Assertive evangelism –
“Going to others with God's good
news.”
The
advance of God's kingdom in America is not progressing
nearly as well as it used to be, nor nearly as well as in
many other countries around the world. If that assessment
sounds like sour grapes to you, consider the following
statistics gleaned from reputable sources over the past 8
years:
•
There was a cumulative loss of 75,000 (from 375,000 to
300,000) churches in America from 1995-2002. That many more
shut down than started up.
• In 2002, not a single county in the U.S. experienced a
positive church growth rate.
• Every year, nearly three times as many churches here
close as open (3,750 versus 1,300).
• On any given Sunday, approximately 80% of Americans don’t
attend a religious gathering of any kind. The move away
from traditional, organized church was recognized by
Newsweek as one of the top religious trends of 2006.
• In 2001, it took an average of 85 American Christians an
entire year to produce just one convert! About half of all
our churches did not add a single one that year.
• In the 13 years between 1991 and 2004, there was a 92%
increase in the number of unchurched Americans (from 39 to
75 million). If that number of people were a nation of
their own, they would be the eleventh most-populated nation
on earth (out of 194 nations).
• The United States is now the third largest “unchurched”
nation in the world (behind China and India), and we’re now
#2 (only behind Brazil) on the list of countries targeted
by foreign missionaries as “most in need of the gospel.”
Across our land, a lot more
people are leaving churches than joining them. And the
number of unbelievers becoming authentic Christ-followers
has been reduced to a trickle. What’s going on here? What’s
our problem? No doubt it’s complex, but try these two
provocative explanations for starters:
1.
People aren’t
interested in the kind of Christianity they see on display
in most churches. It’s too-often characterized by a culture
that comes across as odd, preachy, showy, authoritarian and
intolerant, uninvolving and too interested in money. The
"simple church" model described on this website feels much
more normal and accessible to many of these people.
2.
Most churches are
frozen in an age-old misunderstanding about the fundamental
nature of our mission. Their nearly-universal approach to
evangelism and starting new churches is a mirror-opposite
of the one modeled by Jesus and His apostles. To read more
about it and the Biblical alternative, click on the
Downloadable
Files link and access the file
titled "'Come to Us' or 'Go to Them'."
For a lively,
useful model of "Go to Them" evangelism and church
planting,
order a copy of the book
Gold, Silver and Precious Stones
from
the
Products and
Resources page
and read the section on "How to Reach the
Receptive."