Downloadable Vitals Charts in Powerpoint
Quick Quotes The Cooperative Program is a very big deal. The church gets blessed when they share their blessings with their state, our nation and the world through the Cooperative Program.
Southern Baptist Convention President Bobby Welch during a message to North American Mission Board staff, September 16, 2004
September 11, 2001 shook this nation to its very foundations, and we responded and are still responding to a wake-up call that said there are formidable enemies out there bent on destroying us and our way of life. No one knows when another 9/11 type of attack may occur. As much as I am concerned about another 9/11, of greater concern to me today is an ongoing spiritual and moral 9/11 to which far too many are totally oblivious and to which we are seemingly apathetic. The people who ought to be the most concerned about the decline of our nation and the spiritual failures of our churches appear to be asleep in Zion.
Doug Metzger, director of Prayer Evangelism and staff chaplain for the North American Mission Board, Summer State Leadership Meeting in Orlando, Florida, July 26, 2004
What this has done is brought the people of faith to the table like I have never seen before.
Phil Burress, chairman of the Ohio Campaign to Protect Marriage, on Missouris passage of an amendment banning gay marriage in the state.
Source: Time, August 16, 2004
People are praying, seeking God, falling more in love with Him than theyve ever been, and as they are praying for revivals... praying for laborers, God is using them.
Mark Ballar, pastor of Christian Fellowship Baptist Church in Londonderry, N.H., talking about his congregation. A group of people has set aside every Thursday to pray for revival and spiritual awakening in New Hampshire, New England and the nation.
Source: Baptist Press, September 3, 2004
Hey, whatever happened to the majority rules?An overwhelming majority of Americans favor allowing traditional Christian values and symbols in the nations culture, according to a study by the Barna Group. Barna even concludes that tens of millions of Americans would support a constitutional amendment to declare Christianity the official faith of the United States.
The study, released July 26, found that 79 percent of adults rejected any policy toward removing signs that list the Ten Commandments from government buildings, including 60 percent who were strongly opposed. Less than one out of every five adults supports such a policy. Only 13 percent of those questioned favored eliminating the phrase In God We Trust from the nations currency, while 84 percent oppose the idea. Nearly three-quarters of the population was strongly opposed to the change. Just 15 percent of adults were in favor of removing the phrase one nation, under God from the Pledge of Allegiance while 84 percent were opposed. About 60 percent of Americans favor teaching creationism in public schools while less than 40 percent do not.
That is a huge vote of confidence in the Christian faith and a tacit statement about peoples concerns regarding the direction and lukewarm spirituality of the nation. If nothing else, this certainly indicates that given effective leadership, American Christianity could play a larger role in shaping the norms of our culture in the future, says George Barna.
Source: Baptist Press, August 18, 2004
Born-again Christians just as likely to divorce as non-Christians Did you know that peoples religious faith appears to have no impact on whether or not a married person gets divorced? Among married born-again Christians, 35 percent have experienced a divorce. That figure is identical to the outcome among married non-Christians. Multiple divorces are also unexpectedly common among Christians. Barnas figures show that nearly one-quarter of the married Christians (23 percent) get divorced two or more times. The average age at which people first dissolve their initial marriage tends to be in the early thirties.
Source: The Barna Update, September 8, 2004
Family guysNo one would argue that the roles of women have changed in the past 30 years. But has anyone asked how this paradigm shift has affected men? Spike TV, a mens cable network, found that men are adjusting to new roles at home and at work. Their poll found that one in five men (22 percent) were actually stay-at-home dads. A large majority (72 percent) of men said they would sacrifice exciting opportunities and higher pay at their job for more time with their families as opposed to 21 percent who said they would sacrifice family time for their job. In actuality the average amount of time per day that a working man spends caring for his family is 48 minuteswhile working women spend on average 102 minutes.
Heres what men said when asked: What is the most important measure of success for you?
Source: Spike TV and Time, August 23, 2004 and The New York Times, September 15, and the Bureau of Labor StatisticsPostmodern kids spiritually at risk
Postmodern kids spiritually at riskA recent study by Duke University and the Foundation for Child Development found that the emotional and spiritual well-being of children in the U.S. has not improved since the 1980s.
The study found that children today, although safer than they were nearly 30 years ago, are more likely to be obese, impoverished, suicidal and living in single-parent families. Parents tend to spend less than 40 minutes a week engaging in meaningful conversation with their children, who typically spend long hours in front of the TV, which is on in the average home some 49 hours a week.
Dr. Bill Maier, vice president of Focus on the Family, isnt surprised considering Americas postmodern culture. We have a very selfish, narcissistic, self-centered culture that we live in, and its all about me and my rights and what makes me happy. In many American families, there is very little sense of a transcendent morality and theres very little sense that theres something beyond us, he says. Maier says its no wonder that children who are searching for truth and meaning in a culture like America are suffering emotionally.
He also said that a new trend is emerging where youth as young as 9, 10 and 11 years of age are committing suicide. I think if we looked at these kids families, what we would probably find is a great deal of family dysfunction. We would find divorce. We would find absent fathers.
Source: Crosswalk, April 19, 2004
How do you define morality?
