On the street where you live
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On the Street Where You Live A Call to Personal Direct Action for Middleclass Members 1
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This presentation proposes a “Middle Class Member Initiative” for black people in America. Black American Adventist leadership and congregations face an adaptive challenge of immense proportions. That is, a new image of the Church has emerged with the appearance of a new middle class. It is this new image, which challenges us, for it shapes the need and possibilities for a leadership ministry for black people in America. This new image of the Church is a reflection of the dominant principle of associations in American life, economic integration: people in a metropolitan area associate with one another on the basis of similar occupations, prestige, income, residence, and style of life, including worship. The features of the “American Dilemma” in racial relations, ethnic and cultural diversity illustrate the nature of economic integration. The challenge to reignite the passion that activates the middle class membership to witness to their neighbors next door and across the street remains. Clearly understanding this fact is critical to the success of our mission to Black America. We must realize and admit, as hard to believe as it may seem, that in the Black Adventist church, as in the general Black American population, middle class members have become the largest segment of the Black Adventist Church in the United States. If we fail to get them actively involved in direct and personal witnessing ministry, with very simple entry level and non-threatening tools and methods, our mission to Black America is in serious jeopardy. We must get them ready to witness because we must rely upon them as they are the best positioned to effectively carry the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ to their non-Adventist middle class neighbors.
Transcript of On the street where you live
1
On the Street Where
You Live
A Call to Personal Direct Action for Middleclass
Members
On The Street Where You LiveJohn. 4:35 - Do you not say, 'Four
months more and then the harvest'? I
tell you, open your eyes and look at
the fields! They are ripe for harvest.
(NIV)
Matt. 9:37 - Then he said to his
disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but
the workers are few.” (NIV) 2
On The Street Where You LiveThe Truth About The Black Community
According to Eugene Robinson, Pulitzer
Prize winning author of the book,
Disintegration,
the largest single group in the very
diverse Black American Community is
the “Mainstream Middle Class
Majority.”3
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On The Street Where You LiveThe Truth About The Black Community
According to Robinson there are three
additional groups:
1. A large, Abandoned minority – Inner
City Poor
2. A small Transcendent elite – Oprah
Winfrey, etc.
3. Two newly Emergent groups – people
of Mixed Race heritage and communities of
recent Black Immigrants
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On The Street Where You LiveThe Truth About Black Adventist Congregations
The largest single group in Black
Adventist American congregations,
especially in large metropolitan areas,
is our Middle Class membership.
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On The Street Where You LiveThe Truth About Recent Evangelistic Efforts
• In recent times we have over-
professionalized our evangelistic efforts.
• In recent times “Big-event” Evangelistic
successes are in decline among Black
and White American Adventist
congregations.
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On The Street Where You LiveThe Truth About Recent Evangelistic Efforts
• In recent times Hired Bible Workers
have become the major source of our
baptismal successes
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On The Street Where You LiveThe Truth About Recent Evangelistic Efforts
• Over recent decades we have taken
our members out of direct soul
winning efforts by hiring Bible
Workers almost exclusively.
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On the Street Where You LiveThe Truth About Recent Evangelistic Efforts
• Hired Bible Worker’s “knocking-on-
doors” are largely unwelcomed in
Middle Class neighborhoods
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On The Street Where You LiveThe Truth About The Task Ahead
• Should we abandon the use of Bible
Workers in our evangelistic efforts?
• No! Why? Because it is the most
effective, if not the only method,
currently bringing souls for baptism.
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On The Street Where You LiveThe Truth About The Task Ahead
• But it cannot remain the major or
only source of baptisms into the
American Seventh-day Adventist
Church if we are going to “finish the
work” in these United States.
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On The Street Where You LiveThe Truth About the Task Ahead
• We must expand our reach
into the largest community of
Black people in the United
States – The Black
Middleclass!
On The Street Where You LiveThe Times Demand Change
• While it is true that Middleclass
neighborhoods, black or white, are not
welcoming to strangers knocking on
their doors
• It is also true that they will open their
doors to their neighbors whom they
know by name or by sight13
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On The Street Where You LiveThe Times Demand Change
• The single best way of reaching the
middleclass is to equip and ask our
middleclass members to reach out
to their middleclass neighbors
• Ask them to join in an all out effort to
reach their neighbors with spiritual
things
• An effort that changes the
conversation with their neighbors
from home improvement to spiritual
enrichment 15
On The Street Where You LiveAsk Them
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On The Street Where you LiveAsk Them
• Ask them to join us in tithing their time!
• There are 168 hours in the week (112 of
these are waking hours).
