Learning To Fish For Souls Like Jesus
REACHING OUT TO OUR COMMUNITY
First and foremost, if you don't have a copy of Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren, GO OUT AND GET IT! Because for all leadership at M.I.C. Assembly it will be a requirement. Because most of these ideas will come from that book and others will come from the Evangelism Explosion Missions Training Program I took back in 2004-05.
I will not rewrite the whole book here, but I will outline and highlight "the highlights." So let's get on with it! I am so excited about what the Lord's going to do!
Learning To Fish For Souls Like Jesus
In this session we want to talk to you about Targeting Your Community for Evangelism. We’re going to be talking about the purpose of evangelism and the target of the community. In Matthew 4:19
“Jesus called out, ‘Come along with me and I will show you how to fish for the souls of men.’” Matthew 4:19 (LB)
I don’t think Jesus chose the analogy of fishing by accident when He was talking about evangelism. I think He intentionally chose it. One, He was talking to fishermen; two, fishing is a universally understood concept and three, there are a lot of parallels that apply to effective evangelism.
The reality is that most churches get bigger by attracting other Christians. This is not legitimate growth. Church growth is not adding Christians from other churches. That’s swelling. That’s not growth. It’s really just reshuffling the deck. Today, instead of being fishers of men, we’re just keepers of the aquarium, swapping fish back and forth.
What is the secret of reaching the unchurched lost people? I believe the secret is to follow the example of Jesus Christ in fishing for men. I believe that Jesus Christ not only gave us the message that we are to share, but I also believe He gave us the method by which we are to share it.
In days ahead, I want us to look at several principles of evangelism which are several ways of fishing for men that Jesus gave His disciples when He sent them out. In Matthew 10 and in Luke 10 when He sent out the disciples to evangelize He gave them some very specific principles that I apply to our lives today. If a principle is biblical, it is transcultural. It will work in any culture. Let’s look at how to fish for men, like Jesus did.
WHO IS OUR TARGET?
"I [Jesus] am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matthew 15:24).
"For I [Paul] speak to you Gentiles [non-believers], inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles [non-believers], I magnify mine office." (Romans 11:13).
Listen to this story:
"I once saw a Peanuts cartoon that described the evangelistic strategy of many churches. Charlie Brown was practicing archery in his backyard. Instead of aiming at a target, he would shoot an arrow at his fence and then walk over and draw a target around wherever the arrow struck. Lucy walked up and said, 'Why are you doing this, Charlie Brown?' He replied without embarrassment, 'This way I never miss!'" - Rick Warren
Unfortunately the same logic is behind a lot of churches' evangelistic outreach efforts. We shoot arrows of the Good News into our community and if they happen to hit anyone we say, "That was our target all along!" There is little planning or strategizing behind our efforts--we don't aim at any specific target. We just draw a bull's eye around whomever we reach and settle for that. This is an incredibly callous approach to evangelism. Bringing people to Christ is too important a task for us to have such a casual attitude toward it.
Too many congregations are naive in their thinking about evangelism. If you ask the members, "Who is your church trying to reach for Christ?" the response will likely be, "Everybody! We're trying to reach the entire world for Jesus Christ." Of course this is the goal of Christ's commission, and it should be the prayer of every church, but in practice there is not a local church anywhere that can reach everybody.
Because human beings are so different, no single church can possibly reach everyone. That's why we need ALL KINDS OF CHURCHES. Together we can accomplish what no single assembly, strategy, or style can accomplish by itself. To reach all kinds of people for Christ will require a variety of styles of evangelism. THE MESSAGE MUST STAY THE SAME, BUT THE METHODS AND STYLE OF COMMUNICATING IT WILL VARY GREATLY.
I always refuse to debate which method of evangelism works best. It depends on who you are trying to reach! Different kinds of bait catch different kinds of fish. I'm in favor of any method that reaches at least ONE person for Christ -- as long as it is ethical. I think it will be very embarrassing someday when critics of a particular method of evangelism get in to the kingdom of God and discover all the people who are there because of it! We should never criticize any method that God is blessing.
For M.I.C. Assembly to be most effective in evangelism we must decide on a target. Discover what types of people live in our area, decide which of these groups our church is best equipped to reach, and then discover which styles of evangelism best match our target. While M.I.C. Assembly may never be able to reach everyone, it is especially suited to reach (obviously) the local music industry (especially Hip Hop and other urban genres). Knowing who you're trying to reach makes evangelism much easier.
Imagine what would happen to a commercial radio station if it tried to appeal to everyone's taste in music. A station that alternated its format between classical, heavy metal, country, rap, reggae, and southern gospel would end up alienated everyone. No one would listen to that station!
Successful radio stations select a target audience. They research their broadcast area, figure out which segments of the population are not being reached by other stations, and then choose a format that reaches their target.
The kind of fish you want to catch will determine your evangelism strategy. The bait, the equipment, your timing, your hooks. And just as bass fishing requires a different approach than fishing for catfish, people require different evangelistic approaches. It helps to know what you’re fishing for. Are you going after teenagers? Are you going after young couples? Are you trying to reach single adults? Are you trying to reach senior adults? Are you trying to reach new immigrants who are just learning English? Intellectuals? Farmers? Military people? Who are you trying to reach? You’d better figure out your target and know what you’re fishing for.
What I'm telling you right now is not some new marketing term. Evangelistic targeting is as old as the New Testament. Jesus did it. Paul did it. Peter did it.
Since M.I.C. Assembly's obvious target is HIP HOP (and all shades or genres of it) we will intentionally go after these people. The Bible determines our message, but our target determines when, where, and how we communicate it.
TARGETING FOR EVANGELISM IS BIBLICAL
The practice of targeting specific kinds of people for evangelism is a Scriptural principle for ministry. On two different occasions (which are actually synoptic stories) two women (one 'Greek, a Syrophenician by nation {basically white}' and the other 'a woman of Canaan {basically black}') asked Jesus to minister to their demon-possessed daughter, He publicly stated on both occasions that the Father sent [commissioned] Him to focus on "the lost sheep of Israel" (Matthew 15:22-28 & Mark 7:25-30). Although Jesus went ahead healed their daughters because of their faith, He publicly identified His ministry target as the Israelites. Was Jesus being unfair or prejudice? Certainly not! Remember Jesus' greater commission was the WHOLE WORLD!
"For God sent [Gk: apostello, to send out on a mission—commission] not His Son [Jesus—Jehovah - SAVIOUR] into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him [Jesus—Jehovah - SAVIOUR] might BE SAVED." (John 3:17).
"And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent [Gk: apostello, to send out on a mission—the GREAT commission] THE SON [Jesus—Jehovah - SAVIOUR] TO BE THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD" (1st John 4:14)!
"For THIS is GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have ALL men [What percentage? Five percent? Fifty percent?] … ALL men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." (1st Timothy 2:3-4).
"For we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed [Jesus—Jehovah - SAVIOUR] the Christ, the Saviour OF THE WORLD." (John 4:42).
