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Five Practical Steps for Increasing Church Membership: a Case Study of First Baptist Church of Venice, Florida

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Five Practical Steps for Increasing Church Membership: a Case Study of First Baptist Church of Venice, Florida LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY FIVE PRACTICAL STEPS FOR INCREASING CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: A CASE STUDY OF FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF VENICE, FLORIDA A Thesis Project Submitted to Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Ministry by Christopher S. Cornette March 10, 2017 Copyright © 2017 by Christopher S. Cornette All Rights Reserved Liberty University Baptist Theological Seminary Thesis Project Approval Sheet ___________________________________ MENTOR, Dr. Charlie N. Davidson Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program Liberty University Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary ___________________________________ READER, Dr. David Hirschman Associate Professor of Religion Liberty University ii ABSTRACT FIVE PRACTICAL STEPS FOR INCREASING CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: A CASE STUDY OF FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF VENICE, FL Christopher S. Cornette Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, 2017 Mentor: Dr. Charlie Davidson The Bible implores Christians to commit themselves to one another for spiritual growth and personal accountability. This valuable mandate is best recognized in the New Testament as the local church. Many church leaders do not aggressively seize the opportunity to engage church attenders in making the church membership commitment. This thesis project will analyze and investigate the church membership growth processes of ten churches in three different denominations. This author will interview in depth the senior staff members as it relates to their effectiveness in moving attenders to church members compared with First Baptist Church of Venice. This church has doubled its membership in the past five years from three hundred to over seven hundred. This thesis will provide churches a five-step process to increase church membership. iii DEDICATION I am thankful to my wife, Devyn, who took over as mom and dad for Christopher, Harrison, and Lauren, while I was away working on this degree. Devyn, this doctoral degree is as much yours as it is mine. You are truly called to be a pastor’s wife, and your relentless pursuit of Christlikeness has been an inspiration to me. To my children, thank you for seeking Christ in your own lives. I am very proud of you and know Christ will shine brightly in your lives. I am thankful to the pastor of my church family, Tom Hodge. If I lacked something in my spiritual walk, it was prayer, and you have taught me to pray. I would also like to thank the Ministry Staff Support Team and the wonderful membership of First Baptist Church of Venice. I am alive because of your prayers; all of you know what I mean. I would also like to thank Julie Crull for her tireless effort in keeping me on task. I have been mentored by many great pastors, whether they realized it or not. Thank you, Rev. Jeff Cornette, Rev. Rush Hylton, Dr. Rick Byrd, Dr. Mac Brunson, Dr. Aron Willis, Rev. John Vernon, Rev. Joe McDowell, Dr. Joe Brown, Rev. Matt Phipps, and Rev. John Bernard. Each one you have helped me in ways only eternity will be able measure. I would also like to thank my mother for being a constant source of encouragement. Ultimately, my thanks belong to my Lord. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me, using me in Your work, and giving me a home in heaven and a purpose on this earth. iv CONTENTS ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………….…….…… iii DEDICATION……………………….…………………………………………………………. iv CONTENTS………………………………………………………………………………………v TABLES……………………………………………………………………………………..… viii ILLUSTRATIONS…..……………………………………………………………………...……ix CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 Statement of the Problem and Background ........................................................................ 3 Statement of Purpose .......................................................................................................... 7 Statement of Limitations ................................................................................................... 10 Theoretical Basis ............................................................................................................... 15 Statement of Methodolgy .................................................................................................. 20 Review of Literature ......................................................................................................... 23 Scripture Passages……………………………………………………………………..…30 CHAPTER 2 EQUALLY ORTHODOX CHURCHES SHOULD BE INCREASING MEMBERSHIP EQUALLY .............................................................................. 40 Scriptural Basis for Church Membership………………………………………………..40 Deciding Factors in Church Growth ................................................................................. 45 Wesleyan Church .................................................................................................. 45 United Methodist Church ...................................................................................... 46 Southern Baptist Convention ................................................................................ 47 The Model Church ................................................................................................ 48 v Turning Attenders to Members ......................................................................................... 53 Follow-Up on Every Guest ................................................................................... 55 Communicate the Importance of Membership ..................................................... 57 Provide Opportunities to Commit ......................................................................... 59 Inform the Family ................................................................................................. 60 Assimilate into a Group ........................................................................................ 62 CHAPTER 3 FACTORS RELEVANT AND IRRELEVANT TO CHURCH GROWTH 65 Core Doctrines Held by Surveyed Local Churches .......................................................... 65 Authority of the Bible ........................................................................................... 65 Definition and Function of the Church ................................................................. 68 Evangelism and Discipleship ................................................................................ 69 Salvation ............................................................................................................... 71 Factors Uncorrelated with Church Growth ...................................................................... 73 Age Distribution .................................................................................................... 73 Number of Guests ................................................................................................. 75 Denominations ...................................................................................................... 76 Number of Baptisms ............................................................................................. 76 Delegation of Follow-Up ...................................................................................... 77 Factors in Multiplying Membership ..................................................................... 78 Urgency in Follow-Up .......................................................................................... 80 Church Prospect List ............................................................................................. 81 Enrollment in Small Groups ................................................................................. 82 Persistence in Follow-Up ...................................................................................... 83 vi Summary ........................................................................................................................... 84 CHAPTER 4 A MODEL FOR INCREASING CHURCH MEMBERSHIP ...................... 86 Follow Up on Every Guest ............................................................................................... 91 Communicate the Importance of Church Membership ..................................................... 96 Provide Opportunities to Commit ................................................................................... 106 Inform the Family and the Guests of the Newest Members ........................................... 108 Assimilate into a Bible Study Group .............................................................................. 108 Chapter Summary ........................................................................................................... 110 CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION ………………….………………………………………… 111 APPENDIX A SENIOR PASTOR SURVEY RESULTS ........................................................ 113 APPENDIX B STAFF MEMBER INTERVIEWS .................................................................. 129 APPENDIX C POWERPOINT SLIDES .................................................................................. 131 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................... 135 IRB APPROVAL ........................................................................................................................ 147 vii TABLES Table 3.1. Total Church Membership in 2014……………………………………………... 73 Table 3.2 Number of Baptisms between January 2010 and December 2014………...…... 77 viii ILLUSTRATIONS
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