The Church w/out walls, pews & pulpits!
"The defects and faults of the mind are like wounds in the body. After all imaginable care has been taken to heal them up, still there will be a scar left behind." Francois de la Roche Foucauld
http://www.reverbnation.com/brothersinchrist
Right now a young man or woman is making a decision to participate in a destructive lifestyle. Their parents may have just divorced, they may have lost their job, or they may have a health problem. Ultimately, it just means there are hurting families and children who could use a helping hand. In a desperate attempt to survive, they become subject to unsanitary conditions and short lived attention. In order to cope they self medicate and in the process further isolate themselves from society. The gifts and talents they possess give them no sense of accomplishment. They create for themselves counterfeit relationships that often end up in tragedy.
The Problem & Some Facts About Teen Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Abuse of alcohol and other drugs is a major threat to the health and well-being of teenagers. According to a 2004 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey of high school students:1
- About 10% of teens smoke cigarettes frequently (more than 20 days a month). Tobacco use has serious long-term health consequences and is highly addictive. A teen who uses tobacco for more than a year has more than an 80% chance of becoming dependent on it.2
- About 75% of high school students have tried alcohol. More alarming, about 28% of teens have had a recent episode of heavy drinking (more than 5 drinks within a couple of hours). The leading cause of death for teens and young adults is auto accidents related to alcohol. Drinking also lowers inhibitions, which can lead teens to have unprotected sex, increasing the chance of pregnancy and infection with sexually transmitted diseases, such as herpes, chlamydia, and HIV.
- About 40% of teens have tried marijuana one or more times. About 22% of teens currently use marijuana. Teen use is troubling because marijuana can hinder memory, problem-solving, and learning. It can also cause mood swings, anxiety, and depression.
- About 9% of teens have tried cocaine, while 4% use it currently (one or more times in a month). Cocaine is an addictive drug. It is especially dangerous because it can cause abnormal heartbeats, occasionally resulting in a life-threatening heart attack, seizure, or stroke.
Other substances teens abuse include:
- Inhalants (glues, aerosol sprays, gasoline, paints, and paint thinners). Inhalants are one of the substances most frequently abused by junior high students because they are inexpensive and easy to get. These substances are extremely dangerous because they contain poisonous materials, such as lead and toluene, which can cause brain damage or, in rare cases, even death with the first use.
- Club drugs, including ecstasy (MDMA) and date rape drugs such as gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) or flunitrazepam (Rohypnol). These drugs are often used at all-night dances, raves, or trances. Although the number of teens abusing these drugs is small compared with cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana, these drugs can be dangerous, especially in overdose or when combined with alcohol or other drugs. Use of ecstasy can lead to depression, sleep problems, and severe anxiety that may last for weeks after taking the drug. Over time, use of ecstasy can lead to liver damage and thought and memory problems.
- Methamphetamine (commonly referred to as meth, crank, or speed). Methamphetamine is highly addictive. In addition, it can cause seizures; stroke; serious mental problems, including paranoia, hallucinations, and delusions; and long-term health problems.
- Hallucinogens, including LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), mescaline, psilocybin, PCP (phencyclidine), and ketamine. Serious and lasting psychiatric conditions such as psychosis or hallucinogenic flashbacks can develop after using LSD.
- Opiates, such as heroin, morphine, and codeine. Use of opiates can lead to strong physical and psychological addiction. Teens who use addictive drugs may steal, prostitute themselves, or resort to other dangerous or illegal behavior to buy drugs.
- Prescription drugs, such as diazepam (for example, Valium), methylphenidate (Ritalin), hydrocodone bitartrate and acetaminophen (Vicodin), and oxycodone (OxyContin). Nonprescription medicines, such as cough syrups or cold pills, are also abused by teens.
- Anabolic steroids, which teens use to build muscle tissue and decrease body fat. Anabolic steroids can cause liver cancer; reduced sperm count; male-pattern balding; irritability and rage; and increased cholesterol and blood pressure, resulting in heart attack and stroke.
In recent years teen substance use rates (except for the use of inhalants and prescription opiates) have been dropping overall, but substance use still remains a leading cause of injury and death in young people, as well as causing long-term social and health problems. Annual studies such as the Monitoring the Future Survey track trends in teen drug, alcohol, and tobacco use and attitudes across the United States.
