I feel convicted.
At the In The Chute conference yesterday, Dave McDonald from Crossroad Christian Church made this reflection:
“If there was a fire, and the firefighters only managed to save 10% of the population, would that be considered a success?”
Of course not. 10% would be an abysmal failure.
Interestingly (and contrary to media reporting), these beliefs haven’t changed in 50 years.
20% of Australians attend church less than monthly.
Source: ACS98 Why people don’t go to church p48, p68 (available here).
Here’s the big question – how might these insights be used to reach Australians with the gospel?
“You can purchase the full report commissioned by Olive Tree Media into what Australians really think about Christian faith. The Australian Communities Report was conducted by McCrindle Research and highlights the top ten belief blockers that Australians have towards the Christian faith plus much, much more. This 32 page document will provide real facts which will help you be more effective in your Christian ministry, and makes for very interesting reading!”
Read more here and purchase here. I just wish you could purchase a PDF version – $5 for shipping in Australia.
Steve Fogg has written about the report here. There’s more interesting research about the Australian church here. I’m looking forward to reading it.
For this week’s poll - would you feel comfortable inviting an unbelieving friend to visit the church you attend?
A simple yes or no will suffice, but you are also welcome to share via the comments why you would or wouldn’t feel comfortable. Feel free to keep the name of the church anonymous!
Loading ...Your answers will help me with a post I am writing about church marketing. Thank you.
In September I hosted a Welcoming Roundtable with around 15 people from Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Central Coast.
The purpose?
To assist discussion amongst Christians as to how to most effectively welcome the people who God brings to our churches.
It was a great night of idea-sharing and learning from people in other churches – something that happens far too infrequently. You can read more about the roundtable here.
If you’re interested, post a comment below and we’ll organise a date for another discussion in Sydney.
