NUTS & BOLTS

2. NUTS & BOLTS • John 4:27-39 (page 753)

3. In order to understand why we do things the way we do, you first need to understand the answer to, “Why does Lake Hills exist?”

4. Why Start New Churches? • We’re losing America. Aubrey Malphurs, Planting Growing Churches. Page 13

5. Why Start New Churches? • 85% of all churches in America are either plateaued or declining. Aubrey Malphurs, Planting Growing Churches. Page 13

6. Of the 15% that are growing, 14% are doing so by transfer from other churches. Aubrey Malphurs, Planting Growing Churches. Page 32

7. In the last 10 years… Protestant church attendance has declined by 9.5% (4,498,242) while the national population has increased by 11.4% (24,153,000). ASCG Journal of Church Growth. Autumn ‘06

8. Only half of the country’s Protestant pastors have a Biblical worldview. www.barna.org

9. Why Start New Churches? There is a net loss of 48 churches per week, or nearly 7 churches every day. Barna, George. American Profile.

10. North America is the only continent where Christianityis NOT growing. GeorgeGallup. Church World Today.

11. The United States is now the third largestunchurched nation in the world. Thomas Clegg. “The Need for Church Planting in America”. 1996.

12. 200 million North Americans attend no church.

13. Islam and Buddhism are the fastest growing religions in the United States. Lost In America, page 31.

14. Why Start New Churches? Evangelical churches have failed to gain even 2% of the American population in the past fifty years. In other words, we are not even reaching our own children. Barna, George. American Profile.

15. “North America has such a large, unchurched population because of the huge gap between what we say and do, and what they need.” Lost In America, p.73 (Tom Clegg, Warren Bird)

16. What Can I Do? • Pray Faithfully • Participate Fully • Partner Financially