The Magnetic Fellowship

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Most Protestant congregations … find it easier to receive new members than to assimilate them into the fellowship and to help these new members gain a sense of belonging.
Lyle Schaller

They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2:46-47

Even churches with effective evangelism still face a common frustration: many people who enter the church through the front door leave soon after through the church's "back door," usually without telling anyone in the church why. Win and Charles Arn, the president and director, respectively, of the Institute for American Church Growth in Pasadena, California, studied this problem and learned what's behind it.

Basing their conclusions on extensive research, they examine the two major props that keep that back door open. First appearing several years ago as an article in Leadership Journal, this chapter received from readers the highest rating in the magazine's history.

The visitation teams headed back to the church at the close of a Thursday evening's work. One group in particular was excited about their call at the home of Tom and Emily Kenyon. After some polite small talk, the conversation had turned to religion. The group leader followed the basic evangelistic outline they had learned and eventually asked whether the Kenyons wouldn't like to make a Christian decision.

Tom and Emily responded affirmatively and prayed the prayer in the booklet. Follow-up material was left with the couple, along with an invitation to attend church the next Sunday. This experience, when shared with the other calling teams, was enough to qualify the entire ...

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