
The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-02/16/2006

DISCLAIMER: Baptist Press should be credited for any reprinted stories that originate with BP.
Suggested credit line: Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. 

Please note that Baptist Press periodically carries stories from other sources by permission. Individuals interested in reprinting non-BP stories should contact the entity where the story originated to seek reprint permission.


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IMB chairman & Okla. trustee <br>report accountability dialogue
by Staff
Date: February 16, 2006 - Thursday

ROGERS, Ark. (BP)--“Constructive conversations appear to be bearing fruit” in the conflict between the International Mission Board’s trustees and an Oklahoma pastor, chairman Tom Hatley told Baptist Press Feb. 16.

Hatley had announced Feb. 15 that the trustees’ nine-member executive committee is recommending that the board withdraw its Jan. 11 request to the Southern Baptist Convention to remove the pastor, Wade Burleson, as a trustee.

“I have spoken several times since our &#91;January&#93; meeting in extensive conversations with Brother Wade ... and I am very optimistic that our relationships will be more harmonious in the future,” Hatley told Baptist Press.

Hatley noted Feb. 15 that the trustee executive committee had moved toward options by which trustee accountability can be handled internally.

In the interview Feb. 16, Hatley recounted that after the board’s meeting last November in Huntsville, Ala., he had asked the trustees’ orientation committee to study the accountability of trustees to each other -- “to sharpen the guidelines that we’re going to hold each other to.”

The orientation committee has forwarded a preliminary report to the trustees’ administrative committee, which will discuss the report during the March 20-22 board meeting in Tampa, Fla.

Trustee accountability guidelines and a possible committee to handle trustee-to-trustee conflict, Hatley said, “can be helpful to every trustee, not just to Mr. Burleson.”

Hatley said he has recounted the recent developments to Burleson and senses that “he is excited because he has matters of trustee behavior he would like to bring up, and he sees this as an internal forum for him to get that done.”

“So, it’s not going to serve just as a point of accountability for Wade Burleson, it’ll be good for all us as far as knowing where we stand with one another and what we expect of one another.”

Burleson, in a statement to Baptist Press regarding these steps toward reconciliation, said, “I never felt unreconciled with our board. I believed from the beginning the recommendation for my removal was unsubstantiated, without precedent and ultimately unnecessary. Healthy boards learn to work with people who disagree for the good of the Kingdom. We are getting there. I have the utmost respect for the men and women who serve the IMB as a trustee. I remain steadfast in my desire to work with my fellow trustees to make the IMB even better. I reaffirm my commitment to abide by every policy and procedure of the board as I continue blogging.”

Burleson’s Internet weblog about IMB trustee actions had been a key factor in the action against him during their Jan. 9-11 meeting in Richmond, Va. In a statement about the action, the trustees cited “issues involving broken trust and resistance to accountability.”

Burleson posted a blog Feb. 16 that expanded on his conversations with Hatley. The discussions were prompted in part by a statement in Baptist Press Feb. 15 that “the committee determined that the matter of disciplining a trustee can be handled internally.” Hatley confirmed the phraseology to Baptist Press but clarified that he was speaking about the proposed accountability guidelines.

In his blog, Burleson wrote, “I discovered that Tom did not mean to imply that the Board would discipline me.... In no way was he referring to me specifically. I thanked Tom for this explanation, and I told him that people reading the article, including Baptist editors nationwide&#91;,&#93; were adding a subtitle that said, ‘Trustees to seek discipline internally’ and made it sound like the Board would seek discipline behind closed doors....”

Burleson also blogged about his exchange with Hatley as to why this option &#91;to remove him as a trustee&#93; was selected in the first place and his concern that the record be expunged regarding the original charges. Burleson’s blog can be read at kerussocharis.blogspot.com.

Both Hatley in his statement to Baptist Press and Burleson in his weblog spoke favorably of the candor and graciousness in their exchanges.

Burleson, in his statement to Baptist Press, said he hopes 2006 will be “the best year ever for the International Mission Board. I look forward to working on a framework through which principled dissent is not only well received, but used to make the IMB an even greater mission-sending ministry.”

The trustee orientation committee’s report likely will become public as a result of the administrative committee’s discussion, Hatley acknowledged to Baptist Press.

“The administrative committee can add or subtract or suggest &#91;changes to the report&#93; and then begin to educate the board and see if the board would like to adopt that,” Hatley said.

“We’re not going to publish it until we see it in a final form,” he said, “because it can change along the way.”

Hatley commented that, “Right now if you have a problem, it’s in one person’s head and then it goes to the full board, and there’s nothing in between,” potentially detracting from the board’s foremost focus on “how to reach the world for Jesus.”