"To wit that God was in Christ [Jehovah-SAVIOUR], reconciling THE WORLD unto Himself, NOT imputing their trespasses unto them…" (2 Cor. 5:19)!
"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation [will you accept it?] that Christ Jesus [Jehovah-SAVIOUR] came into THE WORLD to SAVE SINNERS…" (1 Tim. 1:15)!
"And He [Jesus—Jehovah - SAVIOUR] is the propitiation [Gk: 'atonement, an expiator (one or makes amends, reparations), atones, propitiation' It means to bring in harmony with and appease. Jesus sacrificed Himself as atonement, as a covering for our sins so that we are no longer spiritually naked before God.] for our sins, [And not only has He done this for His chosen Elect], and not for ours only, but also for THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD [The change that God is making in us he will extend to the entire human race.]." (1st John 2:2).
"The next day John sees Jesus [Jehovah - SAVIOUR] coming unto him, and says, Behold the Lamb of God, which TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD" (John 1:29).
"…the works which the Father hath given Me [Jesus—Jehovah - SAVIOUR] to finish, the same works [SAVE THE WORLD] that I DO, bear witness of Me…." (John 5:36).
"I MUST WORK THE WORKS [SAVE THE WORLD] OF HIM THAT SENT ME…." (John 9:4)!!!
"This is a FAITHFUL SAYING and WORTHY OF ALL ACCEPTATION [Will you accept it?]. For therefore we both labor AND SUFFER REPROACH, because WE TRUST IN THE LIVING GOD, Who IS the Saviour of ALL MEN, especially [but not exclusively] of those who believe. These things COMMAND AND TEACH." (1st Timothy 4:9-11).
Jesus targeted His ministry in order to be effective, NOT TO BE EXCLUSIVE.
Earlier, Jesus had instructed the disciples to target their ministry also.
"These twelve Jesus sent forth, and COMMANDED THEM, saying, GO NOT INTO THE WAY OF THE GENTILES, AND INTO ANY CITY OF THE SAMARITANS ENTER YE [all of you] NOT: but GO RATHER TO THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven [the Kingdom of God] is at hand." (Matthew 10:5-7).
Other examples of target evangelism:
Paul's targeted his ministry to the Gentiles, and Peter targeted the Jews:
"But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision [Gentiles, heathens, nations, ungodly, secular, non-Jewish, non-believers] was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision [Jews, saints, Israel, the godly, religious, the believers] was unto Peter; (For He [God] that wrought [worked, prepared] effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision [Jews, saints, Israel, the godly, religious, the believers], the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles [uncircumcision, heathens, nations, ungodly, secular, non-Jewish, non-believers]:) and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen [Gentiles, uncircumcision, nations, ungodly, secular, non-Jewish, non-believers], and they unto the circumcision [Jews, saints, Israel, the godly, religious, the believers]. Only they would that we should remember the poor [no matter what race]; the same which I also was forward to do." (Galatians 2:7-10).
Both ministries were needed. Both were important. Both were effective.
Even the gospels were written with specific target audiences in mind. Have you ever considered why God used four books to communicate the one life of Christ? After all, almost all the stories and teachings in Mark's Gospel are covered in Matthew's Gospel. Why do we need both books? Because Matthew's Gospel was targeted for the Hebrews readers and Mark's Gospel was targeted for the Gentile reader. They had the same message; they wrote for different audiences, their style of communication differed. Luke wrote to Theophilus, probably a Roman official. John's Gospel was written to New Christians and searching non-Christians. Targeting your audience for evangelism is a method God invented! He expects us to witness to people on their own terms.
The practice of evangelistic targeting is especially important to a new church or small church. In a small church with limited resources, it is vital that we make the most with what we've got. We've got to focus our resources on reaching the people M.I.C. Assembly can best communicate with.
HOW DID I DEFINE OUR TARGET?
Targeting for evangelism begins with finding out all I could about my community. M.I.C. Assembly defined our target in four specific ways:
Geographically
Demographically
Culturally
Spiritually
I was taught that to understand the message of the New Testament I had to first understand the geography, customs, culture, and religion of the people who lived at that time. I could then extract the timeless, eternal truth of God from that context. This process is called "exegesis." Every seminary preacher uses it.
So I needed to "exegete" my own community! I must pay as much attention to the geography, customs, culture, and religious background of my community as I do to those who lived in the Bible times if I am to faithfully communicate God's Word.
DEFINE YOUR TARGET GEOGRAPHICALLY
Jesus had a plan to evangelize the world. In Acts 1:8 He identified four geographic targets for His disciples:
"But ye [Greek: 'all of you'] shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8).
If you notice, this Scripture points out the exact pattern of growth, outreach, and even your beginning and ending points and is described in the rest of the book of Acts. The Message is taken first to the Jews in Jerusalem (home, family) then Judea (friends, co-workers, the neighborhood), then Samaria (the city, county, state, or country), and eventually it spread across the rest of the world (obviously overseas missions).
In your ministry, geographically targeting simply means you identify where the people live that you ant to reach. In this case the city would be Orlando and the area would be wherever the hip hop community would most likely hang out at--the clubs downtown and around the Tri-county area. This is our "evangelistic fishing pond."
When determining your geographic target, there are several factors to keep in mind.
First, "reasonable driving distance" is a highly subjective term. People are more likely to travel further on a freeway than through miles of city stoplights.
Second, people choose churches today primarily on basis of relationships and programs, not location. Just because a church is closest to someone doesn't mean you can automatically reach them. Our church may not fit them. On the other hand there are people who will drive past fifteen other churches to attend M.I.C. Assembly if we meet their needs.
Third, the larger M.I.C. Assembly grows, the farther its extend. We will have people who will drive an hour to attend M.I.C. Assembly because we will offer a program or support group they can't find anywhere closer to them. As a rule, people are willing to drive farther to attend a large church with a multifaceted ministry than a small church with a limited ministry.
Since our target is defined as the Music Community (starting first with Hip Hop), we will know how many people are in our fishing pond (because only so many people can be in this clubs at a time. It's called capacity space). This is very important, since the population of your area is a major factor in determining what strategy you will use to bring them in. In a large population center, it is possible to focus on only one segment and still grow a large, spiritually mature church. In a small population area, you'd have to develop outreaches to several different segments to grow a large, spiritually mature church.
It's foolish to ignore the role of population in predicting how large a church will grow. No matter how dedicated a church is, if the ministry area only has a thousand people in it, the church will never be large. It's not the pastor's fault, nor is it a lack of commitment on the part of the congregation. It's simple arithmetic.
To be realistic, we need to focus on the percentage of population being reached, not actual numbers. A strategy that reaches 1,000 in a city of 200,000 is likely to reach 50 in a town of 1,000.
It is both unwise and unhelpful to compare attendance between churches.