Treating others as you want to be treated
Source: American Demographics, June 2004
More attaboys, PLEASESixty-five percent of Americans received no praise or recognition in the workplace in the last year, a Gallup Poll reports. And the number-one reason people leave organizations is that they dont feel appreciated, notes the U.S. Department of Labor. A serious recognition gap exists in most organizations, and that gap seems acceptable to many. Yet Gallups study of nearly five million employees reveals that increasing the recognition and praise in organizations can lead to lower turnover, higher customer loyalty and satisfaction scores and increases in overall productivity.
Source: Gallup
Number of unchurched rising to new heights
Since 1991 the number of adults who do not attend church has nearly doubled, rising from 39 million to 75 milliona 92 percent increase. This means that at least 34 percent of the adult population is unchurched, according to a study by Barna Research. Men make up the majority of the unchurched at 55 percent. The unchurched are also younger than the norm. The median age of U.S. adults is 43, but it is just 38 among the unchurched. The unchurched are also attracted to the coastal regions of the nation. More than half of the unchurched (51 percent) live in the West or Northeast. In fact, the two largest states in the nationCalifornia and New Yorkcontain 18 percent of the nations residents, but one-quarter of its unchurched adults (23 percent).
George Barna concluded from this study that the unchurched have three unique behavioral patterns. They are more likely to be somewhat isolated from mainstream activities, they have a non-committal nature and are very independent. Barna noted that to unchurched people embracing church life is both counter-cultural and counter-intuitive.
Church events cannot effectively compete with what the world has to offer. The only thing the Church can provide that no one else has is a life-changing, practical encounter and on-going relationship with the living God and with people transformed by similar encounters. Until such a connection is made, focusing on features, programs and benefits other than such a life-shaping encounter are more likely to lose ground than to gain it.
Source: The Barna Update, May 4, 2004
i know what you did last summer In a survey of more than 3,000 U.S. teens ages 13-17, 29 percent report that they have joined a religious mission team or done a religious service project at least once in their lives. Eighteen percent have been on two or more mission trips or service projects and 10 percent have been on three or more mission trips or service projects.
Source: National Study of Youth and Religion, August 11, 2004
Just charge itIn her book Branded: The Buying and Selling of Teenagers Alissa Quart writes that those under twenty-five are now the fastest-growing group filing for bankruptcy. Nevertheless, financial-services companies now create teenage-oriented credit and cash cards. There is even a debit card for kids that parents can fund through an advance from their own credit cards.
Source: Crosswalk.com, August 31, 2004
heavy numbers
of teens are overweight.
of teens describe themselves as slightly or very overweight.
of teens are trying to lose weight.
Source: Centers for Disease Control, May 21, 2004
Tis the season to be givingNearly 50 percent of all charitable giving by individuals is done between Thanksgiving and New Years Eve. Why? People feel more benevolent and generous during the holidays, they need to get their donation in by December 31 to get the tax deduction, and they have a better idea of how much they can budget for charitable giving as the calendar winds down. Now that youve planned to give this season, how do you find the right charity for you?
Charity Navigator, Americas leading charity evaluator, suggests you ask yourself these five questions:
1. Does the charity match your passion? Nearly one million non-profit organizations exist in this country. Dont settle for an organization that isnt an exact match for your beliefs, ideals and goals.
2. Is the charity efficient and fiscally responsible? Financially strong charities are effective charities. If youre not sure about a charity, ask to see the organizations federal tax forms 990 or at least their annual report.
3. Will the charity protect your confidential information? To avoid unsolicited mail and phone calls, determine if the charity has a written policy guaranteeing that they will not sell your name or contact information to any other organization.
4. Did the charity get lost in the election-funding crunch? Billions of dollars were spent in the 2004 elections. Unfortunately, much of this money was diverted from good charities that were looking for it when their donors decided to invest in the campaigns instead. Find out if your charity took a hit this year when their expected donors turned away from the charity, and towards the candidates, and if so, see if you can help.
5. Does the charity have strong leadership? Look for a charity with a dynamic, proven leader who has been in his job for a while.
As you think about charitable donations this year, remember your local church, the SBCs Cooperative Program, Hunger Relief Funds, the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and other worthwhile SBC programs and strategies. Remember to set aside some money in your budget for the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions. Gifts to religious causes totaled $86.3 billion in 2003, or 36 percent of all contributions.
Source: Charity Navigator, October 1, 2004
this & that
America goes green One third of the population now actively seeks environmentally friendly products.
Source: Utne Magazine, March-April 2004
Faith online Sixty-four percent of wired Americans have used the Internet for spiritual or religious purposes.
Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project, April 7, 2004
Golden child It now costs a family $160,140 to raise a child.
Source: Paul Harvey radio program, June 19, 2004
Christian books on the rise The Christian resources industry is a $4.2 billion business annually, up from $1 billion in 1980.
Source: Christian Booksellers Association, June 18, 2004
A new tradition The new Holman Christian Standard Bible (Broadman & Holman Publishers) took 100 translators 20 years to complete, including using a special software program to check for consistency in passage references.
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 17, 2004