A trustee accountability committee could “hopefully screen 90 percent of &#91;potential trustee conflict&#93; and solve it before it gets to the full board. And if it needs to go to the full board, then we’ll have a committee in place to recommend that.”
--30--
With reporting by Will Hall and Art Toalston.

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IMB officers seek withdrawal of request to remove trustee
by Staff
Date: February 16, 2006 - Thursday

RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--The executive committee of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board’s trustees has decided to ask the full board of trustees to consider a motion that would reverse the motion passed at its January meeting to recommend the removal from office of trustee Wade Burleson of Oklahoma.

The trustee executive committee -- which consists of the board’s chairman, first and second vice chairmen, recording secretary and chairmen of the board’s five primary standing committees -– met in Atlanta Feb. 10 to review the Burleson action. IMB trustee chairman Tom Hatley will ask the trustees to consider reversing the motion passed in executive session during their Jan. 9-11 meeting in Richmond, Va. 

After the January meeting, Hatley stated the action was taken because of issues involving “broken trust and resistance to accountability, not Burleson’s opposition to policies recently enacted by the board." Southern Baptist Convention messengers elect trustees to convention boards and entities at the convention’s annual meetings. Without a motion to reverse the vote of the January meeting, the IMB trustee recommendation related to Burleson would be acted upon at the SBC’s June 13-14 annual meeting in Greensboro, N.C.

Hatley will make the recommendation for a motion to reverse the approved removal motion at the trustees’ next full board meeting, scheduled for March 20-22 in Tampa, Fla. He issued the following public statement Feb. 16: 

"As chairman of the International Mission Board, it is my intention to ask our board of trustees to reverse our action in January recommending to the Southern Baptist Convention in June that Wade Burleson be removed from office as an IMB trustee.

"We have determined that we have the ability to seek management of these issues through internal processes that were not known during our January meeting. We have never reached this stage of conflict before and did not know of all our options until recently.

"I have consulted with our board officers and our standing committee chairmen, and they agree with me that we should move forward with a motion to withdraw our request for SBC action.

"As a board, we continue to affirm our missionaries, our president and our staff, and we stand with them in leading Southern Baptists to reach the harvest fields of our world.

"We also want to praise the Lord for the generosity of His churches in supporting missions. More than ever we are seeing the peoples of the earth responding to the gospel. Our focus will not be diverted; we will continue to exponentially increase our impact around the world until every person has heard the story of our wonderful Savior.

"Please note that in the near future I also intend to clarify the recently adopted guideline on baptism and the policy concerning tongues and private prayer language for missionary candidates by addressing the historical and theological framework in which those decisions were made."

The last sentence of the statement refers to two measures adopted by IMB trustees at their Nov. 14-17 meeting last year in Huntsville, Ala. The trustees approved a policy stating that a missionary candidate eliminates himself or herself from IMB service if he or she has the practice of tongues or a "private prayer language" as an ongoing part of his or her conviction or practice. They also adopted a baptism guideline stating that future missionary candidates must have been baptized in a church that: practices believer’s baptism by immersion alone; does not view baptism as sacramental or regenerative; and that embraces the doctrine of the security of the believer. Exception clauses were included in both the guideline and the policy for special situations. Neither the guideline nor the policy is retroactive and neither will be applied to anyone already in the appointment process.
--30-—


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Newspaper story criticizes NAMB; entity calls story inaccurate
by Staff
Date: February 16, 2006 - Thursday

ATLANTA (BP)--A Baptist state newspaper's critical analysis of the North American Mission Board's operations has drawn a pointed response from the entity, which calls the newspaper's report inaccurate and unprofessional. 

The Christian Index, newsjournal of the Georgia Baptist Convention, published a 4,500-word story Feb. 16 about NAMB, the Southern Baptist entity responsible for North American missions. Written by Managing Editor Joe Westbury, the story criticizes NAMB's evangelism and church planting strategies. Using anonymous sources, it also is critical of NAMB's method in counting missionaries, the entity's relationship with a private media firm and its president's speaking engagements. 

The lengthy critical piece comes just weeks before Southern Baptist churches nationwide prepare to give to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, which funds North American missions.

In a five-page, 2,500-word response, Georgia-based NAMB criticizes the story for a lack of balance and for not including NAMB's responses to key charges. Officials at the entity have known "for several weeks" that the Index was working on the story, the statement says. 

"The North American Mission Board is extremely disappointed," the statement says, "that the (Georgia) Christian Index would by-pass accepted journalistic standards by running a story about NAMB that (a) hides behind anonymous 'critics' conveniently labeled as 'observers' or 'onlookers' or 'some who assert'; (b) fails to include NAMB responses to these criticisms as provided by NAMB Executives during a recent two-hour interview; (c) contains inaccuracies and innuendoes even after being told the facts by NAMB representatives; and (d) times the release of the article for maximum damage to North American missions.  