"For WE [M.I.C. Assembly] DARE NOT make ourselves OF THE NUMBER [to count among], OR COMPARE [Greek: 'to judge of one thing in connection with another, i.e. combine (spiritual ideas with appropriate expressions) or collate (one person with another by way of contrast or resemblance):—compare among (with)'] OURSELVES WITH some [churches] that commend [Gk: 'To set together, i.e. (implication) to introduce (favorably), or (figuratively) to exhibit; intransitive to stand near, or (figuratively) to constitute:--approve, commend, consist, make, stand (with)'] themselves: but they [churches] MEASURING themselves BY themselves, and COMPARING themselves AMONG themselves, ARE NOT WISE. But WE [M.I.C. Assembly] WILL NOT BOAST of things without [OUTSIDE] OUR MEASURE, but [we will boast ONLY] according to the measure of the rule WHICH GOD HAS DISTRIBUTED TO US, A MEASURE TO EVEN REACH YOU [to reach the Orlando Music/Hip Hop Community]. For WE [M.I.C. Assembly] STRETCH NOT ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel [The Gospel of the Kingdom of God, the Message] of Christ: not boasting of things without [OUTSIDE] our measure, that is, of other men's [churches] labors; BUT HAVING HOPE, WHEN YOUR [the Orlando Music/Hip Hop Community] FAITH IS INCREASED [spiritual maturity is increased by God], that WE [M.I.C. Assembly] SHALL BE ENLARGED BY YOU [the Orlando Music/Hip Hop Community] according to our rule abundantly [which GOD has distributed to us], to preach the gospel [The Gospel of the Kingdom of God] in the regions beyond you, and NOT TO BOAST IN ANOTHER MAN'S [another church's] LINE OF THINGS MADE READY to our hand [or another man's foundation already lade, a church already planted we will not take credit for]. But he that glorieth [if you want to take credit], let him glory in the Lord [claim that credit for GOD]. For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth." (2nd Corinthians 10:12-18).
Every church has a unique fishing pond, and each pond is stocked with a different number and type of fish. It's like comparing tangerines and submarines: Two churches may sound a lot alike, but on a closer look, their differences will be obvious.
DEFINE YOUR TARGET DEMOGRAPHICALLY
I will keep this section short, because when I read it from the Purpose-Driven book the principle didn't really help much when I defined M.I.C. Assembly's target.
Not only do you need to find out how many people live in your area, you need to know what type of people live there. First, let me warn you: Don't overdo demographic research! You can waste a lot of time collecting facts and information about your community that won't make any real difference to your church.
"For which of you, intending to build a tower [or a church---THE PEOPLE ARE THE CHURCH], sitteth not down first, AND COUNTETH THE COST, whether he have sufficient TO FINISH? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation [the God's Truths/principles/vision/purposes], and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man [ReAsOn] began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth WHETHER HE BE ABLE with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace." (Luke 14:28-32).
There are only a handful of relevant demographic facts that you need to discover about the people in any community. The most considered important factors in targeting a community for evangelism to be:
Age: How many are in each age group?
Marital Status: How many are single adults? How many are married couples?
Income (Which I thought was irrelevant to M.I.C. Assembly. I refuse to let money become an issue.): What is both the median and the average household income?
Education: What is the education level of the community?
Occupation: What type of work are predominant?
Each of these factors will influence how you minister to people and how you communicate the Good News.
If we are serious about having M.I.C. Assembly making and significant impact, we need to become experts on our Music/Hip Hop Community. God's leaders should know more about their communities than anyone else.
DEFINE YOUR TARGET CULTURALLY
Understanding the demographics of our Music Community is important, but understanding the culture of that community is even more important. We will use the world culture to refer to the lifestyle and mind-set of those who go out to the nightclubs and other music oriented spots in and around Orlando.
In today's secular environment it is just as important for us to understand the culture we minister in. We don't have to agree with our culture, but we must understand it. John C. Maxwell writes in The Maxwell Leadership Bible:
-The Law of Intuition: Discernment Comes Before Decision:
"And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment." (1st Chronicles 12:32).
One of the more popular passages in 1st Chronicles is found in chapter 12. The sons of Issachar are described as men who
"... had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do." (v.32).
What a description of the Law of Intuition! Before Israel made a decision, they got discernment. The sons of Issachar understood three key factors:
1. The culture: They understood the population and the place where they lived.
2. The timing: They understood the times and discerned when to move.
3. The strategy: They knew what Israel ought to do, the steps that should be taken.
How about you? Are you a "son of Issachar"? Do you understand your culture - it's trends, it's myths, it's strengths, it's dangers? Do You understand the age in which you're living - it's tenor and general movement? And do you have the strategy to grapple with both the culture and the times?
Within the Music/Hip Hop Community there are obviously many subcultures, subgroups, genres. To reach each group we need to discover how they think.
What are their interests?
What do they value?
Where do they hurt?
What are they afraid of?
What are the most prominent features of the way they live?
What are their most popular radio stations?
The more we know about these people, the easier it will be to reach them.
One of the major barriers to church growth is "people blindness" -- being unaware of social and cultural differences between people.
Are all white people alike? Of course they aren't. Are all black people alike? Of course not. Are all Hispanics or Asians alike? No. A trained eye will pick up on important distinctions between people who live in your area.
The best way to find out the culture, mind-set, and lifestyle of people is to talk to them personally. Just go out and meet with the people in Orlando's nightspots face-to-face. Take your own survey (I've already done this. And I got some interesting answers). Ask them what they feel are their greatest needs. Listen for their VALUES, HURTS, INTERESTS, AND FEARS. No book or demographic report can replace actually talking with the people in our community. Statistics paint only a part of the picture. We must spend time with people, getting a feel for our community through one-on-one interaction. I believe there is no substitution for this.
DEFINE YOUR TARGET SPIRITUALLY
After you have defined your target area culturally, you need to discover the spiritual background of the people in your community. Determine what those in your target area already know about the Gospel.
This section I will also keep short because a lot of the ideas and principles didn't apply to M.I.C. Assembly. Why? Because there aren't any other Hip Hop churches in Orlando. Crossover Church is the closest thing to us but they are in Tampa.
But the principle Rick Warren mentioned had to do with communicating other churches to find out what the spiritual background of the community was. But it wouldn't apply to us because we are trying to reach the Hip Hop community on their terms. And almost all the churches in Orlando don't keep hip hop profiles of the community.
The term unchurched, again, doesn't refer to only people who have never been inside a church. It also includes those who have a church background but no personal relationship to Christ, and those who haven't been in a church for some time, usually years.
We need to know our area! I'm doing a lot of the work so that you don't have to work as hard. Also I am doing this so future hip hop churches that pop up in Orlando can come to us to use this information to help them out.
Whenever I witness to someone who doesn't have a relationship to Christ, I try to discover common ground we may have due to their religious background. For example, when I talk with a Catholic, I know they accept the Bible but most have probably never read it, and they accept the Virgin Birth, and Jesus Christ as the Son of God. We already have basic agreements on some major issues. My job then becomes communicating the differences between having a religion based on works and having a relationship to Christ based on grace.
Rick warren says
"When I speak at Pastor's conferences, I will often have a pastor tell me that their church is 'just like Saddleback.' When I ask what they mean by that, they respond, 'Well, we're focused on reaching the unchurched.' I say, 'That's wonderful! What kind of unchurched are you reaching?' After all, the unchurched are not all alike! To say that your target is the 'unchurched' is an incomplete description. Unchurched intellectuals in Berkeley are very different from farmers in Fresno or unchurched immigrants in Los Angeles."