On The Street Where You LiveRebuilding the Family Altar
• Think of what can happen in our homes and churches if we lead our people into a serious and faithful commitment of time using the following formula?
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On the Street Where You LiveThe Stewardship of Time
a. Hours for sleep 56b. Hours for work 40c. Hours for commuting 14d. Hours for chores 10e. Hours for Meals 14f. Hours for Daily Devotions 07
Rebuilding “The Family Altar”
- 30 minutes morning (Devotional Book)- 30 minutes evening (SS Lesson)
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On The Street Where You LiveStewardship of Time Con’t
g. Christian Outreach 03
- Prayer with neighbors
- Simple better living programs
h. Prayer Meeting 01
Total 145
hrs.
Hours Remaining 23 hrs. 168 hrs.
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On The Street Where You Live Stewardship of Time Con’t
• Sabbath Hours 24 hrs.
• Worship Services 5 hrs.– Sabbath School 1 ½ hrs.
– Divine Worship 2 ½ hrs.
– AY. 1 hr.
Miscellaneous: 7 hrs.Church Prep 1 ½ hrs.Meal time 2 hrs.Travel time 1 ½ hr.Outreach/Study 2 hrs.
• Rest 8 hrs.• Other things/activities 4 hrs.
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On The Street Where You LiveStarting with simple things
• Our success in future soul
wining efforts in this highly
technological, convenience
oriented, religion-on-demand
age, 21
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On The Street Where You LiveStarting with simple things
• is inextricably tied to re-igniting
the passion for witnessing of all
members, but especially Middle
Class members, because they are
the largest group in our membership.
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On The Street Where You LiveStarting with simple things
• So let us begin this re-igniting of
passion for direct witnessing with
you and with your middle class
neighbors next door and across the
street.
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On The Street Where You LiveStarting with simple things
• We begin with a simple personal non-
threatening entry-level spiritual
neighborhood activity.
• Praying with your neighbor!
The TerritoryA safe and familiar place
Both Sides of the block or cul-de-sac on the Street Where You Live
(Don’t do as the song says; Don’t ask the Lord to “Enlarge Your Territory” just yet. You have a few things to do).
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On The Street Where You LiveSimple Things in your neighborhood
• You know your neighbors and they know you - by name or by sight
• Do not need a group to meet at the church
• Does not need a group leader
• Does not require gasoline or transportation
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On The Street Where You LiveSimple Things (Con’t)
• Solicitation permits are unnecessary
• Refreshments are unnecessary
• Babysitting service at the church is unnecessary
• Opening and closing the church is unnecessary
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On The Street Where You LiveSimple Things (Con’t)
• Gated community? No problem. You already live there and have the entry code.
• Does require interest in the spiritual well-being of others
• Does require courage and commitment
On The Street Where You LiveA Simple Thing to do
• Knock on a neighbor’s door with an invitation to pray; for family, neighborhood, city, nation, etc.
–In the doorway with everybody at home invited to join in–Do not go inside and do not accept food or drink
• Ask them for any special requests for prayer that they may have
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On The Street Where You LiveA Simple Thing to do
• Requests are to be given to
prayer groups previously
prepared to receive them at your
church
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On The Street Where You LiveA Simple Thing to do
• Check back the next week, or as the
Holy Spirit leads, to see HOW the Lord
is answering your prayers of faith
• Wait for your neighbors to ask for
more of what you have to offer as
their prayers are being answered.
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On The Street Where You LiveA Simple Thing to do
• Be patient. After a time but only as
the Holy Spirit leads, you may begin
a 10 Minute prayer ministry on your
block/cul-de-sac with all your
neighbors together.
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On The Street Where You LiveA Simple Thing to do
• Do it on a home rotating basis once
or twice a month
• Be patient as the Holy Spirit gives
you wisdom and patience.
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On The Street Where You Live
We Close With A Simple Prayer
“Lord please give me the faith and
courage to do this simple activity. By
your Spirit please prepare my
neighbors to receive this simple act of
faith and fellowship…
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On The Street Where You LiveWe Close With A Simple Prayer
…Help me to speak and pray with
words that lift their spirits, not self-
righteously nor condescendingly, but
as one also standing in the need of
prayer. Amen.”
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On The Street Where You LiveFaith and Confidence!
I John 5: 14-) 15 (NIV)
14. This is the confidence we have in
approaching God: that if we ask anything
according to His will, He hears us.
15. And if we know that He hears us-
whatever we ask-we know that we have
what we ask of Him.
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On The Street Where You Live
The Lord wants you
and
Your church needs you!
The End
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