Membership Matters : Insights from Effective Churches on New Member Classes and Assimilation

by Chuck Lawless

• ISBN13: 9780310262862
• ISBN10: 0310262860
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-08-01
• Publisher: Zondervan

Summary

Each of these people has tremendous potential-not only for their own spiritual growth but also for the ministry of your church. How do you move them from being people who come to church to being people who are your church?

Author Biography

Chuck Lawless is professor and senior associate dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	9	(2)
Foreword	11	(4)
Thom Rainer
Acknowledgments	15	(2)
The Challenge	17	(14)
Moving Attenders into Membership and Ministry
``Who's Got Time for Another Meeting?''	31	(16)
The Scheduling Issues
``What Matters Most to Me?''	47	(16)
The Relationship Issues
``What Should We Teach?''	63	(14)
The Curriculum Issue---Doctrine
``What Should We Teach?''	77	(16)
The Curriculum Issue---Mission and Expectations
``But What about Those Who Still Don't Get Involved?''	93	(16)
The Enlistment Issue
``Where Do We Start?''	109	(16)
The Transition Issue
``Just Give Me the Facts''	125	(18)
A Pastors' Forum
Tim's Story	143	(8)
Appendix 1: Sample Invitation Letter	151	(2)
Appendix 2: ``Getting to Know You'' Form 1	153	(2)
Appendix 3: ``Getting to Know You'' Form 2	155	(3)
Appendix 4: Spiritual Questionnaire	158	(2)
Appendix 5: Sample Gospel Presentation	160	(3)
Appendix 6: Sample Lesson on the Church	163	(2)
Appendix 7: The Expectation Pentagon Worksheet	165	(2)
Appendix 8: Sample Membership Covenant	167	(3)
Appendix 9: Ministry Opportunities Checklist	170	(2)
Appendix 10: ``Discovering Your Ministry'' Worksheet	172	(3)
Appendix 11: Sample Sermon Outline	175	(2)
Appendix 12: New Member Evaluation Form	177	(5)
Appendix 13: Spiritual Growth Checklist	182	(1)
Appendix 14: Church Survey	183	(7)
Appendix 15: New Member Survey	190	(3)
Appendix 16: Churches That Participated in This Study	193	(4)
Notes	197	(4)
Subject Index	201

Excerpts

Membership Matters
Copyright © 2005 by Charles E. Lawless Jr.
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lawless, Charles E., 1961–
Membership matters : insights from effective churches on new member
classes and assimilation / Charles E. Lawless, Jr.—1st ed.
Summary: “Based on a national study, this book shows how churches can
move both new and old members into ministry by implementing effective
new members’ classes”—Provided by publisher.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-10: 0-310-26286-0 (jacketed hardcover)
ISBN-13: 978-0-310-26286-2
1. Church membership. 2. Church work with new church members.
3. Christian education of adults. 4. Lay ministry—Recruiting. I. Title.
BV820.L29 2005
254’.5—dc22 2005001129
This edition printed on acid-free paper.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy
Bible: New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by
International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights
reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard
Bible. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977,
1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
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Interior design by Michelle Espinoza
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05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 /?DCI/ 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Chapter 1
The Challenge
Moving Attenders into Membership
and Ministry
Paul attended First Church every Sunday morning. In fact, he
had joined the church and was one of the most consistent worship
attenders in his congregation. Other church members often
commented on how faithful Paul and his family were.
Yet, despite his perceived faithfulness, Paul wasn’t involved in
the church’s ministry. He was gifted and talented, but Sunday morning
worship attendance was his limit. Paul was what we call in this
study an “uninvolved member.”
Sitting across the aisle from Paul were the Staffords, a young
couple seeking a church home. They enjoyed the worship at First,
and their children were fitting in well in the Sunday school classes.
In fact, they were just waiting for someone to explain to them the
church’s process for membership. While they waited, they remained
only attenders.
Across town, three uninvolved believers sat faithfully in their
own pews. Reba was a new member who really wanted to get
involved in the church. She was waiting for someone to ask for her
help, but no one did. John was a long-standing member who had
decided several years ago that it was time “for the younger people to
carry the load in the church.” Sterling simply attended the church;
actually joining wasn’t in his plans.
On any given Sunday, uninvolved churchgoers sit in almost
every congregation in America. In some cases, they are like the
Staffords and Reba—ready and willing, just waiting for leaders to
direct them and give them an opportunity.
Sometimes they are like Sterling. They are faithful to attend
Sunday morning worship. They write a check each week to support
the church. Ask them about their church, and they’ll gladly tell you,
“We go to such and such church.” Yet, they never join.
In still other cases, they are like Paul and John. They have
signed the membership rolls of the church. What they don’t do,
though, is get involved. Attendance does not lead to action. Church
is more about receiving than giving, more about coming than going,
and more about being served than serving.
The good news, however, is that these attenders and uninvolved
members are potential sitting in a pew. That’s one of the reasons our
team wanted to do this study.
I assume you are a church leader who has faced some of these
situations. You must want to move people into membership and
ministry, because you’ve chosen to read this book. Whether you are
trying to develop an effective membership process or simply trying
to motivate those who remain uninvolved, this book is for you.
THE BACKGROUND OF THIS STUDY
For the last decade, our research teams at the Billy Graham
School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth have been
studying evangelistic churches in America. Two of these studies, led
by Thom Rainer, indicated the significance of membership classes
in growing churches.1 This study began as a much more detailed look
at these classes and, as you will see, then moved in a new direction.
CHURCH LEADERSHIP SURVEYS
There were three components to this research project. Our
research team, which was led by Brandon Conner at the time, first
sent a survey about membership classes to 150 growing churches
(see appendix 14 for a copy of the survey). The questions addressed
these kinds of topics:
• Does the church have a membership class? Is it required?
• Who teaches the class?
• What curriculum is used?
• What obstacles did the church face in starting a membership
class?
• Who attends the class?
Seventy-one churches responded, with fifty-two (73 percent of
those responding) indicating they had a membership class (table 1).
The churches were primarily Southern Baptist, but four other
groups were also represented in the survey responses: Presbyterian,
Evangelical Free, Wesleyan, and independent community churches.
The Sunday morning worship average attendances were fairly evenly
distributed.
Table 1 CHURCHES STUDIED
Size of the Number of churches Percentage of the
church with a new member total number
class (NMC) of churches
Under 100 1 2
101 to 250 17 33
251 to 500 13 25
501 to 1,000 11 21
1,001 and up 10 19
TOTAL 52 100
Twenty-one states were represented in the survey, including
states from the South, the Midwest, the Northwest, the West, and
the East Coast. In most cases, the membership class began under
the leadership of the current pastor. All but three of the pastors were
full-time, with an average tenure of 8.9 years at the church.
Table 2 lists the names used for the classes in these churches.
Though certainly not original or creative, “new member class” was
the name most frequently used.
Table 2E OF NEW MEMBER CLASS
Class name Number of churches
New Member Class 24
Discovering ___ Church/Class 101 16
Foundations 2
Basic Christian Education 1
Back to the Basics 1
More Than a Member 1
New Christian Study Group

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Excerpted from Membership Matters: Insights from Effective Churches on New Member Classes and Assimilation by Charles E. Lawless, Chuck Lawless
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