Because alcohol and drugs change the way the brain functions, specifically the areas that control decision-making and emotions, teen growth and development can be affected by their use. Teens who abuse these substances may have difficulty establishing their identity, developing relationship skills, gaining emotional stability, and preparing for an independent and productive future. Substance abuse can affect memory and learning, which can harm a teen's performance in school. Perhaps the most significant danger of teen substance use is that it can progress, sometimes rapidly, from experimenting or occasional use to abuse and addiction in teens at risk.
Unwanted Pregnancies Rates Lower with Higher Education
64% of unwanted births occur to women with a high school diploma or less
21% to women with some college
16% to women with a college degree
A Population Studies Center report from The University of Michigan
http://www.psc.isr.umich.edu/pubs/pdf/rr06-608.pdf
BARNA.ORG UPDATE
Small Churches Struggle to Grow Because Of The People They Attract
Baby Boomers born 1946 to 1964,
Baby Busters born from 1965 to 1983
Mosaics born 1984 to 2002
September 2, 2003 (Ventura, CA) - The United States is dominated by small churches, with the average church attracting less than 90 adults on a typical weekend. The greatest attention flows to large churches, especially the 2% of churches that attract more than 1000 adults in a typical weekend. A new study by the Barna Research Group, of Ventura, California, shows that there are both demographic and theolographic reasons why small churches stay small and large churches grow larger. While some church growth can be attributed to geographic location and population growth, the Barna study indicates that there are fundamental dynamics at work that keep small congregations from growing numerically as well as several basic factors that contribute to the numerical expansion of mid-sized and large churches.
Overall, the research found that the typical Protestant church has 89 adults in attendance during an average weekend. In total, 60% of Protestant churches have 100 or fewer adults on a typical weekend, while slightly less than 2% have 1000 or more adults. Examining the figures in terms of where adults attend, however, the statistics show that about four out of ten church-going adults (41%) go to churches with 100 or fewer adults while about one out of eight church-going adults (12%) can be found in churches of 1000 or more adults.
Demographic Drawbacks for Small Churches 
Based on a study of the church-going habits of 4501 adults randomly sampled from the U.S., the Barna survey discovered that small churches (defined as average weekend attendance of 100 or fewer adults) are more likely than either mid-sized (301-999 adults) or large churches (1000 or more adults) to draw people who are not college graduates and are more likely to appeal to people with lower household incomes. George Barna, director of the study, suggested that a “downscale” demographic profile often correlates with less aggressive growth patterns in organizations and a limited number of effective leaders.
Surprisingly, the research showed that adults under 35 years of age are more likely than are older adults to attend small churches. Barna cited two dominant reasons for this pattern. The first is the relative absence of children among younger adults. This impacts one’s choice of a church because providing children with a quality ministry experience is one of the main reasons why many Americans attend a church, and larger churches typically offer more programs and opportunities for children. The second reason why younger adults are more likely to attend a small church relates to the Baby Bust generation’s disinterest in participating in Boomer-led organizations and in large-scale enterprises. Busters are more interested in being personally known and connected, which many believe is more difficult to accomplish in larger churches.
Theolographic Limitations in Small Churches
The study also found that small churches have some theolographic limitations – that is, their spiritual beliefs and practices reflect challenges that are less prevalent in larger congregations.
The data revealed that small churches have a lower proportion of attenders who are "spiritually active," which was defined as individuals who attend a church service, read the Bible, and pray to God during a typical week. This paralleled a finding that showed small church attenders are less likely to claim that their religious faith is "very important" in their life.
In addition, the research showed that adults affiliated with small congregations are less likely to be born again, less likely to believe in salvation by grace alone (i.e., not by good deeds), and less likely to have an orthodox view of God (i.e., holy, creator, ruler of the universe, alive today). The report indicated that such views undermine a solid theological foundation for congregational growth and may suggest that other spiritual perspectives that conflict with the Bible are common in smaller churches.
