Attendance and Bible classes
1)
The last Sunday evening of our vacation Teresa and I
were in the area of
2)
We drove about 25 minutes to a congregation and found
about 300 people present.
3)
In the sermon the preacher said some things that were
likely not part of his outline.
4)
He spoke about attendance for a bit and then said, “The
people here do not need that information.”
a)
Other preachers have made this same type of statement.
b) Why talk about attendance on
Sunday night because those who need to hear this information are not present?
c)
There
is certainly some truth in this point.
d)
There is a sense in which attendance is an appropriate
for a Sunday night study.
5)
There are times in life when we start with and use the
best of what we have.
6)
At various times a company may look for its best
workers.
7)
Such is also true in the spiritual realm.
8)
There are times when a congregation looks at the
strongest and most committed Christians it has.
9)
Jesus certainly did this in His earthly ministry.
10) The
Lord did not turn to half heart and partially committed believers; He used the
best men available.
11) We
were asked to hold in readiness the third chapter of Mark – we now want to read
from that chapter.
a)
Mk. 3:14-15 – READ
b)
Part of Jesus’ mission involved the use of other
people, especially the men we call apostles.
c)
Fairly early in the Lord’s public ministry Jesus
selected men to fulfill this role.
d)
We might say the apostles were part of a “core” group.
12) A
core is at the heart of virtually every organization and this is true for local
congregations.
13) If
a congregation has 50 members, maybe 30 of the members form a core.
14) In
a congregation of 5,000 people, there is still a core element.
15) We
would like and God would like for everyone in a local congregation to be part
of the core.
16) This
is not some type of elite spot reserved for special people—all can be part of
it.
17) God
calls to be found in the core comes through from various passages.
i)
1 Cor. 16:13 says “behave like men – stand fast in the
faith.”
b)
Phil. 4:1 – “stand fast in the Lord.”
c)
1 Cor. 15:58 – “be always abounding in the work of the
Lord.”
d)
2 Thess. 2:15 – “stand fast” was an instruction given
to the Thessalonians.
e)
1 Thess. 4:1 adds, “abound more and more.”
f)
Why did Paul have to tell people to “stand fast” and
“abound”? He knew about the core.
g)
Some who part of the core can waver and wander. Others never become part of the core.
18) Heb.
4:11 refers to making “every effort” to enter into heaven (“give diligence” the
writer said).
19) Members
of the core do what this author said; members not part of the core do not.
20) If
every congregation has a core of people, where is it? How do we find those people?
a)
The core usually shows up or participates in what is
being done by a local congregation.
b)
One visible indicator of the core is evening services.
c)
Who is typically here on Sunday night and Wednesday
night?
d)
When we answer that question, we are on the way to
finding out who is part of the core.
e)
Thinking about the core has a direct correlation to
many things, including Bible classes.
21) If
a local congregation is going to offer Bible classes, it needs teachers.
22) These
teachers are going to come from one of two places: from within the core our outside the core.
a)
In a high percentage of cases, those outside the core
have little interest in teaching.
b)
In almost every single case, teachers come from within
the core of a congregation.
c)
If a person is not part of the congregation’s core,
they are usually not going to do well as a teacher.
23) Tonight
take a moment to look at who has assembled for worship.
24) Our
evening attendance is a reasonable gauge about the core of this congregation.
25) Who
is here tells us something else.
26) If
we are going to have Bible classes, we are going to need to utilize helpers
from those who are here.
27) The
Sunday and Wednesday night crowd is generally where teachers are taken from.
28) Look
around and you can see the pool of resources we have for our Bible school
program.
29) We
are the main body of people that can and must make that happen.
30) We
must start with what we have, but things do not need to stay the way they are.
31) We
find that Jesus had 12 original apostles and 11 of these men were fully
committed.
32) As
time progressed, some additional people were brought on board.
33) Lk.
10:1 says a time came when there were “70 others.”
34) Going
from 12 apostles to 82 dedicated disciples was quite a change – the core
increased.
35) Luke’s
record continues with the book of Acts.
36) In
the book we call Acts Luke shows how thousands of people became Christians.
37) Not
all who converted were probably part of the “core” group.
38) Some
may have been limited by some circumstance.
39) Like
today, others may have had a type of “passing interest” in Christianity.
40) Some
came from time to time, but were not all that dedicated. They chose to be outside the core.
41) There were also core members
in the 1st century—people who really tried to live as Christians and
serve God.
42) A
local congregation has a core and that core can follow the example given by
Jesus.
a)
The apostles were a small group, but they did not let
their small number discourage them.
b)
These men persevered and grew, even though they faced
issues like Judas and his treachery.
43) While
away on vacation Teresa and I first worshipped with a very small congregation
in Maine.
44) An
average attendance on Sunday mornings was about 20 people.
45) On
a Sunday evening and Wednesday service they often had 10-12 present.
46) The
preacher had been there for about 15 years.
47) I
do not know how large the core of this group was, but I do know it was very
small.
48) Like
the apostles with Jesus, it was a small core (certainly less than 20).
49) The
people who were part of that core in Maine had a direct impact on their place
of worship.
