Do Baptists still believe in revival?

And "I was always told if I didn't get my cup 'filled' - I probably had it upside down..." seems to be what the evangelists and revivalists said up until about 1960 . . . .

It is just odd to me, that for about 130 years - revivalism (mass evangelism) was a trusted tool of the Church in America and it is no longer trusted.

During the period it was utilized by the Church, Christianity in America grew from 25% (a higher number than any of the reports that I have found) to well over 60% of the country was 'churched' (I think that number was easily 80-85% towards the end of the 50's).

After 40 years of not 'trusting' revival, we are at the lowest level of Christianity that we have been in this country since God only knows when.

I have read the 'church growth stuff', and the only true correlation that I have found is that we quit trusting evangelists. If someone can SHOW me that there is actually something to the other arguments - culture of the unchurched got bad, etc - then show me. But, in about 1960 when mass evangelism started going down hill - all major denominations started going from growing to shrinking.

Hence this thread and others like it.

What is going on?

How does the Church get turned around here in America?

 

I agree brother!

As I study intentional evangelism . . . I hurt for my denomination.

We have gone from where the average SBC church met Thom Rainer's 'effective church' standard to where less than 10% of our churches do. We have forgotten HOW IMPORTANT THE BACK DOOR WAS!!! We have forgotten that soul going out the back door has lifted up someone else within the congregation and that soul IS HEAVEN BOUND! And that soul went on to another denomination that COULD NOT EVANGELIZE!!!

IT COSTS MORE THAN $20,000 per conversion, but the old style revivals would cost us about $500 per conversion.*

What are WE DOING WITH GOD'S MONEY!!!??? I cannot remember how many times I have been told, "YOU have to be a good steward of God's money. YOU cannot spend money on those frivolous things!!!"

If I had a $1,000 for each time I got told that - I would be putting on a city wide revival! This is crazy! We need to quit wasting all of our resources on things that truly do not impact the Kingdom.

What are we thinking!???!!! Divert some money into evangelism!!! Since I figured this out . . . they can send me a tithe . . . I WON'T BUILD A HOUSE FOR ME - I WILL BUILD HOUSES FOR GOD!

They keep trying to tell me that God does not move that way . . . He always has and He still wants to move in a miraculous way. It is us that do not want Him to move. Our actions speak loud and clear . . . we have a numbers problem. So in a panic to fix the numbers problem - we close the back door - we disciple the ones we have - we DO NOT evangelize the lost - we do seeker services . . . What, pray tell, is an evangelism crusade? IT IS THE BIG GRANDDADDY OF ALL THEM "SEEKER SERVICES"!!! But, it does not have the drag coefficient effect upon the rest of the church that seeker driven does(**).

We need to get back to the basics of CHURCH!!! We need to quit playing semantics on the book of ACTS AND CORINTHIANS and get some Holy Ghost empowered evangelism going.

We need to quit worrying about whether or not we are still in a closet or not. We need to get clean by the Blood of the Lamb! And charge the gates of hell before we lose more millions from this seeker proclivity nonsense. If we want to reach seekers - do it the ACTS way! Do it by the thousands and start churches.

Did God give us the example so that we could proclivity it down the drain? I'll give some sensitivity training - HELL HURTS! Get tough and quit your crying - or get right with JESUS and start some soul-winning.

(*) $20k/conversion is a low ball park using average budget OF AN EFFECTIVE CHURCH! Luis Palau cost $256/conversion in his St Louis campaign . . . doubled the number for good measure. The numbers seem to be in line with data extrapolated from that unknown John Rice (The Evangelist, pp 81 - 83).

JoJ - Rice knew his stuff . . . I do like the way he could move numbers on the fly . . . he could exaggerate without exaggeration - that is gooooood.

(**) Don't tell me the difference between driven and sensitive . . . those paradigms are barely able to DO A TENTH OF WHAT FARM BOYS USED TO DO FOR THE GLORY OF GOD. 20 years . . . 20,000+ church with millions of dollars spent in just capital improvements . . . I am not putting Rick down - he is where God told him to be . . . . BUT, one good campaign does that . . . . at $500 per person . . . verses $20,000+ per person.

 

I truly do not mind sending the back door believers over to the mega churches . . . but, it drives me crazy when they do not want to support evangelism.

They (each and every church over 500 in attendance) should bring on at least one staff evangelist (per 500) - to reach the lost and plant NEW CHURCHES.

:BangHead:

 

Welllll

Since all major denominations are in decline. And less than 4% of churches are considered effective (*). And 85% of SBC churches are platoed or declining . . .

There would have to be quite a bit of shuffling around Christians to fill up most mega churches.

IMHO.

(*) effective churches are over 500 members and have more than one conversion for each 20 members (Insights, 23). Ironically, it seems that most of these practice something not being analyzed . . . 'cause the top 4%-5% of the churches are that size . . . and most of them do NOT have that good of a conversion ratio. I've helped out at a couple of them.

 

Great post!

 

Michael

Then I need to get a copy sometime.

Wayne

 

Are Baptists judgmental?

Wrong thread . . .