Transcript Slide 1

David Schoen
Evangelism Ministry Team
Local Church Ministries
United Church of Christ
Including material used with
permission from Rick Morse,
V.P. New Church Ministry,
Christian Church (DOC)
Church Extension © 2007
All rights reserved
IT‘S A WHOLE NEW
WORLD
Taxes
done in India
McDonalds
order taken 2 states
away
Hundreds
of marketing choices
in any area
Instant
communication
44% of
Christians change
traditions/denominations
60-80% Unchurched
Congregational life has
changed too:
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Mimeograph
Yellow pages
Volunteers
Hospital visits
Organ
Stairs
Committees
Budgets
Churches are stressed today:
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Sustainability levels
Generational
Challenges
Population shift
Birth rates
Numerous cultural
factors
Sustainability Levels
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1930: 30 AWA
2000: 130 AWA
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Factors leading to
growing sustainability
factor:
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Health Insurance & other
benefits
Higher cost of construction
Utility costs
Lack of volunteers
BASICALLY EVERYTHING
More generations today than ever…
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Gen Z (0-6)
Millennials (7-26)
Survivors (27-43)
Boomers (44-62)
Silents (63-80)
Builders (81+)
Each generation has
unique events that
formed it, and a
different view of life.
For church development purposes we
tend to think of two main cohorts:
Boomer +
The rest of
those
youngsters…
Dominant values and behaviors of
older boomers and older groups
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Whatever is right for the group is right for me
Appreciate sameness (i.e. Traditional liturgy)
Committee structures that are tried and true
Deferred pleasure until you have what you need
to make the purchase
Spirituality of place
Organize as a group to form a block (tenacious
about position)
Circle the wagons; get people on your team to
protect what’s important
35% of the US
Get it done!
Population
Dominant behaviors of young
boomers and younger groups:
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Ask first, what is good for the individual
Individualized style and differentiation
Appreciate Difference/multiple choices
Trained to look for segments of population so
that one size never fits all
See themselves as the correctors of the previous
generations
Spirituality of journey…find spiritual insight
wherever they are and in relationship, not
primarily place
65% of the US
Population
Tribal
Churches didn’t use to worry
about generations…
A few
transplants
Founders
Their
children
Grandchildren &
families
Stephen Compton
Many Churches have Lost a
generation or 2:
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Churches do not anticipate
loosing youth…(even though that
has been the pattern for 40
years)
Young adults report:
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Relocation after college or school
Difficulty in assimilation because
church style
IF they visit—little generational
affinity
Most mainline youth become
unchurched
Roof and McKinney
Another part of the issue is
“membership orientation”
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Pay dues…sign line
EXPECT care, access, privilege,
control, service by staff…etc.
Loses vision for a mission that
can be characterized by God’s
love in Christ for the world.
It is Exclusive
The post-modern world has little
interest in membership
organizations
POWER SURGE,
Michael Foss
The result is aging
congregations
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While the
younger cohort
equals 65% of
the population,
they are only on
average about
30% of existing
congregations
Growing Gaps in
understanding
Age of Protestant Populations
Total Population
Total Protestants
Nondenom Charismatic Churches
Nondenom Evangelical Churches
Church of God in Christ
Assemblies of God
American Baptist Churches
Southern Baptist Convention
African Methodist Episcopal
United Methodist Church
Ev. Lutheran Church of America
Disciples of Christ
Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod
Presbyterian Church in America
Episcopal Church in the USA
Presbyterian Church USA
United Church of Christ
Anglican Church
18-29
20
17
18
19
29
14
18
13
14
11
8
10
11
12
11
8
11
7
30–49
39
38
54
51
33
41
36
37
31
34
36
33
32
29
29
31
27
26
50-64
25
26
22
22
28
33
23
27
30
29
29
21
31
32
34
30
34
33
65+
16
20
6
8
10
12
23
22
25
26
27
35
26
27
25
32
28
35
Beloit Mindset: Typical 28
year old…
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They can never think of a time without computers in the home
They have no meaningful recollection of the Reagan era, and did not know he had ever
been shot.
They were 11 when the Soviet Union broke apart, and do not remember the Cold War.
They have never feared a nuclear war. "The Day After" is a pill to them—not a movie.
Their lifetime has always included AIDS.
Bottle caps have not always been screw off, but have always been plastic. They have no
idea what a pull top can looks like.
The expression "you sound like a broken record" means nothing to them.
Star Wars looks very fake to them, and the special effects are pathetic.
