Classic & Contemporary Songs Peacefully Coexist

Truth? What’s that?“Now we are facing the realitythat fewer unchurched peopleare willing to visit a Christian church.”– Ed Stetzer“Our evangelistic efforts must acknowledge thatwe no longer live in a culture in which peopleare simply putting off coming to the church tofind truth,” McConnell explained. “Many peopletoday either don’t believe truth exists or that thechurch is the place to find it.”“That ‘how’ of evangelism is in many waysdetermined by the who, when and where ofcontext. And, we have to learnthat culture has changed and ischanging,” said Stetzer. “Sharingthe Good News of Jesus Christmust happen in relationships,not just at church, and eachindividual believer, not justchurch staff, must own theresponsibility.”Relationships with people whodon’t believe in Jesus Christ iswhat earns a church member theright to invite them to church,McConnell said.Unchurched people indicatethat recommendations fromfriends and family would be themost common means of finding achurch if they were looking, butonly half of them anticipate theywould utilize such an invitation.(February 2008 study)(December 2006 study)Facts & Trends8Facts & Trends“For the other half, relationshipis still important, because youronly hope may be for you toinitiate a conversation about faithrather than waiting for them toListen to an InsideLifeWay pod cast on the unchurched study with guests Ed Stetzerand Scott McConnell at www.lifeway.com/factsandtrends.

LifeWay Researchhear it in a church service,” McConnell noted. “And the kind of conversation we have withthem must change, too. A typical question about heaven won’t even relate to half of theunchurched who never think about heaven.”Relationships are keyWhile unchurched people are open to relationships, few church members are intentionallyinvesting time developing relationships with non-Christians. A soon-to-be published 2007survey of more than 2,500 adult church members found that only 25 percent agreed they“spend time building friendships with non-Christians for the purpose of sharing Christwith them.” A full 38 percent actually disagreed with the statement and 36 percent werenoncommittal about it.“Too often the way our churches measure success revolves around what happensat church when we ought to be focusing on what happens in building intentionalrelationships with those far from Christ,” McConnell said. “Some of the activities on ourchurch calendars may actually be preventing effective evangelism by keeping believersaway from the people they need to reach.”Websites are toolsIn addition to developing relationships with unchurched people, churches also oughtto put significant effort into creating an effective Internet site, McConnell said.“The 2008 study revealed that 25 percent of unchurched adults would use a churchWebsite or an Internet search tool to find a congregation to visit,” he said. “For oneout of four unchurched people, the first visit to your church may be on the Internet.Churches need a Website that favorably represents who they are and, more importantly,who Jesus Christ is.”The upshot of all this is that evangelism efforts and strategies need to shift toward moreincarnational and relational approaches than simply an attractional approach, McConnellexplained.“In laymen’s terms, the ‘We’ll keep the doors open and they will come if they want’approach to evangelism will not be effective with many unchurched people,” McConnellsaid. “As believers and as churches, we must invest in building relationships with unbelieversand find tangible ways to show the love of Jesus Christ to them in everyday life.”“Believers must resolve to step into their world to share the Good News with them,”Stetzer explained. “If we are waiting for them to walk into our churches some day, that someday may never come. We have tried that for decades – many church buildings and servicesare looking great. They have new looks, new music and new strategies. We have gone to greatlengths to fix up the barn, but the wheat is still not harvesting itself. I believe we must movefrom the attractional ‘come and see’ ministry to incarnational ‘go and tell’ – and join Jesus inthe harvest fields all around us.” nJanuary/FebruaryMarch/April 200820089

