Church Decline & Spotty Attendance

#32

October 11, 2010

#1

One of the Biggest Reasons Why Churches Decline

Most churches track how many people attend, but few churches know how often people are coming. People do not simply quit church one week; they phase out. They begin by attending less frequently. This issue is one of the biggest reasons why churches decline. Understandably, a plethora of spiritual reasons exist why people attend less frequently, but many churches do not even realize that people are gradually leaving the church by attending less often.

Let me share with you a basic exercise:

Church A has 400 people that come 4 out of 4 weeks (yes, I know that’s a pipe dream, but hang with me for the sake of argument). This attendance frequency means that the church averages 400 in attendance.

Church B has 400 people that come 3 out of 4 weeks (not too bad). But this attendance frequency means that the church averages 300 in attendance.

Church C has 400 people that come on average 2 out of 4 weeks (probably more realistic). They average 200 in attendance.

I’m sure that you get the point by now. Each church has 400 people that are part of the flock, but the average attendance at Church C is much less than Church A. As attendance frequency drops, the churches have drastically smaller averages, without “losing” anyone.

#2

I am not advocating legalism – a haughty attitude that every time the church doors are open everyone must be there. But the family that once attended almost every week and now attends ten times a year is gradually leaving the church.

Attendance frequency. It’s not the most important church health metric, but it’s one that is neglected. And it’s one of the biggest reasons that churches are declining.

(Written by Sam Rainer and posted on Nov. 9, 2009. I have made this argument for the past five (5) years - tcf)

50 Years & Counting

#31

October 5, 2010


#1

On October 2nd we celebrated 50 years of marriage. Francis Schaeffer said near the end of his life on earth; "If you want to do something really radical as a Christian, stay married to the same mate for life." We are working on that noble endeavor. Two essentials to achieve that. 1) You must stay married to the same person. 2) You must live long enough. Much of #1 is on us, #2 is primarily God's work.

#2

Men today let's talk about what it means to lead a balanced life. The 50th wedding anniversary party of a Christian friend was attended by a) his happy wife, b) his children (some of whom flew in), c) his pastor who thought enough of him to comment on his life, and d) about 40 friends. In his case, no one from the office. And he was very happy. Are you living as though a happy wife, children who still want to be around you, a pastor who would be willing to say something nice about you, and about 40 friends would be a great achievement? What more can a man really want?

The quote posted above is from Patrick Morley's National Men's Ministry message for this date. The timing of Providence is wonderful.

So I ask you men - will you, by the Grace of God engage such a glorious celebration? I hope for you and for the Glory of Christ that you do!

Parched Earth - Refreshing Rain

#30

September 27, 20910

#1

We have had 25 days without rain in September here in Columbia. When you walked across the lawn, it crackled. Dry is an understatement. The grass was as brown as a paper sack, lifeless, unattractive. Scorched by the daily 95+ temperatures we have had. Record number of days above 90 for September (Al Gore excepted!!).

#2

I flew back last night from Baltimore. By the time I landed in Columbia it was pouring rain. By 10 o'clock this morning the grass was already showing signs of recovery - that memorable 'green' was emerging, colorful, succulent, refreshing like the rain itself.

God's goodness is like that. There are persistent 'dry times' in our life spiritually. We long for refreshing. When it comes, like the 'greening of the lawn' we know that He has visited us. He has once again poured His indescribable favor upon us. We breath a sigh of cool relief. Thank you Lord!

Taking Responsibility as a Leader

#29

September 20, 2010


Failure to Accept Responsibility is a Failure to Lead

It was caused by forces out of our control. That line is not from a 1950s sci-fi movie in reference to aliens taking over the world. Rather it seems to be the assessment of many senior leaders in the financial services industry as to the causes of the economic meltdown.

"Nobody was prepared for this" is what Robert Rubin, a senior official at Citigroup, told the Wall Street Journal. "Maybe there are things, in context of the facts [the board] knew then, we should have done differently," Rubin admits.

Not acting "differently," however, caused Citigroup to lose $20 billion over the past year and to receive $45 billion in federal assistance. Although Rubin turned down his 2007 bonus, he has earned $115 million from Citigroup since joining the firm in 1999. As for "regrets," Rubin told the Journal, "I guess I don't think of it quite that way... If you look back from now, there's an enormous amount that needs to be learned."

One thing that may need to be learned (or re-learned) is a lesson in responsibility. It rests on three principles.