Defining M.I.C. Assembly's evangelistic target took time and serious study. But once I completed my research it made it a lot easier to understand why some evangelistic methods work in our area and why others won't. It can spare you from wasting valuable effort and money on evangelistic approaches that won't work.
PERSONALIZING YOUR TARGET
Once you've collected all the information on your community, I encourage you to create a composite profile of the typical unchurched person your church wants to reach. Combining the characteristics of residents in your area into a single, mythical person will make it easier for members of your church or ministry to understand who your target is. If you've done a good job at collecting information, your members should recognize this mythical person as their next-door neighbor.
"At Saddleback Church (Rick Warren's church), we've named our composite profile 'Saddleback Same.' Most of our members would have no problem describing Sam. We discuss him in detail in every membership class.
Saddleback Sam is the typical unchurched man who lives in our area. His age is late thirties early forties. He has a college degree and may have an advance degree. (Saddleback Valley has one of the highest household education levels in America.) He is married to Saddleback Samantha, and they have at least two kids, Steve and Sally.
Surveys show that Sam like his job, he likes where he lives, and he thinks he's enjoying life now more than he was five years ago. He's self-satisfied, even smug, about his station on life. He's either a professional, a manager, or successful entrepreneur. Sam is among the most affluent of Americans, but he carries a lot of debt, especially due to the price of his home.
Health and fitness are high priorities for Sam and his family. You can usually see Sam jogging each morning, and Samantha attends an aerobics class three times a week at the Family Fitness Center. Both of them listen to contemporary pop and country music, especially when working out.
When it comes to socializing, Sam and his wife would rather be in a large group than a small one. Why? In a crowd, Sam can hide and maintain the anonymity and privacy that he jealously guards. Sam has an unlisted phone number and may live in a gated community. (This was the main reason we used direct mail advertising in the first years of Saddleback. It was the only way to contact many of the homes in our areas.)
Another important characteristic of Sam's is that he's skeptical of what he calls 'organized' religion. He's likely to say, 'I believe in Jesus. I just don't like organized religion.' We like to counter this by joking, 'Then you will love Saddleback. We're disorganized religion!'
Sam, because he is a southern Californian, prefers casual, informal meetings over anything stiff and formal. He loves to dress down for the mild southern California climate. We take this into account when planning services to attract Sam. For example, I never wear a coat and tie when I speak at Saddleback services. I intentionally dress down to match the mind-set of those I'm trying to reach. I follow Paul's strategy:
"And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. to the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you." (1st Corinthians 9:20-23).
In my situation I'm sure Paul would say, 'When in southern California I became like a southern Californian in order to win southern Californians!' I don't think how people dressed mattered a lot to Jesus. We'd rather have a pagan come to church in tennis shoes and shorts than not to come because he doesn't own a suit.
Saddleback Sam is also overextended in time and money. His credit card is used to the limit. He is very materialistic, and yet will honestly admit that his wealth has not brought him lasting happiness."
Why do we go to tall this trouble defining the typical person we're trying to reach? Because the more you understand someone the easier it is to communicate with him.
If you were to create a profile of the typical resident in your area, what characteristics would you give him? What would you name him? It's worth thinking about. Once you've defined and named your churches evangelistic target, do me a favor: Send me a copy, I have a hobby of collecting church evangelistic profiles. I have a file filled with characters like Dallas Doug, Memphis Mike, and Atlanta Al. - Rick Warren
"M.C. Money M.I.C."
"At M.I.C. Assembly, I've named our composite profile 'M.C. (emcee) Money MIC (Mike)'.
M.C. Money MIC is the typical unchurched man who lives in the Orlando Metropolitan area. His age is between eighteen to late thirties. He usually is a high school drop out and may have some community college. He is not married, but does date MIC Monique, and they have at least one to three kids out of wedlock. He does love the kids but is trying to get his life together. He is most likely on child support and him and Monique don't get a long all the time.
Surveys show that Money doesn't like his job, doesn't like where he lives, and he thinks he's enjoying life even though much hasn't changed for him five years ago. He's not satisfied and even though a lot of doors get closed in on him, he keeps striving for the next possible opportunity. He's either working at a restaurant or anywhere making a little over minimum wage. Money usually lives with roommates because the housing market is terrible here in Orlando.
Hip Hop, nightclubs, and drugs are high priorities for Money and his home boys who he grew up with from running the streets in gangs. You can usually see Money catching the Lynx City bus if he doesn't have a car or a ride, and Monique is usually taking care of her kids, but does more then most, and tries to get out with her home girls when the parents want to see the kids. Both of them listen to Hip Hop music in all its different forms. Money listens to mostly underground New York/East coast style, maybe even a little gangsta rap. Monique on the other hand listens more to the mainstream music heard on the radio, mixed with a lot of R&B, maybe even some reggae.
When it comes to socializing, Money and Monique would rather be in a small group than a large one. Why? They can't trust a lot of people from past hurts and betrayals. Money has a cell phone number (but doesn't answer it too often or the bill hasn't been paid) and may live either in, what we call "the ghetto" or on the "Eastside of town."
Another important characteristic of Money is that he's skeptical of the church because he says there are a lot of "fakes, phonies, self-righteous judges, and hypocrites" or that "the church is too boring." He's likely to say, "I believe in Jesus, but I just don't like all the hypocritical Christians, the appeals for money when the preacher driving the nice whip, and the boring sermons." We like to counter this by joking, "Then you will love M.I.C. Assembly. We're a Hip Hop oriented church and we don't have hypocrites because we're all new to the church arena!"
Money, because he is a Hip Hopper, prefers wearing hip hop gear, informal meetings over anything stiff and formal. He loves to dress hip hop because he faithfully reps the old school hip hop and the culture. We take this into account when planning services to attract Money. For example, I'll never wear a coat and tie when I have a concert at any church. I intentionally dress down to match the mind-set of those I'm trying to reach. I follow Paul's strategy:
"And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. to the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you." (1st Corinthians 9:20-23).
In my situation I'm sure Paul would say, "When around the lyricists and emcees I became like the lyricists and emcees in order to win the lyricists and emcees!?" I don't think how people dressed mattered a lot to Jesus. We'd rather have a pagan come to church in Timberland boots and Roc-A-Wear jeans than not to come because he doesn't own a suit.
M.C. Money MIC is also tight on his time and money. He is very materialistic, and yet will honestly admit that he's trying to "get out of the hood through the means of rap music." - Ricardo Butler
First and foremost, if you don't have a copy of Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren, GO OUT AND GET IT! Because for all leadership at M.I.C. Assembly it will be a requirement. Because most of these ideas will come from that book and others will come from the Evangelism Explosion Missions Training Program I took back in 2004-05.
I will not rewrite the whole book here, but I will outline and highlight "the highlights." So let's get on with it! I am so excited about what the Lord's going to do!