They may never have heard of an 8-track, and chances are they've never heard or seen
one.
They have always had an answering machine.
Most have never seen a TV set with only 13 channels, nor have they seen a black &
white TV or a TV without a remote!
There have always been VCRs, but they have no idea what Beta is.
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They were born the year Walkmen were introduced by Sony.
Roller-skating has always meant in-line for them.
"The Tonight Show" has always been with Jay Leno.
Popcorn has always been cooked in the microwave.
The Vietnam War is as ancient history to them as WWI and WWII
or even the Civil War.
They have no idea that Americans were ever held hostage in Iran.
They can't imagine what hard contact lenses are.
They don't know who Mork was, or where he was from.
They never heard the terms "Where's the Beef?", "I'd walk a mile
for a Camel" or "De plane, de plane!"
They do not care who shot J.R. and have no idea who J.R. is.
The Titanic was found? I thought we always knew where it was.
Michael Jackson has always been white.
McDonald's never came in Styrofoam containers.
There has always been MTV, and it has always included nonmusical shows.
Another cultural factor is
Population Shift:
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The majority of housing
in the US was built since
1970.
Population has moved to
metropolitan areas
Migration to South and
coasts
Population has moved
away from existing
congregations!
Birth Rates:
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Since “the pill” Anglo birth rates dropping
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1960 24/1000
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2000 13/1000
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2002 11.7
Mainline Anglos
have a very low
birth-rate due to
aging populations
VERY Little Biological Growth!
There has been significant change
in our racial-ethnic population
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Racial ethnic
composition of most
neighborhoods has
changed since
1960
Many
congregations have
little or no affinity
with their neighbors
Racial ethnic growth must be
recognized
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Ethnic growth:
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In the next 50 years the
US Pop. Will grow by
50%. 90% of that growth
will be people of color
In 2000, Hispanics
became the largest racial
ethnic minority
The US has the 3rd largest
Spanish speaking
population
By 2050 there will be no
majority racial group
By 2100 Hispanics will be
the largest group
Did you know?
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More people of African
descent live in America than
any country except Nigeria
More Cubans live in Miami
except than in Havana
In the 90’s the Asian
population grew by 107%,
Hispanics by 38%, Native
Americans by 38% while the
general population grew by
just 6%!
Racial Ethnic Birth Rates:
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African Am.
Native Am.
Asian Pac. I.
Hispanic
(Anglo 11.7)
16.1
13.8
16.5
22.6
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Per 1000
Most future growth will
be in Racial Ethnic
congregations
There is also a shifting attitude
towards “organized” religion
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65% of the US
population cannot
remember a time when
clergy were respected.
Denominational loyalty
means nothing to most
people.
The average person
believes that no
particular religion has
claim to truth.
Shifting attitudes towards faith
1990, 2000 & 2004 Percentage of the Population Attending
a Christian Church on Any Given Weekend
25.0%
20.4%
18.7%
17.7%
20.0%
15.0%
1990
10.0%
2000
2004
9.2% 9.1% 9.0%
7.2%
6.2%
3.9%
5.0%
5.5%
3.4% 3.1%
0.0%
Evangelical
Mainline
Catholic
Total
Unchurched USA
•Since 1991 adult population
in the US grew by 15%.
•During that same period the
unchurched population grew
by 92%! 75 million US
adults do not attend church
'Unchurched' Americans
say church is 'full of
hypocrites' consider
Christianity to be more about
organized religion than
about loving God and
people, …“unchristian”.
New Generations –
Outsiders to Christian Faith
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Age
% Outsiders
to Christianity
18-41
37%
16-29
40%
42-60
27%
61+
23%
Population
34 Million
24 Million
21 Million
12 Million
Mr. Bean Goes to Church
44 percent -- agreed that
"Christians get on my nerves.“
Vast majority of young non-Christians
view Christianity as anti-gay, judgmental
hypocritical, unwelcoming, too political,
out of touch.
But 78 percent said they would be willing
to listen to someone who wanted to tell
them about his or her Christian beliefs.
Almost three-quarters -- 72 percent -agreed that God "actually exists“ and an
even larger percentage -- 86 percent -said they believed they could have a
good relationship with God without
church involvement.
It’s a Whole New World
UCCvitality.org
21st Century Culture and Church
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Post-Modern – It’s a Whole New World
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“Big Five” of hallmark modern values:
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Anthony Robertson
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Reason
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Optimism & Objectivity
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Universality & “The Grand Story”
21st Century Culture and Church
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Post-Modern - Modern World is crumbling
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Reason
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Optimism
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Where moderns wanted their preachers to explain
mystery, post-moderns want to experience mystery.
