Confronting Evangelism Zeal Decline Among Busters, Boomers and Elders

Barna and Stetzer wrote articles that have valid points when it comes to Millennials and their exciting passion for evangelism. Without question, every church should have a way to cultivate millennials to become a dynamic force of disciple-making.  The truth is, Millennials are more effective in reaching their age group.  The Busters, Boomers and Elders bear the same attribute.  Unlike Millennials, the other age groups slumped in their evangelistic zeal.  Read the whole article in its entirety.

• Is Evangelism Going Out Of Style?  - A Barna Report, December 18, 2013
• The State of Evangelism -  Ed Stetzer ,  2014.

For the purpose of this blog, let's visit the three age groups that are without question a majority of population to some, if not the majority of congregations in Hawaii: the Busters, Boomers and Elders. What about these age-groups and their evangelistic zeal? How consistent and effective are they in their evangelism engagement?  Barna observes the following:

Since tracking began in 1996, the data show born again Busters, who are currently in their thirties and forties (63%), were evangelizing at an all-time high in 1998. However, evangelism practice among Busters is down to 48% today. Among the Boomer generation (born between 1946 and 1964), nearly two-thirds of born again Boomers (65%) shared their faith in 2007, but today, this has dropped to less than half (49%). The outreach efforts of born again Elders (ages 68 and older), on the other hand, has remained fairly steady over the past several decades. Today, Elders (53%) share their faith just about as much as the average born again Christian (52%).

During a Missions Leadership Conference in 2015, I raised several questions about this thought.  First, I asked, how many leaders here have people in their congregation that are 45 years old and older?  Immediately, 80% of the hands raised.  I followed up with this question, "How many of you have 45 years old and older that make up 50% of your congregation?"  50% raised their hands.  Finally, I asked the question, "How many have 45 years and older that make up more than 50% of your congregation?"  And 40% of hands raised.  It is a sobering thought that most of these congregations are experiencing what Barna says, "the highest rate of failure in follow-through from conviction to action when it comes to sharing their faith."

I then preceded to solicit some answers on the question, "what are the suspected reasons for the decline of evangelism passion among these age groups?"

• Discouraged - most of these age groups are wounded soldiers.  Whether caused by friendly fire or not, it is one reason that their effective evangelism is hindered. 
• Disregarded - While this may not be true in the areas of running the church, this is significantly true in sharing Jesus.  Non-millenials and non-xgeners can easily get discouraged from offering  their best in expanding the kingdom.  
• Desensitized - some could care less, they are comfortable and feel that such security cancels the need to reach out.  
• Disillusioned - they have heard, or they may have experienced their evangelism method to be ineffective.  It's possible that they have heard that the old witnessing style only produces shallow responses as oppose to genuine and deep transformation.  

To answer the question, what caused the busters and the boomers (let's include the elders for the sake of argument) decline in their evangelism practice?  I would like to offer 2 significant points:

1.  That the Boomers, Busters and Elders' methodology of evangelism were branded as ineffective and the inadvertent affect was crippling to the effort rather than building and encouraging.

2.  That their practice of evangelism was all replaced with something that is totally different to these age groups' DNA.

May I suggest that pastors and leaders be sensitive to these matters and strategically survey  their flock (especially these age groups) and determine what is the most comfortable way to evangelize?

Secondly, pastors and leaders must address the concern of any evangelism style and redesign a more balanced approach as opposed to totally eliminating and branding it as ineffective.  Here are some examples that a church might want to consider doing in relation to the Boomers, Busters and Elders in this months of October, November and December 2015.

Personally Driven

-Gospel Tracks Initiative - majority of these age group have been influenced by the gospel track movement.  We encourage each pastor to retrain their people for their chosen gospel tracks.  The church can reimbursed up to $150.00 to any gospel tracts bought with the following criteria:

• the gospel tract that fits the church's evangelism plan
• Use the gospel tract to train believers in the essential truths of the gospel, 
• One can be culturally relevant and engaging in the community, but does he/she know the gospel?  
• Training on how to initiate and manage spiritual conversations
• As an ambassador - we need to speak for the King. 

Small group Driven

-Beginning Steps - use of this resource allows systematic disciple-making and creates a strategy for follow-up.  In these lessons, the Christian or would be Christian can be taught:

• Appropriate approaches to making decisions
• Convey the need for Baptism and declaring faith publicly

Compelled By Love - is a small group series of study that begs to answer the reason behind missional thinking and the passion behind missional living.  Your order from LifeWay can be reimbursed through HPBC Evangelism. 

Church driven  

-Bible Initiative - this is an opportunity for churches to secure two boxes of the Bible to give as a gift to prospects to help cultivate spiritual discussion and awareness.  Churches will get two boxes of Bibles in time for your Christmas events.  These paperback Bibles come in NIV Translation.  Translations like KJV, NKJV, ESV have to be special ordered by October 25, 2015 to make it in time for Christmas.  To minimize financial burden of shipping and handling - we suggest you make your arrangement on to pick up from the convention office or ask someone to bring it along in case they are flying to Oahu.  For any questions, please call Lisa or Bong at (808) 946-9581.

-My Hope - Billy Graham Evangelistic Association starts its year of proclamation on Nov 7, partnering with local churches and small groups showing a powerful video about the gospel and a preaching of the gospel.

Event driven (as a church)

Building relationships through church events:
Fall harvest events
Thanksgiving  Outreach - A good time to train people not just to speak for the King as an ambassador, but to live for the King.  What appeal do we make before lost people?

All these outreach events can be funded through GPS and/or LOVELOUD and can be initiated by filling out the application form.

To answer more of your questions, you may call (808) 946-9581 and ask for Lisa or Bong.