New Baptist Hymnalsong titles releasedby Polly HouseA“mazing Grace” is there, of course.So is “Holy, Holy, Holy.” So are “Sanctuary” and“Shout to the Lord.”Did your favorite make the cut?The songs going in the new Baptist Hymnal have beenchosen. (See listing on pages 10-15.)“There is a good mix of hymns, worship music and praisechoruses,” said Mike Harland, director of LifeWay Worship.“We have composers from Beethoven to Fanny Crosby toTravis Cottrell represented in this hymnal.”The new hymnal has 674 hymns and worship songs. “About300 of these songs are new ones to our hymnal,” Harlandsaid. “Of these 300, about 200 have been published in otherhymnals, and about 100 are brand-new hymns and songs thathaven’t been published in any hymnal before.“The selection process was arduous,” Harlandsaid. “There are many hymns and worshipsongs that are wonderful, spiritually upliftingsongs, but our task was to choose the best, mosttheologically sound songs we could.”An additional 300 titles are included in theWorshipCharts, WorshipTracks and selectedWorshipMedia accompaniment editions.“These Extended Collection titles includeadditional hymns and worship songs that arenot included in the Pew Edition of the BaptistHymnal, along with contemporary arrangementsof hymns that are included,” Harland said.Hymns and theologyBecause the theology of the hymns and songs isso critical, a committee made up of theologiansand musician/theologians looked at every hymnto make certain the theology was trustworthy before the songmoved forward to the next level of consideration.Jon Duncan, state music director of the Georgia BaptistConvention, served as leader of this theological overviewcommittee.10Facts & Trends

LifeWay Worship“The hymnal is more than a ‘song book’ to meet a utilitarian need for the congregant,”Duncan said. “This hymnal, as with past editions of the Baptist Hymnal, serves manyfunctions, including providing a historical document of doctrinal beliefs of thefamily of faith known as Baptists.”Each song’s suitability was based on these questions: Does the hymn speak biblically ofGod? Is it God-honoring? Does the hymn present a biblicalview of man? Does the song help us to cover thedepth and breadth of our theology?“ This hymnal, as with pasteditions of the BaptistHymnal, serves manyfunctions, including Does the hymn call us to truediscipleship, service, repentance,witness, missions and devotion?providing a historical Does the hymn speak biblically ofsalvation?beliefs of the family of Does it engage the whole person– allowing a person to express hisdeepest feelings? Does the hymn emphasize thatChrist is the Christian’sLord, Master and King? (theidea of total submission) Is there a balance withcorporate and individualresponse in worship?(immanence andtranscendence)document of doctrinalfaith known as Baptists.”— Jon Duncan, state music directorof the Georgia Baptist ConventionPew Edition titles for 2008Go to www.lifeway.com/factsandtrendsfor a full downloadable list of the songtitles in the new Baptist Hymnal.“I believe that, along with most Baptists, my theology was shaped throughthe singing of hymns,” Duncan said. “The teaching impact through singing ourhymns cannot be overstated.”Listen to LifeWay Worship’sMike Harland talk aboutthe new hymnal and songselection. For a link to anInsideLifeWay podcast, goto www.lifeway.com/news.Additional titles are included inthe WorshipCharts, WorshipTracksand selected WorshipMediaaccompaniment editions.These Extended Collection titlesinclude hymns and worship songsthat are not included in the PewEdition, along with contemporaryarrangements of hymns that areincluded in the Pew Edition. For acomplete listing of song titles inthese editions visit www.lifeway.com/worship.LifeWay already is processing orders for the new Baptist Hymnal and offering adiscount to churches preordering the Pew Edition before its release. The hymnals willship on or before Aug. 8, 2008.“There is an excitement from the churches about the new hymnal,” Harland said. “Despitewhat seems to be a trend, a vast majority of our churches still use hymnals.” nMay/June 200811

BeachReachreinforces evangelismand servicestory by Chris Turnerphotography by Kent Harville12Facts & TrendsWaves rollin and lapgently atbeer cans scatteredfor miles along thecondominium-lined beach.Music blares as nearlynaked college studentspour alcohol into funnelswhile other students chugit through a connectedplastic tube. The idea is toget as drunk as possible asquickly as possible.It’s obviously workedfor the many passedout on or near theirbeach towels.It’s just 2:30 p.m.BeachReach volunteer Reese Conrow, acadet at West Point, hands out cards withinformation for free, safe rides to collegestudents along Panama City Beach.

