Last week we saw the importance of doctrine in the life of the formerly unchurched. Closely related to that is the issue of certitude. Doctrine is the content of belief; certitude is the conviction of belief.
In nearly half of our interviews with the formerly unchurched, we heard some indication that certitude was an important reason they chose a church.
One question we routinely asked in our interviews was, "What brought you back to the church?" We received answers such as the following relating to the issue of certitude:
- "The church is uncompromising on the Word."
- "The pastor spoke the Word of God as truth. Didn't 'fluff-up' the sermon."
- "Called 'sin' sin in a loving way."
- "You could tell that the people really believed what was taught and preached."
- "All the material they give visitors in the worship service tells you clearly that the church has convictions about what it believes."
- "I have never been to a Sunday school class where the teacher was so well prepared and taught with so much authority and conviction."
In some of my church consultations, interviewing the pastor briefly or listening to a sermon tells me immediately what one problem may be  no sense of certitude. The words may be similar to another pastor's sermons, but conviction is lacking. The formerly unchurched told us with clarity that they recognized certitude or lack of certitude even before they became Christians.
Sean R. is a civil engineer in a mid-sized town in South Carolina. Sean was one of many formerly unchurched men who told us that their wives were the single greatest influence in getting them to visit churches.
"Marilyn was lovingly persistent, I always say," Sean said. "She didn't nag me, but I had no doubt that she wanted me to visit church with her. Every now and then, I would be the good husband and follow her to a church."
Sean continued, "I tell you, Thom, I honestly can't remember anything about the other churches I visited. Maybe I was so spiritually dead that I don't remember anything about them. Or maybe the churches were so dead that they made no impact on me."
Everything changed when Sean and Marilyn visited a church where the preacher spoke with certitude. "I was mesmerized by the sermon," Sean said. "And it wasn't just [the] delivery. The first time I heard [the preacher] I thought, ‘this guy really believes this stuff.' I guess I really surprised Marilyn when I told her I wanted to go back for another visit."
Sean returned to church several times. The conviction with which the minister spoke convinced Sean to explore Christianity. Six months after their first visit, Sean accepted Christ. When we spoke to him, his enthusiasm for his faith was obvious.
"I get excited thinking about where I am now. But I also know that there are a lot of churches out there where no conviction exists. I've been to some of them. You're never going to convince a lost person to become a Christian unless the church is totally sold out on its beliefs. Man! There sure are a lot of wishy-washy churches out there."
Anecdotally, the formerly unchurched seemed to be more cognizant of the certitude of belief present in churches than did the transfer churched. Stories like Sean's were not uncommon. And in many cases, the formerly unchurched told us that the evidence of clarity and conviction of doctrine was most obvious in the pastor.
The Pastor, doctrine, and certitude
We heard hundreds of comments about doctrine from the 353 formerly unchurched we interviewed. Some reflected on written documents in which the church made clear its doctrinal position. Others told of how a small group or Sunday school class communicated clearly a conviction or stand on doctrinal positions. A few spoke of conversations they had with church members in which doctrinal conviction was evident. Yet the overwhelming number of comments regarding doctrinal certitude was tied to the pastor.
First, these new Christians told us, the pastors mentioned doctrinal issues with frequency.
"One thing that impressed me about Mark [the pastor] the first time I came to Southwick Church was his willingness to tackle tough issues in his sermon," Bill P. of Maryland told us. "I remember the first sermon really well. It was about Christ being the only way of salvation. He hit that issue straight on. And honestly, that was something I had been struggling with."
Bill told us he heard the pastor take on many doctrinal issues over the course of his visits the next several weeks. "It seemed like every opportunity Mark had, he mentioned something about biblical beliefs," Bill said.
We heard many similar stories from the formerly unchurched. Pastors considered the understanding of major doctrines critical to the health of the church. Thus, the formerly unchurched heard doctrinal issues with frequency. Bill continued, "One of the things that attracted me to Southwick was that you had no doubt where the church stood. Just listen to Mark a few weeks and you'll know."
Secondly, the formerly unchurched most readily noticed the level of conviction when the pastor spoke.
Bill, like many of our interviewees, did not hesitate to speak his mind. In the course of our interview about Southwick, the church he joined, Bill decided to tell us about a church he did not join.
"I didn't have a church background," Bill said, "but I sure could tell a lot about churches after a visit or two. There was this one church where the preacher went through all sorts of gyrations to say nothing. It was like he was afraid he would offend somebody. Personally, I was offended that he was such a dud. I could've turned on the TV and watched "The Simpsons" and learned as much about the Bible!"
Bill became more animated in his conversation. "Why do these guys even get into the ministry if they don't believe anything? It seems like it would be a matter of integrity for them to believe in what they do. What a shame!"
One other issue arose frequently as the formerly unchurched spoke about the pastor and doctrine. It is the factor we have dubbed "speaking the truth in love." Numerous times we heard how these pastors were strong in their convictions but gentle in spirit. As Bill spoke of his pastor, he said: "You know where he stands, but you also know he cares about you. He isn't some ranting and raving legalist."
Next week: Speaking the truth in love  pastors and congregations.