"Labeling the story as 'an analysis' does not exempt its author from the standards of fairness and disclosure Baptists expect from their reporters."

The North American Mission Board was formed in 1997, essentially as a replacement for the old Home Mission Board and two other entities. Expectations were high in '97 about the future, the Christian Index story states, but "Georgia Baptist pastors are wondering if those expectations have been met."

"More importantly, new initiatives in evangelism and church planting have failed to produce the anticipated results -– and the denomination’s total of funded career missionaries has declined by 10 percent," the story states, under the headline of "North America: Hanging in the balance."

Among the charges by the Christian Index (along with NAMB's responses) are:

-- That NAMB launched two campaigns -- "What Now?" and "Who Cares?" -- that have been poorly executed and poorly communicated. 

The "What Now?" campaign was launched in 2003 in the months after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It was set to be, the Index reported, a "million dollar extravaganza of television, radio, periodicals, and Internet advertising designed to get the attention of millions who do not attend church or are not immediately receptive to the Gospel."

"But the campaign failed to coalesce and –- halfway into the effort –- funding was pulled," the Index story states. "The only problem was that this important decision was not uniformly communicated to state conventions. And some state papers, like the Index, continued to publicize the national campaign for nearly a year after its demise."

According to NAMB, "What Now?" was discontinued "at the behest of state conventions" in order "to avoid confusion for the local church caused by a number of SBC national initiatives." NAMB representatives have apologized for "any confusing communications," the NAMB statement says.

The "Who Cares?" campaign was launched in the summer of 2005. The Index said the campaign, a "new, improved evangelism initiative," was scheduled to roll out a series of TV commercials by last fall "dealing with life" issues.

"But as of next week -– eight months to the day when it was announced on June 21 –- there is still no sign of a campaign," the Index story states. 

Although NAMB Chief Operating Officer Chuck Allen told the Index that NAMB's response to the Gulf Coast hurricanes had delayed the launch of "Who Cares?", the Index noted that the TV commercials were being produced with a private company, InovaOne. NAMB coordinates the Southern Baptist Convention's disaster relief response. 

NAMB, though, says that the TV commercials required NAMB involvement -- even if a private company was doing them.

"&#91;A&#93;s we explained to the writer, NAMB staff would be involved in every step of Who Cares implementation and the unprecedented response to the Hurricane Katrina victims required an 'all hands on deck' focus by NAMB staff &#91;last&#93; fall with many putting in 15-20 hour days," NAMB statement says.

NAMB also says that "Who Cares?" was not meant to take the place of the "What Now?" campaign.

"It is, instead, a response to the requests of NAMB’s state partners and churches that NAMB provides evangelistic television and print ads (along with the telephone volunteers to share Christ and direct people to SBC churches)," the NAMB statement says. "This is a tool that can support the current SBC convention-wide emphasis on reaching a million baptisms and not, as the writer asserts, just another theme 'in the crowded marketplace of themes.'"

-- That 45 percent of NAMB's missionaries are self-funded but are nonetheless included in NAMB's total missionary count. 

"According to information supplied by NAMB based on the most recent headcount as of Dec. 31, there are 5,364 North American missionaries," the Index story says. "However, only 2,942 are funded by &#91;Annie Armstrong&#93;. The remaining 2,422 -– or 45 percent –- are self-funded volunteers serving through the Mission Service Corps."

NAMB, though, says that the information about its missionary total breakdown is available on its website (at www.namb.net, under the tab "sending missionaries") as well as in its annual report to the Southern Baptist Convention. There are three broad categories of NAMB missionaries, the entity says: career, limited term and Mission Service Corps.

"There is absolutely no deception in the way these missionaries are categorized or reported," the NAMB statement says.

The Index says the inclusion of volunteer missionaries in the headcount is a throwback to pre-Cooperative Program days, when missionaries had to raise their own money.

"&#91;T&#93;he old adage that Southern Baptist missionaries are more effective because they don’t have to return home to raise their support is no longer absolute truth," the Index story says. "At least, not as long as Mission Service Corps are included in their ranks."

Yet NAMB says Mission Service Corps missionaries deserve to be included in the total count.

"MSC Missionaries serve in many of the same mission roles that career and limited term missionaries do, but often in areas where salaries and benefits are not available," NAMB says in its statement. "... We are proud of the fact that we recognize these dedicated servants’ commitment and calling by referring to them as 'missionaries.' NAMB’s and IMB’s definition of a missionary is a person who, in response to God’s call and gifting, leaves his or her comfort zone and crosses cultural, geographic or other barriers to proclaim the gospel and lives out a Christian witness in obedience to the Great Commission.  

"We thank God that Mission Service Corps missionaries stand in the gap when funding is not available."

-- That under NAMB (1997 through 2005), the number of funded career missionaries has dropped 10 percent.

