Reaching people under 40, keeping people over 60

By Laura T. Rich

BR Graphics Editor

WINSTON-SALEM - Church members must ask themselves if they need to shift their personal preferences in order to reach the world, Eddie Hammett told participants in a packed breakout session at the Baptist State Convention (BSC) Nov. 11.

The session, titled "Reaching People Under 40 While Keeping People Over 60," was based on an article by the same title that Hammett wrote for NETResults magazine.

Hammett, a congregational and internal coach with the BSC, told participants that they are no longer living in a "church culture."

"A lot of people just don't value church anymore," he said, comparing the situation of the modern church with that of the early church as recorded in Acts. Both the first century church and the 21st century church face a hostile, pluralistic society, he said.

As a result, Hammett said, churches can no longer do church for church people, but instead have to examine how personal preferences are affecting efforts at evangelism. Some of those preferences must be shifted if the church is going to fulfill its mission.

"Jesus said 'Go ye,'" Hammett said. "We have padded pews, air conditioned buildings and a preacher who comes and visits and takes care of us, but when it comes to going into all the world, 'They ain't like us.'"

Hammett said that attitude must change. "The church was never created for those of us inside it," he said. "The Bible doesn't say Jesus died for the church, He died for the world."

Hammett told participants about an experience he had as a young minister in his grandmother's church. After a struggle, Hammett's grandmother led her Sunday School class to give up their personal preference for the good of the congregation. "My comfort is not as valuable as the mission of this church," Hammett said his grandmother told him.

Hammett contrasted the story of his grandfather, who was proud to be known in his home church as the "'No' deacon" who opposed everything. Hammett told the group that he recently returned to that church to perform what he called the church's funeral.

"What legacy do we want to leave?" Hammett asked. "Do we want to be a barrier or a bridge to a new generation?"

Hammett told participants to look for leaders beyond traditional church leaders. The "remnant" will lead change, Hammett said. The remnant have a passion for the future of the church, but may not be actively involved now. "These people are the ones that look at Christianity (in the traditional church) and say 'There's got to be more to it than this. If all there is to Christianity is going to meetings, Christianity is not worth my life,'" Hammett said.

Hammett said he had to un-learn much of what he learned in seminary in order to be able to communicate with such people. He encouraged ministers to invest their energy into the new leaders as equippers of the saints - "which is your job description biblically," he said, "not going to the hospital."

Hammett also advised church leaders to reinvent their staff and key leadership to respond to the needs of the people they are trying to reach. In his NETResults article, Hammett said that a church in a community with many aging baby boomers might want to consider a staff position to minister to that age group, rather than a traditional youth pastor.

As the church is now in a pagan culture similar to the one the early church faced, leaders may need to consider decentralizing the church, Hammett said. The church described in Acts was led by laypeople while the modern church is pastor-led.

Strong lay leadership can allow churches to manifest their core values in different ways, throughout their community, Hammett said. This is key to birthing the future while managing the present. Leaders can establish parallel structures that provide for the needs of the church culture and also reach out to the changing population.

This process is not easy, Hammett said. "You will loose 3-5 percent of your active members and the best thing you can do is let them go," he said, referring to scripture on pruning the vine. "If God's trying to prune the body, the worst thing to do is bring them back."

Hammett told participants that change is tough, but essential if churches are going to reach a rapidly changing world.

More information on Hammett's methods can be found on his Web site www.transformingsolutions.org and at www.netresults.org. The article that originally appeared in NETResults is also available on the Recorder Web site courtesy of NETResults.

Beginning in March, Hammett will be presenting a series of seminars under the same title. Contact Lorene Wilson at lwilson@bscnc.org or (800) 395-5102, ext. 414 to register. Information is also available at www.discipleshipteam.org. The seminar will be offered at the following locations:

Elizabethtown Baptist Church, Elizabethtown, March 25, 6:30-9 p.m.

Raleigh Baptist Association, Raleigh, April 13, 6:30-9 p.m.

Buncombe Baptist Resource Center, Asheville, April 17, 9:30 a.m.-noon.

Pilot Mountain Baptist Association, Winston-Salem, April 19, 6:30-9 p.m.

Cabarrus Baptist Association, May 17, Concord, 6:30-9 p.m.