Over the next several weeks I want to explore with you how we can develop a church strategy and how each one of us can develop a personal strategy to reach people. But, the place we must start is with understanding our context.
Our Field
In 2008 the Healthy Church Group of the California Southern Baptist Convention did a consultation report for the church. The report highlights the demographics of the church field. Two looks at the people around us help us see that the fields are white unto harvest in any direction we look.
In a one mile radius ring from the church live 11,866 people. Of these 9.6% are from birth to 9 years old; 10.4% are teenagers; 19.1% are young adults between 20 and 34 years old; and 33.5% are medium adults 35 to 44 years old.
Within three miles of the church in any direction live 43,988 people. Of these 11% are children; 11.1% are teenagers; 20.5% are young adults; and 28.6% are medium adults.
These are not just statistics. The vast majority are people, precious people, who need a saving relationship with Jesus. If we don't reach them with the Good News who will?
The Challenges
The lost and unchurched of Palm Springs are not unique. They share the characteristics of non-Christians across America.
- They live further aways from God than ever before.
- They have less knowledge of the Gospel than ever before.
- They have less contact with a church or with a Christian than ever before.
- The majority still say they believe in God, but their concept of God is not the God of the Bible, the God of the crucified and risen Lord Jesus.
- They are highly resistant to strangers knocking on their doors and invading their personal space.
This is just a brief glimpse of the people that are our field. The question we must ask and the answer we must find is how do we reach many of them. Join me in the weeks ahead as we look for real answers.
Don Dunavant
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