Learning To Fish For Souls Like Jesus
In this session we want to talk to you about Targeting Your Community for Evangelism. We’re going to be talking about the purpose of evangelism and the target of the community. In Matthew 4:19
“Jesus called out, ‘Come along with me and I will show you how to fish for the souls of men.’” Matthew 4:19 (LB)
I don’t think Jesus chose the analogy of fishing by accident when He was talking about evangelism. I think He intentionally chose it. One, He was talking to fishermen; two, fishing is a universally understood concept and three, there are a lot of parallels that apply to effective evangelism.
The reality is that most churches get bigger by attracting other Christians. This is not legitimate growth. Church growth is not adding Christians from other churches. That’s swelling. That’s not growth. It’s really just reshuffling the deck. Today, instead of being fishers of men, we’re just keepers of the aquarium, swapping fish back and forth.
What is the secret of reaching the unchurched lost people? I believe the secret is to follow the example of Jesus Christ in fishing for men. I believe that Jesus Christ not only gave us the message that we are to share, but I also believe He gave us the method by which we are to share it.
In days ahead, I want us to look at several principles of evangelism which are several ways of fishing for men that Jesus gave His disciples when He sent them out. In Matthew 10 and in Luke 10 when He sent out the disciples to evangelize He gave them some very specific principles that I apply to our lives today. If a principle is biblical, it is transcultural. It will work in any culture. Let’s look at how to fish for men, like Jesus did.
WHO IS OUR TARGET?
"I [Jesus] am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matthew 15:24).
"For I [Paul] speak to you Gentiles [non-believers], inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles [non-believers], I magnify mine office." (Romans 11:13).
Listen to this story:
"I once saw a Peanuts cartoon that described the evangelistic strategy of many churches. Charlie Brown was practicing archery in his backyard. Instead of aiming at a target, he would shoot an arrow at his fence and then walk over and draw a target around wherever the arrow struck. Lucy walked up and said, 'Why are you doing this, Charlie Brown?' He replied without embarrassment, 'This way I never miss!'" - Rick Warren
Unfortunately the same logic is behind a lot of churches' evangelistic outreach efforts. We shoot arrows of the Good News into our community and if they happen to hit anyone we say, "That was our target all along!" There is little planning or strategizing behind our efforts--we don't aim at any specific target. We just draw a bull's eye around whomever we reach and settle for that. This is an incredibly callous approach to evangelism. Bringing people to Christ is too important a task for us to have such a casual attitude toward it.
Too many congregations are naive in their thinking about evangelism. If you ask the members, "Who is your church trying to reach for Christ?" the response will likely be, "Everybody! We're trying to reach the entire world for Jesus Christ." Of course this is the goal of Christ's commission, and it should be the prayer of every church, but in practice there is not a local church anywhere that can reach everybody.
Because human beings are so different, no single church can possibly reach everyone. That's why we need ALL KINDS OF CHURCHES. Together we can accomplish what no single assembly, strategy, or style can accomplish by itself. To reach all kinds of people for Christ will require a variety of styles of evangelism. THE MESSAGE MUST STAY THE SAME, BUT THE METHODS AND STYLE OF COMMUNICATING IT WILL VARY GREATLY.
I always refuse to debate which method of evangelism works best. It depends on who you are trying to reach! Different kinds of bait catch different kinds of fish. I'm in favor of any method that reaches at least ONE person for Christ -- as long as it is ethical. I think it will be very embarrassing someday when critics of a particular method of evangelism get in to the kingdom of God and discover all the people who are there because of it! We should never criticize any method that God is blessing.
For M.I.C. Assembly to be most effective in evangelism we must decide on a target. Discover what types of people live in our area, decide which of these groups our church is best equipped to reach, and then discover which styles of evangelism best match our target. While M.I.C. Assembly may never be able to reach everyone, it is especially suited to reach (obviously) the local music industry (especially Hip Hop and other urban genres). Knowing who you're trying to reach makes evangelism much easier.
Imagine what would happen to a commercial radio station if it tried to appeal to everyone's taste in music. A station that alternated its format between classical, heavy metal, country, rap, reggae, and southern gospel would end up alienated everyone. No one would listen to that station!
Successful radio stations select a target audience. They research their broadcast area, figure out which segments of the population are not being reached by other stations, and then choose a format that reaches their target.
The kind of fish you want to catch will determine your evangelism strategy. The bait, the equipment, your timing, your hooks. And just as bass fishing requires a different approach than fishing for catfish, people require different evangelistic approaches. It helps to know what you’re fishing for. Are you going after teenagers? Are you going after young couples? Are you trying to reach single adults? Are you trying to reach senior adults? Are you trying to reach new immigrants who are just learning English? Intellectuals? Farmers? Military people? Who are you trying to reach? You’d better figure out your target and know what you’re fishing for.
What I'm telling you right now is not some new marketing term. Evangelistic targeting is as old as the New Testament. Jesus did it. Paul did it. Peter did it.
Since M.I.C. Assembly's obvious target is HIP HOP (and all shades or genres of it) we will intentionally go after these people. The Bible determines our message, but our target determines when, where, and how we communicate it.
TARGETING FOR EVANGELISM IS BIBLICAL
The practice of targeting specific kinds of people for evangelism is a Scriptural principle for ministry. On two different occasions (which are actually synoptic stories) two women (one 'Greek, a Syrophenician by nation {basically white}' and the other 'a woman of Canaan {basically black}') asked Jesus to minister to their demon-possessed daughter, He publicly stated on both occasions that the Father sent [commissioned] Him to focus on "the lost sheep of Israel" (Matthew 15:22-28 & Mark 7:25-30). Although Jesus went ahead healed their daughters because of their faith, He publicly identified His ministry target as the Israelites. Was Jesus being unfair or prejudice? Certainly not! Remember Jesus' greater commission was the WHOLE WORLD!
"For God sent [Gk: apostello, to send out on a mission—commission] not His Son [Jesus—Jehovah - SAVIOUR] into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him [Jesus—Jehovah - SAVIOUR] might BE SAVED." (John 3:17).
"And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent [Gk: apostello, to send out on a mission—the GREAT commission] THE SON [Jesus—Jehovah - SAVIOUR] TO BE THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD" (1st John 4:14)!
"For THIS is GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have ALL men [What percentage? Five percent? Fifty percent?] … ALL men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." (1st Timothy 2:3-4).
"For we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed [Jesus—Jehovah - SAVIOUR] the Christ, the Saviour OF THE WORLD." (John 4:42).
"To wit that God was in Christ [Jehovah-SAVIOUR], reconciling THE WORLD unto Himself, NOT imputing their trespasses unto them…" (2 Cor. 5:19)!
"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation [will you accept it?] that Christ Jesus [Jehovah-SAVIOUR] came into THE WORLD to SAVE SINNERS…" (1 Tim. 1:15)!
