The Christian Chronicle (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 41, No. 6, Ed. 1 Friday, June 1, 1984 Page: 1 of 19
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| THE CHRISTIAN 1
hnsnicle
s
of good interper-
INTERNATIONAL NEWSPAPER FOR MEMBERS OF CHURCHES OF CHRIST I VOLUME 41 / NUMBER 6 I JUNE 1984
exas
More than 100 converted
CHURCHES BAPTIZE MORE THAN 100
in churches in 12 states
)
kr.
rtatthe coecto-
is important for
These 27 churches across the
United States have baptized
100 or more people
in their local work
during 1983. David
Tarbet, Danbury, _
Conn., compiles
these statistics
each year.
reaching the lost,
campaign will de
unpaign organua-
unpaigner and the
am just prior
session will pul]
ng the year Thu
onduct each cam-
Ms to a good time
g congregation to
Insider
the Chronicle features
Gone Stallings
assistant coach for the
Dallas Cowboys
Non-Profit Org
U S Postage
PAID
Permit No 276
her be mobilized in
rorid. One of the
i church has is our
and congregations
to to be involved in
ear abroad.
? young people in-
mmer missions or
forts in organizing
or outreach to the
iped with the cam
formation to those
e finances for the
"ds should be kept
for the eiders and
guidance center should begin in June and
be completed by the end of this year said
Jones. Gayle Napier and Richard Taylor
will direct the program, which is intended
as a community service. The center to cur-
rently housed in a remodeled residence.
The 98 million was given in monies,
valuables and pledges to be given over a
three-year period. Jones said the largest
gift given by a single person was 9600,000,
but most gifts were considerably smaller.
More than 1,000 people from the congrega-
tion's 2,700 members made commitments.
Jones said members gave up cars,
houses, vacations, rings, and other
valuables for the offering. Over 94 million
of people
— learning how to relate to people from all
social classes and ethnic backgrounds
— making people feel useful and needed
— believing that the church must become
a friend and servant of the community
“I guess the biggest thing we’ve worked
hard on to getting people to focus in on
their relationship with God," says Kip
McKean. McKean to the youthful minister
of the Boston Church of Christ
“Here the elders, evangelists and
deacons try to live exemplary evangelistic
lives, bringing many to Christ... .1 think a
lot of preachers and elders are not out
their personally sharing their faith with
people and converting their neighbors to
Christ, and if they aren't, other Christiana
aren't going to be motivated toward
evangeltom" says McKean.
Under his leadership, the Boston church
has had phenomenal growth. The church
had dwindled to only about tt members in
1979 when McKean, then a campus
minister, was brought in to turn thii^s
around. The first year after he came, there
were Itt baptisms in 1880, 290 in 1911,2M in
1982, and MB in 1983. The retention rate for
new Christians to ■ percent McKean says.
Attendance at the Boston church runs
See CHURCH GROWTH, pJ9
O'
pRT WORTH, Texas—The largest con-
Ibution in the history of the churches of
krist, and one of the largest contributions
[any religious group in the United States
98,226,941 - was given by members of
k Richland Hills church May 20 at the
torrent County Convention Center.
The 2700-member congregation had seta
Lal of 96 million to buy land and build ad-
kional church faculties.
“Richland has had a lot of growth, but it
a very middle-class church, so there was
lot of sacrifice. We're ecstatic. We're not
oking for notoriety, and we believe
hers can dream even bigger dreams
.said Jon Jones, pulpit minister.
was given by congregational leaders in-
cluding elders, ministers and deacons.
After the congregations's leaders public-
ly announced what they would be giving,
“it was like an avalanche," said Jones.
The 98 million to in addition to the
church's annual budget of 91.679,000.
Richland Hills, which coordinates an inter-
national “Bread for A Hungry World"
ministry, has also raised 9700,000 in the
last three months to feed starving South
Africans. On Sept. 24,1978, Richland Hills
had a one Sunday contribution of 9783,000
to build a Family Life Center debt free.
The church to led by eight elders, 11
ministers and 117 deacons.
Using a wide variety of evangelistic
techniques and methods, 27 churches of
Christ in the United States reported baptiz-
ing more than 100 persons each in 1983.
Boston, Mass., Church of Christ led the
group with 403 conversions, according to
annual statistics compiled by David
Tarbett, Danbury, Conn.
In telephone interviews conducted with
several randomly selected churches,
church leaders confirm that evangelism to
changing. Revivals, campaigns, Bible
call, bus evangelism, and Bible filmstrips
are no longer the dominant forms of
evangelism. While many churches con-
tinue to schedule annual "gospel
meetings," they are, as one preacher
noted, “only one arrow in our quiver, not
the whole quiver.”
Among these 27 churches a large
number of evangelistic ideas, programs
and methods have proliferated including:
— a recognition that evangelism to fun-
damental to a Christian's calling
— use of “friendship evangelism"
— dynamic, positive pulpit ministry
— strong support network for Christians
— intensive small-group Bible studies
— “dtodpl'ng" among fellow-Christians
— more seminars aimed at “felt needs”
— learning how to deal with large numbers
_
Boston Church of Christ
Golden Heights Church of Christ
Northside Church of Christ
Highland Oaks Church of Christ
Central Church of Christ
Southside Church of Christ
Crossroads Church of Christ
Miami Gables Church of Christ
Sunrise Church of Christ
West-Ark Church of Christ
Southside Church of Christ
Golf Course Rd. Church of Christ
Westside Church of Christ
Central Church of Christ
Sunset Church of Christ
8. Baton Rouge Church of Christ
Charleston, S.C. Jacksonville Rd. Church of Christ
Fort Worth. Teves Midtown Church of Christ
Columbia, S.C.
Houtt WljTMM
Fort Collins, Colo.
.................
Ider,
__
Boston, Mass.
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Jacksonville. Fla.
Dallas,' Texas
Baltimore, Md.
Los Angeles, Calif.
Gainesville, Fla.
Miami, Fla.
Tampa, Fla
Fort Smith, Ark.
Valdosta, Ga
Midland, Texas
Jacksonville, Fla.
Stockton, Oaiif. ;
Lubbock, Texas
Baton RougffLa.
Charleston, S.C
Richland Hills gives $8 million
Richland Hills has secured the option on
56 acres of land on Northeast Loop 820, a
short distance west of its present property
located on the south side of Loop 820 near
Meadow Lakes and Rufe Snow.
The fund-raising represents good
management, Jones said. The monies will
be used to build several new facilities
which include a housing project for the
elderly, a center for counseling, drug and
alcohol rehabilitation, a day-care center,
benevolence center, classroom facilities
and an auditorium which can be expanded
to seat 6,000 without incurring a debt or
paying interest to loan institutions.
Construction on the counseling and
—...
403
236
227
220
206
190
186
159
159
140
133
126
125
121
118
117
. —i 114
' i ns s,
112t>
11f
110
Wh09
105
lit
iiil
lools
Shannon Church of Christ
__ _ _ _ Rocky Mt. Church of Christ
TufMOMa. Qarhett Church of Christ
Los Angeles, Calif. Figueroa St. Church of Christ
Bloomington. Ind. North Central phu/ch of Chri.t
I L^t. Lauderdale, Fla, Plantation Church of Christ _
Bamfr Wring* Church cl Christ
f^^^BroadwavChuroh^^^^^^^
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Norton, Howard W. & McBride, Bailey. The Christian Chronicle (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 41, No. 6, Ed. 1 Friday, June 1, 1984, newspaper, June 1, 1984; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1308124/m1/1/: accessed May 14, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.