As we get ready to really move forward, I thought it might be helpful to look at the past. Here's a couple comments that people just getting aquainted with church planting often ask:
“But every church in this community used to be fuller than it is now. The churchgoing public is a ‘shrinking pie’. A new church here will just take people from churches already hurting and weaken everyone.”
The fact of the matter is that new churches operate differently than existing churches, not better or worse, just differently. One of these differences is the people who are attracted to church plants.
Newer churches attract younger adults in part because existing churches develop set patterns of time of worship, length of service, sermon topics, leadership-style, and thousands of other tiny customs. Younger generations can’t see how this reflects the sensibilities of long-time leaders and so they are drawn to churches with a less complicated and complex history.
Newer churches also attract new residents. In existing churches it takes a lot of time, sometimes a decade to rise to a position of leadership and influence. Newer churches are able to give equal influence to long-time residents as to new residents.
Newer churches also attract new people groups. Imagine if, over the course of 40 years, an all-Anglo neighborhood became 33% Hispanic. The existing all-Anglo church would have a difficult time ministering in a meaningful way to the changing community. An intentionally bi-racial church plant would be better suited to meet the changing needs of this community than an established church.
“We already have plenty of churches that have lots and lots of room for all the new people who have come to the area. Let’s get them filled before we go off building any new ones.”
Established churches provide many things that newer churches cannot. Facilities, financial resources, prayer support, and encouragement from generations of Christians would never be possible without established churches. However, when it comes to reaching the unchurched, dozens of denominational studies have confirmed that the average new church gains most of its new members (60-80%) from the ranks of people who are not attending any worshipping body. Churches that are at least ten years old gain 80-90% of their new members from those who are transferring from a previous congregation.[1]
The bottom line in that by starting a new local congregation, we reach entirely new people with the good news Jesus was talking about.
Next up: Thoughts on the church sign: "GOD IS WATCHING YOU!"
[1] Lyle Schaller, quoted in D. McGavran and G. Hunter, Church Growth: Strategies that Work (Nashville: Abingdon, 1980), p. 100. See C Kirk hadaway, New Churches and Church Growth in the Southern Baptist Convention (Nashville: Broadman, 1987).
It seems like a large part of a church plant’s goal is to attract the previously unchurched. What then is the goal as it matures into a more well “established” church overtime. Is the idea to remain innovative and stay focused on evangelism of the unchurched crowd, or the spiritual needs of the maturing flock?
ReplyDeleteThanks Mark for the excellent comment. You are not along in your curiosity of "the maturing flock." I have received comments like this in the past.
ReplyDeleteFirst, you are correct to say that a large part of the plant's goal (mission) is to attract the previously unchurched. I like to say that our mission is to seek them out rather than "attract them"...but I digress.
It is my conviction that the notion that a spiritually mature church should loose the mandate to seek the lost. I believe that reaching out is actually the one of the central tenants of of what it means to be a mature Christ follower.
So in short, I believe that staying focused on evangelism IS attending to the spiritual needs of the maturing flock.
However, your comment comes from a realistic church planting dilemna. We tend to study the book of Mark rather than Paul because it's easier for new believers to identify with. You get the idea. Eventually, people desire need different spiritual food, not better or worse, just different. Willow Creek has attempted to reconcile this dilemna by holding Wednesday "member services" and Sunday "seeker services." This has it's own pros and cons. For our relative small and less resourced church, I plan on preaching to the people God gives us. We'll give them what they need and support them where they lack.
Small groups can utliize this strategy well. There may, eventually, be a group of people who are intent on studying Bavinck's Systematic Theology (all four volumes). Great! As long as they stay missional this too can be used to reach new people (a very select group; I know of a college chaplain who had quite a bit of luck with this).
I think you get the idea. Again, I appreciate the comment.