BeachReachStepping over and around the cans and peopleis Julio Bonfe, sophomore cadet at the UnitedStates Military Academy, and a couple ofclassmates.“Hey, are you guys going out to party tonight?”he asks a group, getting a resounding affirmativeresponse. “Well,” says Bonfe, “take this card withyou and give us a call and we’ll come get you.We’re also serving free pancakes in the morningall this week.”Bonfe was one of 800-plus college studentswho came to Panama City Beach, Fla., over athree-week period to participate in BeachReach,a LifeWay ministry focused on reaching withthe Gospel college students who have comehere for spring break. The BeachReachers sharethe Gospel with their partying peers and servethem through offering free van rides and dailypancakes. More than 8,000 rides were given and50,000-plus pancakes served while the Gospelwas shared countless times.“It would be hard to say how many timesthe Gospel has been shared but we know itis considerable,” said Angel Ellis, LifeWay’scoordinator for BeachReach. “The studentshave lots of conversations in vans and at thepancake breakfasts. We are able to get names andinformation of the ones they talk with and [we]get [the names] back to a local campus minister.Many times we have a student group here fromthe same college, so we can get them connected.We also try to get them connected with a localchurch in their city as well.”The BeachReach ministry ismore than 10 years old but hasgrown significantly in the pastfour years. Part of that is dueto how heavily marketed springbreak is and how intenselylocations like Panama City Beachand South Padre Island, Texas,cater to the party scene on collegecampuses. But with the increasein partiers has come an increase intheir peers ready tominister.“We believe thisis an importantministry becauseJesus wasconsistently withsinners,” Ellissaid. “He told thechurch leaders atthe time that it isnot the healthywho need a doctor but the sick. Thestudents that come here and party needto hear the Gospel. I love seeing Jesusbecoming alive in the lives of individuals.He is our life and our hope.”Top: Mark Mangrem, pastorof Connect Church inArlington, Texas, leads anightly worship service.There are three consecutive weeks ofBeachReach and this year’s came March 1-21.Although spring break is usually considered aholiday for students, the schedule during theweek can hardly be considered leisurely for theDirectly above: A glowingcandle demonstrates howChrist’s light overcomesthe spiritual darknessthat participantswill encounter asthey evangelize atBeachReach.May/June 200813

Lauren Moore, right,a BeachReach participantfrom Sweetwater Texas,visits with Jeremy,a college student fromFayetteville, Ark. Jeremyand a small group of hisfriends called for the freevan ride BeachReachoffered to studentson spring break.volunteers. They and their adult ministers arrive Saturday,often after 12-plus hours of driving (students came thisyear from as far away as Utah and New York). There’s ameal, a worship service, then students hit the streets at 9p.m. to prayerwalk the areas along the main strip wherethey’ll be sharing the Gospel and giving rides the rest ofthe week.There is training Sunday morning that covers everythingfrom evangelism to helping inebriated people in and outof vans. Sunday afternoon students return to the strip andthe beach, making initial contact with partiers, passing outcards with the van ride telephone number and informationabout the daily pancake breakfast. They take to the streetsSunday night at 9, after worship. They’ll repeat the eveningschedule every night through Thursday, staying out until2 a.m. The pancake breakfast is from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at alocal bowling ally.Volunteers serve pancakes each morning to hungry spring breakers.“It is really an intense time of witnessing,” said MarkMangrem, pastor of Connect Church, Arlington, Texas,and the nightly speaker during the third week. “The reallycool thing about BeachReach is that many of them havenever shared their faith and Sunday and Monday are a bitawkward for them, but by the end of Thursday night it hasgotten much more natural and they are looking for thoseopportunities.“This is all reproducible, he added. “When these studentsreturn to their campuses they know how to approach14Facts & Trends

