|
|
Peace, Justice, and Church GrowthA New Life Ministries Report
|
 | Whether or not the people in the congregation truly WANT it to grow. Almost no church grows unless the majority of the congregation wants growth to happen. |
| The level of hospitality which people show to visitors. |
| The willingness of people in the congregation to share their faith with others and to invite others to attend worship or other church activities. |
| The way in which the church is perceived by the public. Is this generally viewed as a friendly church? Is it a church that cares about the community? Is it a church that wants to make a difference? |
| The beliefs and values of the church as perceived by a visitor or prospective member. |
Many Anabaptist churches have a strong emphasis on peace, justice, and positive social action or service. Some people feel that such an emphasis is a barrier to church growth and is a negative factor in the eyes of prospective members.
Ronald J. Sider shares the concern that some of today's "evangelists and peace-and-justice activists barely get along at all. Sometimes they call each other names: fundamentalist, left-wing-liberal, pie-in-the-sky theologians, calloused hearts. . . . Evangelism and peace-making are not the same thing, but they are both central responsibilities for biblical Christians" [quoted in the March 17, 1992, Gospel Herald].
Sider is correct when he says that, from a biblical perspective, both evangelism and peacemaking are part of the responsibility we have been given. It is also true that an emphasis on peace, justice, and social action may even be a positive factor for evangelism and church growth.
New Life Ministries is cooperating with Christian Community in a careful study of congregations and the factors which make them healthy. Over the last decade, congregational surveys and other information have been collected from a large number of local churches in North America. The database currently includes over 1,400 congregations, about 200 of which are Anabaptist, and survey data from over 240,000 church members and constituents. A careful study of that data reveals some interesting facts:
1. There are many churches which place a priority on peace and justice which are not growing.
The churches with that emphasis which are not growing, however, are failing to do so primarily because their members are not inviting others to church and are not showing solid hospitality to visitors who do come. Many of these congregations also have internal problems with cliques and exclusive groups which make some of their current members feel unwelcome. The fact that these churches have a peace and justice emphasis does not make them any less likely to grow than any other congregation which is not doing intentional outreach and nurturing a healthy hospitality.
2. Most churches which are growing, in fact, do show a concern about peace and justice issues.
One of the items on the congregational survey reads: "A Christian has an
obligation to work for peace." A related item reads: "Working for
peace includes an emphasis on nonviolence and reconciliation." The national
average for all congregation members taking this survey reflects about 67%
agreement with each of those statements. Among churches which are growing,
however, the level of agreement with each of those statements is about 83%.
Another item says: "Meeting the physical needs of people in the community is at times just as important as meeting their spiritual needs." The national average reflects 78% agreement with that statement, but the average level of agreement in growing congregations is 93%.
If a congregation is doing the other things which make for growth (inviting people to church; showing biblical hospitality; presenting a positive image to the community; etc.), the church will be even more likely to grow if there is an emphasis on peace, justice, and service. When the other steps for growth are being taken, a church which has a peace, justice, and service emphasis is in fact 12% more likely to grow than one which does not.
Why is that true? Many people who are outside of the institutional church in North America are in fact very concerned about world peace, justice issues, and the needs of the poor. The percentage of unchurched people opposed to capital punishment, for example, is higher than the percentage of church members opposed to capital punishment [consistent Gallup Poll results over the last decade].
Congregations which are forthright in their emphasis on peace, justice, and service can be very attractive to many unchurched persons. The unchurched persons will not get to experience the peace and justice emphasis, however, unless the church takes evangelistic outreach seriously and provides a warm, continuing welcome to all who come.
Both words and actions are part of sharing the good news with others. That's made especially clear in James 2:14-17. In the Anabaptist tradition, there is an important emphasis on service to others–on feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. As we carry out these ministries of service, we need to remember that others will not know that our faith in Christ is what motivates our works–unless we tell them. Some of us are not comfortable talking about our faith in Christ, but the Gospel challenges us to share that faith. We don't have to be polished and eloquent to have significant impact on others.
We can:
| When encountering a person who has a problem similar to one which we have experienced, share with that person how faith in Christ helped us pull through difficult times. |
| When offering a ride to a person who is stranded, providing food for a hungry family, or arranging needed medical care, let people know that we have done so out of the depths of our faith in Christ, which nurtures our love for others. |
| When helping prepare peace and justice initiatives, we can clearly communicate to the public and to those we seek to help that we are responding to our understanding of what Jesus wants us to do with our lives. |
Two resources available from New Life Ministries which relate to the issues covered in this New Life Ministries Report are Reaching the Forgotten and Sharing Living Water.
The book Reaching the Forgotten, by Steve Clapp, Julie Seibert Berman, Pat Helman, and Cindy Hollenberg Snider, talks about strategies for reaching out to the poor, to ethnic minorities, and to others often overlooked by evangelistic strategies.
The book Sharing Living Water by Steve Clapp and Sam Detwiler gives comfortable, nonmanipulative strategies for faith-sharing.
This book is also included in New Life Ministries' module Sharing Our Faith, which is a comprehensive guide to helping your congregation become more comfortable reaching out in Christ's name.
To purchase any of these produces, go to our online order form or call us toll-free at 1-800-774-3360.
____________________
This report is published by New Life Ministries, a nonprofit corporation, and is mailed without charge to clients and friends Our partner organization, Christian Community, provides much of the content for this publication. Persons receiving this publication may reproduce the contents in local church and regional judicatory bulletins and newsletters. Please request permission for other reproduction from:
New Life Ministries, 6404 S Calhoun St,
Fort Wayne, IN 46807
Phone: 1-800-774-3360 • E-mail:
NLMServiceCenter@aol.com
Internet: www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org
Other New Life
Ministries Reports • Other Online Resources
Peace, Justice, and Church Growth . New Life Ministries Report. © 2000 New Life
Ministries
2000-2008 New Life
Ministries (www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org).
All Rights Reserved.
Top of Page |