1. Be aware. Every leader needs to take a moment to drink up the action. You need to step back from the day to day flow and assess what is happening. Acknowledge what is going well as well as what is going poorly. Always be aware that things are not always as they seem and be prepared for surprises.

2. Accept consequences. Few executives need schooling in taking credit, but too many need some reminding about what happens when things go wrong. Accepting the consequences for failure is not a sign of weakness; it's a measure of leadership. While no one likes to fail, the sooner you accept what happened, the sooner you can move forward.

3. Resolve to improve. Some crises are too great for the current leadership to continue. We are seeing replacements of CEOs in nearly every business sector. But the majority of senior executives have their jobs, or new ones, and so they will need to discover ways to improve things. That starts with a resolution to make a positive difference. In crisis it means sacrificing short-term gains, e.g. bonus compensation, for long-term growth.

Behavioral scientists teach us that the first step in recovery is an acknowledgement of responsibility. But sadly too few executives are holding themselves accountable. This is not only bad for the future of our economy. It sets a poor example to younger managers and those about to become managers. Forget what you might have learned in school (or from your parents), these executives seem to say, do what you want to do and deny responsibility.

"The price of greatness," said Winston Churchill, "is responsibility." Something that all of us facing tough times need to remember.

This article is from 2008 and relates to the Finance Industry. It has wide and
legitimate application for many disciplines. Take Responsibility!!

Sense in an Age of Senselessness

September 6, 2010
#28

Bill Gates speech: 11 rules your kids did not and will not learn in school
by Kent Summers on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at 8:34am

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

This should be required reading once per week in every calssroom in America. THANKS Bill.

In a Multitude of Speaking . . .

August 16, 2010
#27

Part 1

The Scripture teaches that when we speak, we open the prospect that we will err, sin, stick our foot in our yapper. Dr. Laura proves this aphorism in spades. Caution - listening is much more profitable than speaking. We should listen on a ratio of about 5-1. I had a Conference Call this morning. I wrote in 72 font across the top of my notes LISTEN!

Sure enough. Each time I was inclined to speak (in an hour long call) I noticed that 'neon' banner on the top of the page telling me to LISTEN! Good advice for all.

Part 2

Check out the text of this snafu.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38684474/?gt1=43001

Freedom of Religion or Freedom of Worship?

#25 August 2, 2010


Part 1

In the opening segment of COSMOS, Carl Sagan intones innocently these words: "The COSMOS is all there is, all there ever was and all there ever will be".

In that statement, using the language of accommodation (1984 calls it 'New Speak'), he quietly but absolutely removes the existence of the Triune God who CREATED the COSMOS from the minds of his listeners and proceeds to build an entire worldview on that premise. Lethal!

We are being attacked by this very methodology as I write. There is a Global initiative under way to exchange Freedom of Religion for Freedom of Worship. There is a vast and crucial difference. Freedom of Religion guarantees the right to speak and debate in the Market Place. Freedom of worship removes that free exchange of Truth and limits such endeavors to the confines of an assembly hall, etc. (if even there)

Freedom of Religion

Did you know that you have two Freedoms granted by the First Amendment regarding Religion?

Pilgrims were called Separatists back in England because they wanted independence from the established Church of England. In 1620, they sailed the stormy Atlantic for 63 days on the tiny Mayflower, seeking freedom of religion in the New World.

The First Amendment contains two clauses about the Freedom of Religion. The first part is known as the Establishment Clause, and the second as the Free Exercise Clause.

The Establishment Clause prohibits the government from passing laws that will establish an official religion or preferring one religion over another. The courts have interpreted the establishment clause to accomplish the separation of church and state.

The Free Exercise Clause prohibits the government from interfering with a person’s practice of his or her religion. However, religious actions and rituals can be limited by civil and federal laws.

Religious freedom is an absolute right, and includes the right to practice any religion of one’s choice, or no religion at all, and to do this without government control.

Your rights to Freedom of Religion and the free exercise thereof means:

•The Freedom of Religion is an inalienable right.

•The First Amendment provides for the Freedom of Religion for all Americans.

•The Free Exercise Clause provides that government will neither control nor prohibit the free exercise of one’s religion.

•The government will remain neutral.

(the above material was secured from Google with the simple string - Freedom of Religion)

Part 2

View this Video by Chuck Colson. Then Pray & ACT while it is still day because the night is surely upon us!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROmD64hrv9c