"And He [Jesus—Jehovah - SAVIOUR] is the propitiation [Gk: 'atonement, an expiator (one or makes amends, reparations), atones, propitiation' It means to bring in harmony with and appease. Jesus sacrificed Himself as atonement, as a covering for our sins so that we are no longer spiritually naked before God.] for our sins, [And not only has He done this for His chosen Elect], and not for ours only, but also for THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD [The change that God is making in us he will extend to the entire human race.]." (1st John 2:2).
"The next day John sees Jesus [Jehovah - SAVIOUR] coming unto him, and says, Behold the Lamb of God, which TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD" (John 1:29).
"…the works which the Father hath given Me [Jesus—Jehovah - SAVIOUR] to finish, the same works [SAVE THE WORLD] that I DO, bear witness of Me…." (John 5:36).
"I MUST WORK THE WORKS [SAVE THE WORLD] OF HIM THAT SENT ME…." (John 9:4)!!!
"This is a FAITHFUL SAYING and WORTHY OF ALL ACCEPTATION [Will you accept it?]. For therefore we both labor AND SUFFER REPROACH, because WE TRUST IN THE LIVING GOD, Who IS the Saviour of ALL MEN, especially [but not exclusively] of those who believe. These things COMMAND AND TEACH." (1st Timothy 4:9-11).
Jesus targeted His ministry in order to be effective, NOT TO BE EXCLUSIVE.
Earlier, Jesus had instructed the disciples to target their ministry also.
"These twelve Jesus sent forth, and COMMANDED THEM, saying, GO NOT INTO THE WAY OF THE GENTILES, AND INTO ANY CITY OF THE SAMARITANS ENTER YE [all of you] NOT: but GO RATHER TO THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven [the Kingdom of God] is at hand." (Matthew 10:5-7).
Other examples of target evangelism:
Paul's targeted his ministry to the Gentiles, and Peter targeted the Jews:
"But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision [Gentiles, heathens, nations, ungodly, secular, non-Jewish, non-believers] was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision [Jews, saints, Israel, the godly, religious, the believers] was unto Peter; (For He [God] that wrought [worked, prepared] effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision [Jews, saints, Israel, the godly, religious, the believers], the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles [uncircumcision, heathens, nations, ungodly, secular, non-Jewish, non-believers]:) and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen [Gentiles, uncircumcision, nations, ungodly, secular, non-Jewish, non-believers], and they unto the circumcision [Jews, saints, Israel, the godly, religious, the believers]. Only they would that we should remember the poor [no matter what race]; the same which I also was forward to do." (Galatians 2:7-10).
Both ministries were needed. Both were important. Both were effective.
Even the gospels were written with specific target audiences in mind. Have you ever considered why God used four books to communicate the one life of Christ? After all, almost all the stories and teachings in Mark's Gospel are covered in Matthew's Gospel. Why do we need both books? Because Matthew's Gospel was targeted for the Hebrews readers and Mark's Gospel was targeted for the Gentile reader. They had the same message; they wrote for different audiences, their style of communication differed. Luke wrote to Theophilus, probably a Roman official. John's Gospel was written to New Christians and searching non-Christians. Targeting your audience for evangelism is a method God invented! He expects us to witness to people on their own terms.
The practice of evangelistic targeting is especially important to a new church or small church. In a small church with limited resources, it is vital that we make the most with what we've got. We've got to focus our resources on reaching the people M.I.C. Assembly can best communicate with.
HOW DID I DEFINE OUR TARGET?
Targeting for evangelism begins with finding out all I could about my community. M.I.C. Assembly defined our target in four specific ways:
Geographically
Demographically
Culturally
Spiritually
I was taught that to understand the message of the New Testament I had to first understand the geography, customs, culture, and religion of the people who lived at that time. I could then extract the timeless, eternal truth of God from that context. This process is called "exegesis." Every seminary preacher uses it.
So I needed to "exegete" my own community! I must pay as much attention to the geography, customs, culture, and religious background of my community as I do to those who lived in the Bible times if I am to faithfully communicate God's Word.
DEFINE YOUR TARGET GEOGRAPHICALLY
Jesus had a plan to evangelize the world. In Acts 1:8 He identified four geographic targets for His disciples:
"But ye [Greek: 'all of you'] shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8).
If you notice, this Scripture points out the exact pattern of growth, outreach, and even your beginning and ending points and is described in the rest of the book of Acts. The Message is taken first to the Jews in Jerusalem (home, family) then Judea (friends, co-workers, the neighborhood), then Samaria (the city, county, state, or country), and eventually it spread across the rest of the world (obviously overseas missions).
In your ministry, geographically targeting simply means you identify where the people live that you ant to reach. In this case the city would be Orlando and the area would be wherever the hip hop community would most likely hang out at--the clubs downtown and around the Tri-county area. This is our "evangelistic fishing pond."
When determining your geographic target, there are several factors to keep in mind.
First, "reasonable driving distance" is a highly subjective term. People are more likely to travel further on a freeway than through miles of city stoplights.
Second, people choose churches today primarily on basis of relationships and programs, not location. Just because a church is closest to someone doesn't mean you can automatically reach them. Our church may not fit them. On the other hand there are people who will drive past fifteen other churches to attend M.I.C. Assembly if we meet their needs.
Third, the larger M.I.C. Assembly grows, the farther its extend. We will have people who will drive an hour to attend M.I.C. Assembly because we will offer a program or support group they can't find anywhere closer to them. As a rule, people are willing to drive farther to attend a large church with a multifaceted ministry than a small church with a limited ministry.
Since our target is defined as the Music Community (starting first with Hip Hop), we will know how many people are in our fishing pond (because only so many people can be in this clubs at a time. It's called capacity space). This is very important, since the population of your area is a major factor in determining what strategy you will use to bring them in. In a large population center, it is possible to focus on only one segment and still grow a large, spiritually mature church. In a small population area, you'd have to develop outreaches to several different segments to grow a large, spiritually mature church.
It's foolish to ignore the role of population in predicting how large a church will grow. No matter how dedicated a church is, if the ministry area only has a thousand people in it, the church will never be large. It's not the pastor's fault, nor is it a lack of commitment on the part of the congregation. It's simple arithmetic.
To be realistic, we need to focus on the percentage of population being reached, not actual numbers. A strategy that reaches 1,000 in a city of 200,000 is likely to reach 50 in a town of 1,000.
It is both unwise and unhelpful to compare attendance between churches.
