Baptized Into Christ

I thought it might be useful to put my things concerning evangelism and assimilation in one post for easy access.  Just click on a post below and off you go. Evangelism Evangelism in the Rural Setting: Part I, Obstacles Evangelism in the Rural Setting: Part II, Advantages Evangelism in the Rural Setting: Part III, Getting Started Apologetics Mocking Christians Prepared: Ready to Witness in Rural and Small Town Areas  (webinar) Assimilation Assimilation in Rural and Small Town Congregations (webinar) Something I forgot to mention that I should have, is simply doing a time and talent survey that involves everyone in the congregation (especially new members) and then following up by making use of the information. A Welcoming Congregation (a Bible Study I put together for my congregation). A book I found particularly helpful in thinking about assimilation is " Inviting Community " which is edited by Kolb and Hopkins.  Each chapter was written by a s...

George McClellan was an impressive young man who had just been given a great deal of responsibility as general-in-chief of the Union Army during the Civil War. McClennan was only 34 years old when he took over this position, but he was an impressive individual and had the skills to be successful and make the Union Army successful. However, when McClennan arrived, the army he was to command was in disorder. In short order McClennan changed the disorder to regular military order. The troops were regularly drilled. The training was thorough and regular. Very quickly the army that had been in disastrous disorder was put in good order. Soon they were well trained and ready to fight. But McClennan, who had so thoroughly trained and prepared the troops for battle, simply refused to put them into battle. Again and again he had opportunities to use his now well trained army to win battles and further the cause of winning the war, but again and again he simply refused to put them into...

Churches in rural areas know that evangelism can be a real challenge. In my first post on this topic I laid out some of the obstacles we face in rural areas in regards to evangelism.  The purpose of the post was not to express hopelessness or despair, but so that we in rural settings can honestly and openly acknowledge the real obstacles that exist so that we can address them. In this post I want to bring to the forefront some advantages we have in the rural setting when it comes to evangelism.  The suburbs and cities get the buzz in most circles because it can be far easier to quickly gain members of a congregation in those settings, however the rural setting has some advantages that aren't present in the cities and suburbs. Advantages 1.  Long Term Relationships In my first post I noted that "Long Term Relationships" can be an obstacle for evangelism and it is so.  However, long term relationships can be a huge advantage as well. Those living in the sub...

As a pastor in a rural setting, I have seen the desire of Christians to reach others with the gospel.  There is a real and genuine desire to do evangelism and many of my members do make it a practice of inviting friends and family to church.  This post should not in any way be seen as a criticism of rural congregations, but as an opportunity to truly examine some of the obstacles we face in evangelizing our communities. Evangelism isn't easy no matter where you go and evangelism in the rural setting can be particularly challenging. Dr. Glenn Daman writes, concerning the challenges of evangelism in the rural community;  Home Bible Studies, which are effective in the larger communities, find only moderate success in the smaller communities. Door to door evangelism, popularized by Evangelism Explosion, not only is unappealing to the congregation, but seems an exercise in futility by those who do attempt to institute the program. Friendship evangelism seems the most pro...

Recently I read an article on the internet about Alton Brown, who just so happens to be my favorite Food Network personality (bring back Good Eats!).  In the article he talks about his experiences in the world of television and towards the end of the article he is asked about his Christian faith. After sharing the post on Facebook, a brother pastor pointed out that the first two responses to the article in the comments section that followed it were as follows. Alton Brown, i hope you have a quick recovery from your mental illness and get back to being the amazing cook and host you are. and  I'm a grown up and don't believe in fairy tales and I'll never watch God Eats the same way again. I would think that a healthy relationship to food and growing and planting and weeding and sowing would move you away from the fairy tale, but I guess not.  Ah yes, the mocking of Christianity. This has become very popular these days. Throughout the 20th century Christians i...

It's been an ongoing phenomenon for years, the exercise gadget that is aimed at addressing one area of your body; The Thighmaster , the Ab Roller , and the list could go on.  These products promise results on a particular area of your body.  Thinner thighs, tigher abs, etc. The problem with this targeted approach is...it doesn't really work.  If you want six pack abs, you're going to have to eat a lean protein, lower calorie diet and exercise the other areas of your body to burn calories too.  If you want thinner thighs, you're going to have to ditch the doughnuts and hit the treadmill. Overall changes, exercising your entire body, changing what you are fueling your body with, those are the only ways to have the desired results; a targeted area without the changes simply won't produce the results. Its much the same in the church.  Take evangelism for example; If we want to have a congregation that is active in evangelism, we can't just focus on evangelism, b...