In 2005, I read an article in The New Yorker, by Malcolm Gladwell (author of The Tipping Point and Blink). The article was called “The Cellular Church” and was about Rick Warren, head of one of the most successful mega-churches in the US. The way these churches maintain a “sense of community” as they grow very large, says Gladwell, is by creating “a network of lots of little church cells – exclusive, tightly knit groups of six or seven who meet in one another’s homes during the week to worship and pray.”

The church has thousands of volunteers who are charged with getting to know each member that walks in the door and getting that new member plugged into a small group, formed around shared hobbies and interests – knitting, quilting, mountain biking. These cells effectively function as social networks, fueling deep friendships between church members. What’s clear from the article is that people who are in small groups are more likely to show up at church on Sunday, stay a member of the Church longer, and give more money. These mega-churches are succeeding because they understand that for most people, it is the social connections they form as an aspect of going to church that in large part drive them to attend and donate. Without the small group, Warren explains in the article, going to Church with 5,000 people could feel pretty impersonal. Perhaps a bit like going to a concert hall with 1,800 people?

In the 2006 New Zealand Arts Survey, the number one reason for decreased participation, given by 56% of survey responders, is “Less Time/Other Commitments.” One might assume, perhaps, that the top reason for increased participation would be “More Time/Fewer Commitments.” It’s not. 29% of survey respondents said they were attending more frequently because they had someone to go with, and 20% said they were attending more frequently because they were “more interested” in the arts. The survey noted that when participants in the “low attendance segment,” in particular, were asked why they are attending more often now than they were three years ago, this segment (more than the others) identified the need to be encouraged by their social network to attend.

Saying “no time” reminds me of the oft-used, let-me-down-easy breakup line: “It’s not you, it’s me.”

Like these churches, arts organizations need to foster small-group, socially-driven arts participation.

Quoted from: Address to Australia Council Arts Marketing Summit by Diane Ragsdale

“Each Xmas I have helped different charities and have managed to get our clients to contribute to give as well each year! This year I personally want to help 3 different families in our area locally that need some help this year. I would like to arrange a hamper for each family and hopefully I can get clients to donate gifts & goods to the chosen families. I was told that your church would know who would benefit from this.” 

This is great on so many levels:

• Partnering together to care for those in need.
• Its a great thing for those in need to receive this Christmas.
• We both cross promote each other, as we let people at church know and they let their clients know about the venture… awareness of both groups grows. Mutually beneficial.
• It’s an encouragement to know that we have a reputation in the community of “doing good” and would know people in need this Christmas.

So this Salon will do up some hampers and then we will distribute it to 3 people we know who would welcome such a gift this Christmas.

Check out post 1 and post 2 in this 3 part series

• Seeking prosperity.
• Raised the profile of the cafe within our church & local community (online & offline)
• Mutually beneficial.

See the first post in this series

Some do’s and don’ts in connecting & serving businesses:

1. Pursue mutually beneficial partnerships - Don’t exploit local businesses. Often churches only approach businesses to get something out of them or assume they ‘should’ help churches out and donate to our cause or allow us to put posters up … but what do they get in return.
2. Seek their prosperity. Think of things that might bless them, help their business to thrive. What things can you do to help them build new connections, clients or customers. (This can still be ‘beneficial’ to your church also – wait for the next post in this series for an example.
   
   
3. Lead the way on important issues. Demonstrate to your community how we ought to repsond to tragedy, disaster or poverty around us. Although our motives my be different, I think it is good for the church to be the leader in mercy activities. Help unbelievers care about other people and perhaps include them in to your already established structures that contribute to those in need

The folk at Christianity Explored are going strength to strength with their resources for evangelism and this new iPhone app is in a league of its own.

