Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Professional Dissertations DMin Graduate Research 1999 An Evangelistic Strategy for Reaching Baby Boomers in Rock Island County, Illinois Clarence H. Small Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dmin Part of the Practical Theology Commons Recommended Citation Small, Clarence H., "An Evangelistic Strategy for Reaching Baby Boomers in Rock Island County, Illinois" (1999). Professional Dissertations DMin. 702. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dmin/702 This Project Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Professional Dissertations DMin by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT AN EVANGELISTIC STRATEGY FOR REACHING BABY BOOMERS IN ROCK ISLAND COUNTY, ILLINOIS by Clarence H. Small Adviser: Kenneth Stout ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Dissertation Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Title: AN EVANGELISTIC STRATEGY FOR REACHING BABY BOOMERS IN ROCK ISLAND COUNTY, ILLINOIS Name of researcher: Clarence H. Small Name and degree of faculty advisor: Kenneth Stout, Ph.D. Date completed: June 1999 Problem The Moline Seventh-day Adventist Church, with a regularly attending membership of approximately 65, has fifteen Baby Boomer members in a county of over 160,000, of whom at least 44,000 are Boomers, with over 30,000 of these being unchurched. This project sought to develop a strategy for attracting Baby Boomers to the Moline church. M ethod A strategy was developed and implemented to attract Baby Boomers to church based upon six valid and transferable principles drawn from existing literature and the successful programs of the Willow Creek and Saddleback churches-and the clearly established legitimacy of targeting specific groups for evangelism. This strategy included: (1) a prayer offensive using door hangers to invite community members to pray for the community; (2) a community survey to ascertain felt needs; (3) a Seeker Service; and (4) an evangelistic series using satellite downlink technology. R esults While the strategy is based upon valid foundational principles and assumptions, it met with varying degrees of acceptance by members of the Moline Adventist church, and with little success in reaching out to Baby Boomers in the targeted community. While the concepts of targeted evangelism were accepted on an intellectual basis by most members, there was little or no personal involvement in the evangelistic outreach as needed for the strategy to succeed. The major hindrance to the project’s success was not, therefore, the principles employed, or the overall strategy itself, but the inability to illicit commitment from the members or to moboilize active support for the strategy by the host church. Conclusions A major change in organizational methodology such as this project sought to bring about requires significant time, careful planning and implementation, and a sense of urgency that the changes are needed. Without these elements, the change will not succeed. Church leaders and members need to develop a sense of eschatological urgency based on the promise of the soon return of Jesus and the sense that many of those in our communities will be lost unless they come into relationship with Jesus. Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary AN EVANGELISTIC STRATEGY FOR REACHING BABY BOOMERS IN ROCK ISLAND COUNTY, ILLINOIS A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Ministry by Clarence H. Small June 1999 AN EVANGELISTIC STRATEGY FOR REACHING BABY BOOMERS IN ROCK ISLAND COUNTY, ILLINOIS A project report presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Ministry by Clarence H. Small Adviser Dean,J>DAThebiogical Seminary Kenneth Stout Wemer Vyhmeister Director of DJMin. Program Ricardo Norton iroved In appreciation to my parents, James and Katherine Small, who gave me a love for books and knowledge. To Chris and Loren, who gave me courage. To Ginger, “It is finished.” In memory of Jody Stout, and in special appreciation to Dr. Kenneth Stout, who worked with me in finishing this project despite his great loss. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.................................................................................................. vi LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................. vi C hapter 1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................1 Justification for the P ro jec t.....................................................................................1 Limitations o f the Project .....................................................................................11 Methodology of the Project...................................................... 12 2. THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR TARGETING EVANGELISTIC AUDIENCES.....................................................................................14 A Biblical Background for Targeted Evangelism ..............................................14 The Apostle Paul .............................................................................................. 16 The Prophet Jo n ah ........................................................................................... 17 Nineveh a Receptive Audience......................................................... 19 Jesus ..................................................................................................................20 Ellen White’s Views on Targeted Evangelism ..................................................23 The Church-Growth Movement and Targeted Evangelism..............................27 3. TARGETING BABY BOOM ERS..................................................................................30 Defining the Baby Boom G eneration..................................................................30 Marketing to Baby Boomers: The Challenge of Generational Marketing ..................................................................................38 Localizing Generational M arketing.................................... 42 Localizing and Personalizing Evangelism.................................................... 46 4. CURRENT SUCCESSFUL APPROACHES TO BABY BOOM ERS .................... 49 The Willow Creek M odel............................... 49 Willow Creek’s Background...........................................................................49 IV Criticisms o f Willow C reek..............................................................................52 Successfully Targeting Baby Boomers ......................................................... 56 The Saddleback M odel...................................................... 60 Saddleback Community Church’s Background........................................... 61 Turning Seekers into Saints........................................................................... 63 Targeting Baby Boomers ................................................................................66 Transferable Principles from Willow Creek and Saddleback........................... 68 5. AN EVANGELISTIC MODEL FOR REACHING BABY BOOMERS.................. 71 Applying Transferable Principles.........................................................................71 A Strategy for Reaching Baby Boomers ........................................................... 72 The Prayer Offensive ............................................................................... 75 The Community Survey ..................................................................................78 The Seeker Service........................................................................................... 83 Satellite Evangelism .........................................................................................93 Summary o f Project Results ................................................................................96 6. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS............................101 Summary................................................................................................................101 Conclusions ......................................................................................................... 103 Recommendations.................................................... !; .................................... 109 Appendix A. MOLINE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH EVANGELISTIC STRATEGY .................................................................................. 112 B. PRAYER OFFENSIVE DOOR HANGER ................................................................ 114 C. COMMUNITY QUESTIONNAIRE, RESULTS, AND INSTRUCTIONS .... 115 Community Questionnaire.................................................................................. 115 Results .................................................................................................................. 116 Instructions........................................................................................................... 121 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY..............................................................................................122 VITA .........................................................................................................................................130