| abstract | Problem
Vine Memorial Baptist Church has a serious problem drawing lapsed and new members into the church.
The problem stemmed from the history of the church, which was organized by a strong family and the founding pastor. Over the years, the problem
became the means by which people were accepted or not accepted into the Vine Memorial family. Over time, many people left the church feeling
unappreciated, disrespected, undervalued, and unloved. Unity between the leaders, congregation and community was low, and Vine Memorial was not
seen by the community as a loving church or a church to become a part of. Young people were not participating, some young people left, and it
was very difficult to get young people to participate and worship at Vine.Method
In December 2015, a Local Advisory Committee was formed
to plan, prepare and organize a strategy that would create data to address the problem and to create unity among the leaders of the church, the
congregation, and the community. Three groups were created to gather such needed information. One group of five persons was comprised of lapsed
members, another group of five persons was comprised of prospective new members, and six local pastors who had participated at Vine in various ways
over the past 10 years made up the third group. The purpose of the pastors group was to address the question: Can preaching address the problem of
inclusion of lapsed and new members at Vine Memorial Baptist Church? Conclusions
The study strongly suggests that preaching can impact the
problem of drawing lapsed and new members to Vine Memorial. It also shares how preaching and the preacher should interact with the members.
Preaching should be simple, should use the language of those in the pew, and should address the needs of all persons hearing the sermon.
The study also shares how the preacher must understand who is in the pew and what each person in the pew deals with on a daily basis.
And finally, the study may also have implications for other forms of ministerial education. |
