Accelerating Evangelism

Free Online Bible Offers Bible Studies for Download
NET Bible is a free, online translation of the Bible boasting over 60,000 footnotes, and 6,000 Bible Studies for download. The footnotes explains the process and choices of the translators – over 25 experts in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic.
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Prayer Tool Research
Do you consider yourself a prayer warrior? Are you active in a prayer group? If you are looking for better ways to get prayer requests to your group, Safe-t-Technologies would like your help. It is developing a software application to help prayer warriors communicate better and be more efficient. It would like your help identifying the features and functionality most important to you in a 15-minute online survey.
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Launching Servant Evangelism In Your Church
The audio of the teleconference “The Kindness Challenge” is available online to help you launch servant evangelism in your church in six months.
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Reach Out with Social Networking
Social networking sites are not without their dangers. However, they also provide unique and effective avenues for ministry. Ministry.com offers 10 Tips for using facebook for your ministry outreach.
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Facebook Evangelism Strategies
If compared with country populations, Facebook is the third largest ‘country’ in the world. Internet Evangelism Day offers strategies, opportunities and things to avoid when using Facebook in your evangelistic efforts.
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Fishing with the Internet
A new book by Craig von Buseck’s presents a unique overview of the vast and growing potential of the digital media to share the good news of Jesus. It offers interviews and case studies to explain the nature of new media and how to use it effectively.
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Forward to a Friend
Do you know others who are looking for the evangelism news, research, and ideas that come in each issue of the Evangelism Connection? Please forward this newsletter to them! Every issue has a Forward to a Friend link in the small print of the e-mail footer.

Dear MAC partner,

Care is the second important ingredient of the prayer-care-share lifestyle. As we begin to pray by name for specific family members, friends or acquaintances for whom the Lord has impressed us to pray, we will begin to have opportunities to love them authentically with agape (unconditional) love.

This is in response to the Great Commandment that our Lord Jesus has given us to “Love the Lord our God with all our hearts and souls and minds and strength – and to love our neighbors as ourselves. (Mark 12:30-31) This is not optional for us. We do it in obedience to Christ, and we do it with the love in response to opportunities that He provides!

The prayer-care-share lifestyle is not some shallow, short-term program. It is a deep, biblical lifestyle that flows from our love and commitment to Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. Jesus taught repeatedly that the one who truly loves Him is the one that obeys Him (John 14 -16) He has commanded that we love others.

When we are truly following Jesus and walking in the flow of the Spirit, this lifestyle is not difficult nor a burden. It is simply allowing Jesus to live His life in us and through us by the Holy Spirit. It is living as Jesus lived and loving as Jesus loves. Caring for others with the authentic love of Jesus Christ is one of the greatest privileges and sources of joy that we can ever experience.

Brothers and sisters, it is time to care for our neighbors! You will be amazed by what God can do as you pray, care and share with others!

Joyfully and prayerfully yours – in Christ,,

Paul Cedar
Chairman

2011 Annual Leadership Gathering of the Mission America Coalition, April 4-7, Orlando

LET’S TALK

1. Cityreaching
2. Loving Our Communities to Christ
3. MAC Blog
4. YOUR City/Community Group on KingdomBook (voucher: MAC2010)
5. Add your voice to the Lausanne Global Conversation

Americans Claim Personal Relationship Barna Group research has discovered 67% of U.S. adults claim to have a “personal relationship” with Jesus that is currently active and that influences their life. Women (72%) were more likely than men (62%) to do so. Protestants were more likely than Catholics to cite such a relationship (82% vs. 72%). People who describe themselves as mostly conservative on social and political matters were far more likely than those who see themselves as liberal on such issues to connect with Jesus (79% vs. 48%). One highly disturbing finding is that the younger a person is, the less likely they are to claim an active and influential bond with Jesus. Here is how the generations responded: 72% of adults 65 or older, 70% of Boomers, 65% of Busters and only 52% of Mosaics have such a relationship in place. (Barna Update 4/26/10)

Staying Faith-Connected Barna Research finds strong interest in staying connected with a church is most common among non-mainline teens (49%). Only 25% of mainline students and 20% of Catholic teens say they definitely expect their life to include active involvement with a faith community or church by age 25. Current church attendance appears to be a better predictor of future religious activity than their religious affiliation. 60% of weekly attenders of religious services say they definitely will be involved in a church in the future vs. just 22% of less frequent attenders and 14% of non-attenders. (Barna Update 5/10/10)

Millennial Beliefs
Beliefs of 18- to 29-year-olds in the U.S.