NAMB agreed with the accuracy of that statistic, but says three factors have impacted the total: "an early retirement option that some missionaries chose in 2004 and 2005 as part of a change in post-retirement benefits;" "the fact that many of these missionaries are jointly funded with state partners who cannot currently afford their percentage of the cooperative budget funds, resulting in a vacancy" and "a 91% increase in health care costs since NAMB’s inception, which NAMB has not passed through to its missionaries."  

-- That InovaOne's Steve Sanford conducted an audit of NAMB's media strategy in 2003, and then benefited when the audit concluded that NAMB should outsource its communications unit. Several NAMB employees lost their jobs.  

"(B)y coincidence or not" the Index story says, it was a "perceived conflict of interest for a consultant to directly benefit from an audit he conducted."

Said NAMB: "We deeply regret the necessity of eliminating any positions that affect NAMB staff members, but the reader is left with the impression that something underhanded was involved when we’re simply trying to be more efficient and effective in the ministries assigned to us by the SBC.  

"... InovaOne, as we explained to the writer, is one of many vendors helping us through a transition period as we prepare comprehensive Requests for Proposal for all of the outsourced work. InovaOne is paid in the same way and on the same basis as any other vendor."

-- That church plants have been "less than stellar" under NAMB, given "the efficiencies that were expected."

"SBC church planting increased slowly yet consistently for the eight years prior to NAMB’s launch," the Index story says. "Under NAMB, congregational starts have been on a roller coaster ride. Its most recent year shows an increase of 132 church plants from the Home Mission Board’s final year of 1996. 

"The most significant increase was for the years of 1999 and 2000 following Reccord’s announcement of providing an additional $2 million for church planting and evangelism. When those one-time funds were put on the field, results were almost immediate –- church plants jumped 258 to a record 1,747 in the first year and baptisms jumped 12,078. But when the funds were depleted, the momentum ceased and growth came to a standstill."

NAMB, though, says the number of church plants has been noticeably more than the pre-NAMB days.

"NAMB has averaged 277 more church plants per year than in the eight years prior to NAMB’s existence. (Pre-NAMB average was 1290. Since NAMB’s inception, the average has been 1567)," the NAMB's statement says. "Five of the last eight years of church planting represent our highest years in the history of the convention. In addition, as NAMB representatives explained during their interview, NAMB studies document increased health for these church plants (measured at five and 10-year marks), an increased emphasis on church plants at our Southern Baptist seminaries due in part to the NAMB-initiated Nehemiah Project and an increase in the number of sponsoring churches."

-- That NAMB President Robert Reccord regularly takes part in speaking engagements and interviews that are not a part of the entity's "primary objectives." The Index story says Reccord will speak at all 19 Promise Keepers rallies this year.

"According to the &#91;NAMB&#93; policy manual in relation to when honoraria can be accepted, '... messages on marriage, general leadership issues, ethics, sexual purity, etc. may be good topics but are not considered a reflection of NAMB’s six MMOs (Major Missions Objectives),'" the Index story states.

NAMB, however, says the speaking engagements are part of NAMB's larger Kingdom objective. 

"From NAMB’s beginning, Dr. Reccord and our board of trustees have asserted that if Southern Baptists are to reach North America for Christ, we cannot rely solely on pastors, missionaries and other paid staff -- we must mobilize Southern Baptist laity," the NAMB statement says. "With that message, Dr. Reccord has challenged every Southern Baptist to be on mission in sharing Christ. That message includes a challenge to parents to build an on mission lifestyle into their children and a challenge to every Christian to maintain purity in order to avoid immobilizing their impact for Christ."

Reccord's engagements with Promise Keepers, the NAMB statement says, present "a chance for an agency president to give the main evangelism message at all 19 Promise Keeper events and to meet with Southern Baptist leaders in that area the following morning. It is incredible that the writer finds fault even with this."

-- That NAMB has lost money on a series of collegiate leadership conferences dubbed "Elevate." According to figures provided to the Index, the conferences lost more than $600,000 in 2004. It held another Elevate conference in 2005 that also lost money, before canceling the rest of them.

The programs, NAMB says, "frankly ... didn’t do as well as we had planned."

"We admit we’re not perfect," NAMB statement says. "We freely admitted our mistakes during the two-hour interview –- mistakes that we have learned from. But there are incredible stories and statistics showing God’s great work in North American missions though the writer deemed none of them worthy of focus in a 4,500-word article."

The Christian Index article concludes by saying "NAMB remains the primary agency to lead the denomination forward in implementing a national strategy in evangelism and church planting."

"And while the missionary force continues to grow through volunteer labor –- the future of its funded career force may continue to slide without increased giving to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering," the article says.

In fact, the Index story accompanies a sidebar from newspaper editor J. Gerald Harris encouraging its readers to give to the Annie Armstrong offering this year.

