Proposal of the NADYET Sub-Committee on Seeker Sensitivity

by Stefan Bruggemann, A. Allan Martin, Deirdre Martin, Randal Wisbey
North American Division Youth Evangelism Taskforce

This report comes in response to the January 1993 North American Division Youth Evangelism Taskforce (NADYET) meeting in Denver, Colorado, in which the sub-committee on Seeker Sensitivity was asked to formulate plans that would enable churches throughout the North American Division to develop ministries and worship services in which youth and young adults would be more specifically ministered to. Among areas of concern that were to be considered are the following: needs assessment ministry, worship environment, wholistic evangelism, youth-friendly churches and Giraffe churches. The NADYET overall statement of purpose for the taskforce seemed especially fitting to the mission of the sub-committee on seeker sensitivity: "Our Taskforce will grapple with the "how" of the commission of Jesus to confront every person with a clear, complete and compelling invitation to become a part of its saving ministry to the whole world. We accept the challenge of discovering new ways to speak to new generations."

Statement of Purpose

Youth and young adult evangelism, at its core, must intentionally create a community of believers in which the spiritual journey of the seeker is communicated, allowed for, and legitimized; to empower this, Seeker Sensitive Churches will be developed in every union of the North American Division.

Vision and Rationale

For creative methods of evangelism-aimed at youth and young adults-to be effective, churches must be in place to welcome and nurture the young believers that will come as a result of the evangelistic effort. We need a fundamental re-thinking of the church and of the way it formulates its worship experiences and services.

Our subcommittee believes that we must do all that we can to support and meet Need #5 of the President's Youth Cabinet recommendations, "Worship services need to be planned to meet the needs of young adults. Update the music, inspirational congregational singing. . . messages of hope and forgiveness filled with Christ's love."

We begin with an overt belief that:

1. All people matter to God; therefore, they matter to us. Non-believing, unchurched people need to be reached with the Gospel.

2. Every believer, without exception, is called to ministry.

3. The needs of believers and non-believers differ greatly; We need to create worship experiences that touch those specific needs.

4. Respect for the spiritual journey of the seeker must be communicated, allowed for, and legitimized. Each seeker processes the Christian message at his or her own pace.

5. Excellence reflects the glory of God and has a positive effect on people.

6. In order to reach this current generation of youth and young adults, the central truth of salvation through Jesus Christ, seen in the context of a thoughtful Adventist faith, must be communicated in a contemporary manner in order to ensure that it is relevant to the life of our target audience. Creativity is critical if the unchurched, as well as inactive SDA members, are going to be ministered to effectively.

7. Evangelism is a process, not an event.

An intentional plan for evangelism must take a serious look at the church community. If the church community is hostile or passive-hostile towards non-Adventists and non-Christians (who we call "seekers") by nature, any "evangelistic effort" will be in vain. This seems to be a major point in sparking a paradigm shift from evangelism as church event to evangelism as church attribute. Recognizing this point gives strong impetus to the identification and development of "seeker sensitive" congregations.

Implementation Strategy

Phase 1: Nurture and/or Develop one Seeker-Sensitive Congregation in each Union of the North American Division.

Worship renewal and seeker sensitivity is best learned in a context of active modeling. For this reason, plans to develop and recognize seeker-sensitive congregations throughout the NAD must be given priority if an agenda of creative youth and young adult evangelism is to succeed. When we think of creative seeker-sensitive ministries, we are thinking of congregations like the Florida Hospital SDA Church and Downtown Community, its new seeker worship experience for young adults (see Appendix A). This phase can best be accomplished by implementing the following steps:

1. Congregational Self-Study and Diagnosis

We are committed to identifying as well as developing congregations in each NAD union. We affirm that it will be necessary to help these congregations recognize their strengths and weaknesses, as well as alerting them to possible links with the wider community. For this reason, internal evaluations of the church and external surveys of the surrounding community will be necessary.

2. Developing a Shared Vision for Mission

Once a commitment has been made to develop a seeker-sensitive worship experience, it will be imperative for the congregation to unite around a central vision. We suggest that the document, A Shared Vision for the Local Church, prepared by the Department of Church Ministries, NAD, be used during this phase of the preparation. This will enable a congregation to-

A. Unite people around a shared vision and shared goals;

B. Create enthusiasm for achieving the mission of the congregation;

C. Enable the congregation to solve problems;

D. Build people's capacity for responsible planning;

E. Involve more people in the life of the congregation.

3. Sensitizing the Congregation

It is necessary to help each member recognize the need for sensitivity to the various differences and needs of those who will attend their church. Small groups will be formed during this phase to enable bonding and accountability. It is during this phase that congregational and leadership training will take place, as well as educating the congregation to the needs of youth and young adult seekers.

4. ReThinking Worship: Developing a Seeker Service

Respect for the spiritual journey of the seeker must be communicated, allowed for, and legitimized. Each seeker processes the Christian message at his or her own pace. Therefore, there is tremendous need for a service that is contemporary and creative-one which provides a relevant connection between Christianity and the seeker's daily life.

