IN THIS ISSUE:
1. REASON FOR THIS NEWSLETTER
2. CHURCH GROWTH
3. LEADERSHIP
4. CHURCH INTERNET WEB SITE
5. BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
6. SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE

******************************************************
1. REASON FOR THIS NEWSLETTER
******************************************************
"Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever" (Heb 13:8). "For I am the Lord, I change not;" (Mal 3:6a). The message has not changed, but in the Twentieth Century the methods of presenting the Gospel of Our Lord has changed rapidly. Whoever heard of Paul or Peter using the Internet or e-mail in spreading the message of the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Our Lord. They did not use fax machines; computers and typewriters; telephones or cellular phones; audio or video tapes; radio and TV in ministry; public address systems or cordless microphones; and worship in a comfortable surroundings with central heating and air.

These are all inventions and methods of the Twentieth Century used to "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15) and provide comfort for members and guests. The inventions can be used to reach more people in a easy, convenient way in a shorter time period.

Whether we like it or not, experience, education, environment, and life has changed us in the way we think and act. This can be seen in the results of surveys on religious behavior and church diagnostic evaluations. For example, a resent survey by the Cooperative Congregational Studies Project was mailed out in January to 1200 brotherhood churches (about 10% of brotherhood churches). This amounts to part of a larger study of religion behavior at the turn of the Millennium. Professors Foster and Winter, Abilene Christian University, are coordinating brotherhood results.

Some of the differences among the generations can be seen in this issue of the Newsletter. For example, Baby Boomers and Busters can't imagine a world without TV, visual education, and electronic music. With MTV they feel and comprehend the rapid scene changes in a fraction of a second. The Pre-Boomers, on the other hand, have not accepted the music of "ole swivel hips" Elvis, Rock and Roll, and the culture of the Hippies and Yuppies of the 60s and 70s, let alone the overwhelming electronic and computer revolution.

Remember, the biblical message has NOT changed and the meaning and intent of the worship service has NOT changed. It is the methods and technology in communication that have changed.

Whether we like it or not, the church must start where the people are, and bring them to Christ and a fuller understanding of the Gospel. John Ellas in "Clear Choices for Churches" states "Reaching these subgroups requires an understanding of how they are different ... and the conflicts between pre- and post-war generations [World War II]. GROWING CHURCHES ARE CHOOSING TO DO THE MINISTRY NECESSARY TO REACH YOUNG ADULTS" (pp 35 - 36)[emphasis mine].

******************************************************
2. CHURCH GROWTH
******************************************************
Rick Warren in "The Purpose Driven Church" (p 191) reported on a survey conducted before Saddleback Church was established. The results provided four basic complaints why people did not attend church. The number one complaint was: "Church is boring, especially the sermons. The messages don't relate to my life." Warren goes on to state "The unchurched aren't asking for watered-down messages, just practical ones."

In 1995, the Mecklenberg Community Church in Charlotte, North Carolina employed a national research firm to survey the unchurched community in Charlotte regarding attitudes toward church. Some of the results are very interesting. In response 74% saw no value in attending; 48% did not have time; 42% were simply not interested; and 40% said churches ask for money too much. The next two supported Warren's survey. "Church services are usually boring (36%) and irrelevant to the way I live (34%)." To the unchurched, most services are boring and lifeless, with sermons irrelevant to the real world. Only 12% of the unchurched were "UNSURE THAT GOD EXISTS (emphasis mine). The other 88% may not have time or interest, but they are people who believe in God and are not attending church anywhere. (From Charles Arn "How to Start a New Service, page 124.

******************************************************
3. LEADERSHIP
******************************************************
Gary McIntosh in "Three Generations" presented some preferences of the Pre-Boomers (born before 1946), Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), and Busters (born after 1964).

The Pre-Boomers like a service that moves along slowly and predictably; softer lighting giving more of a worship feeling; ability to hear well without being blasted out. They have a longer attention span and are willing to sit through longer services in which they expect a high level of formality and decorum. The Pre-Boomers are willing to watch and enjoy the service; and love the hymnal, familiar songs with music slowly paced and reverent.

The Boomers like a service moving at a faster pace; brighter lighting to see other attenders and louder sound but not intrusive and prefer new songs of praise to the hymnal. Their attention span is shorter so they prefer the service to move along faster; be organized without the appearance of ritual. The churched want to participate; the unchurched prefer to be entertained.

The Busters like a service with some variety and spontaneity; brighter lighting to see other attenders; want the sound to be so loud one can feel it through the use of praise songs. Their attention span is still shorter so they can't stand dead time like people moving to the platform and back. The Busters prefer a sense of spontaneity and enjoy being entertained.

The results are that not everybody can be satisfied in a single service. Most brotherhood churches have stayed with the "traditional" service, some have moved to a blended service, and a few have moved toward a "contemporary" service of younger adults with younger ministers. Much depends upon whom the church is attempting to evangelize as to what approach is used. (See Charles Arn "How to Start a New Service" (p.99).

******************************************************
4. CHURCH INTERNET WEB SITE
******************************************************
The web designer has just made what he calls the "perfect" looking web site on "his" computer. But what does the page look with a different browser? Also, some computer monitors are wide screen (Landscape), which is rapidly replacing the narrow screen monitor (Portrait). But change the font size and change the exact pixel measurement and the output is dramatically changed. The surfer now has to use the slider as the bottom of the screen. Or even worse, some will code so the slider does not appear, and the reader can only see the left part of the page. The same applies to the elevator (scroll bar) on the right. Many will never see all of a page when one uses tag attributes like "scrolling="no" noresize".

******************************************************
5. BOOK RECOMMENDATION
******************************************************
Gary McIntosh in "Three Generations: Riding the Waves of Change in Your Church" highlights the generational changes of the Pre-Boomers, Boomers, and Busters. As people live longer, the generational gap becomes greater. As Aubrey Malphurs review states "Drawing on extensive field testing, the [McIntosh] gives fascinating character sketches of each generation followed by ministry strategies tailor-made to fit each unique group." McIntosh presents what each generation expects in worshiping the Lord.

"Three Generations" can be bought from Barnes and Noble with a 20% discount for $7.99 (paperback) plus shipping and handling at http://webminister.com/barnes/book5013.htm.

******************************************************
6. SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE
******************************************************
Visit http://mindspring.com/~kkbooks/abc known to some as "kkbooks" to provide "Christian Library Research and Christian Resources on the Internet." Use the search engines to find what you like.

I need your comments, so e-mail me at webminister@webminister.com.

Let me know if you want to "unsubscribe."

In His Service,