The most effective means to reach an unchurched person, according to research by the North American Mission Board, is through personal contact. When asked how likely they would be to attend church after a "personal invitation from a friend or neighbor" 63 percent of people said theyd be likely to attend. A "personal invitation from the pastor" was the second most effective method, with 51 percent agreeing theyd be likely to attend. Other effective methods included hearing "really good things about the denomination that the church is affiliated with from someone you know" (48 percent) and hearing "that the church had made significant changes in order to be more relevant to people like you" (43 percent).
It is clear that people are more interested in the high-touch elements of a personal relationship than the passive and impersonal aspects of buildings,
institutions or the high-tech elements of media.
Source: "The Barometer of the Southern Baptist Faith in America," North American Mission Board.
The mission field has come to Canada. Hundreds of new church plants and disciple-making communities are needed, targeted to ethnic communities, just to keep pace with the population growth.
Immigration to Canada has averaged about 227,000 for the last 12 years. Most newcomers to Canada were born in Asia and the Pacific Rim, a significant change from mid-century when Europeans were the largest immigrant group. More than 50 percent settling in the Ontario "Golden Horseshoe" provide great opportunity for ministries designed to share the gospel.
Without immigration, Canadas population would be decreasing because of low birth rate. Currently the Canadian population is increasing 1.7 percent annually.
Source: "Church Planting Needed for Unreached Immigrants," Church Planting Canada, Volume 4, Issue 3.
TV is finding a lucrative market in Christianity. The old news is the success of shows like "Touched by an Angel." CBS has another hit with "Jesus, the Epic Mini-Series." The shows first partairing on Mothers Dayoutdrew the vaunted "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" for first place in the ratings and prompted Variety to tout in a page-one headline, "Jesus Beats Regis."
Theres more.
Billy Grahams first movie to reach out specifically to African-American audiences is a hit. Something to Sing About, filmed in an urban setting and featuring hip hop gospel star Kirk Franklin, was broadcast in 200 local markets this summer. The intermission included a Christian message from Grahams son Franklin.
The movie was number one in the ratings in New York City, beating game six of the Stanley Cup hockey playoffs, Tim Morgan of Grahams ministry told Religion Today. Thousands of people called a telephone number that flashed on the screen, and 40 percent of those callers made a first-time decision to become a Christian, he said.
Not to be outdone, ABC aired "Peter Jennings Reporting: The Search for Jesus," a journalistic look at the life of Christ produced and hosted by the ABC News anchor. Jennings plugged the special on CNNs "Larry King Live."
"I hope that people who do take the New Testament literallyand many people dowill understand that what were doing in this program is in some ways making Jesus more accessible. One of our great witnesses in this, which scholars will recognize, is a man named [Dr. N.T.] Tom Wright, whos a canon theologian at Westminster Abbey in England. He said if he didnt believe in the Resurrection, hes in the wrong business," Jennings told King. "The Search for Jesus" raised the ire of many evangelical Christians who expressed disappointment that the show put too much stock in the liberal
interpretation of scripture and did not give enough airtime to evangelicals.
Although "The Search for Jesus" did not pull the largest audience for its time slot, it did place third in the ratings behind "Survivor" on CBS and that other show with Regis.
Sources: tv.zap2it.com, Crosswalk.com, Religion Today, CNNs "Larry King Live," June 2000 and USA Today, July 7, 2000.
Were all salt inside the church. We need to get out where the people are. We need to become friends to sinners. If we carry the light of Christ they will eventually say, "Wow, its bright in here."
Alan Braun, president, Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists
Source: Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists annual meeting, July 5, 2000.
So you want to connect with people and share the gospel in a way thats relevant to their needs and concerns. What do they think of the crime rate or the income gap or ethics? Would you be surprised to learn that only 51 percent of Americans think that the annoying during-dinner phenomenon of telemarketing is a change for the worse?
Just what, exactly, are Americans concerns?
Source: America: Past, Present, Future by the American People, The Pew Research Center, November 1999.
Recommending a best seller may be a way to direct a friends attention to matters of faith. Of the top 150 selling books for the first half of 2000, eight have a Christian worldview, including the number one best seller, John Grishams The Testament, which presents the gospel as part of a fictionalized narrative.
The others include books from two popular Christian series:
Left Behind, Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins first offering in the Left Behind saga, leads the way on the list along with four other titles from the series. Their latest installment, The Indwelling, debuted as the top selling book for all new releases.
Two of Jan Karons volumes in the Mitford Series are also on the list of 150 best sellers for 2000.
Another dozen books on the list deal with themes of spirituality.
Source: USA Todays Top 150 Best Sellers, June 3, 2000.
There was a time when religious Americans thought about Christian money management only in terms of tithing. Three emerging trends purport a change in that traditional mindset. Experts say Christians are becoming more intentional in the way their investments are made, perhaps reflecting a more practical approach to living out their faith.
Trend 1 Increasing shareholder activismbecoming involved in molding corporate policy to express religious convictions.
Trend 2 Investing beyond sin screeninglooking for opportunities to institute and promote change rather than shunning "evil."
Trend 3 Giving back to the communityto promoting job opportunities and supporting the local economy.
And were not talking peanuts. In the decade of the 1990s religious mutual fund investments rose 191 percent from $1.5 billion in assets to $4.5 billion.
Source: MMA Praxis, February 23, 2000.