Desires -- Focus on the Family

Since writing The Millennials with my youngest son, Jess, I've been noticing more and more research on generations. One benefit of these recent studies is that they affirm the findings in our book. This particular study by Focus on the Family again restated that generations are becoming more self-focused and less self-sacrificing. This selfishness affects marriage, parenting, and general healthy family functioning as well as overall life happiness and contentment.

The Best Social Media Tip I Can Give You -- Nathan W. Bingham

When it comes to social media in the church, many often assume the most important question is to ask "how." However, the how always revolves around the "why" of social media. That's the starting point. For churches, people, or businesses, the most important thing is to know why you do something before you figure out how to do it.

Church Busyness -- Shawn Lovejoy

This excerpt from Shawn's new book The Measure of Our Success: An Impassioned Plea To Pastors touches on the busyness of churches—something Eric Geiger and I discussed at length in Simple Church. With more than 30 years of ministry experience, I can attest that busyness does not equal effectiveness.

How Much Does Obesity Cost Employers? -- Column Five Media

Over the past year, we've emphasized physical fitness more at LifeWay that ever before. We've made great strides as a company to help our employees reduce risks of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other ailments common to obesity. It has been very worthwhile for us, and I pray more businesses, churches, and pastors would consider joining us in this effort.

Five Reasons I Avoid Writing Negative & Controversial Blogposts

This post has no agenda other than to answer a question asked of me from time to time: Why don’t I write more controversial blogposts? After all, it’s an easy way to get blog traffic. People always slow down and look at traffic accidents and fights in the blogosphere.

First, let me be clear that the way I write is my preference; it is not an indictment on how others write. Indeed, I am not trying to make this post controversial by implying that other bloggers have it wrong.

Second, I have on rare occasions written a post of a more controversial nature. I don’t avoid the potential of conflict altogether. There is indeed a time to have a prophetic voice. I just don’t desire to provide a regular serving of the negative and controversial.

Third, I believe healthy debate is good, particularly when we discuss such important matters as the Bible, theology, and the local church. Unfortunately, many of those healthy debates degenerate into name-calling and ad hominem attacks. It’s easy to be brash behind the comfort and security of a keyboard.

I have five primary motives for avoiding negative and controversial blogging as a rule. These five are in no particular order.

A controversial post often creates sides, dividing people who probably agree on most issues. Again, healthy debate is good. It is difficult, however, to keep our emotions in check when someone takes a position counter to ours. Thus an otherwise unified group can be become fragmented rather quickly. As a Christian I see one of my primary roles to be the building up the body of Christ. “So then, we must pursue what promotes peace and what builds one another” (Romans 14:19). “No foul language is to come from your mouth, but only what is good for building someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29). “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Divided Christians are a poor witness for the watching world. I understand clearly that many who are not Christians read blogs by Christians. Some of the blog conversations are anything but a positive testimony for the gospel. Negative and controversial blogposts can lead to more negative and controversial blogs. I spoke with a blogger who stopped writing negative posts. He saw his readership decline precipitously, so much so that he was tempted to revert back to controversial blogging. If you feast on writing controversial posts, you must keep the negativity going to keep the readership; otherwise it's famine. Negative blogging drains me emotionally and spiritually. I desire to put my energies into other areas. For me, life is too short to spend so much of my energy that I fail to give time to prayer, the Word, my church, and my family.

I hope I don’t stir up debate with this post. Remember, this perspective is mine and about me personally. It would be ironic if a blogpost about avoiding controversy stirred up controversy.

What is your perspective? What do you think of my perspective?