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Message Notes
Where Have We Been?
Wins & Opportunities
Adult In-Person and Online Engagement
Our in-person attendance is at 63% Pre-Covid.
- 54% of our adults are engaging with our Sunday gathering online.
- 46% of our adults are engaging with our Sunday gathering in person.
The number of people watching online each week is four times what it was Pre-Covid. We are averaging more than 4,000 views per week (20 minutes).
The number of people that call West Ridge their home church is now over 15,000.
- Children’s Ministry Online Engagement
Our West Ridge Kid’s ministry YouTube Channel Views have just reached 1,000,000 views since COVID started.
- They are averaging 19-23K views per week.
- Giving is up 5% YTD in 2021
- Each week, people serving on a team is up 5% from January 2021.
- 89% of our adult attendees are active in a group.
- In 2021 we gave away over $100,000 in benevolence.
- In 2020 we gave away over $150,000 in benevolence.
- Hope for Christmas – we served over 1,300 families in December 2021.
- Christmas Gift Offering – $336,000
Challenges impacting Christianity in America:
- Church attendance has dropped by 12% in the US over the past 18 months. (Hartford Institute)
- 29% of US adults have no religious affiliation – a 6% increase since 2016. (Pew Research)
- 32% of US adults seldom or never pray – 18% increase since 2007. (Pew Research)
- Millennials are leading the shift away from organized religion.
- More churches are closing than opening in the US.
2019 - 4,500 churches closed, and 3,000 new churches were started. (Lifeway)
2020 – 3,850 to 7,000 would close by the end of 2020 (75 to 150 per week). The study projected that this number would double or triple in the wake of COVID. (Lifeway)
“Church planting is slowing, and the number of closures is growing. Yet, the opportunity is still before us – people are searching spiritually, and the gospel is the answer.” —Ed Stetzer – Executive Director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center
- Only 65% of adults in the US identify themselves as Christians. 75% in 2015, 78% in 2012, 82% in 2001, 85% in 1990. (Pew Research)
- Only 47% of Americans belong to a church – down more from 70% in 2000. (Gallup)
Why?
The State of Discipleship in the US – (Barna)
- The Screen Age
- The Distracted Era
- The Shift to Self
84% of adults in the US, and 66% of practicing Christians, agree that “the highest goal for life is to enjoy it as much as possible.”
91% of adults, and 76% of practicing Christians, believe that “the best way to find yourself is to look inside yourself.”
97% of adults, and 91% of practicing Christians, agree that “you need to be true to yourself.”
West Ridge Challenge
- 91% of our elementary-age kids attend less than two times per month. (24 hours of Biblical teaching/community per year).
- 50% of our elementary-age kids attend less than four times per year. (4 hours of Biblical teaching/community per year).
- 28% of our elementary-age kids attend less than two times per year. (2 hours of Biblical teaching/community per year).
“If we peel back the layers, many Christians are using the Way of Jesus as means of pursuing the Way of Self.” —Barna
“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” —Philippians 3:13-14
“Past spiritual victory does not guarantee future spiritual success. Committing ourselves to God’s agenda is a day-to-day experience.” —Tony Evans
Where Are We Going?
Prayer
Revival
“Revivals occur mainly through the ordinary, instituted means of grace” – preaching, pastoring, worship, and prayer.” —William B. Sprague – Lectures on Revivals of Religion
“There are three parts to spiritual revival.”
- Nominal Christians are converted into true disciples of Jesus.
- Lukewarm Christians experience God’s love and presence more directly. They will genuinely repent of idols and they will more readily reach out to their communities in love.
- Nonbelievers outside of the church are drawn to the church in remarkable numbers. - Tim Keller
“There are three instrumental means the Holy Spirit tends to use of revival: recovery of the gospel of grace, creativity, and corporate prayer.” —Tim Keller
1560 people are involved with us in the 21 Days of Prayer initiative.
Night of Prayer – February 7, 2020 – 7:00 PM
“Nothing of eternal significance ever happens apart from prayer.” —Jerry Falwell Sr.
“Satan dreads nothing but prayer. His one concern is to keep the saints from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, he mocks our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.” —Samuel Chadwick
- Discipleship Pathway
Three issues that have divided Christians:
- Politics
- Sex abuse scandals in evangelical churches and parachurch organizations
- Attitudes about race relations
“The Dissenters Trying to Save Evangelicalism From Itself.” —NYT – David Brooks
- The church’s response to COVID.
West Ridge Mission Statement: Leading people to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
How do we define a fully devoted follower of Jesus?
Marks of a Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus:
- Love God and love others
- Grow in faith
- Serve others
- Share Jesus
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” —Matthew 28:19-20
Special Needs Building and Athletic Fields
- Nearly 50% of special needs families have left at least one church because their child was not included or welcomed.
- 56%of special needs parents have kept their child from religious activity because support was not provided.
- 86.5% of church-attending special needs families need more education and training about disability.
Melinda Jones Ault – Stats on Disability and the Church
Goal – 3,500 families giving $35 a month to the Vision Fund.
Reaching the Lost and Unchurched
357,000 live within a 10-mile radius.
85% of those people are unchurched.
“The single most effective evangelistic methodology under heaven is new churches.” —C. Peter Wagner
- Living Sent
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” —Luke 4:18-19
Upcoming Opportunities to Live Sent
- Men’s Trip - Alaska (July 9-16)
- Kentucky Rebuild Trip
- Scotland (September)
- Guatemala (October 22-29)
- GenSend Boston 2020 – Young Adults (18-25)
Church Planters being sent out:
- Dakota and Maggie Adair (US Church Planting)
- Paul and Angela Richardson (Scotland - Take Hold Church)
- Jonathan and Rebekah Lindsey (Scotland)
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.” —Ephesians 3:20-21