Mid-Sized and Large Churches Attract Aggressors
Demographically, mid-sized and large churches attract a higher proportion of "upscale" adults - those whose education and income levels enable the church to take more risks, be more aggressive in marketing, and draw resources from deeper pockets and broader backgrounds. Barna also noted that upscale individuals are more often comfortable with leadership requirements and decision-making, and tend to be more excited about organizational growth. He pointed out that large churches, in particular, appeal to Baby Boomers - one-quarter of church-going Boomers (25%) attend churches of 500 or more adults, compared to just one-sixth of church-going Busters (17%) - and Boomers are infamous for equating success with growth and large-scale operations.
One of the most intriguing patterns emerging from the study portrayed mid-sized churches as having the highest proportion of born again believers. Barna suggested that many mid-sized churches grow numerically because their born again members actively invite non-born again people to the church. This often has the effect of swelling the church’s numbers so that it reaches the "large" category while simultaneously diluting its born again proportion.
Larger Congregations Are More Conservative Spiritually 
Adults attending mid-sized and large churches are more often people who are conservative in their theology as well as their social and political views. "Conservative people more often play by the rules," commented Barna. "That helps to explain why mid-sized and large churches are often more solid on the theological foundations: those congregations are populated by people who want to know the biblical boundaries and expectations, and then are eager to work within them. Their energy and tangible resources are more focused and the result is more productive ministry." The researcher also said that sociopolitical conservatives outnumber liberals by a three-to-one margin among church-going adults.
Hope for Small Churches
In spite of the obstacles revealed in the research, small churches have tremendous potential. "These insights simply identify some of the critical challenges that the average small church has to address," the California-based researcher stated. "Small churches play an important and valuable role in the religious landscape of America. They reach millions of young adults who have no interest in a larger church setting. They have tremendous potential for building strong community, as well as spiritual foundations. And small churches often grow into larger churches once they develop significant internal leadership and creatively overcome their resource limitations."
Barna also questioned the value of growth for its own sake. "Jesus did not die on the cross to fill up church auditoriums," he cautioned. "He died so that people might know God personally and be transformed in all dimensions of their life through their ongoing relationship with Him. Such a personal reformation can happen in a church of any size. After all, the goal of every church should not be numerical growth but spiritual health and vitality."
The tracking research conducted by Barna Research indicates that small churches will certainly remain prevalent in America for the foreseeable future. “Megachurches draw media attention, but they collectively account for less than one out of every four adults in church. Given the values and goals of people in the two youngest generations - the Busters and Mosaics - we anticipate mid-sized churches becoming a more significant force in the future, with many of those churches spawning new congregations rather than expanding to become megachurches. However, large congregations are here to stay and meet the needs of a specific segment of the population. If church leaders can maintain a focus on transformation rather than numbers, then we could enter an era of healthy churches at all sizes and shapes and shed the unhealthy spirit of numerical competition that currently distracts many churches."
Research Source and Methodology
The data described above are from telephone interviews with several nationwide random samples of adults conducted from January 2002 through May 2003. In total 4501 adults were interviewed in studies that explored church attendance, spiritual beliefs and practices, and demographic correlates. Nine demographic factors and sixteen theolographic factors were compared across seven levels of adult attendance at Christian churches. The size levels examined were less than 50 adults; 50 to 100; 101-200; 201-300; 301-499; 500-999; and 1000 or more adults.
The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is ±1.8 percentage points at the 95% confidence level; the maximum sampling error for the subgroups of church size ranged from a high of ±6.7 percentage points among those attending congregations with 201-300 people to a low of low of ±3.2 percentage points among those attending churches of 50 to 100 adults. All of the interviews were conducted from the Barna Research Group telephone interviewing facility in Ventura, CA. Adults in the 48 continental states were eligible to be interviewed and the distribution of respondents coincided with the geographic dispersion of the U.S. adult population. Multiple callbacks were used to increase the probability of including a reliable distribution of adults.
The data regarding average church size was drawn from telephone surveys conducted by Barna Research among a national random sample of 1202 Senior Pastors of Protestant churches. That sample has a maximum margin of sampling error of ±2.9 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
“Born again Christians" were defined in these surveys as people who said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and who also indicated they believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as "born again."
“Theolographics" (®) refers to the spiritual practices, beliefs and self-identification of individuals.