Christian: 65%
No Preference: 14%
Non-Christian religions: 8%
Agnostic: 8%
Atheist: 6%

Note: Percentages are rounded numbers. (LifeWay Christian Resources Millennials Study)

Outreach Immigrants to the U.S. with the greatest receptivity to the gospel are from, in order, Ecuador, Guatemala, Liberia, Honduras, El Salvador, Myanmar, Brazil, Costa Rica, Kenya, and Mexico, finds a LifeWay Research study of people from 151 different countries. (Advance 4/27/10)

More Spiritual than Religious Most young adults today don’t pray, don’t worship and don’t read the Bible, according to a LifeWay Research study of Millennials. In fact, 72% say they’re “really more spiritual than religious.” Disturbingly, 65% call themselves Christian. LifeWay’s Thom Rainer says, “Many are either mushy Christians or Christians in name only. Most are just indifferent. The more precisely you try to measure their Christianity, the fewer you find committed to the faith.” 65% rarely or never pray with others, and 38% almost never pray by themselves, either. 65% rarely or never attend worship services. 67% don’t read the Bible or sacred texts. Half say Jesus is the only path to heaven, and half say no. (USA Today 4/27/10)

Dumbed Down A new LifeWay Research study of 18-29-year-olds reveals a steady drift away from church life. Even among those in the survey who “believe they will go to heaven because they have accepted Jesus Christ as savior,” 68% did not mention faith, religion or spirituality when asked what was “really important in life.” 50% do not attend church at least weekly. 36% rarely or never read the Bible. Just 40% say they have a responsibility to share the Gospel. (USA Today 4/27/10)

Read Bible More Most evangelicals read their Bible more in this past year (’09) than they did the previous year. (2010 Spiritual State of the Nation Survey, Coral Ridge Ministries)

Clergy Income Falling Behind The clergy’s place within the professional middle-class is becoming increasingly tenuous. Mean clergy income has remained relatively flat over the last 20 years, while others with graduate degrees, especially those in medicine and law, have seen their salaries rise. While the average mean salary for a married clergyman with a graduate degree was 11% higher in the ’90s than in the ’80s, salary needs rose 25% for all married males with graduate degrees. For married doctors and lawyers, income rose 37% and 30% respectively. In the ’90s, the average mean household income of married male clergy between 45 and 55 with a graduate degree was $54, 044. Doctors were earning $186,630, and lawyers $155.801. Clergy household earnings also lagged well behind those of teachers ($90,250). In the past decade, those with graduate-level degrees earned an average mean household income of $105,539 – almost double that of married male clergy. (Pulpit & Pew)

New Churches Research shows new churches have a higher ratio of conversions and baptisms compared to more established churches, according to their new book Viral Churches: Helping Church Planters Become Movement Makers. Studies have shown that, in general, churches typically plateau in attendance by their 15th year, and by about 35 years they begin having trouble replacing the members they lose. Among evangelical churches, those under 3 years old will win 10 people to Christ per year per 100 members. Those 3 to 15 years old will win 5 people per year per 100 members. After age 15, the number drops to 3 per year. Most new churches survive; after 4 years, 68% of new churches still exist, and 70% attain self-sufficiency by the 5th year. (Viral Churches: Helping Church Planters Become Movement Makers, LifeWay, 5/10)

American Latinos Drift from Catholicism Many Latino Americans are leaving the heritage of their Catholic faith in favor of other denominations or no religion at all, according to a new study from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.

How Jesus Speaks According to The Barna Group, American adults say they hear Jesus speak to them in multi-faceted ways.

• 52% say He speaks by influencing or connecting directly with their mind, emotions or feelings
• 41%, through the content of a Bible passage they read or which was read to them
• 36%, by providing a sign
• 34%, through sermon or teaching content concerning their immediate situation or need
• 31%, through miraculous or inexplicable circumstances or outcomes
• 31%, through words spoken to them by someone else who was speaking for God
• 18%, through a passage they read in a book other than the Bible
• 16%, through an audible voice or whisper that they could hear (Barna Update 4/26/10)

Help Wanted American congregations cannot find enough people to serve on their committees. 17% of churches with 3 or fewer committees struggle to find volunteers compared with 10% with 4–9 committees and 7% with 10 or more. (Christianity Today 5/10)

