Crossroads: Is Church Attendance Declining? Implement Proven Hybrid and Evangelism Strategies for Healthy Church Growth

By Mark C Overton

Are you sad, stretched, and hurt when saints leave your church? It's discouraging, sometimes at points depressing. But it continues to happen. Change is inevitable, and church attendance has become inconvenient due to cultural norms, societal differences, and believers' reprioritizing their lifestyles. Even before the pandemic, membership in hou

• Language: English
• Publisher: URLink Print & Media, LLC
• Release date: Aug 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9781684864652

Mark C Overton

MARK C. OVERTON is a retired Chief Master Sergeant, the highest enlisted rank in the U.S. Air and Space Force. As a lifelong follower of Jesus, he continued his next assignment of spreading the gospel, inspiring him to create and share twelve Christian Life Devotionals. Mark writes with a heart of compassion and service to serve his readers and instantly change lives. His message aims to refresh, encourage, empower your perspective, and draw you nearer to God. Mark actively attends and teams with the First Assembly of God in North Little Rock,Arkansas. In addition, he completed the Dallas Theological Seminary's Master ofBiblical and Theological degree program. Mark also partnered with Joel OsteenMinistries as a "Champion of Hope" and interviewed with Dr. AngelaButts Chester, "Daily Spark Radio and T.V." host.

Book preview

CROSS ROADS

Is Church Attendance Declining?

Implement Proven Hybrid and Evangelism

Strategies for Healthy Church Growth

MARK C. OVERTON

Crossroads

Copyright © 2023 by Mark C. Overton. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the author’s prior permission except as provided by USA copyright law.

The opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of URLink Print and Media.

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Published in the United States of America

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023912651

ISBN 978-1-68486-605-2 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68486-465-2 (Digital)

25.05.23

God placed all things under Christ’s rule. He appointed him to be ruler over everything for the church. The church is Christ’s body and is filled by Christ. He fills everything in every way.

Ephesians 1:22-23, NIRV

Contents

Advance Praise

Introduction

Chapter 1 Discovering the Church Dilemma and Remedy to Help Members Feel Like They Belong

Chapter 2 Assembling for In-Person Worship to Boost Getting God’s Message Across

Chapter 3 Leveraging Technology in the Church to Better Improve Mission Delivery and Balance Needs of a Changing Membership

Chapter 4 Implementing Hybrid’s Union of the Physical and Digital to Maximize Church Attendance

Chapter 5 Mobilizing Everyone in Your Church to Share with and Lead Others to Christ to Help Deepen their Faith.

Conclusion

References

Acknowledgments

Appendix A

Appendix B

Finally, Review Ask

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Advance Praise

Crossroads is a godsend, some help for every pastor, preacher, priest, prophet, people in the pews, and those perusing the many social media platforms in this post-church, postCovid-19 environment. Mark, you have captured and corralled the current challenges in a context that the church and other religions, in general, are facing. Crossroads wholly and briefly delved into the significant challenges of the church and offered practical and profitable opportunities or solutions for the church to survive and thrive.

Mark, you have hit the nail with Crossroads, an easy read for busy pastors and a highly insightful and impactful read. Crossroads is the roadmap for today’s church to remain relevant in an age with a marked decline in traditional churches and ministry platforms. The Lord has given us the local church to touch and reach people, and He has also given us TECHNOLOGY to connect and get people where they are. I loved the term phygital to describe the marrying of physical church ministry with digital (social media) ministry as the best strategy for ministry. If the church will survive and have any hopes of thriving, we must adopt the phygital approach.

The adversity of the pandemic forced many churches to change their outdated and antiquated ministry strategy. I know God worked through this adversity to advance His Kingdom, even though churches that previously were unwilling to and scoffed at the idea of using social media for ministry. God’s will be done; we can either follow Him or get left behind!

There was no better way to close this book than with the highly needed reminder for the church to fulfill our missional mandate to make disciples. Crossroads reiterates and provides an impactful evangelistic strategy to make disciples that church leaders can readily utilize. Every pastor and church leader needs this book in their hands. Well done, good and faithful servant!

Rev. Dr. Valentino J. McNeal

New Beginnings Christian Community Fellowship

Knoxville, TN

[Crossroads] is on course and covers the realities the church is experiencing today.

Rev. Allen D. Edwards

Lead Pastor, Wayman Chapel A.M.E. Church

Temple, Texas

I liked your book and found it interesting to read. Times are constantly changing. Therefore, churches need to stay relevant to what is happening in the world to appeal to more people, and technology is an opportunity to bring more to the church.

Also, your writing was fantastic and incredibly clean, well-proofread, and edited. I didn’t see any grammatical mistakes. It was easy to read and compelling; you supported each point with studies, research, and Scripture.

Chelsea Burdick

Reader

Introduction

Planning for High Touch, High Tech, or Hybrid to Ignite Spiritual Growth

Friends, pastors, and church leaders, lend me your ears. After your alarm screams each morning, you stumble out of bed and begin your daily routine. It’s incredible when you instantly realize your arms or legs did not remain in bed; your limbs connect to you. Your body limbs or prosthetics are a part of you and go where you go. Plus, though your limbs function individually, they discover purpose and protection in the rest of your body, as does a Christian in the church.

