{"id":1823,"date":"2024-07-31T18:37:11","date_gmt":"2024-07-31T18:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.championforest.org\/articles\/?p=1823"},"modified":"2024-07-31T18:38:49","modified_gmt":"2024-07-31T18:38:49","slug":"church-planting-in-the-midst-of-the-great-dechurching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.championforest.org\/articles\/2024\/07\/31\/church-planting-in-the-midst-of-the-great-dechurching\/","title":{"rendered":"Church Planting in the Midst of The Great Dechurching"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The stars of my anecdotal experience aligned when the research and analysis of The Great Dechurching<\/em> confirmed what I have felt and witnessed as a church planter over the past two and a half years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christians That Don\u2019t Go to Church?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pillar Church launched in April of 2022, and by God\u2019s grace, we have experienced steady growth since then. My wife and I have lived in a newly built master-planned community since October 2020, where we got to know neighbors, made new friends, and formed some deep relationships that we continue to cherish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inevitably, faith and church would come up in conversation with our neighbors. Often, they shared that they were Christians. We found that we shared many, if not all, of the same core beliefs, but these Christians did not go to church. Seeing it as divine timing, I talked to them about the new church we were planting, and then, more often than not, they would come to Pillar. Some would even become members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re-Reaching the Reached?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I often told my wife and other ministry friends something like, “It feels like we are re-reaching the reached.” I chalked most of it up to COVID-19 and the fact that many people had just moved to the area. I assumed they just had not found a church yet. However, the same trends continue as we continue to see the pandemic further and further in the rearview mirror. We meet people who are ostensibly Christian, and yet they don\u2019t belong to a church. I am vexed but grateful because those conversations are generally easy invites to Pillar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Little did I know I was experiencing, to a T, trends backed up by the tremendous research of The Great Dechurching<\/em>. A regular church planter\/pastor not only agreed with me but said, \u201cYes, there\u2019s data to back it up, and the opportunities are real.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dechurched Data<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The data says that 15% of American adults, about 40 million people, have stopped going to church.[1]<\/sup><\/a> It seems like a bulk of the de-churched are in my neighborhood, just waiting to be invited. I know they are in yours, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authors make an outsized plea: “If there is one single application from our research that you walk away with, please let it be this: invite your de-churched friends back to a healthy church with you.” When they considered what might bring a Christian back through the church doors, they discovered a simple answer: they longed for a place to belong. So, they exhort readers to remember that many de-churched individuals simply need a friend to invite them to a church where they can belong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what now?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The data and Pillar\u2019s two-and-a-half years of church planting experience tell the same story. People desire a place to belong, and the church can give them that. They just need to be invited to a healthy church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pillar’s mission speaks explicitly to being “a healthy church that makes and equips disciples for the glory of God.” Being a healthy church [read: biblical leadership and biblical priorities that foster a gospel culture] is crucial for people to experience as they enter back into the life of a church after “the inertia of career, family, and other interests have sidelined church.”[2]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, let’s go, Church! The opportunity is great. Reach out and invite your neighbors to church. \u201cIf there is one single application from our research that you walk away with, please let it be this: invite your de-churched friends back to a healthy church with you.\u201d[3]<\/sup><\/a> Of course, we want to reach the lost and see people repent, believe the gospel, and enter the Kingdom of God, but also need to re-reach the reached with healthy, biblical churches where people can belong!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

[1]<\/sup><\/a> Jim Davis, Michael Graham, and Ryan P. Burge,\u00a0The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back?<\/em>\u00a0(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2023), xxii.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/sup><\/a> The Great Dechurching<\/em>, 49.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3]<\/sup><\/a> The Great <\/em>Dechurching, 123.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The stars of my anecdotal experience aligned when the research and analysis of The Great Dechurching confirmed what I have felt and witnessed as a church planter over the past two and a half years. Christians That Don\u2019t Go to Church? Pillar Church launched in April of 2022, and by God\u2019s grace, we have experienced […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":1828,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I remember the first time I stood up to teach the Bible to a group of women in my local church. I was terrified. Yes, I studied the passage diligently and spent hours preparing pages of notes, but I wasn\u2019t sure if my preparation was effective. Is my teaching structured well? Will the women be interested or learn anything new? Have I interpreted this passage correctly?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many women who are asked to teach a Sunday School class, speak at a Bible study, or lead a small group experience similar fears. They often have little or no training specific to teaching Scripture and feel unequipped and insecure in their preparation. Even so, the abundance of resources available on the subject of teaching Scripture can be paralyzing for a new Bible teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why we need books like Empowered and Equipped: Bible Exposition for Women Who Teach the Scriptures<\/em><\/a>. Julia Higgins, assistant professor of ministry to women at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, seeks to provide women with the tools they need to faithfully and effectively teach the Word of God to other women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Empowered and Equipped: Biblical Exposition for Women Who Teach the Scriptures <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJesus commissioned disciples to teach the nations, and women of the church must take his call seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Men and women alike are given the spiritual gift of teaching, yet few resources are designed specifically for women who exposit the Scriptures. In Empowered and Equipped<\/em>, Julia Higgins steers women through the steps needed to faithfully interpret, apply, and teach a passage of Scripture. By examining both the principles and practices of teaching of Bible exposition, Higgins seeks to prepare women in the local church to make and mold disciples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B&H Academic. 224 pp. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should Women Teach the Bible?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

