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LifeWay Research: Only 22 out of 43,000 SBC churches met the criteria of baptizing at least 26 people per year
- A LifeWay Research study found only 22 out of 43,000 SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) churches met the criteria of baptizing at least 26 people per year, overall attendance growth and a membership-to-baptism ratio of no more than 20 to 1 over the last 10 years.
- The study further noted that the average tenure of the pastors is 15 years.
- Across the 22 churches, pastors also stress the importance of preaching the gospel and providing opportunities for lost people to respond.
- More than two-thirds say they make an altar call at the end of every service while others have people fill out a decision card.
- One-third of the pastors indicate they preach topically and almost half use expositional or textual preaching.
- Most pastors say their worship style is "contemporary," "informal," and "casual."
- Others say theirs is blended in terms of music and only one pastor described his church's worship as "traditional."
- Four of the churches consider their worship services to be “seeker- driven” or “seeker-targeted."
- Eleven churches use on-campus Sunday school as their primary fellowship groups, while six meet in off-campus small groups, and two have a mix of on and off-campus groups.
Date: 1/30/2007
Mission Aviation Fellowship Releases Landmark Study on Global Evangelism Barriers and Opportunities
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REDLANDS, Ca – The study identifies areas where transportation, communications and technology barriers prevent or impede access to the Gospel or to sustained resources, such as community development, healthcare and education.
“Research shows that despite the extraordinary missions efforts of the Church, three out of four people alive on the earth today still have not heard the Gospel,” said Kevin Swanson, MAF president.
- Fifty-two percent of all sectors present “significant” barriers to reaching people living in the area.
- Sixty-six percent of all sectors had little or no ministry in place.
- “Significant” communications barriers are faced in 89 percent of sectors;
- 56 percent of sectors face almost insurmountable communications barriers.
- Eighty-seven percent of sectors are difficult to access by road.
- Other barriers include:
- social and economic factors (75 percent);
- agency resources factors (61 percent);
- transportation and travel factors (23 percent);
- political and religious factors (21 percent);
- geography actors (6 percent).
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Access specific information on areas of potential ministry, Operation Access, MAF
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Date: 6/6/2006
New CMR Poll Results Encourage Believers to Seize the Opportunity of the Holidays
Look around at your neighbors, co-workers, family, friends, acquaintances, or others you encounter who don't go to church—these next two weeks provide a great opportunity to reach out to them. More than four out of ten Americans (41%) are likely to be receptive to an invitation during the Christmas season.
The Center for Missional Research commissioned Zogby International to ask people about their receptivity to an invitation to church over the Holidays. The study also showed that 42% of the people surveyed would be very or somewhat likely to attend church more frequently in 2007 as a result of their New Year's resolutions.
Date: 12/18/2006
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