BeachReachsomeone with the Gospel and know how they canminister to their peers. I love hearing the stories howthis [experience at BeachReach] has transformedthem.”Makenzie Shewcraft, 24, associate campus minister,Murray State University (Murray, Ky.) would concur.Last year’s BeachReach experience rocked Shewcraft’ssheltered world.“The party scene is way out of my comfort zone,”she said. “I had a really hard time loving collegestudents in this lifestyle while as a student and lastyear in my first year as a campus minister. It was a bigstep for me to come here last year. But God showedme they are dealing with sin, just like everybody else,and the only thing that is going to change that is ifsomebody shares Jesus with them.”Ellis believes BeachReach ultimately equips studentsto live a biblical mandate. “In 1 Peter 3:15 it says toalways be prepared to give an answer to everyone whoasks you to give the reason for the hope that you havewithin you,” she said. “The avenues of service weprovide through van rides and pancake breakfasts donot negate the responsibility to pursue conversationsthat lead to presenting the Gospel. We want to removebarriers to begin conversations and that can take placeanywhere.”Lewis Hudson came prepared for just that. Asthe sophomore Army cadet prayerwalked the stripSaturday night with classmates before the week began,he anticipated the beer cans, blaring music, and thenearly naked and passed-out college students.“Lord, we want them to know that satisfaction in lifeonly comes through You,” he prayed. “We want themto know what a good time really is and we ask You togive us opportunities to share that with them.”Louis, along with the several hundred otherBeachReach ministers, spent the rest of the week livingout that prayer. nThe impact of BeachReach 2008Participating: 57 groups that included 800 students and leaders117 staff and volunteers including the GeorgiaDisaster Relief Team of the Stone Mountain BaptistAssociation8 organizations represented: SBC churchesCampus OutreachNon-SBC churchesStudent Christian FellowshipBaptist Collegiate MinistryU.S. Military Academy (WestPoint)HisHouse FellowshipCampus Christian FellowshipVolunteers from 19 statesand Canada sKentuckyMarylandMichiganMississippiMissouriNew JerseyNew YorkOklahomaSouth CarolinaTennesseeTexasUtahTom Daugherty,Snellville, Ga. workswith fellow GeorgiaDisaster Relief Teammembers to servestudents.Ministry results: Pancakes served to 12,800 people over 11 daysVan rides given to 12,203 people resulting in manydecisions for ChristBlogRead “behind the scenes” storiesabout BeachReach and other storieswww.lifeway.com/newsblog.May/June 200815

Ministry is a partnershipfor Priscilla and Jerry Shirerby Polly HouseShe’s the face. He’s the head.Neither would have it any other way.For Priscilla and Jerry Shirer, ministryis a partnership.Priscilla is a Bible teacher and author of CanWe Talk? Soul-Stirring Conversations with God,He Speaks to Me, Discerning the Voice of God,And We are Changed, and A Jewel in HisCrown. She is also the headliner for theGoing Beyond Bible study events andshares the platform with fellow Bibleteachers and authors Beth Moore andKay Arthur for the Deeper Still events,both sponsored by LifeWay.Women who have studied Priscilla’sresources or attended one of her eventsknow her face and recognize heranointing.While Priscilla is on stage, herhusband, Jerry, is working behind thescenes to make sure everything on thebusiness side of the ministry is handledappropriately and professionally.Priscilla Shirer addressesthe crowd at Going Beyondin Rogers, Ark. Photo byKent HarvilleShe has the theological background,with a master’s degree in biblicalstudies from Dallas Theological Seminary. Hehas the business background, having workedin the corporate world as a vice president forHilton Hotels.Joining forces“We met when I spoke to a group ofbusiness executives and Jerry was in theaudience,” she said. “The woman who invitedme introduced me to Jerry. We began talkingand discovered we had attended the samechurch for several years, but had never met. Atthat point I was a motivational speaker, andI guess I motivated Jerry more than anyone16Facts & Trendselse there, because 11 months later we wereengaged.”After they were married, Priscilla continuedwith her speaking engagements, but found herheart telling her it was time to turn her talentsexclusively to ministry. She and Jerry foundedGoing Beyond Ministries and her Christianspeaking and writing career began.A little more than five years ago, Priscillarealized she was spending so much timedealing with the phone calls, speakingrequests, writing ass

the new Baptist Hymnal Check out the new LifeWay News Blog on FTO where readers can see commentary from LifeWay reporters on stories they’ve covered and submit feedback on select stories. FTO is updated each week. Upcoming stories include coverage from the LifeWay’s Gideon M