First we must ask, Is a book that encourages and equips women to teach Scripture necessary or even appropriate? There\u2019s much discussion today about whether the Bible permits women to teach at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an effort to submit to Scripture\u2019s teaching, many have unfortunately moved beyond what God\u2019s Word prescribes to impose unbiblical restrictions on women. To argue that women shouldn\u2019t teach Scripture in any formal setting misunderstands God\u2019s design for discipleship. Higgins argues that all followers of Christ, including women, are included in the Great Commission and its call to teach other disciples everything Christ commanded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, as Higgins explains, \u201cSome may conflate the spiritual gift of teaching with the office of pastor\/elder and draw a false conclusion that only men are to exercise the gift of teaching. While qualified men are responsible to teach and oversee the local church, that does not negate the fact that both men and women are given the spiritual gift of teaching.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

All followers of Christ, including women, are included in the Great Commission and its call to teach other disciples everything Christ commanded.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Spiritual gifts, including the gift of teaching, are given for the common good (1 Cor. 12:7<\/a>) and for building up the church (1 Cor. 14:12<\/a>). It follows that women are not only permitted to teach in appropriate settings but are needed for the growth and maturity of the body of Christ. This pattern is exemplified in the women in Scripture who are called to teach and commended for their teaching ministries, many of which Higgins references.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In light of the biblical call for women to teach, Higgins writes,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The end of the matter is this: women should be given a context where they can teach the Word in the local church. Why? Because Christ\u2019s church will grow and others will be discipled in the faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her book, therefore, provides \u201ca pathway for women to exercise teaching gifts in the local church,\u201d and specifically focuses on training women to teach women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helpful Foundation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Higgins provides an accessible yet substantial foundation for teaching Scripture. She incorporates principles and strategies from some of the most highly respected Bible teachers of our day, giving readers a well-rounded introduction to teaching Scripture without information overload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Higgins has a high view of God\u2019s Word and a Christ-centered approach that highlights the overarching storyline of the Bible. Readers will gain essential tools for expository teaching, learning to base the central teaching focus, supporting points, and application on the main point and structure of the text itself. Higgins even encourages this kind of verse-by-verse teaching for topical messages, so that the teacher is always communicating the text\u2019s intended purpose rather than taking passages out of context as proof texts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Empowered and Equipped<\/em> walks teachers through the process of creating a Bible exposition, from understanding the nature of Scripture all the way to writing an expositional outline. Higgins covers a wide range of content from theoretical to practical, including information on biblical genres, basic doctrinal issues, and hermeneutics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She spends a large portion of the book giving instruction on studying the Bible inductively, including specific strategies for observation, interpretation, generalization, and application and for how that study translates into instruction. The scope of the book makes it suitable for beginners\u2014although they may want to work through it more slowly\u2014as well as for those who have been studying and teaching Scripture for some time but are looking for a process to follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Empowered and Equipped<\/em> covers an impressive amount of ground in a surprisingly manageable page count, readers may leave with unanswered questions. For example, the book includes almost no discussion of incorporating meaningful illustrations or transitions. On other topics, such as the discussion of genre or the overview of theological doctrines, Higgins gives only brief introductions. Anything more, however, would make the book overwhelmingly dense, and readers can continue to explore these topics in more depth as they see fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Empowered and Equipped to Teach God\u2019s Word<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The church needs gifted women who not only speak on a short list of \u201cfemale-friendly\u201d topics stereotypical of women\u2019s conferences or retreats but who teach the whole counsel of God for the good of the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The church needs gifted women who not only speak on a short list of \u2018female-friendly\u2019 topics but who teach the whole counsel of God for the good of the body.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Higgins appeals, \u201cThis call for women to be teachers of the Word arises from a place of care and concern for over half of the body, so that the church might grow in love for God and his Word, passing it along to others, so that they too might go and make disciples of all nations to the end that Christ\u2019s commands are observed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As this book makes its way into the hands of more and more women who treasure the Bible and long to see it elevated and proclaimed, I pray the church will be edified and God\u2019s glory made known. I pray the teachers it equips will grow in their love for Christ even as the women they teach develop new excitement for God\u2019s Word. I pray that instead of feeling insecure and unprepared, women will be empowered and equipped to teach the Scriptures.<\/p>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"[]"},"categories":[32,29],"tags":[37],"class_list":["post-1823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cf-connect","category-church-life","tag-book-reviews","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nChurch Planting in the Midst of The Great Dechurching<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The data says that 15% of American adults, about 40 million people, have stopped going to church. 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Christians That Don\u2019t Go to Church? 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