Post-moderns are not so sure that salvation is
around the corner or that science and technology are
our saviors.
Universality
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Post-moderns revel in the local and the particular.
21st Century Culture and Church
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Post-Modern - Modern World is crumbling
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Objectivity
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“Everybody is coming from somewhere,” say postmoderns. “What you call ‘objective truth,’ we call the
interests of the powerful and privileged.”
“the grand story”
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Post-moderns tend to be skeptics about this big
story. Small stories, particular stories, and different
versions of reality appeal to the post-modern mind.
21st Century Culture and Church
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Post-Modern – It’s a Whole New World
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While modernity was liberating and
powerful in many ways, it was also and
especially for Christianity, reductive.
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highly moral, but not especially spiritual
modern Christianity explained miracle
and mystery (away) and proposed moral
values and lessons as universal truth.
What was missing was spiritual
connection and experience, the
experience of a sacred, numinous,
transcendent Other.
21st Century Culture and Church
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Post-Modern - Modern World is crumbling
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In the last thirty years while interest in
“spirituality” has been huge
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People felt yet church was not the best
place to pursue their “spiritual”
interests.
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Transformation was lacking
We are all at a threshold, a
‘kairos’ moment:
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God is Still Speaking
has shown that the
harvest is ready.
There has been a
great response of
people looking for a
church like the
United Church
of Christ.
Knowledge of the Community
Potential disciples and worshippers
 Potential service to community
 Two markets with natural overlap
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Know your neighborhood
Know your mission field
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Demographic Information
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Uccvitality.org (ucc.org/vitality)
Percept
Mission Insite
Using Demographic Information
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Community knowledge
Missional outreach and program
Online Demographics Report
Ready, Set, Grow
Project: Work on your target
neighborhoods
What did you learn?
Did the data confirm something you suspected?
Did you consider that there may be another
target neighborhood.
How do you use this demographic information?
V ITALITY
Vital Churches in 21st Century are:
Missional in purpose
experiential
Relational in outreach
cultural
Conversational in witness
spiritual
“True Life” Story of Vital
Church Involved in Community
Postmodern Culture
and Church
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Christianity in North America has moved (or been
moved) away from its position of dominance
 loss not only of numbers
 but of power and influence within society.
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Rather than occupying a central and influential place,
North American Christian churches are increasingly
marginalized,
 in our urban areas they represent a minority
movement
 It is now a truism to speak of North America as a
mission field.
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Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America, Edited
by Darrell Guder, the Gospel and Our Culture Network
Missional Church
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“The Church exists to serve God’s Mission”
Mission as Missio Dei, UCC Committee on Structure, 1992
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The church of Jesus Christ is the instrument
and sign of God’s mission and realm.
God’s mission is calling and sending us, the
church of Jesus Christ, to be a missionary
church in our own societies, in the cultures
in which we find ourselves.
What is Missional Church?
Mission is not a program or project some people in
the church do from time to time; the church’s
very nature is to be God’s missionary people.
We use the word missional to mark this big
difference. Mission is not a project or a budget,
or an event somewhere; it’s not even about
sending missionaries.
A missional church is a community of God’s people
who live into the imagination that they are, by
their very nature, God’s missionary people living
as a demonstration of what God plans to do in
and for all of creation in Jesus Christ.
The Missional Leader: Equipping Your Church to Reach a Changing World
Vital congregations discern
God’s call and mission
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The greatest characteristic of a vital
congregation is the ability to articulate
and live God’s purpose.
What is God calling this church to be
and do at this time, in this place, with
the gifts we have on this corner of
God’s realm that we are placed?
Missional in purpose
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Living your strengths and calling.
Who you are is a gift from God.
What gifts does your church have?
Who needs your gifts?
Where are they?
Are you vital enough to reach them?
What branding message will you carry?
Missional Statement –
Branding message
God is still speaking!
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No matter who you are or where you are
on life’s journey you are welcome here.
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Never put a period where God has put a
comma
Missional Statement –
Branding message
Cathedral of Hope
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The Mission of the Cathedral of Hope is to
reclaim Christianity as a faith of
extravagant grace, radical inclusion and
relentless compassion.
