From their personal authenticity to their refusal to compromise the essentials, there is a lot we can learn from leaders who reach the lost. Here are eight more lessons that emerged from the results of interviews with at least 101 church leaders.
Lesson 8: Have small-group opportunities available
While some church leaders debate the best type of small group, most of them agree that some type of small-group organization must be in place both to reach and to assimilate the unchurched. A number of church leaders viewed their small-group organization as indispensable in reaching the unchurched. And while more leaders in our study favored Sunday schools as their primary expression of small groups, most of them saw the outreach potential of numerous kinds of groups.
Greg M., a pastor from Kentucky, probably the most loquacious interviewee we encountered, insisted that all small-group leaders in his church report to a team captain every other week.
"Accountability is the key," Greg said. "When we tell our small-group leaders that their groups are responsible for reaching out, they nod and say okay. But when we tell them they will have a report session every two weeks, they really get moving!"
Lesson 9: Reaching people in crisis
One factor is certain about the leaders of these churches that reach the unchurched: they are highly creative in their attempts to reach the unchurched. A Baptist church in West Virginia has a hospital ministry to new mothers, an attempt to reach these young families in their "positive crisis." A West Coast Evangelical Free Church has reached more unchurched through its crisis pregnancy ministry than any another approach. And a Wesleyan church in the Midwest offers its beautiful sanctuary to prospective newlyweds at a very modest fee -- but only if they agree to four sessions of premarital counseling.
The lesson is clear: the unchurched are more likely to seek a church at a point of crisis. Innovative churches have discovered ways to have a presence in these crisis moments.
Lesson 10: Reaching the unchurched through quality childcare
In my role as a church consultant, I tell church leaders that quality preschool and children's facilities are imperative. Discerning parents today, especially unchurched parents, demand bright and safe modern rooms with new furniture, equipment and toys, along with unquestionable security features.
Well over half of the leaders we interviewed indicated their strategy to reach the unchurched through quality childcare.
"Parents today want the best for their children," said an independent Baptist pastor from Louisiana. "It is amazing how much they care for the spiritual well-being of their children but neglect themselves in this area," he said. "We decided to allocate heavy dollar resources into updating our preschool and children's wing. Boy, has it paid off! We're now reaching many of these young families who have no church background," he exclaimed.
We received mixed opinions from the church leaders about the effectiveness of a "mom's day out," a day care or a five-day preschool as an evangelistic tool. Some leaders indicated that these ministries typically lose their evangelistic focus and cater to Christians only. Others said the ministries tend to become a tail wagging the dog. But still some said that, with highly intentional efforts, these weekday ministries can be evangelistically effective.
Lesson 11: Focus evangelistic efforts on children and youth
Our research team's studies indicate that 81 percent of those who accept Christ do so before the age of 20. Whether this number is an indicator of receptivity to the gospel at a young age or the ineffectiveness of the church to reach adults, the case for focusing evangelistic resources on young people is compelling.
"We don't neglect the adults," said a nondenominational church pastor from Minnesota, "but we have seven specific ministries a year designed to reach teens and children." More than one-half of the pastors indicated that their churches had specific strategies to reach children and youth, the largest unchurched group in America.
Lesson 12: Use a discovery class to reach the unchurched
In a previous study, our research team found that new members' classes were highly effective tools in closing the back door. Many leaders of the effective churches told us that they use these classes for dual purposes: entry into membership and an inquiry class for prospective members including the unchurched.
Such an approach makes sense in light of the strong desire of the formerly unchurched to learn doctrine, to know more about the church, and to learn biblical issues. While some leaders of churches created two separate classes, almost all of those we interviewed indicated the ease by which one class can be used for two purposes.
Lesson 13: Find an evangelistic leader
"I have been the senior pastor of four churches in 32 years," the Southern Baptist pastor from Texas told us. "In every church, I've looked for and prayed for someone who is passionate about evangelism. God has answered my prayers. And when you turn that person loose, the gates of hell begin to fall." Four out of ten pastors we interviewed indicated that through an intentional process or by an unsought blessing, an evangelistic leader has emerged. "You wouldn't believe the difference it makes in the church," the pastor told us, "when you have both the pastor and a key layperson being evangelistic champions."
Lesson 14: Marketing tools alone are ineffective
I frequently come in contact with people whose primary vocation is to sell marketing tools to churches. Their products are quality products: direct-mail pieces, visitor cards and response letters, to name a few. And every marketing person whom I have met tells prospective purchasers that such tools are to be used in conjunction with a comprehensive evangelistic strategy. Still some church leaders think neat, well-packaged marketing tools are all they need to reach the unchurched. Even some of the leaders of the effective churches confessed their own mistakes of depending on marketing tools alone.
"I went four years in ministry trying to find a quick fix," a North Carolina pastor told us. "I've learned my lesson. There is no substitute for concerted prayer, godly obedience and a lot of hard work!"
Lesson 15: Patience is required
We rarely met or interviewed church leaders who said their churches' growth was easy. Many expressed to us their seasons of dryness, growth plateau or decline, and frustration. We heard stories of how a number of these leaders felt like they could not continue in their place of ministry. Yet those who remained faithful and persistent in their places of ministry told us about breakthroughs on some occasions and slow but steady growth at other times.
Reaching the unchurched world, they said, is hard work. It requires a life of prayer and an evangelistic spirit. It also requires leadership skills. Many of the church leaders shared with us that they found themselves ill equipped to lead their churches. Leadership is vital, they said, but many were not prepared. So what did they do? The answer is the subject of our next Church Health Today article series.
15 lessons from leaders who reach the lost, part 1
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Thom S. Rainer, Ph.D., is the president of Church Central Associates LLC and is founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Considered one of the leading experts on the church today, he is the author or co-author of 16 books on the church and has written articles or reviews for more than 30 publications. Dr. Rainer has also served as a pastor and interim pastor in 10 churches and has consulted with more than 300 churches, denominational entities and other religious organizations.