"This special report, written at the request of many pastors over a several month period, seeks to address some concerns of how the agency is working to reach the lost for Christ," Harris writes. "We want to affirm our commitment to NAMB and especially to our missionaries."

NAMB's statement says the entity is "extremely disappointed" that the story was "rushed to press ... so that it would be distributed three weeks before the annual North American Missions Emphasis." 

"We pray that it will not have a detrimental affect on Southern Baptists’ prayer and financial support of the missionaries we jointly support with our state convention partners," the statement says. "... The article clearly was not intended to be an objective review of NAMB and its accomplishments and disappointments, but a highlighting of a few programs where we failed." 

The Christian Index story is available online at www.christianindex.org. NAMB's response is available at www.namb.net.
--30--


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FIRST-PERSON: In India, using the 7 senses
by Nellie Ingleheart*
Date: February 16, 2006 - Thursday

<i>EDITORS’ NOTE: Mitch and Nellie Ingleheart* recently began serving as Southern Baptist representatives to India. They and their children, Peyton* and Rachel*, ask for prayer as they learn a new language, adjust to a different culture and make new friends.</i>


INDIA (BP)--Taste, smell, sight, sound and touch -– there is such an explosion of the senses here in India that at least seven senses are needed to cover everything!

Smell is one of the first senses that bombard a person. Just think in your mind what it would be like to step off a plane and smell a multiplicity of scents. The first odd smell was that of mothballs. Yes, that’s right. Apparently, the Indian people use mothballs as a form of air freshener.

The next smell is that of the pollution. There is no EPA here; therefore, there is much black smoke coming from vehicles, especially auto rickshaws. It was quite an adjustment to get used to, but now we barely notice it.

Now, the good smells –- garlic, ginger, curry, hot chilies and a myriad of spices. The smells draw you to vendors selling all kinds of authentic Indian cuisine. Tea is another fragrant smell. Indians love to mix tea, milk and sugar together and serve it to guests. It is called chai, and it is delicious. They serve it hot and can’t fathom drinking cold “iced” tea.

Sight is the next sense that overwhelms you. There is so much beauty here amidst the dirt and dust. Tropical flowers are like an oasis among the dusty, dirty streets.

Another thing to observe is people driving on the left side of the road. That takes some getting used to, especially when you begin to drive. Some curious things to see are camels, oxen, water buffalo, cows, pigs, goats and donkeys roaming free wherever they want to go. Even yesterday, we were driving down the road and had to stop and wait for a few water buffalo to mosey on down the road.

When Indians acknowledge you, instead of a head nod or shake, they move their head side to side “bobble” style. The trick is to figure out whether they are saying yes or no.

Most people do not have clothes dryers here; therefore, you see rows and rows of brightly colored clothes hanging out to dry. Most women wear saris (long cloths wrapped around the body) or salwar kameezes (long shirts with pants and scarves). They are so brightly and beautifully designed. No two are alike. 

Sounds are everywhere in India. The most prominent is the sound of horns. It is courteous to honk your horn here. It warns people that your vehicle is beside them to help prevent an accident. Whistles are often heard as well. Indian “guards” are everywhere -– helping with parking and guarding streets. They blow a whistle to get someone’s attention.

Multiple languages are spoken in India. We hear Hindi most often. It feels good whenever we hear a phrase and know what the person said.

We have power cuts here. That means for about three hours a day, we have no electricity. Sometimes it’s a relief -– no TV noise. Other times it is uncomfortable -– no cool air.

The touch and feeling sense is especially apparent to our kids! People touch Peyton* and Rachel* on their heads and even pinch their cheeks. Indians love to see and touch the kids’ brown hair and light-complexion faces. Another interesting habit of some vendors is to kiss the money that we give them. It is their way to thank their gods for money received 

There are so many delicious tastes in India. Most food is spicy even if they say it is not. There are many new fruits and veggies to try in this tropical climate. The chocolates are so good here. They do not have most U.S. brands. Most are from Europe, and they are so creamy and scrumptious. For tea, they serve little yummy biscuits. These are not the biscuits from the United States. Here, biscuits are cookies. Most are made with real butter and melt in your mouth.

This culture intertwines two more “extra” senses. One is emotions. Poverty is so prevalent here. There are people at most traffic intersections begging for money or food. Most beggars have to bathe in a dirty creek bed and wash clothes there. Consequently, their clothes are always a dirty brown color, and their hair is matted and disheveled. Many street dwellers walk down the dirty, rocky roads without shoes. It is not an oddity to see kids walking to school with no shoes, and it tugs at your emotions and heartstrings.