The Barna Group, Ltd. (which includes its research division, The Barna Research Group) is a private, non-partisan, for-profit organization that conducts primary research on a wide range of issues and products, produces resources pertaining to cultural change, leadership and spiritual development, and facilitates the healthy spiritual growth of leaders, children, families and Christian ministries. Located in Ventura, California, Barna has been conducting and analyzing primary research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors since 1984. If you would like to receive free e-mail notification of the release of each new, bi-monthly update on the latest research findings from The Barna Group, you may subscribe to this free service at the Barna website (www.barna.org). Additional research-based resources, both free and at discounted prices, are also available through that website.
© The Barna Group, Ltd, 2009.
"The post modern generation is not impressed with our buildings and programs! Why should they be? They need to see us in our own mission field helping those who need it most! The Church as a whole has been to busy doing other stuff"!
Terry Marcum
America is now the 3rd largest mission field in the world
Leighton Ford says North America represents the 3rd largest mission field of unchurched and spiritually uncommitted individuals in the world, behind China and India. An April 2001 Gallup report indicates that approximately 132 million adult Americans are unchurched, representing a six percent increase over the past 25 years. In fact, only eight countries in the world have a larger total national population than the unchurched numbers in America.
The fastest growing class of unchurched Americans is the postmodern segment
In addition, data from Barna Research Group, the leading organization of investigative analysis regarding cultural trends and the Christian church, shows that within unchurched groups, the fastest growing class of individuals is the postmodern segment. Postmoderns are identified most often by a belief that religious truths and morals are relative and dependent on what each individual or culture regards as truth. According to February 2002 data presented by The Center for Creative Ministry, the percentage of postmoderns in the US "currently sits at 24% and is growing". They are rapidly moving from the fringe to the center of society.
Today's churches are losing ground in their efforts to reach the growing postmodern segment
The widespread effects of moral relativism have taken root most strongly with the generation known as the "Baby Busters" (the children of the "Baby Boomers" born between the years of 1965 and 1979) and with today's teens (also known as "The Mosaics"). The Baby Busters may in fact be the first generation in American history in which the majority seeking religion are starting their spiritual journey with a faith group other than Christianity (The Second Coming of the Church, George Barna - 2001).
This trend is further evidenced by the following:
- 73% of Baby Busters do not believe in absolute moral truth (Gallup Poll, 1998).
- 83% of teenagers claimed moral truth depends on the circumstances; only 6% said moral truth is absolute. (Barna Research Group, 2002).
- Evangelicals are showing alarming declines over the last half decade. Among adults, the number of evangelicals went from 12% in 1994 to just 5% today. This drop is paralleled among teens where evangelicals dropped from 10% in 1995 to just 4% today. (Barna Research Group, 2002 - Note: evangelicals are defined as those who are born again, believe in the accuracy of the Bible, the personal responsibility to evangelize, the concept of salvation by grace alone, and possess orthodox biblical views on God, Jesus and Satan).
ELI believes that a dedicated effort is needed to directly address the current cultural shift
An immediate, concerted and strategic response to raise up emerging leaders must be made if there is any hope for the church to be effective in post-modern America.
ELI believes leaders do not emerge in the church today for several reasons:
Lack of Vision
The church lacks passionate, God honoring leaders who are captivated by the challenge of reaching younger generations through the local church. The best up-and-coming leaders are going into the business world rather than using their leadership potential to make Christ's church more effective.
Lack of Resources
If a young leader does venture out to start an innovative church, he is usually under-resourced, making it difficult to start strong and maintain an evangelistic focus on the unchurched.
Lack of Camaraderie
Few new churches start with a team, which greatly decreases the odds of success. Leaders need a team and a supportive network of other church-planters to be effective for the long-haul.
Lack of Community Support
Emerging Leaders often receive criticism and rebuke about their innovative approaches rather than emotional and relational support from other Christians. Additionally, they normally have little or no tie to the community power structure, making it difficult to access desirable facilities, obtain resources, or find favor in the established community.
In response to these and other trends came the formation of ELI.
ELI has dedicated itself to overcoming these problems, to empower new leaders to plant new churches and reach emerging generations for Christ.
http://www.elichurchplanting.com/why.asp
The Solution 
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail". Ralph Waldo Emerson
Check out these video links
http://www.youtube.com/user/TerryCMarcum
http://nysum.org/uncategorized/nysum-donor-video/
"People are always good company when they are doing what they really enjoy." - Samuel Butler
Sincerely,
The Marcum Family