Lean Staffing 1 in 7 U.S. churches spends 35% or less of their total budget on staff costs, according to a new Leadership Network and Your Church magazine survey. Churches, on average, spend nearly half their budget on staffing. The total ’09 income of surveyed churches was roughly the same between lean staff churches and other churches that apportion a larger part (more than 35%) of the budget to staff costs. Both lean staff churches and other churches had budgets ranging from $75,000 to over $10 million. Churches with larger attendance numbers were more likely to spend less of the total budget on staff costs. While churches with 100 attenders spent half of their budget on staffing, churches with 6,000 or more apportioned around 42% of their budget to staff costs. Lean staff churches averaged 1 staff member per 86 attenders vs. 1 per 70 in other churches. Multi-site churches had the same staff-cost ratio as single-site churches. Churches with leaner staffing costs had a larger percentage of their budget directed toward “ministry beyond one’s own congregation,” such as missions and community outreach. Overall, churches with lean staff budgets do more with volunteers and lay leadership development, outsource certain staff jobs, tend to have poorer congregations and have extra income sources beyond donations from members. (Christian Post 4/8/10)

2010 Christian Book of the Year has been named by ECPA. It is The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns (Thomas Nelson). (Rush to Press 5/5/10)

Church Planting A recent LifeWay Research survey of Protestant pastors found only 3% of their churches served as the primary sponsor of a church plant during the previous 12 months, and only 14% gave financial support in partnership with other churches to help birth new congregations. However, a second study in partnership with Leadership Network found more churches open than close yearly. Only in recent years has the annual number of new churches in the U.S. outpaced the annual number of churches closing their doors. LifeWay Research president Ed Stetzer says 28% of the congregations surveyed participated in some way in church plants. Among that 28%, roughly half partnered with other congregations in financially supporting the new church, while 12% took on primary financial support alone. (Christian Post 4/21/10)

Praying for Missions 85% of pastors polled said their congregations prayed as a group for missionaries at least once a month during the previous year, and 74% said their congregations focused that prayer on a specific mission field or people group. 50% conducted one or more short-term mission projects, and 20% sent out missionaries who served 10 weeks or longer. (Christian Post 4/21/10)

Millennials Value Family A new LifeWay study that forms the basis for the upcoming book, The Millennials: Connecting to America’s Largest Generation by Dr. Thom Rainer and Jess Rainer, finds 61% of Millennials place family at the top of their priority lists, followed by friends (25%), education (17%), careers/jobs (16%), spouses/partners (13%), and spirituality/religion (13%). Other responses were finances (12%), happiness (12%), raising kids (11%), health (10%), activities (9%), well-being (9%), the future (5%), nature/pets (5%), and use of time (4%). Total percentages exceed 100 because multiple responses were permitted. (LifeWay 5/11/10)

Working Couples’ Crazy Schedules The majority of families headed by dual-earner parents have experienced non-standard job schedules (other than 9 to 5, Monday through Friday). In the late ’80s, 69% of couples had at least one spouse regularly working a night, weekend, rotating, or evening shift; by ’02, it had climbed to 86%. Couples spend less time together or alone when they have kids, but as kids age, couples begin to spend more time together, according to time-diary data from 35,644 married respondents. Researchers from the Univ. of Minnesota found parenthood “significantly reduces the time respondents spend with their spouses,” especially when both parents work. (USA Today 4/15/10)

Survival Mom is responsible for keeping everyone fed, functioning and meeting appropriate milestones. Recently, due to the recession, she has had to do it with more limited resources. Products and messaging successfully tap into this driver when they make her feel she is stretching her dollar by using coupons, eliminating waste through the purchase of recyclable materials, and leaving a green world for her children to inherit. (Engage Moms 4/21/10)

Elderly Caring for Elderly Professional caregivers (mostly women) are one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. work force – and also one of the grayest. A recent PHI National study found, in ’08, 28% of home care aides were over age 55 vs. 18% of women in the overall work force. It is projected that from ’08 to ’18, the number of direct-care workers, which includes those in nursing homes, will grow to 4.3 million from 3.2 million. The percentage of older caregivers is projected to grow to 30% from 22%. (NY Times 4/24/10)

Motherhood Delayed Women in the U.S. are waiting longer to begin having children, and far fewer of them are married. A Pew Research study found that since ’90, the percentage of new mothers over age 35 has risen by 5%, while that of unmarried mothers has jumped 13% to a record 41%. In ’90, teens had a higher share of all births (13%) than did women ages 35 and older (9%). In ’08, the reverse was true. Researchers believe the delay in age of motherhood is associated with the delay in age of marriage and with women’s growing educational attainment and emphasis on career goals. The more education a woman has, the later she tends to marry and have children. Birth rates also have risen for the most educated women while remaining relatively stable for women with less education. (LifeSite News 5/8/10)

First-Time Moms in America are the oldest in the world, due to the fact that American moms have been delaying parenthood until they have had more life experience and resources to share with their families. (Engage Moms 4/21/10)

