19 Standout SBC Churches Encouragement for Evangelism

Standout Churches Defined 1.A minimum of 26 baptisms for 10 consecutive years ( ) 2.A membership to baptism ratio of no more than 20 to 1 each of these ten years 3.A minimum of 5% growth in worship attendance overall (2005 compared to 1996) Standout SBC Churches Studied  22 Southern Baptist Churches met these criteria based on data they reported through the Annual Church Profile  19 agreed to a process of one-on-one interviews with the senior pastor, key staff members, and lay leaders  Interviews were conducted on-site at each church in September – October 2006  LifeWay Research studied transcripts from more than 200 interviews

Common themes among the 19 Southern Baptist churches with sustained evangelistic effectiveness Evangelistic Appeal Pastors plan a consistent evangelistic appeal in their worship services Atmosphere The churches possess an environment conducive to reaching people for Christ The tone is described as: “exciting,” “friendly,” “welcoming,” “energetic,” and “positive” The church body trusts the leadership and has embraced the evangelistic vision of the senior pastor; the people are living it by reaching out to others Intentional Outreach Pastors and staff are intentional about reaching people for Christ; across a variety of methods, there is a focus on outreach in everything they do Pastor The pastor sets the tone for the church and regards evangelism with utmost importance Each is described as: “strong leader,” “highly relational,” “passionate,” and “authentic” The pastor provides significant leadership and yet creates an empowering environment of shared leadership

Customer Analysis

# of Standout SBC Churches

Size of Standout SBC Churches Before 10 years of evangelistic effectivenessAfter 10 years of evangelistic effectiveness

Cumulative Baptisms Annual Baptism Totals

MY DECISION TODAY: ___ I’d like to talk to someone about my Faith. ___ I’m beginning a relationship with Christ. ___ I’m renewing my relationship with Christ. MY DECISION TODAY:  I’m committing my life to Christ.  I want to be baptized.  I’m renewing my commitment to Christ. My Decision Today:  I prayed to receive Christ as my personal Savior.  I’m renewing my commitment to Christ.

9 named “Sunday School” “Bible Fellowship Groups” “Small Groups” 2 named “Small Groups” “Host Homes” “Home Groups” “House Churches” “Community Groups” “Bible Fellowship Classes” “Community Groups”