• Its clean and fresh, with a contemporary design and format that is accessible to people used to excellence.
• Has all the benefits of their website content on your iphone.
• Answers to the simple question about What Christianity is.
• Videos of people answering tough questions. Really helpful stuff.
• Clips from a wide variety of people who’ve come to know and love Jesus for themselves. Powerful stuff.
• This material is succinct, relevant and most importantly biblical truth!
• PLUS easy access map to see where you can go and sign up to the Christianity Explored course.

This is just another reason why the Christianity Explored course is such a great evangelistic course to run at your church. The support resources are unrivalled. The DVDs are well produced (I like DVDs because I feel it allows people to disagree with content more and really thrash about ideas).

Anyway…

Why not download the app, use it with your friends and family and be sure to rate the app on iTunes. Show a little love to Christianity Explored, they deserve our partnership in the gospel!

You find the people friendly.

You come back a second week.

You end up having dinner with the friendly people after.

You miss a week.

You come back for a third time.

You actually found the sermon interesting.

You hear about [insert evangelistic course name here] that the church is running.

You sign up and attend the [insert evangelistic course name here]

You begin to see how Jesus & Christianity seems to make sense of the world.

You get a bible given to you from your friend.

You understand more of the sermons preached at Church.

You miss a week at church to go to family dinner.

You read the bible most days.

You tell your friend who brought you first to church: ‘I prayed for the first time this week… I can’t believe how much sense Jesus makes, thanks so much for bringing me along to church’

You choose to join a mid week bible study group.

You love Jesus.

You get thrown a curve ball at work, its really stressful.

You love Jesus but realising the more life needs to change.

You’ve been coming to church for 4 months now.

You don’t even care now the taunts from your family that you are ‘a good church goer now’.

You don’t feel like you are chasing after something when you drink, you just drink a glass now because it’s refreshing.

You realise the way you have been living for the last 29 years has had the wrong focus all these years.

You know of the freedom that comes with being a ‘child of God’. You now the love and security that only can come from God.

You keep finding amazing things while reading the bible and have heaps of questions.

You get thrown another curve ball this time its concerns with your family.

You begin to find your non-Christian friends difficult and selfish.

You wonder whether they were ever your friends in the first place.

You feel like you don’t know the people at mid-week bible study well enough yet to share with them the trouble going on…

You know Jesus’ forgiveness well.

You are convicted you should really forgive [insert name of family member] for the hurt they have caused over the years and currently.

You struggle to cope with the stress at work.

You struggle to really surrender all things you’ve enjoyed freely for the last 29 years.

You wrestle every morning with the stress of your family.

You pull out of mid-week bible study to begin to cope with the demands of life.

You go to dinner for your twin brothers birthday instead of church one week.

You haven’t been to church in 6 months.

You are still friends with the friend that took you to church, but you find it hard to talk about what’s going on with your faith.

*Based on a the story of a friend of mine. Join with me in asking God to hold on tight to them and the many other wandering & lost sheep.

“Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me”
-Robert Robertson 

These are just 5 tips that may help ease some of the cringe and fear!

1. DEPEND ON GOD
   Appeal to God’s promise to soften hearts to the gospel (Ezekiel 11:19) and ask God to open a door to opportunities with those you know. (Colossians 4:3)
2. BE A GOOD FRIEND
   Invite those you know into your life long before inviting them to church. Unbelieving friends have lots to offer us, they are a good gift from God and God calls us to love our neighbours, even if we don’t always get to explicitly kick goals in sharing the gospel or inviting them to something.
3. CROSS POLLINATE
   I recommend this idea a lot as a top tip in personal evangelism, mainly because I think it affirms us that we don’t have to do it alone. God has richly blessed us with church family to partner with us. Seek out ways to introduce those you know to others at church (try a new restaurant together, take your kids on a play date or the have birthday drinks who’d say no to celebrating your birthday with you). And if your friends connect well, hang out again. Hopefully when those you know do rock up to church they’ll see a sea of familiar faces.
4. TALK ABOUT CHURCH
   Many of our friends have skewed ideas about church or just have no idea what goes on here. I believe the more we talk about church; the more we help demystify church and break down misconceptions. Help those you know see that church is about getting to know God and his people, not rules and tradition. Talk about the benefits of belonging. Share about the exciting ministries and lives you are involved in.
5. SIMPLY INVITE
   ‘Hey, what are you doing Sunday night, want to come along to church with me?’ or “My church is hosting an Art Exhibiton and Prize, want to grab some dinner in Kirribilli and have a look?” or “There is a mens meat night coming up at my church, want to come along?” If they say no, don’t become discouraged and don’t give up. Continue to be their friend, and wait for other opportunities to arise. When the timing seems right, ask them again.

