Making Disciples & Planting Churches

Making Disciples& Planting Churches

What God can do when the local church accepts her responsibility to “Go and make disciples.”

Purpose of the Church

• Why did Jesus come?– God so loved the world . . . . (Jn. 3:16)– Seek and save the lost (Lk. 19:10)– Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the

fields, that they are white for harvest (Jn. 4:35).– This is eternal life that they may know you, the only true

God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (Jn. 17:3)– they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may

know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me (Jn. 17:23).

– Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation (Mk. 16:16).

– As the Father has sent Me, I also send you (Jn. 20:21).


• The character of the church is to represent God’s purpose on earth by honoring God and making the way of reconciliation through his son known to all people through spiritual and physical service in His name.


1 Corinthian 3:6, 8– I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but

God made it grow. . . The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose.• Church planting is the deliberate process to

plant:• New Churches in New Places for New People

Christianity in America

• The late 20th century generation of churches is declining

• U.S. churches are losing over 3 million people a year to non-religious lifestyles

• 50% of U.S. churches did not record 1 conversion the previous year

Challenge #1

Largest Religions in the U. S.: 2000

Islam0.5%

Judaism1.3%

Nonreligious/Secular

14.1%

Others7.1%

Buddhism0.5%

Christianity76.5%


Growth/Decline 1990-2005


Attendance Growth Percentage of Protestant Churches 1994-2004

0.00%

2.00%

4.00%

6.00%

8.00%

10.00%

12.00%

14.00%

EstablishedChurches

NewChurches

TotalProtestant

PopulationGrowth

Established Churches

New Churches

Total Protestant

Population Growth


400,000 Churches in America

21%

17%

62%

Growing Above Nation

Growing Less than Nation

Declining


Challenge #2

Each American generation since WWII has become less churched

Generational Church Attendance

35%

15%4%

65%

BridgersBustersBoomersBuilders

1977 - 19941965 - 19761948 - 1964Before 1948

Thom Rainer, Sept. 2005



88%

90%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Age 30+

Age 20-29

I believe I can have a good relationship with God without being involved in a church.

Ed Stetzer, Lost and Found, 2009



6%

9%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Age 30+

Age 20-29

The church is the only place to learn what it means to be a Christian.




The church is the only place to learn what it means to be a Christian.


20.4%19.5%

18.7%17.5%

16.5%15.5%

14.7%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

Evangelical

Catholic

Mainline

Total

Churches of Christ in the U.S.

Churches of Christ have been a plateaued movement since 1985– 1980-1990 gain of 415 new churches– 1990-2000 loss of -126 churches

0200,000400,000600,000800,000

1,000,0001,200,0001,400,0001,600,0001,800,000

1980 1990 1994 1997 2000 2008

Church of Christ: U.S.

MembersAdherents

Religious Group Churches Members Adherents Attendees

Southern Baptist 41,514 15,922,039 19,881,467 5,535,891

United Methodist 35,721 8,326,616 10,350,629 3,487,039

Catholic Church 21,791 62,035,042

Churches of Christ 13,027 1,264,808 1,645,584 1,256,845

Assemblies of God 11,880 1,489,281 2,561,998 1,623,889

Latter-day Saints 11,515 4,224,096

Presbyterian Church 11,106 2,516,816 3,141,566 1,303,216

Evangelical Lutheran 10,739 3,798,370 5,113,418 1,560,712

Episcopal Church 7,314 2,314,756 836,143

Lutheran Church - Missouri

6,077 1,922,763 2,521,062 968,073

Religious Groups by Churches - 2000


1980s3.3% growth


1990s–1.2% growth

Churches of Christ in the U.S.

-5.00%

0.00%5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%35.00%

40.00%

DGR 1980s DGR 1990s

C of C

Assemblies

SBC

US Pop.

C of C 3.32% -1.20%Assemblie 35.40% 16.35%SBC 12.46% 6.02%US Pop. 9.70% 13.20%

Churches of Christ Plantings1967-2007

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

1967

1968

1969

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

New Churches

Schaller’s 1% Rule

1% Rule: Each year an association of churches should plant new congregations at the rate of 1% of their existing total just to maintain their existing numbers otherwise they will experience a decline. If the want to grow at 50% they would need plant 2% to 3% per year.

Church Plant Facts

• Average plant size is 40 at year 1 and 84 at year 4– 68% of plants survive at year 4– 60% of plants are self-supporting at year 4

Ed Stetzer, Church Plant Survivability and Health Report, 2007. Center for Missional Research, North American Mission Board.

Evangelism in America

• 20th century evangelism– Head – Intellectual Approach– The question asked: “What is Truth?”– Our answer was: “Here is Truth”

• 21st century evangelism– Heart – Service Approach– The question asked: “Does it give me meaning?”– Our old answer doesn’t answer the new question– Our new answer puts truth into action - service

Conversion Patterns

Modern:Information Faith Conversion Community

Post-Modern: Conversion

Community FaithInformation

Evangelistic Conversations

1. Spiritual

Diagnosis

2. Introduce Jesus

IntellectualLife-styleOppressionBad

Experience

3. Gospel Specifics

Community

People Will Listen

The unchurched population in America = 180 millionU1: Highly Receptive 11%U2: Receptive 27%U3: Neutral/Unsure 36%U4: Resistant 21%U5: Antagonistic 5%

133 million people to talk with!