We went to visit a couple on the outskirts of town. They had so little. We gulped when we realized they had water only one hour a day. They did not eat with us. They waited until after we had eaten to see if there was enough for their family to eat. How humbling. When we asked them about their lifestyle, they happily gave thanks to God and shared how blessed they were. How moving that was to us who have water whenever we want it and plenty of food.

Another important “extra” sense is the spiritual condition here. God is working in so many amazing ways. People are trusting in Jesus and eagerly sharing their new faith with friends who inquisitively come to learn more about how they can change. Mitch* is training “ordinary” Indians to share their faith with their friends, family and other circles of influence. They see how easy it is to share what they believe with others. The people don’t just sit there. They go out and do it. It is exciting to hear how these people are leading Indians to believe and trust in Jesus on a weekly basis!
--30--
*Name changed for security reasons. For more information on how to pray for the peoples of South Asia, please write to AsiaSouth@pobox.com. For information about serving long-term in South Asia, visit www.imb.org and click on "Your Going." For more information about volunteer needs in South Asia, e-mail southasiavim@wigtake.org.


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Too many church guests are ignored, DOM says
by Ken Walker
Date: February 16, 2006 - Thursday

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP)--When Thomas Hammond led a workshop eight years ago on how churches can become more visitor friendly, he had no idea he would stimulate an ongoing series of sessions that continue today.

“I’m amazed at the ride because people have heard about it,” said Hammond, who estimates he has traveled to 20 states to present the workshop. “It’s meeting a need that we’ve neglected.”

The former pastor developed the lesson after he took a job as director of church evangelism with the North American Mission Board and began the search for a new church. Although he had been a Southern Baptist for a long time, Hammond said he and his wife were ignored, ostracized or treated like outsiders when they visited churches in the Atlanta area.

“We hear preaching on the Word of God, but we don’t experience it,” said Hammond, who left NAMB to become director of missions for the Metrolina Baptist Association in Charlotte, N.C.

His unpleasant experiences prompted an effort to educate churches on how to prepare for visitors -- he prefers calling them guests -- on Sundays.

One reason churches fail to make a good impression on first-timers is because they focus on the wrong things, he said.

At a church training seminar sponsored by the Kentucky Baptist Convention, Hammond noted that pastors devote considerable time to preparing Sunday morning sermons. 

But he cited past research that shows most visitors decide whether to return in the first 10 to 12 minutes, long before the sermon’s delivery.

The decision is based on such factors as building appearance and the friendliness of greeters, Hammond said, and the truth is most Christians aren’t prepared to be welcoming.  

“We tend to stop brotherly love within the four walls of the church,” he said. “What if we treated everyone who came to our services this Sunday as an angel, a special guest? Not necessarily for what they’ve done to this point, but for their potential.”

Hammond noted visitor parking as one area that shows whether a church is serious about welcoming newcomers.  

While at NAMB, Hammond visited one church that had dwindled from 500 to 300 despite double-digit population growth in its area. When he surveyed the property and asked if they wanted visitors to come, leaders nodded yes. But Hammond said he didn’t believe them because they only had two visitor parking spaces.

After Hammond recommended they increase that number to the level of guests they wanted, the church set aside 20 prime spaces. 

Over the next two and a half years, attendance doubled not just because of increased guest parking but because they gained a more hospitable outlook, he said.

“It’s a change of vision, of re-understanding your purpose,” Hammond said. “It wasn’t just that. But once they got it all straightened out, God blessed them. When people get focused on something besides themselves, their arms are open to whoever God brings to them.”

Another change that can create a more welcoming atmosphere is exchanging the term “visitor” for “guest,” he said. 

Nobody wants to be labeled a visitor. While visitors don’t come back, you can’t keep guests away, Hammond said.

Despite the truth that churches can’t grow without guests and they won’t grow if guests don’t return, most spend little time preparing for company, he added.

“How much time do you think the average church spends getting ready for people who don’t come to their church?” Hammond asked.

“Our focus on Sunday morning is on us,” he said. “What would happen if we spent 30, 40 or 50 percent of our time getting ready for guests? Would their experience be different?”

Hammond said some factors that create a good impression include:

-- An attractive campus.

He said this means a clean, well-maintained building that is landscaped outside, is inviting cosmetically and has plenty of directional signs in the parking lot and for such key facilities as the nursery and the front entrance.

-- Guest parking.

The parking lot should have an adequate number of guest spaces that are easy to identify. Not only must they be the best spaces, it helps to have greeters in the parking lot in addition to the front door, Hammond said.

-- Friendly greeters.

These people should be the best of the best, he said. They should wear nametags, escort guests to the welcome center and understand the value of this time.

Training all greeters in maintaining a cordial nature is a must, Hammond said. He recalled a visit where a greeter snarled at him to make sure he wasn’t a member using visitor parking. 

“Preachers, it would scare us to death if we knew how people are treated in our parking lot,” Hammond said.