Each church, a gathered people, is connected through Christ and represents God to our world. Worshippers can develop spiritual purpose, connection, and growth when they join a church body – extraordinary! However, as a small church leader rather than a big or mega-church, you are especially aware that the latest cultural norms and societal changes have penetrated the church. These differences have shaved off the attendance of churches, particularly micro churches averaging weekend attendance of 300 or fewer people.

Even before the pandemic, membership in houses of worship trended downward. Many Christians have entirely abandoned or walked away from the church. Folks feel church attendance isn’t necessary for spiritual growth, increasing the convenience of the church from home or an offline church.

However, one of the biggest problems in Christianity today is bridging this convenience of high-tech that disengages, disembodies, disconnects, or pulls you away from the crucial physicality, presence, and high touch of the on-site church. I don’t have to beat around the bush. People are intensely debating online worship big time. Some say you can only practice faith online partially. Others argue that it doesn’t matter what media you use to spread the Word if you reach the unchurched and help them find their way. You can no longer assume that the unchurched understand or are even acquainted with the foundational concepts of the gospel. They don’t know who the true God or Jesus Christ is, what sin is, how it impacts their lives, and what he has done for them. God hates sin, not the sinner!

Accordingly, high tech is an opportunity versus a problem; the more significant issue is whether your flock can intensify their Christian spiritual/personal formation and growth more on-site, online, or hybrid. They’ve already decided on how they’re going to attend church. Thus, as a church leader, you’re at a remarkable crossroads of either breaking from an unhealthy church of declining church attendance or embracing proven hybrid and evangelism strategies for healthy church growth. Additionally, Reverend McNeal declares, We are indeed at a crossroads in our ministry and mission for The Messiah, Jesus The Christ, Who appointed anointed, called, charged, commanded, commissioned, and continues to challenge us to make a real and relevant impact for The Kingdom of God in this world and the world to come. Which road will you choose to get your foot in the door and save your dwindling membership– high-tech, high-touch, or hybrid?

In Dr. Seuss’s poem, The Zode in the Road, a young Zode comes to a fork in the road and spends quite some time deciding where to go. He thinks one area may be too hot, the other is too cool or too high, and the other too low. After indecisively scratching his head, the Zode finally plays it safe and says, Start both places at once! And that meant the Zode got nowhere. So what decision do you need to make? I urge you to take the road heading upward because change is inevitable.

We know changes are taking place every day, all around us. The difference is appropriate when there is a perceived gap between the norms and what they should be. Make the decisions that will determine your destiny. Is it a sign of the times many folks today don’t grasp church attendance’s necessity? With more and more people working, learning, and dating online, is the writing on the wall regarding an explosion of online ministry? In the future, will the church create more worship and activities for and with people on the web rather than just people gathered in a church building? Act now to inspire your worshippers to reconsider and decide to do church rather than giving up or stepping away from the church, introducing isolation and vulnerability.

Suppose you’re wondering why I have the authority and credibility to write this book. You can be a lifeline to help ordinary people have an external impact on the lives of others. But before I share this with you, the Lord told me to tell you why. If helping to position followers and nonbelievers to maximize spiritual growth and commitment isn’t exciting, what truly is exciting? Although not joined at the hip as a pastor comrade-in-arms, God’s Holy Spirit may lead me in that direction as a person of faith, brother in Christ, saint, seminary graduate, and theologian. I’m listening to him!

I’m also leveraging academic and military leadership and personal experiences to cause learning and see someone get it, whatever it happens. We’re in the same boat; I’ve walked the walk and have also been at a crossroads, whether it’s fulfilling a New Year’s resolution, obeying traffic laws when driving, getting off the yard during my first overseas assignment, and becoming far from God, etc. So please read my words and notice what I say as I make my case and take my stand.

On top of that, I surveyed church leaders and compiled their contributions to ensure you have the best of the best (see Advance Praise, Acknowledgments, and References). They talked the talk, and the data tells the truth. Crossroads is for all of us –believers and nonbelievers. I hope it answers, What do you want to know about this topic? and What are the real issues? The chapters are brief—and packed, boosting your members’ informed decision to attend church online, on-site, or both; they also stretch the worshipper toward spiritual growth – in maturity, character, grace or slack, faith, love, understanding, holiness, fruitfulness, contentment, and development into Christlikeness.

I based this book on a THE (Trouble, Touch, Tech, Hybrid, Evangelism) problem-solution framework divided into five jam-packed, compelling, researched chapters that set up the problem, develop multiple solutions, and then organize and equip you to improve the situation. The first chapter focuses on the church and its declining membership. The second part identifies the pros/cons of the in-person church and implements strategies you can share for improving high-touch presence. Next, the third section establishes reasons for online church and leverages strategies you can apply to drive high-tech worship. Tech is here to stay.

The fourth segment encourages the hybrid ministry; this is where the church is today. Finally, the fifth chapter proves why evangelism is necessary from current, future, and financial perspectives to help solve the membership and healthy church growth problem. I hope this book inspires you to believe I fully understand the church’s problem and deliver a solution. I am committed to serving you toward healthy church growth. You can decide that you are moving closer to your goal if you connect with this book. You can