We are a people of compassion
We are a people of inclusion
We are a people of liberation
We are a people of hope
We are a people of Jesus
Missional Statement –
Branding message
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First Grace UCC, Akron OH
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First Congregtional UCC Santa Rosa
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First grace…..then faith and works!
Making God’s love visible
Others
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Strangers no more
Jesus loves you…this we know!
Keeping faith, reaching out, welcoming all!
In the Heart of the City with the City in our Heart
Missional in Purpose
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What is Your Mission Statement?
Mission Statement should be:
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7 – 9 words or less
Engaging
Compelling
Visionary
True
The Church
Vital-O-Meter
This brief survey takes the pulse of your
congregation. Like a pulse, it gives only a
rough estimate of how strongly your “heart”
is beating.
We are always ready to try something new
The current morale of this congregation is high
This congregation is strongly focused on
serving the widercommunity beyond the
congregation
Exploring Your Congregation’s
Vitality
Discerning Your Church’s Mission
Vital churches are vital in
community where they are located
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No congregation can afford to ignore its context
or those in the surrounding community.
“Congregations that live only for themselves are
‘starting a trip toward extinction’.”
Herb Miller, How to Build a Magnetic Church
“Vital congregations are vital on the corner of
God’s realm where they are planted.”
Gil Rendle
Missional Church outreach to
community and neighborhood
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God is still speaking to us in culture and
community.
God’s purpose is that our communities are
not forsaken or the land desolate.
Church no longer center of community, but
it can be good neighbor.
Church can accompany community to be
all that God’s realm would want the
community to be.
Location, Location, Location?
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Congregational Life Survey points to the relative
unimportance of location in predicting either
congregational strength or numerical growth.
 Congregational location plays a minimal role in
the numerical growth that congregations
experience.
 Few measures of location had an impact on
strength or growth.
 Vital growing congregations, as well as non-vital
declining congregations can be found in any
location.
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Places of Promise: Finding Strength in Your Congregation’s Location: US
Congregation Survey 2008
The One important factor
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The one location factor that does play a role
in congregational vitality is the match
between a congregation’s worshipers and
the people in the community who are
between 18 and 44 years of age. This
critical age group must be recruited and
openly welcomed in our congregations and
we need to ensure our worship and
activities meet their needs.
Community Involvement = Growth?
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Involvement or focus on the community does not
necessarily lead to growth
Congregations scoring high on focusing on the
community place considerable emphasis on serving
the needs of those outside the congregation.
They may de-emphasize or overlook the
importance of inviting people to become part of the
congregation and welcoming them warmly when
they visit.
Focusing on the community must be one of the
other aspects of vitality, including welcoming new
people, meaningful worship, caring for children and
youth, engagement in the congregation and a
sense of belonging. Places of Promise
Places of Promise
Finding Strength in Your Congregation’s Location
www.uscongregations.org
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Traditionally we think about context as
location. In this view:
Community context determines who we were,
what we are, and what our future holds.
Congregations are passive—location has the
upper hand!
Leaders use contractual language about
location—our location is a piece of real estate
with a specific land value, appraised as a retail
outlet might appraise a location. It’s a
commodity.
Places of Promise
Finding Strength in Your Congregation’s Location
www.uscongregations.org
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Instead—Think about context as place.
Location is God’s gift to us. The congregation
is in this place at this time for a reason—God’s
reason.
Congregations can achieve strength and
effectiveness in their present location.
God claimed this place for us; the place claims
us as people of faith. We have inherited this
place from those who first worshiped here, and
we have an obligation to use it wisely and care
for it.
Ready, Set, Grow
Knowing Your Neighborhood
Vital Churches are
Relational in Outreach
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Post-modern ministry is relational
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Bridge the gap by building
relationships
Relational in Outreach
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What do you think when you hear the
word….
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EVANGELISM ?
Celtic Evangelism
In The Celtic Way of Evangelism:
How Christianity Can Reach the
West . . . Again, George Hunter
writes about the difference between
what he describes as the evangelism
approach in Roman and Celtic
Christianity.
Celtic Evangelism
Roman Model
Presentation
Decision
Fellowship
Celtic Model
Fellowship
Ministry and
Conversation
Belief, Invitation
to Commitment
Belonging and Believing
Christianity is more caught than
taught!
As Professor Robin Gill observes,
belonging comes before believing.
For this reason, evangelism is now
about helping people to belong so
that they can believe.
Vital Churches are
Relational in Outreach
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The days of waiting for people to come
to church to welcome them are over.