"For WE [M.I.C. Assembly] DARE NOT make ourselves OF THE NUMBER [to count among], OR COMPARE [Greek: 'to judge of one thing in connection with another, i.e. combine (spiritual ideas with appropriate expressions) or collate (one person with another by way of contrast or resemblance):—compare among (with)'] OURSELVES WITH some [churches] that commend [Gk: 'To set together, i.e. (implication) to introduce (favorably), or (figuratively) to exhibit; intransitive to stand near, or (figuratively) to constitute:--approve, commend, consist, make, stand (with)'] themselves: but they [churches] MEASURING themselves BY themselves, and COMPARING themselves AMONG themselves, ARE NOT WISE. But WE [M.I.C. Assembly] WILL NOT BOAST of things without [OUTSIDE] OUR MEASURE, but [we will boast ONLY] according to the measure of the rule WHICH GOD HAS DISTRIBUTED TO US, A MEASURE TO EVEN REACH YOU [to reach the Orlando Music/Hip Hop Community]. For WE [M.I.C. Assembly] STRETCH NOT ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel [The Gospel of the Kingdom of God, the Message] of Christ: not boasting of things without [OUTSIDE] our measure, that is, of other men's [churches] labors; BUT HAVING HOPE, WHEN YOUR [the Orlando Music/Hip Hop Community] FAITH IS INCREASED [spiritual maturity is increased by God], that WE [M.I.C. Assembly] SHALL BE ENLARGED BY YOU [the Orlando Music/Hip Hop Community] according to our rule abundantly [which GOD has distributed to us], to preach the gospel [The Gospel of the Kingdom of God] in the regions beyond you, and NOT TO BOAST IN ANOTHER MAN'S [another church's] LINE OF THINGS MADE READY to our hand [or another man's foundation already lade, a church already planted we will not take credit for]. But he that glorieth [if you want to take credit], let him glory in the Lord [claim that credit for GOD]. For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth." (2nd Corinthians 10:12-18).
Every church has a unique fishing pond, and each pond is stocked with a different number and type of fish. It's like comparing tangerines and submarines: Two churches may sound a lot alike, but on a closer look, their differences will be obvious.
DEFINE YOUR TARGET DEMOGRAPHICALLY
I will keep this section short, because when I read it from the Purpose-Driven book the principle didn't really help much when I defined M.I.C. Assembly's target.
Not only do you need to find out how many people live in your area, you need to know what type of people live there. First, let me warn you: Don't overdo demographic research! You can waste a lot of time collecting facts and information about your community that won't make any real difference to your church.
"For which of you, intending to build a tower [or a church---THE PEOPLE ARE THE CHURCH], sitteth not down first, AND COUNTETH THE COST, whether he have sufficient TO FINISH? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation [the God's Truths/principles/vision/purposes], and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man [ReAsOn] began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth WHETHER HE BE ABLE with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace." (Luke 14:28-32).
There are only a handful of relevant demographic facts that you need to discover about the people in any community. The most considered important factors in targeting a community for evangelism to be:
Age: How many are in each age group?
Marital Status: How many are single adults? How many are married couples?
Income (Which I thought was irrelevant to M.I.C. Assembly. I refuse to let money become an issue.): What is both the median and the average household income?
Education: What is the education level of the community?
Occupation: What type of work are predominant?
Each of these factors will influence how you minister to people and how you communicate the Good News.
If we are serious about having M.I.C. Assembly making and significant impact, we need to become experts on our Music/Hip Hop Community. God's leaders should know more about their communities than anyone else.
DEFINE YOUR TARGET CULTURALLY
Understanding the demographics of our Music Community is important, but understanding the culture of that community is even more important. We will use the world culture to refer to the lifestyle and mind-set of those who go out to the nightclubs and other music oriented spots in and around Orlando.
In today's secular environment it is just as important for us to understand the culture we minister in. We don't have to agree with our culture, but we must understand it. John C. Maxwell writes in The Maxwell Leadership Bible:
-The Law of Intuition: Discernment Comes Before Decision:
"And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment." (1st Chronicles 12:32).
One of the more popular passages in 1st Chronicles is found in chapter 12. The sons of Issachar are described as men who
"... had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do." (v.32).
What a description of the Law of Intuition! Before Israel made a decision, they got discernment. The sons of Issachar understood three key factors:
1. The culture: They understood the population and the place where they lived.
2. The timing: They understood the times and discerned when to move.
3. The strategy: They knew what Israel ought to do, the steps that should be taken.
How about you? Are you a "son of Issachar"? Do you understand your culture - it's trends, it's myths, it's strengths, it's dangers? Do You understand the age in which you're living - it's tenor and general movement? And do you have the strategy to grapple with both the culture and the times?
Within the Music/Hip Hop Community there are obviously many subcultures, subgroups, genres. To reach each group we need to discover how they think.
What are their interests?
What do they value?
Where do they hurt?
What are they afraid of?
What are the most prominent features of the way they live?
What are their most popular radio stations?
The more we know about these people, the easier it will be to reach them.
One of the major barriers to church growth is "people blindness" -- being unaware of social and cultural differences between people.
Are all white people alike? Of course they aren't. Are all black people alike? Of course not. Are all Hispanics or Asians alike? No. A trained eye will pick up on important distinctions between people who live in your area.
The best way to find out the culture, mind-set, and lifestyle of people is to talk to them personally. Just go out and meet with the people in Orlando's nightspots face-to-face. Take your own survey (I've already done this. And I got some interesting answers). Ask them what they feel are their greatest needs. Listen for their VALUES, HURTS, INTERESTS, AND FEARS. No book or demographic report can replace actually talking with the people in our community. Statistics paint only a part of the picture. We must spend time with people, getting a feel for our community through one-on-one interaction. I believe there is no substitution for this.
DEFINE YOUR TARGET SPIRITUALLY
After you have defined your target area culturally, you need to discover the spiritual background of the people in your community. Determine what those in your target area already know about the Gospel.
This section I will also keep short because a lot of the ideas and principles didn't apply to M.I.C. Assembly. Why? Because there aren't any other Hip Hop churches in Orlando. Crossover Church is the closest thing to us but they are in Tampa.
But the principle Rick Warren mentioned had to do with communicating other churches to find out what the spiritual background of the community was. But it wouldn't apply to us because we are trying to reach the Hip Hop community on their terms. And almost all the churches in Orlando don't keep hip hop profiles of the community.
The term unchurched, again, doesn't refer to only people who have never been inside a church. It also includes those who have a church background but no personal relationship to Christ, and those who haven't been in a church for some time, usually years.
We need to know our area! I'm doing a lot of the work so that you don't have to work as hard. Also I am doing this so future hip hop churches that pop up in Orlando can come to us to use this information to help them out.
Whenever I witness to someone who doesn't have a relationship to Christ, I try to discover common ground we may have due to their religious background. For example, when I talk with a Catholic, I know they accept the Bible but most have probably never read it, and they accept the Virgin Birth, and Jesus Christ as the Son of God. We already have basic agreements on some major issues. My job then becomes communicating the differences between having a religion based on works and having a relationship to Christ based on grace.
Rick warren says
"When I speak at Pastor's conferences, I will often have a pastor tell me that their church is 'just like Saddleback.' When I ask what they mean by that, they respond, 'Well, we're focused on reaching the unchurched.' I say, 'That's wonderful! What kind of unchurched are you reaching?' After all, the unchurched are not all alike! To say that your target is the 'unchurched' is an incomplete description. Unchurched intellectuals in Berkeley are very different from farmers in Fresno or unchurched immigrants in Los Angeles."
Defining M.I.C. Assembly's evangelistic target took time and serious study. But once I completed my research it made it a lot easier to understand why some evangelistic methods work in our area and why others won't. It can spare you from wasting valuable effort and money on evangelistic approaches that won't work.
