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Pepper Center for Church Growth
Evangelism and Church Growth Newsletter Published for the purpose of encouraging the church to reach out to the lost! -- Clayton Pepper, Editor -- P.O. Box 1535, Goodlettsville, TN 37070 Vol. 1, No. 1 Can We Revive Evangelism to What We Once Knew? By Clayton Pepper
What has happened to evangelism in the American church today? Have we turned our attention
to a more inward focus than outward? Can we see the number of conversions rise again?
As I begin this newsletter, let me bring you up to date on events in my life and why I am renewing my efforts to encourage evangelism. Some of you will recall that I spent 31 years as a counselor in juvenile court sponsored by the church. My career with the court ended after a serious heart attack in March of 1990. Because of my heart attack, I have not been actively speaking on outreach as I once did. I sold Church Growth Magazine to the Center for Church Growth in Houston, Texas in 1994, and it is currently being edited by John Ellas. In January of 1991, I began handling the mail for Restoration Radio International. Roy Beasley is the executive director and speaker. Developing a follow-up program based on the story of Apollos in Acts 18, we have reached many denominational preachers and, subsequently, their congregations. As of this writing, over 600 congregations of the Lord's church have been started and over 15,000 souls converted! During this time, I have had time to reflect on the status of the church, and have formed many
ideas that I feel can help the church be more effective in reaching the lost. Because of the need
that exists, and the encouragement of many brethren, I am becoming involved again primarily
through a monthly newsletter. I want to send this to as many elders, preachers, and interested
brethren as possible at no charge.
In the 1940s and 1950s, growth came easy. Many lost people would attend worship services from the surrounding community without much effort on our part since "going to church" was the norm. Advertising in the community was very effective in promoting gospel meetings. As the years progressed, Bible reading and prayer were removed from publish schools in 1962 and 1963. About the mid-1960s, both Bible school and church attendance began to plateau in many places. Between 1970 and 1980, "church school" attendance in America dropped by 8 million according to Church Growth, Inc. of Monrovia, Calif. This organization also reported that 80-85% of all churches in America had hit a plateau or were in decline. Flavil Yeakley, Jr. reported in 1995 that since 1980, population had increased 17% in the United States while total membership in all congregations of the Lord's church increased only 1.7%. He reported a loss of 185 congregations in 12 states during this period. Ninety percent of these occurred in six states: Missouri, 80; Oklahoma, 27; Texas, 21; Maryland, 20; Illinois, 12; and Alaska, 10. Oklahoma had the largest decline in membership, Missouri had the largest decline of congregations, and Tennessee had the largest decline in "adherents" (members, children and prospects in attendance). This suggest that Tennessee has less chance for growth in the future. It should shock and sadden all of us who live in Tennessee to realize that we had the greatest resources for producing growth, but had the least growth of members, children, and prospects. Consider our resources for potential growth:
If these statistics create within you a desire to do more to reach the lost, here are two items that will be of interest: The video "Will You Not Tell It Today" by Clayton Pepper and Keith Stotts, Chancellor of Ohio Valley College. You may receive this 49-minute video for a $100 contribution to the Clayton Pepper Center for Church Growth, 4501 College Parkway, Parkersburg, West Virginia 26101. My new 244-page book, Church Growth Today, is available from Quality publishing in Abilene, Texas (800-359-7708) and is priced at $14.95 plus shipping. |