Phase 2: Subsidize Church Leadership Training

Parallel to phase one, we believe that local churches who have a vision for developing a seeker sensitive model need support in training their leadership. We highly recommend that funds be made available to subsidize local church leadership participation in the Church Leadership Conference held biannually at Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, IL.

Phase 3: Nurturing/Studying an Adventist Model and Developing a Training Center

We propose that the pilot model of Downtown Community, the seeker sensitive Adventist service being done by the Florida Hospital Church of Seventh-day Adventists, Orlando, FL., come under close study and observation as it continues to grow and develop. We recommend that funds be allocated towards this research.

In hopes of developing an Adventist training center, we recommend that funds be invested in nurturing the Downtown Community pilot as a seeker sensitive model training site.

Budget

We recognize that for this proposal to succeed, a financial commitment must be made by the North American Division. While the church has not been hesitant to provide funding for event evangelism in the past, we believe that similar funds must be made available to the development of seeker sensitive congregations if youth and young adults are to be evangelized.

Utilizing a matching fund/proposal method, the budget process would provide funding to designated congregations for the areas of initiation support, leadership training, and Adventist training site development.

It is our recommendation that each Union utilize a proposal/application process in which interested congregations, with a seeker sensitive vision, can apply to become the Union's designated pilot congregation.

We believe that monies for the following areas need to be provided:

· Funding to be designated for one congregation in each of the NAD's nine unions. These funds would be allocated to the designated local Adventist congregation over three years to support the initiation of a seeker sensitive model. We propose that $18,000 be given to the designated congregation in each union, on a three year schedule of $11,000; $5,000; and $2,000 each respective year.

· Funding needs to be made available for local church leaders to attend the Church Leadership Conference at Willow Creek Community Church. We recommend a matching fund system which allows the NAD/Union, local conference, and local church to subsidize seminar expenditures. We propose that the NAD set aside $10,000 for each Union as leadership training subsidy.

· We propose that a research grant and initiation funds for a training center be invested in the Downtown Community pilot model. We propose that the grant approximate $8,000 and the training center budget be $20,000. Until we have further consultation with Florida Hospital Church of Seventh-day Adventists, these proposed figures are speculative.

· This total cost of $280,000 would result in nine new seeker sensitive congregations throughout the NAD, monies invested in local, grass-roots leadership training thereby cultivating a vision to reach out to youth and young adults, as well as the development of a training center for seeker sensitivity in Orlando, Florida.

Philosophical Strategy

An Adventist congregation committed to creating a seeker sensitive model could base, but not limit, their evangelistic strategy on the principles of:

Bridge Building

A relationship based on honesty, integrity, and authentic concern for the non-believer must be established between the believer and the seeker before the seeker will be open and willing to respond to the believer's modelling of the gospel. If our evangelism is perceived by non-Adventists and non-Christians to be manipulative and lacking respect for the individual's unique journey to spiritual maturity, our seeds in many cases will not bear the fruits that they should.

Sharing Testimony Verbally

Once the bridge has been built, the seeker is now able to receive and profit from the believer's testimony. The believers are encouraged and taught to be sensitive to recognizing when a bridge has been effectively built and to give the seeker "time and space" to process the verbal witness. Non-believers will rarely respond immediately with a decision to emulate the lifestyle or take on the beliefs of the mature Christian. It is at this point that believers need a place to bring their seeking friends where they will continue to be challenged in a relevant, creative, and contemporary way.

Providing a Service for Seekers

If the service for seekers is to be effective, it is important that those elements that prevented them from attending previously be absent. The whole worship experience, which begins with the arrival of the seeker on church property must reflect a dedication to excellence whose motivation is bringing glory and honor to God. Services are creative and unpredictable delights to the senses while at the same time low-key and sensitive to the fact that seekers do not want to be embarrassed, singled out, pressured, or identified. For example, seekers are encouraged not to give an offering.

Attending the Service for Believers

At some time between the third and fourth step, conversion has taken place. Unchurched Harry and Mary become believing Larry and Sherry. The believers who formed a relationship of integrity with them were sensitive to their unique time frame for making a decision and were careful not to apply pressure to gain that decision. Believing Larry and Sherry now attend the "New Community of Believers" service in which more "meaty" teaching and worship takes place.

Participating in a Small Group

Believers are encouraged to participate in small group ministry. Members with similar interests are teamed together. These small groups provide accountability, instruction, encouragement, and support for each member.

Every Member has a Ministry

Believers are trained how to identify the ministry to which God has called them and to recognize the "gifts" and temperaments He has given them that will empower them. Individuals match their talents, spiritual maturity level, and time schedule with potential ministries. The church does not begin ministries for which there is no leader suited or qualified to lead capably.

Renewal the Watchword

While it might be tempting to speak of revolutionary change, it is the belief of our group that RENEWAL must become the watchword for our efforts to develop and introduce Seeker Sensitive Worship Experiences. With the same fervor and vision of our founding fathers and mothers, our sub-committee looks to re-ignite the gospel fire in the hearts of today's youth and young adults.