PERSONALIZING YOUR TARGET
Once you've collected all the information on your community, I encourage you to create a composite profile of the typical unchurched person your church wants to reach. Combining the characteristics of residents in your area into a single, mythical person will make it easier for members of your church or ministry to understand who your target is. If you've done a good job at collecting information, your members should recognize this mythical person as their next-door neighbor.
"At Saddleback Church (Rick Warren's church), we've named our composite profile 'Saddleback Same.' Most of our members would have no problem describing Sam. We discuss him in detail in every membership class.
Saddleback Sam is the typical unchurched man who lives in our area. His age is late thirties early forties. He has a college degree and may have an advance degree. (Saddleback Valley has one of the highest household education levels in America.) He is married to Saddleback Samantha, and they have at least two kids, Steve and Sally.
Surveys show that Sam like his job, he likes where he lives, and he thinks he's enjoying life now more than he was five years ago. He's self-satisfied, even smug, about his station on life. He's either a professional, a manager, or successful entrepreneur. Sam is among the most affluent of Americans, but he carries a lot of debt, especially due to the price of his home.
Health and fitness are high priorities for Sam and his family. You can usually see Sam jogging each morning, and Samantha attends an aerobics class three times a week at the Family Fitness Center. Both of them listen to contemporary pop and country music, especially when working out.
When it comes to socializing, Sam and his wife would rather be in a large group than a small one. Why? In a crowd, Sam can hide and maintain the anonymity and privacy that he jealously guards. Sam has an unlisted phone number and may live in a gated community. (This was the main reason we used direct mail advertising in the first years of Saddleback. It was the only way to contact many of the homes in our areas.)
Another important characteristic of Sam's is that he's skeptical of what he calls 'organized' religion. He's likely to say, 'I believe in Jesus. I just don't like organized religion.' We like to counter this by joking, 'Then you will love Saddleback. We're disorganized religion!'
Sam, because he is a southern Californian, prefers casual, informal meetings over anything stiff and formal. He loves to dress down for the mild southern California climate. We take this into account when planning services to attract Sam. For example, I never wear a coat and tie when I speak at Saddleback services. I intentionally dress down to match the mind-set of those I'm trying to reach. I follow Paul's strategy:
"And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. to the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you." (1st Corinthians 9:20-23).
In my situation I'm sure Paul would say, 'When in southern California I became like a southern Californian in order to win southern Californians!' I don't think how people dressed mattered a lot to Jesus. We'd rather have a pagan come to church in tennis shoes and shorts than not to come because he doesn't own a suit.
Saddleback Sam is also overextended in time and money. His credit card is used to the limit. He is very materialistic, and yet will honestly admit that his wealth has not brought him lasting happiness."
Why do we go to tall this trouble defining the typical person we're trying to reach? Because the more you understand someone the easier it is to communicate with him.
If you were to create a profile of the typical resident in your area, what characteristics would you give him? What would you name him? It's worth thinking about. Once you've defined and named your churches evangelistic target, do me a favor: Send me a copy, I have a hobby of collecting church evangelistic profiles. I have a file filled with characters like Dallas Doug, Memphis Mike, and Atlanta Al. - Rick Warren
"M.C. Money M.I.C."
"At M.I.C. Assembly, I've named our composite profile 'M.C. (emcee) Money MIC (Mike)'.
M.C. Money MIC is the typical unchurched man who lives in the Orlando Metropolitan area. His age is between eighteen to late thirties. He usually is a high school drop out and may have some community college. He is not married, but does date MIC Monique, and they have at least one to three kids out of wedlock. He does love the kids but is trying to get his life together. He is most likely on child support and him and Monique don't get a long all the time.
Surveys show that Money doesn't like his job, doesn't like where he lives, and he thinks he's enjoying life even though much hasn't changed for him five years ago. He's not satisfied and even though a lot of doors get closed in on him, he keeps striving for the next possible opportunity. He's either working at a restaurant or anywhere making a little over minimum wage. Money usually lives with roommates because the housing market is terrible here in Orlando.
Hip Hop, nightclubs, and drugs are high priorities for Money and his home boys who he grew up with from running the streets in gangs. You can usually see Money catching the Lynx City bus if he doesn't have a car or a ride, and Monique is usually taking care of her kids, but does more then most, and tries to get out with her home girls when the parents want to see the kids. Both of them listen to Hip Hop music in all its different forms. Money listens to mostly underground New York/East coast style, maybe even a little gangsta rap. Monique on the other hand listens more to the mainstream music heard on the radio, mixed with a lot of R&B, maybe even some reggae.
When it comes to socializing, Money and Monique would rather be in a small group than a large one. Why? They can't trust a lot of people from past hurts and betrayals. Money has a cell phone number (but doesn't answer it too often or the bill hasn't been paid) and may live either in, what we call "the ghetto" or on the "Eastside of town."
Another important characteristic of Money is that he's skeptical of the church because he says there are a lot of "fakes, phonies, self-righteous judges, and hypocrites" or that "the church is too boring." He's likely to say, "I believe in Jesus, but I just don't like all the hypocritical Christians, the appeals for money when the preacher driving the nice whip, and the boring sermons." We like to counter this by joking, "Then you will love M.I.C. Assembly. We're a Hip Hop oriented church and we don't have hypocrites because we're all new to the church arena!"
Money, because he is a Hip Hopper, prefers wearing hip hop gear, informal meetings over anything stiff and formal. He loves to dress hip hop because he faithfully reps the old school hip hop and the culture. We take this into account when planning services to attract Money. For example, I'll never wear a coat and tie when I have a concert at any church. I intentionally dress down to match the mind-set of those I'm trying to reach. I follow Paul's strategy:
"And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. to the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you." (1st Corinthians 9:20-23).
In my situation I'm sure Paul would say, "When around the lyricists and emcees I became like the lyricists and emcees in order to win the lyricists and emcees!?" I don't think how people dressed mattered a lot to Jesus. We'd rather have a pagan come to church in Timberland boots and Roc-A-Wear jeans than not to come because he doesn't own a suit.
M.C. Money MIC is also tight on his time and money. He is very materialistic, and yet will honestly admit that he's trying to "get out of the hood through the means of rap music." - Ricardo Butler
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mrs. Denise Jones on
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This was very long, but interesting, I must take the time and print it out and read it. I pray that you will have a lot of viewers and men and women of God will take this challenge and start something in their communities around the world iin Jesus' Name.
In Love, Sis. Denise
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Permalink Reply by Ricardo 'ReAsOn' Butler on
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Yea it's long. This is class 2 of our evangelism program at our church. I figured we'd post ours up for others to see.
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Thank you...I am going to print it out and read it on tomorrow and see if I can apply some of the bullets in my community. We are trying very hard to read our youth in my community. I am very concerned about their reading and writing skills, because of technology they are not spelling and using a lot of slang. I had an `11th grader who didn't know what a noun was, and that was disturbing. But thank you so very much for obeying the spirit that led you to post your class 2. If at all you can send me class 1 I would appreciate it, because it has to be the foundation of class 2. Again, thanks.
In Love, Sis. Denise
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