Thom Rainer, Surprising Insights and Effective Evangelistic Churches

People Will Come

Will people come to church if invited?• 80% of all people asked said they would come to

church if invited• 80% said they had never been invited

Did they actually come?• 69% did when the inviter took them• Only 12% did when they went alone

Thom Rainer, 2005

People Will Come

75%

89%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Age 30+

Age 20-29

If someone wanted to tell me what she or he believed about Christianity, I would be willing to listen.

People Will Come

27%

46%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Age 30+

Age 20-29

I would be willing to join a small group of people to learn more about the Bible and Jesus.

People Will Come

47%

63%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Age 30+

Age 20-29

If a church presented truth to me in an understandable way that relates to my life now, I would attend.

Resources

• David Olsen, www.theamericanchurch.org• David Olsen, The American Church in Crisis, 2008.• Glenmary Research on Religion in America, 2002,

www.glenmary.org• Stephen Gray. Planting Fast Growing Churches, 2007.• Flavil Yeakley, Jr. Good News and Bad News: A

Realistic Assessment of the Churches of Christ in the United States, 2008.

• Ed Stetzer, Lost and Found: The Younger Unchuched and the Churches that Reach Them

• Ed Stetzer, Church Plant Survivability and Health Report, 2007. Center for Missional Research, North American Mission Board.

• George Barna, www.barna.org• Tom Clegg & Warren Bird, Lost in America, 2001.• Thom Rainer, Surprising Insights from the

Unchurched, 2001.

Resources

Major Religions of the World

1. Christianity: 2 billion2. Islam: 1.3 billion3. Hinduism: 900 million4. Secular, Nonreligious, Agnostic,

Atheist: 850 million5. Buddhism: 360 million

Religion and the World

Living in a Religious World

Major Religions of the World• 1. Christianity: 2 billion• 2. Islam: 1.3 billion• 3. Hinduism: 900 million• 4. Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist:

850 million• 5. Buddhism: 360 million• 6. Chinese traditional religion: 225

million• 7. Primal-indigenous 190: million• 8. Sikhism: 23 million• 9. Yoruba religion 20 million• 10. Juche 19 million• 11. Spiritism: 14 million

Major Religions of the World

• 12. Judaism: 14 million• 13. Baha’I: 6 million• 14. Jainism: 4 million• 15. Shinto: 4 million• 16. Cao Dai: 3 million• 17. Tenrikyo: 2.4 million• 18. Neo-Paganism: 1 million• 19. Unitarian-Universalism: 800,000• 20. Scientology: 750,000• 21. Rastafarianism: 700,000• 22. Zoroastrianism: 150,000

World Religions: % of Population

Christianity33%

Hinduism15%

Islam22%

Other3%

Primal-Indigenous

3%

Nonreligious14%

Buddhism6%

Chinese Traditional

4%

Major World Religions% of World Population 1900-2000

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

'190

0 '10

'20

'30

'40

'50

'60

'70

'80

'90

'200

0

Buddests

Evangelicals

Hindus

Muslims

Christians

Religious Change – 20th Century

ReligionReligion 1900 Pop.1900 Pop. % % Pop.Pop.

2000 Pop.2000 Pop. % Pop% Pop

ChristiansChristians 558,056,300558,056,300 34.5%34.5% 1,973,000,0001,973,000,000 32.5%32.5%

MuslimsMuslims 200,102,200200,102,200 12.4%12.4% 1,279,000,0001,279,000,000 21.1%21.1%

NonreligiousNonreligious 2,923,3002,923,300 .2%.2% 938,000,000938,000,000 15.5%15.5%

HindusHindus 203,033,300203,033,300 12.5%12.5% 820,000,000820,000,000 13.5%13.5%

BuddhistsBuddhists 127,159,000127,159,000 7.8%7.8% 400,000,000400,000,000 6.6%6.6%

Chinese Tra.Chinese Tra. 450,000,000450,000,000 27.827.8 383,000,000383,000,000 6.3%6.3%

Ethnic Rel.Ethnic Rel. 106,339,600106,339,600 6.6%6.6% 176,000,000176,000,000 2.9%2.9%

OtherOther 21,364,00021,364,000 1.3%1.3% 95,000,00095,000,000 1.6%1.6%

Distribution of Evangelicals – 2000Mission Frontiers, December 2001, p. 31

ContinentContinent Evangelical Evangelical Pop.Pop.

% % Pop.Pop.

AfricaAfrica 116,076,000116,076,000 27.6%27.6%

North AmericaNorth America 93,813,00093,813,000 22.3%22.3%

Latin AmericaLatin America 55,000,00055,000,000 13.1%13.1%

EuropeEurope 17,275,00017,275,000 4.1%4.1%

AsiaAsia 135,000,000135,000,000 32.1%32.1%

PacificPacific 4,765,0004,765,000 1.1%1.1%

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

700000

800000

1989 1992 1994 1997 2000

Church of Christ Membership:Africa

Making Disciples & Planting Churches

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