Teen Aspirations 93% of U.S. teens say they will either definitely or probably obtain a college degree by their mid-20s, according to a recent Barna Group study. 81% feel they are likely to have a “great-paying job” by age 25. 80% also believe they will be serving in a “job where they can make a difference” by that age. 72% feel they will have a close, personal relationship with God in the next decade. 71% say they will definitely or probably have traveled to other countries by their mid-20s. 58% expect to be married and 63% involved in church by then, as well. Just 40% feel they may have children by age 25, and only 9% declare they will definitely become a parent in their early adult years. (Barna Update 5/10/10)

Low-Quality Care in the first few years of life can have a small but long-lasting effect on a child’s learning and behavior, according to a federally funded National Institute of Child Health & Human Development study. The study found that obedience and academic problems among those who received low-quality care in their first 4½ years of life persisted through their 15th birthday, suggesting the potential for lifelong difficulties. Kids who received high-quality care experienced fewer behavior problems and scored better on tests measuring math, reading, and other cognitive skills throughout elementary school. (Washington Post 5/12/10)

Toddler TV Toddlers who watch a lot of TV were more likely to experience a range of problems by the 4th grade, including lower grades, poorer health, and more problems with school bullies, a new Univ. of Montreal study reports. The findings suggest the problems were strongly linked with TV exposure, not parental care, and that excessive TV is not good for a developing brain. It is vital for parents to set limits and develop smart media habits that work for them. (Around the Net in Media 5/7/10)

Parents Divided Attention Many of today’s parents may not realize how their divided attention plays out with kids. Some studies suggest parents today do have more “face time” with their children than their counterparts decades ago, largely driven by increased time spent with fathers. But a growing number of researchers say that’s only part of the story. The technology that allows parents to spend more time at home (laptops, cell phones and mobile e-mail) is blurring the lines between work and personal life and distracting them from the “family time” kids crave. Studies that show parents who spend more time than ever with their kids today don’t necessarily capture what’s happening between them, says a Michigan State Univ. sociologist. “If you’re not connecting with Mom and Dad (even though you’re in the house with them), what difference does it make?” (USA Today 4/15/10)

Morality Hardwired at Birth Yale Univ. researchers have gathered evidence that suggests babies demonstrate a “rudimentary” moral sense very soon after birth, indicating morality may be hardwired into human beings from the very beginning. “A growing body of evidence suggests that humans do have a rudimentary moral sense from the very start of life. With the help of well-designed experiments, you can see glimmers of moral thought, moral judgment, and moral feeling, even in the first year of life,” said Professor Paul Bloom, a Yale psychologist. (LifeSite News 5/10/10)

Statusphere Like it or not, the need for recognition and status is at the heart of every consumer trend. Status is the ultimate (hidden) motive, a subconscious but ever-present force. In a traditional consumer society, where consumption is one of the leading indicators of success, those who consume the most (and especially those who consume the rarest and most expensive) will typically also attain the highest status. However, mature consumer societies are changing. An increasing number of consumers are no longer (solely) obsessed with owning or experiencing the most and/or the most expensive. Today, status can be about acquired skills, eco-credentials, generosity, connectivity… All of this makes for a far more diversified ‘STATUSPHERE’ than most brands and organizations have traditionally catered to. (Trendwatching.com 5/10)

Addicted to Texting 4 out of 5 teens admit to sleeping with or keeping their cell phones near their beds. Nearly 1 out of 3 teens aged 12–17 send over 100 texts a day, reports Pew Research Center. The average adult sends just 10 per day, but older teen girls14-17 send about 3,000 per month. One 16-year-old girl, who sends about 4,000 texts per month, now has carpal tunnel syndrome and needs surgery. (CBSNews.com)

Fearful The National Institute of Mental Health reports, “Approximately 40 million American adults ages 18 and older, or about 18.1% of people in this age group in a given year, have an anxiety disorder.” (National Institute of Mental Health)

Moral Values Worse Gallup’s ’10 annual poll on moral values found 76% of Americans say moral values in the U.S. are getting worse, up 5% from ’09. This marked the second highest 1-year increase in 9 years. In ’04, 77% said moral values were getting worse, marking a 10% rise from the previous year. Overall, 45% say the state of moral values in the country is poor vs. just 15% who say it is in excellent/in good shape. (Christian Post 5/17/10)

Wisdom Increases With Age Researchers at the Univ. of Michigan found older people are more likely than younger or middle-aged people to recognize that values differ, to acknowledge uncertainty, to accept things that change over time, and to acknowledge others’ points of view. Researchers say in modern America, older people generally don’t have greater knowledge about computers and other technology, but they do have significant advantages for analysis of social problems. While the researchers expected wisdom to increase with age, they were surprised at how strong the results were for disputes in society. (Chicago Tribune 4/5/10)