Some other steps Hammond outlined:

-- Maintain a central location where guests are welcomed and receive information. 

He said this information should include such items as a campus map, newsletter, information on upcoming events, summary of all ministries and information on discipleship classes and recreation opportunities.

-- Offer a clean, bright, cheerful and secure nursery.

-- Teach members to make guests feel valued, have everyone who speaks introduce themselves, and provide a post-service reception where guests can meet the pastor and staff.

Churches need to be attuned to the fact that the main reason guests show up on a Sunday morning is that they are hurting or have some kind of problem, even though they won’t share that initially, Hammond said.

“Most of the time when people come they’re treated like an annoyance because they’re messing up our gig,” he said. “They don’t know how to act; they’re not like us. They’re lost. Show them some love and they’ll want to listen to what you have to say.” 
--30--


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Experts: Churches must focus more on connecting with guests
by Ken Walker
Date: February 16, 2006 - Thursday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--While Southern Baptists have long been known for their missions support, an official with LifeWay Christian Resources said they must become “missional.”

Barry Sneed, director of LifeWay’s church consulting practice, said SBC churches have to learn to conduct the same kind of outwardly-focused activities that missionaries do overseas.

“It takes consistency and being intentional,” said Sneed, who helped design and write Body Life Journey, a popular curriculum piece that helps churches incorporate new members.

Many churches fail to take a welcoming stance toward visitors or involving new members in congregational life, he said. 

And although Sneed doesn’t have any statistical data on the scope of the problem, he said with more than 70 percent of Southern Baptist churches plateaued or declining the problem is obvious.

“This is one of the issues we deal with on a regular basis,” he said. “With 90 percent of the churches we deal with that I would term as a healthier, growing church, &#91;assimilation is&#93; one of the first or second issues that come on the table.

“Their hand is forced,” Sneed added. “They’ve got to do a better job with it.”

At a conference LifeWay conducted in a West Virginia association, they asked new members at growing congregations there why they came to those churches.

While organizers expected to hear that it was something like worship style, nearly everyone talked about a relationship with an existing member -- a neighbor or co-worker -- who had invited them, Sneed said.

“They came to church or made a profession of faith based on a relationship,” he said. “They stayed based on a significant relationship and finding what their role was in the church.”

Southern Baptists in other areas echo Sneed’s observations. 

Darryl Wilson, director of the Kentucky Baptist Convention’s adult Sunday School and discipleship group, recalled the lukewarm reception he received once as a guest speaker. 

Although a greeter showed him and his wife to Sunday School, Wilson said no one acknowledged their presence, even though he made comments during the lesson. 

Not until they were leaving did a member say, “Thanks for being here.”

“If I had been a guest showing up in your Sunday School class -- scared to death, like most folks are -- would I come back next Sunday?” Wilson asked. “The answer is no, because I didn’t feel any relational connection.”

But he said a greeter who learned their names, introduced them and accompanied them to the service would have left a much better impression.

Longtime Paducah, Ky., area pastor Frank Queen got an inside look at several churches while he was an interim pastor the past five years before taking a position as a hospice chaplain.

While most claim to be friendly, too often that only means toward existing members, he said.  

Queen, who has led state convention workshops on building relationships, pointed to First Baptist Church in Orlando, Fla., as a good example of a welcoming church; he and his wife visited it several years ago while on vacation.  

By the time they reached Sunday School, half a dozen people had greeted them by name. After class, a young couple invited the Queens to sit with them in the service.

“Being friendly with new people is the key,” he said. “We have to reach out. We don’t do that. It’s not a normal thing. We have to be taught.”

Sneed of LifeWay said there are several avenues that can help congregations adopt a more welcoming posture. Among them are classes for new or prospective members and improved discipleship so new members understand their gifts and place in the church. 

Another is strengthening small groups, whether that is through Sunday School or other types of fellowships. 

“You may have somebody come do the ‘look and see’ if there’s something special about worship,” Sneed said. “But they won’t stay unless they connect. No matter how good or bad it is, they’re not going to find their place in the worship service. It’s all about connecting.”

Wilson thinks churches should shrink Sunday School class sizes. He said a class of 10 members offers a manageable number of two-way relationships, but at 20 there are too many for everyone to know each other. 

“New classes tend to engage new people,” Wilson said. “Most existing classes tend to maintain current relationships.”

As for congregations that mistakenly think they’re friendly, Wilson said people develop a blind spot as they interact with familiar faces. 

Because they are typically friendly with members and pat one another on the back, many fail to grasp their failure to project the same warmth to visitors and newcomers, he said.

“Trust is definitely an issue,” Wilson said of building relationships. “We don’t know them, don’t trust them and they don’t trust us. A &#91;good&#93; greeting process helps build that trust.”

Considering the large number of congregations that need to improve their assimilation procedures, though, the question is: Why don’t more do it?

