M
MrVersatile48
Guest
From http://www.crosswalk.com
What Do Leading Churches Have in Common?
With baptisms on the decline, leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention and the broader evangelical world have sounded the alarm that churches are becoming less and less effective in evangelism.
Therefore, Baptist Press reports that LifeWay Research investigated Southern Baptist churches that are effective in reaching people for Christ, defined by the following criteria: baptized at least 26 people per year for 10 consecutive years; had overall worship attendance growth during the same 10 years; and had a membership-to-baptism ratio of no more than 20-to-1.
Out of more than 43,000 churches in the SBC, 22 met the criteria based on data they reported annually. 19 of the 22 agreed to have staff members and lay leaders participate in interviews to find out what these churches have in common.
The most common element is a senior pastor who sets the tone for the church and regards evangelism with utmost importance. Nearly all of the churches describe their polity as pastor-led or staff-led. A common term used to describe the leadership style of the pastors is “shared leadership.â€Â
The average tenure of the pastors included in the study is 15 years.
The interviews also affirmed that worship services are key to reaching people and that the members are highly motivated to invite others to attend.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seen 'em in action?
http://www.christianforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=24248
Yahoo megachurches
Ian
What Do Leading Churches Have in Common?
With baptisms on the decline, leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention and the broader evangelical world have sounded the alarm that churches are becoming less and less effective in evangelism.
Therefore, Baptist Press reports that LifeWay Research investigated Southern Baptist churches that are effective in reaching people for Christ, defined by the following criteria: baptized at least 26 people per year for 10 consecutive years; had overall worship attendance growth during the same 10 years; and had a membership-to-baptism ratio of no more than 20-to-1.
Out of more than 43,000 churches in the SBC, 22 met the criteria based on data they reported annually. 19 of the 22 agreed to have staff members and lay leaders participate in interviews to find out what these churches have in common.
The most common element is a senior pastor who sets the tone for the church and regards evangelism with utmost importance. Nearly all of the churches describe their polity as pastor-led or staff-led. A common term used to describe the leadership style of the pastors is “shared leadership.â€Â
The average tenure of the pastors included in the study is 15 years.
The interviews also affirmed that worship services are key to reaching people and that the members are highly motivated to invite others to attend.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seen 'em in action?
http://www.christianforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=24248
Yahoo megachurches
Ian