We should all look forward to meeting each others friends at church, evangelistic evnets or at some social function.

Oh and… just a small favour, please be nice to my friends when they come along!

• TIP #1:   Share what it is like to live as a Christian:
• Ask yourself regularly ‘how does my faith in Jesus put perspective on my everyday activities and attitudes’?

• TIP #2:  Be honest about the joys, the struggles, & the benefits
• Ask yourself regularly ‘What is God teaching me through this experience?’

Example from my life…

“I’m learning lots about myself lately… I’ve realised that pride is a massive issue for me? And I hate it… You see, I was encouraged by some friends to “think” about a boy as “potential” but I found ti so hard to consider it because I thought I was better than him and that he would be batting far above his average. Turned out this guy and I became good friends and I began to crush on him, only to be turned down by him, cause he didn’t like me. I was hurt, insulted and so humiliated: to be turned down by someone you think you are better than. This attitude stinks… pride is disgusting. What makes me better than someone anyway. Yuck. Pride is really quite ugly!”

I used this experience to show my unbelieving friends my sin. They thought I had every right to think of myself better than others, and thought I was being too harsh on myself. But God hates pride, it’s ugly. Great oppotunity to speak gospel truth in the everyday.

1. OFFER – Action to gain a reaction.
   A strong offer is an offer that clearly gives a directions into which a scene / the conversation might evolve.
• My name is Hayley… what have you been up to this weekend?”
  
2. ACCEPT – Saying “YES” to an offer.
   Receive an offer allowing conversation to continue. Taking on board what has been said and going along with it.
• My name is Hayley… what have you been up to this weekend?
• Oh Hi, Im Bob… yeah I’ve been up to heaps this weekend and thought I’d top it off with church.
  
3. BLOCK – Saying “NO” to an offer.
   Conversations can collapse Not accepting other persons offer… destroys offers and conversation. It’s like getting a kite to fly or a fire started…
• My name is Hayley… what have you been up to this weekend?
• Oh, Not much. (MIGHT BE PURPOSEFULLY BLOCKING…. Just wants to leave, let them leave. Pray)
  
4. EXTEND – Develop or explore the original offer.
   Want to talk more? Then don’t stick with just the offer and accept. Unpack the original offer, ask questions, probe a little and see if this conversation takes off
• My name is Hayley… what have you been up to this weekend?
• Oh Hi, I’m Bob… yeah I’ve been up to heaps this weekend and thought I’d top it off with church.
• Sounds exciting – by heaps do you mean…  HEAPS Busy or HEAPS Good?
  
5. ADVANCE – Contribute a new idea to move the conversation forward or deeper.
   This is where active listening is important, you may want to revisit something already said. Conversation is where revelation happens. By moving beyond the mundane, we are able to explore the person more and reveal more of ourselves.
• How come you chose to top it off with church?
• Would you normally top off your weekend with church?
• Same here… heaps good… I went off on a weekend away… love spending the weekend out of Sydney… how about you?

*based on drama improvisation principles

Art and About asked Sydney WHAT IF… ?

They have now displayed Sydney’s answers on banners around the City…. Why not use them as stimulus for conversations with your friends, especially banners like this one… Could get you into a great conversation.