The Challenge for theChurch

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

The Challenge for theChurch

• Church often has to be reactive to crises

• This is perhaps the most challenging time in American history for growing great families

• The church (our church) must be PROACTIVE

Time

• Southern Baptist churches have had a similar format for many decades

• We have been “program based”

• We have a similar schedule

Time

• Sunday– “Brotherhood” (1X month) early– Sunday School (9, 9:15, 9:30)– Worship (10:30; 10:45:11:00)– CT (5:00 or so) Youth and Children’s Choirs– Worship (6:00-6:30)

• Wednesday– Missions Programs; “Prayer Meeting”– Choir Practice

Time

• THAT WAS 50 YEARS AGO

• What do we see today?

• We have kept the same format with a little rearrangement of the deck chairs

Time

• The Result?

– We are not reaching the current generation

– We are not keeping up with the birth rate

– We are losing the ones we have

Time

• Part of the reason is TIME

• The life pattern of the American family has changed; we have not adjusted and we are often trying to force families into models that do not work for them.

Time

• What Can We Do?

– Study where they are and how we can help them

– Expand our format– Cut where necessary– Streamline

Fragmentation

• We are ministering to a fragmented generation

– People growing up without wisdom of grandparents

– People with trust issues– People with ignorance regarding basic family

life (life skills)

Fragmentation

• Blended families with their own set of problems

• We are following models of ministry that reflects an old context

• We segment our ministries (Titus 2:3-7)

Fragmentation

• We need families together more when we are here

• We need to deliberately structure ministry so younger people can be around older people

Dissonance

• There is discord in how families today put the faith together.

• They don’t see how faith and life fit together

• We don’t integrate well the whole picture for them.

Dissonance

• That is one reason our families are not holding together in the faith.

• We must build models that give them the big picture; We must prepare them for assaults on their faith (apologetics)

Dissonance

WE MUST HELP THEM SEE THE MISSION OF THE KINGDOM OF WHICH THEY ARE A PART