“I ask myself that every day,” Sneed said. “I think churches and church practices are in such flux ... that pastors and church staffs miss the target. They’re looking for the next silver bullet.”

Church leaders are to help people discover their spiritual gifts and purposes, encourage them to serve and establish accountability to keep the process moving, Sneed said. 

What LifeWay’s research has shown is that many churches are good at strategy development but not very good at implementation, Sneed said. 

“You can have good intentions but how will you make it happen? Have you built in accountability to make that happen?” he said. “Some do it well. Others don’t.”
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FIRST-PERSON: Creating culture warriors
by Penna Dexter
Date: February 16, 2006 - Thursday

DALLAS (BP)--A recent Newsweek story describes the emphasis evangelical universities are placing on training debaters. The debate team at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., ranks number one in the nation. (Harvard is number 14.) 

Its success stems from Jerry Falwell’s vision to turn out debaters who become “the conscience of the culture.” These young culture warriors are gaining the skills to become lawyers and leaders who will take on what Dr. Falwell calls the “moral default on the other side.” One of Liberty’s freshman debaters, Cole Bender, defines his dream: “I think I can make an impact in the field of law on abortion and gay rights, to get back to Americans’ godly heritage.”

Where do kids like this come from? The statistics on the worldview of most Christian kids are pretty depressing. Dan Smithwick, founder of the Nehemiah Institute, has been studying this for years. His PEERS testing shows that, irrespective of whether they attend public or Christian schools, the opinions of Christian students on social issues are being shaped primarily from a secular humanist or socialist perspective. The Liberty University culture warriors are not typical products of our education system -- even our Christian high schools. The sad fact is many Christian kids walk away from their faith when they hit college. 

This reality is behind the creation of a new position at a Christian school in Plano, Texas. Dan Panetti serves as Prestonwood Christian Academy’s worldview director. Dan has spent his career informing Christians about the social/moral issues that face America and encouraging believers to be involved in the political arena. He has used his law degree as a tool in his work battling a sexualized culture. He’s found his passion -- the next generation -- and he works in the thick of it at PCA where kids in grades 9 through 12 are free to come into his office to discuss issues that run the gamut, from "same sex marriage" to personal dating concerns. The question Dan teaches these students to answer is, “How does my Christianity apply to real life issues?”

What these kids won’t get from Dan is pat “Christian” answers. This hip father of four uses these spontaneous discussions and more formal teaching sessions to encourage PCA students to use biblical principles to make life decisions. And he develops programs to teach them how to formulate complex answers to the moral questions that face the culture. Dan tells students that, to engage the world, you don’t quote Bible verses; you bring the facts to bear with thoughtful, biblically informed arguments.

PCA’s emphasis on shaping students’ worldview did not begin with Dan Panetti. Headmaster Larry Taylor established the Student Leadership Institute to prepare students to be leaders in the culture. Many of the kids from this affluent community will become doctors, lawyers, broadcasters, educators and business leaders. Taylor and Panetti seek to provide them with tools to combine with their professional knowledge and stature to bring a Christian influence to the nation’s societal institutions.

Dan Panetti understands that, to most teens, relationships are “everything.” A strong Christian worldview grows from relationships with older adults who are willing and equipped to compassionately and lovingly help a young person to explore how his faith shapes his role in the world. Part of Dan’s task is to “influence the influences” on PCA students. He makes suggestions for coursework at PCA and aids in the selection of materials. He organizes worldview training for teachers. Together, PCA’s upper school staff members have studied Paul Little’s "Know What You Believe." Soon, they’ll read and discuss Nancy Pearcey’s "Total Truth." At least 50 percent of textbooks used in most Christian schools are no different than those used in public schools. So it’s the teacher that makes the difference. PCA is also developing a “Parent University” to sync up parents and school. And Dan stays in touch with PCA alumni. PCA is launching an online publication to provide encouragement and information for college students facing challenges to their faith and Christian principles.

There’s no silver bullet to ensuring Christian students develop a strong biblical worldview. But if there was one, Dan Panetti thinks it would be reading. “In a high tech world, most people don’t read,” he laments. Dan talks a lot about books. He helps choose the books in PCA’s library and often hands a student a book off the shelf in his office. Sometimes there’s fruitful discussion when the book is returned. On other occasions, there’s a twinkly-eyed scolding. “Each student is different,” he says. And each one is worth the effort.
--30--
Dexter is a conservative activist and an announcer on the new syndicated radio program "Life on the Line" (information available at www.lifeontheline.com). She currently serves as a consultant for KMA Direct Communications in Plano, Texas, and as a producer for "Washington Watch Weekly," a broadcast of the Family Research Council. She formerly was a co-host of Marlin Maddoux's "Point of View" syndicated radio program.