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Instead of waiting inside, we go
outside
Missional Outreach is relational
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Post-modern outreach is relational
Bridge the gap by building
relationships
Go to where the unchurched are:
Starbucks, Borders
Parks, Gymns
Relational in Outreach
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“I stopped wondering about how to
draw younger folks into my church
and started focusing on how to
draw my congregation out of its
building and into relationship with
the world outside its doors.”
Welcome and Hospitality
Hospitality is an act of worship
Greeting the Divine Shekinah
Welcome and Hospitality
What is your experience of
welcoming those who come in?
Becoming a Welcoming Church
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You won’t magically turn your church into a
welcoming church overnight. However, with
organization and planning you can make it feel
that way to visitors and seekers. What you are
planting today will eventually transform your
congregation into a welcoming place . . . expect
it to take time.
Becoming a Welcoming Church
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Does your church actively invite others into
its worship and ministry?
Do visiting guests feel welcome in your
church?
Avoid the perfection trap, often a mask for
fear.
Are there things you can do better to be a
visible witness and active presence of God’s
radical and all-inclusive welcome?
Tracking progress
How did use of these techniques change
your church?
Conversational in Witness
The postmodern world calls evangelists
to be conversational in witness and
invitation.
Count conversations,
……….not conversions.
More Ready than You Think,
Brian McLaren
Conversational in Witness
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Buzz Marketing
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Evangelism
One beggar telling another where there is
food
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Come and See!
Conversational in Witness
Good evangelists are People who engage others
in good conversation about faith, values, hope,
meaning, purpose, goodness, beauty, truth, life
after death. Life before death and God.
Good evangelism is the process of being friendly
without discrimination and influencing all of
one’s friends through good deeds and good
conversations. Engaging in spiritual friendship
will not only help others become Christians, it
will help us become better Christians, who love
God more than ever.”
Brian McLaren – More Ready Than You Think,
Conversational in Witness
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Spiritual Seekers want to talk.
We are the ones not talking.
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Reverence for God – silence and service.
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Tell it Like it is: Reclaiming the Practice of
Testimony - Lillian Daniel
An unchurched world doesn’t know
why we do what we do.
Witness and Invitation
UCC-Style
“Tricking” the church into Evangelism – Taking it back!
What do you say when
someone asks you about
your comma?
“For us it means God’s not stuck.
God still has more light and truth for
us today.”
“My church believes that God is still
speaking to us today.”
“It means that no matter how bad
things are in my life or in the world,
God is in the midst of it.”
Are You Ready to Talk?
Conversational in Witness
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Who are conversation partners?
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Audiences for conversation
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Outsiders Become Insiders
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Forgetters made Rememberers
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Beloved Children become Belief-ful Adults
Are You Ready to Talk?
Why do you love your church?
What impact has knowing Jesus made
in your life?
What Bible text has made a difference
in your life?
God is still speaking,
Through you and me!
Go Forth…
into the Virtual World
 We seek to build Christian community
online because that’s where we can
encounter members and potential
members of our church:
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1.1 billion Internet users worldwide
100 million on MySpace
70 million bloggers
34 million students on Facebook
4-8 million on SecondLife
Go Forth….
Into the Virtual World.
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In Asia, Europe and North America—an
entire generation has experienced the
Internet as a means for maintaining
relationships with family and friends.
The Internet is a lifeline for users whose
mobility is limited by disability, chronic
illness or advanced age.
The Internet is where we can find and
engage seekers.
Connecting in the virtual world
From NativeChristian
my name is ricardo. i am a native american. i was
thinking about god and at that moment, a
commercial came on tv about this website and
about this church. i read some things on the site,
and that was enough for me to love to learn more of
this website and more especially of the people who
attend and also learn from here.
again, thank you for having this site for many people to
learn about the word of god.
tlazohcamatl
i.UCC.org
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Outreach to spiritual seekers
Create Virtual Community online
Foster online network and relationship
Provide opportunity for discussion,
information, spiritual development,
questions and prayers
Serve as teaching tool and
opportunities for congregations,
conferences and national ministries
V ITALITY
David Schoen
Evangelism Ministry Team
Local Church Ministries
United Church of Christ
Including material used with
permission from Rick Morse,
V.P. New Church Ministry,
Christian Church (DOC)
Church Extension © 2007
All rights reserved
In Five Parts
Step 1: Select a team
Step 2: Know your identity and strengths
Step 3: Know Culture and Community
Step 4: Know your purpose and mision
Step 5: Know your plan and strategy