50) This
is true in every other place as well, no matter how large the group.
51) When
we are a member of the core, several things are true.
52) For
instance, we are a potential teacher.
a)
We may not want to teach full time.
b)
We may want to ease into the process by watching for
awhile.
c)
We may want to do some co teaching.
d)
Perhaps we, at least for a while, would be most
comfortable being a substitute.
e)
Being part of the core should make us receptive to
teaching others.
f)
Every congregation has to face a basic fact.
53) Its basic pool of
prospective teachers is going to be found from those who come on Wednesdays and
Sundays.
54) If
we do not get teachers from those who are here, we really have no other place
to look.
55) When
we look at our pool of helpers, things may not seem all that bright.
56) A
small pool of helpers can be discouraging.
It may seem like the pool is not all that large.
a)
Remember that Jesus started out small, but He allowed
things to grow.
b)
We noted how 70 others were added and then hundreds and
thousands more were added.
c)
If we are part of the core in a local congregation, we
can help the core grow.
d)
This is a second responsibility we have if we are part
of the core.
57) We
can reach out to people who are not showing that they are part of the core.
58) Here
and in virtually every other congregation there are Christians who are not all
that dedicated.
59) We
may see them a few times a month at worship and that is all.
a)
Over the years I have heard people suggest preachers
can turn these folks into core members.
b)
Preach enough on attendance and people will change.
c)
Send the elders out and have them whip people into shape.
60) Preachers
and elders can correct people.
61) We
have the ability to shame and disgrace people.
62) It
is not all that hard to bully someone into doing something.
63) None
of these actions really work when it comes to brining people into a
congregation’s core.
64) Creating
a core comes by being a good example, encouragement and friendship.
a)
As individual Christians we can look for people who we
feel close to but are not part of the core.
b)
We can begin to work with those individuals to become
more committed in their Christian life.
c)
This is a simple thing, but it will build the core and
help everyone involved.
65) Suppose
we have a family that hardly ever comes to Bible class.
66) We
can determine that one of our priority projects is going to be getting that
family to class.
67) Maybe
we start out small. We ask them to come
once or twice a month on Sunday morning.
68) Then
we ask them to be present on every Sunday morning for class.
69) Then
we appeal to them to also be present on Wednesday night.
70) Little
by little people can be shown that they can be part of a core.
a)
If someone is a member of a sports team, membership in
that organization usually requires something.
b)
Most organizations require more from their members than
a local congregation requires.
c)
When we see people who are sitting on the sidelines we
can try to bring them into the core.
d)
This is where God wants them to be and it should be
where we want them to be.
71) Most
people want to be party of a healthy and strong congregation.
a)
They want things to go well, including a Bible school
program.
b)
Sometimes people fail to realize that some things are
connected.
c)
We cannot have a solid program without core supporters
and workers.
d)
In some places Christians have a “give me attitude.”
e)
“Give me a strong congregation. Give me a good Bible school program.”
f)
“Meet my needs and help my family.”
g)
It is possible to have a very strong interest in
receiving, but not in giving.
h)
Stated another way, people may want the benefits but
offer nothing in return.
72) Jesus
once said it is “more blessed to give than to receive.”
73) If
we want a healthy body, we cannot live on a diet of Twinkies and ice cream.
74) We
need to do our part in creating a healthy body.
75) Such
is also true in the church – we have a role in making and keeping a local
congregation healthy.
a)
When we see people who come at Christmas and Easter,
those are people we need to seek out.
b)
They are not part of the core, but they are prospects
to become part of the core.
c)
Christians who come more often than twice a year but
are not active are also potential core members.
d)
Helping
people becoming part of the core is probably going to be absolutely critical in
the coming years.
76) From
1990 to 2004 the
77) During
this same period church attendance decreased by 3%.
78) In
some places the core of a local congregation is in a state of decline.
79) If
and when this happens, a congregation may be well on the way to closing its
doors.
80) We
want to reach out to the entire world as well as help fellow Christians grow
and mature.
a)
When we try to help people become part of the core, we
are going to have some failures.
b)
Some will be like the seed in Jesus’ parable – they
will last for a while but then fall away.
c)
Some may seem to look so good, but they do not last.
d)
Others may start out slowly and become so strong in the
end, we are surprised.
e)
Helping build a good core is a work that every single
one of us can perform.
f)
We can do it with our adults as well as our youth.
g)
Taking this responsibility seriously and fulfilling it
pays huge dividends.
h)
We may encourage people to become part of the core and
the man in that family becomes an elder.
i)
Through our encouragement a husband and wife may both
become Bible class teachers.
j)
Children who may have never attended a Bible class
before become regular class members.
k)
Our assemblies are better, our Bible classes are better
– we grow in strength to strength.
81) One
of the best ways to help people become part of the core is through out Bible
classes.
82) This
is an environment that children almost enjoy.
83) It
is also a great environment for adults to begin to create friendships and bond
with one another.
84) Bible
classes and a growing core of faithful Christians in a local congregation go
together.
85) Are
we part of the core, and will we commit to helping others become part of it?