Spring Suicide Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal suicide rates actually increase during the spring months. Many can understand why people can feel down during cold, dark weather, but when spring arrives and new life begins to emerge, those who still don’t feel any better can be pushed to drastic measures. The new warmth and energy can also give some just enough motivation to act on a contemplated suicide plan. Spring can be a particularly difficult time for teens because they face midterms, SATs, proms, college acceptance letters, etc. (The Houston Chronicle 4/17/10)

English Proficient 62% of Mexicans over the age of 5 living in the U.S. speak English “proficiently” while having a median age of 11 years younger than the country at large, reports the Pew Hispanic Center. “Proficiently” means speaking English solely at home or doing so “very well.” The median age for Mexicans in the U.S. is 25 vs. 36 for the full U.S. population. The 31 million Mexicans also have a lower median age than for all U.S. Hispanic residents. The median income for Mexicans 16 or older in ’08 was just above $20,000, slightly below the full Hispanic population. With 19 million Mexicans who are conversant in English, marketers have some options in addition to Spanish-language media. Still, more than 60% of all U.S. Hispanics don’t view themselves as “proficient” in English. (Media Daily News 4/23/10)

Fast Facts:

• More than 80% of adult Americans claim to pray in a typical week.
• 38% of adult Americans are “completely certain” that Jesus speaks to them in ways that are personal and relevant to their circumstances.
• 23% of American adults say Jesus does not speak to them.
• 10% of American congregations have more than 350 regular participants, yet they contain almost half of U.S. religious service attenders.
• 64% of Americans believe rulings by judges in recent years have been more anti-religious than the Founding Fathers intended.
• In the U.S today, the average price of a new car exceeds $27,000.
• We talk at about 150 words-per minute, but listeners can process speech at about 600 words-per-minute.
• As of ’01, the world had 500 billionaires, 75,000 multimillionaires, and 3 million millionaires.
• 85% of Millennials (born between ’80 and ’91) are unsaved, estimates Thom Rainer of LifeWay Research.
• 41% of U.S. Millennials (born in ’81 or later) pray daily.
• 42% of U.S. Gen-Xers (born between ’65 and ’80) prayed daily in the late 90s, while 54% pray daily now.
• 47% of U.S. Boomers (born between ’46 and ’64) prayed daily in the early 60s, while 62% pray daily now.
• Millennials, 100 million strong, have replaced 78 million Baby Boomers as the largest consumer group.
• Among workers age 35-plus, 43% have a boss who is younger than them. For workers 45-plus the rate is 53%.
• The National Retail Federation reports consumers are planning to spend about $126.90 on gifts, cards and celebrations this Mother’s Day.
• 60% of U.S. adults say that capitalism is better than socialism, according to Rasmussen Reports.

News and Trends information compiled and edited by Gary Foster, President of Gary D Foster Consulting, a firm that assists Christian ministries and product companies in solving management, marketing, donor/customer service and product development problems. Contact Gary at: 419.238.4082, GFosterCns@rmi.net or go to www.GaryDFoster.com.

iBAM (Business as Mission) – Colorado Springs
June 13-July 9

iBAM Explore Course – Colorado Springs
June 13-June 26

City-Reaching Conference Call – Nationwide
June 17, 10 a.m. CDT

Alpha Conference for the Americas – Naperville, Ill.
June 22-23

PrayerQuake 2010 – Mesa, Ariz.
June 23-25

Rebelution – Atlanta
July 24

Rebelution – Nashville
Aug. 14

Rebelution – St. Louis
Aug. 28

Cry Out America! – Nationwide
Sept. 5-12

CCDA National Conference – Chicago
Sept. 7-11

Rebelution – Phoenix
Sept. 11

National Youth Workers Convention – Nashville
Sept. 13-15

Rebelution – Washington D.C.
Sept. 25

Movement Day – Nationwide
Sept. 30

reFresh for Pastors – Little Rock
Sept. 30

National Youth Workers Convention – San Diego
October 1-4

reFresh for Pastors – Houston
Oct. 21

Proclamation Evangelism Conference – Nashville
Nov. 8-11

reFresh for Pastors – Atlanta
Nov. 14

National Youth Workers Convention – Nashville
November 19-22

Partners Invited to Submit Calendar Items

MAC partners are invited to submit their events for inclusion in the Collaborative Calendar. Please send announcements with a link to more information about the event to susan@missionamerica.org.