Most people are not walking down the streets of our community thinking about the eternal destiny of their soul. Consider the graph below to illustrate this truth.
• People feel disconnected and isolated, they are looking for a place to belong and feel part of a family or community.
• People are feeling the pressure of a busy and stressful world. They are looking for a greater sense of balance and ways to manage priorities.
• People sense the shallowness of superficial encounters with others. They are looking for authentic relationships.
• People are feeling empty and drained from striving to meet their desires through work, material possessions, or entertainment. They are looking for spiritual answers to their unfulfilled "hunger."
• People are feeling overwhelmed by the pace of change in every aspect of their world. They are looking for help through transitions.
When we speak to the felt needs of people we gain an audience. The reason being is that our message has become relevant to them.
Principle 4: Relationships are the glue
Getting people in the front door of the church is one thing, but keeping them from quietly disappearing out the back door is another. This is not a new problem. How do we keep people connected to the fellowship?
The answer is relationships. When people have friends at church, they stay. If they don't have friends at church they won't. According to one study, new members who stay beyond their first year made an average of seven new friends in the church. Those who dropped out made fewer than two.
We need to be intentional in establishing relationships with people. For this to happen it must go beyond the church walls. Our relationships cannot be a Sunday only meeting. We need to have people in our homes and we need to do things outside the church with others.
Principle 5: Transitions provide the window of opportunity
People in our community are not equally receptive to becoming Christians or members of our church. Some are very responsive, others not at all. Jesus spoke of this principle in telling us to turn our eyes to the fields that are "white unto harvest" (John 4:35), to plant the seed of the gospel in good (receptive) soil (Matthew 13:1-9), to preach in the towns that are receptive, and leave the ones that aren't (Luke 9:1-6), and to not cast our pearls toward the swine (Matthew 7:6).
How do we identify people that will be receptive in our sphere of influence? Life-transition events are one important way. Significant changes in people's lifestyle move them toward spiritual receptivity. Such changes may be controlled events (marriage, divorce, relocation, retirement) or uncontrolled ones (death of a spouse, medical crisis, job loss). Be alert to people going through times of transition in their lives for it may open the door for ministry to them. Respond to them with genuine Christian love.
Statistics reveal that only 15 percent of the 300,000+ churches in North America are growing. But they are growing in every state, denomination, and size. According to researchers the principles mentioned here do work. Our reason for wanting to reach out to people is not to build up our own kingdom, but to build up the kingdom of God. The old song is right, “People need the Lord.” However, the majority of people do not even know it.
What do you think? Do these principles make sense? Are they something you can put in practice in your life and in the church you attend? I would be interested in hearing from you. Perhaps you have an idea that would be beneficial as well.
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