How many converts in 2009?

[jambo]

Following a current thread by Richard Tallach, I would be interested to know how many converts your church saw during 2009. I know that we cannot be sure but just to have an indication of growth through conversion (rather than transferring of membership from one church to another).

 

[LeeJUk]

3 saved people transferred membership but no real converts as far as I know.

 

[jambo]

Last year our church grew by 6 however this was all people transferring membership rather than increasing by conversion.

 

[Jack K]

A question like that is really hard to answer if you're asking for even a best guess on true converts. So hard to know the heart. Easier if you just count new attenders who profess faith and weren't transfers.

We probably had 5-30. I'd guess on the low side of that for true converts. The high side if counting all unchurched newcomers or those who came out of a nominal church membership. This in a church with a Sunday morning attendance of about 500.

 

[Skyler]

I'm thinking 5-10, though I can't say for certain. Most of them would be children of our church members.

 

[Osage Bluestem]

We didn't have any that I'm aware of. We don't have an invitation before benediction so I guess no one would really know if there was one or not.

 

[Backwoods Presbyterian]

We have had three converts from Roman Catholicism since January. We are working on about 4 more. Seems to be a fruitful ministry the Lord placed into our laps.

 

[Scottish Lass]

We've had one--a convert from Roman Catholicism.

What may affect your poll is the size of the congregation, too. We average about 35 people, so one conversion, two children becoming communicant members, and one baptism in twelve months is pretty good (plus a few transfers).

 

[Theoretical]

If I had to take a guess, 2-3 in a congregation of 40ish communing members with 20 non-communing.

 

[jambo]

The size of a church has a bearing on it but in the poll you can only ask one question. My thinking behind setting the poll was just to get an indication of growth within the churches of which we are members. I was not in anyway numbering Israel and I am well aware people are converted without us ever knowing. I also realise that more often than not conversion is a process with many links in the chain. Having said all that my first thought in looking at the poll results was to thank God that those statistics show that at least 60 were converted in the 17 churches covered by the response. And I pray that in the coming year this number would increase all the more.

 

[Montanablue]

A sincere question: what's the point of the question? It doesn't answer anything definitively and I'm curious as to what purpose such a question serves.

See Jambo's above post.

Personally, I find it encouraging to hear about new members of the church.

 

[AThornquist]

I don't know. I only joined mid-to-late last year. I do know that we have had several conversions in the last month. More than conversions, we are a small country church but we have had droves of solid believers coming to the church since we are one of very few churches in our county that isn't easy believing-Gospel light, charismatic (worse than Benny Hinn), or another religion. In God's good providence, our new building is almost done (with no debt or loans) and the larger size is really needed since our current building, which seats about 100 people, can be way too full on some Sunday mornings.

 

[jambo]

A sincere question: what's the point of the question? It doesn't answer anything definitively and I'm curious as to what purpose such a question serves.

Richard began a thread about evangelising the world little by little. This set me thinking about the rate of church growth in the west which compared to other areas of the world is small. Apart from Lee and myself from the UK, all the other respondents were from the US and although delighted to see conversions, had those who responded lived in Asia, Africa or South America the numbers could well have been quite different ie instead of 2s and 3s or under 20 people may have been saying between 200-300. I was just interested to get a snapshot from other churches and to ask the question why so few conversions in the west.

I would never despise the days of small things but why is it that of those who did respond, the bulk wee at the smaller end of the scale. Now I am of course aware about election and the sovereignty of God etc but this also applies in areas of large growth just as much as in places of small growth. Do small numbers of converts in western churches have any relation to affluence and materialism? (compare church growth in 3rd world to the west) Is the lack of persecution in the west a factor or is there a direct connection between growth and persecution? (compare growth in Africa or India with Islamic or Hindu persecution with the west where there is liberty to openly evangelise and practice faith) Does a society based loosely on Christian principles help or hinder the gospel? (compare growth in communist China or note the difference between RC Europe and Protestant Europe) Is growth in the west small because we are at ease in Zion and are more concerned with minor issues than the major issue of fulfilling the great commission?

 

[jambo]

I know its not possible to know as the Lord is working in the hearts and minds of people which cannot be seen. However the fruits of conversion can be seen. And on conversion people join the church.

Church growth has many elements to it. The church grows deeper as its members are taught and undergo discipleship and the church matures. But the church also needs to grow numerically through conversions. If the church is not seeing converts then it is not growing. Growth through people moving to the area and transferring membership may be local church growth but it it is not overall growth as another church has then lost some members.

Just seeing people coming along to church is not growth either; this is simply a few goats mixing with the sheep. When the remarkable working of the Holy Spirit miraculously transforms goats into sheep then the flock grows.

 

[DMcFadden]

Returning to the OP, I have no idea how many genuine conversions there are, but we have 7 or 8 believer baptisms every month.

 

[Prufrock]

Dennis, how many members are there in your church, and has that been a pretty steady rate for some time?

 

[py3ak]

Consider the Word of the Lord in Isaiah 55:

10For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
​

I think a better and more appropriate question for churches are:

1. Are you faithfully administering the means of grace (Word & Sacrament, etc.)?
​

God's Word will never return unto Him void, nor is He ever frustrated in His endeavors and plans. Sure, we, as the people of means, need to be hearty in those means, but we should never measure the "success" or "hindrance" of the Gospel based on professed conversions. Such is not for us to measure, as God is the God of outcomes, and we are the people of means. The Gospel is never hindered, insofar as God is concerned. We need to be faithful people of the means and not be trying to measure the effectiveness thereof. Every time the Gospel is preached it is effective, either in the further hardening of hearts or in the drawing of God's people to Himself.

Just my and they may not even be worth that.

Hearing what God has done gives cause for rejoicing and matter for praise. That is part of the reason that Luke records how a great company of the priests believed, or how many were added to the Lord, or the value of the evil books that were burned. There is joy in heaven over one sinner that repents. So while a church can't use statistics as a measure of faithfulness, they can certainly record them with thankfulness.

 

[DMcFadden]

Paul, we run around 450/wk. The senior pastor has worked hard to reach out to the demographics of our community. Our 45% asian, 35% hispanic, 20% other pretty well matches our city (suburb of L.A.). Most of the conversions have been among Chinese and Mexican immigrants, not previously as exposed to the Gospel. Most of them are young and middle-aged adults, with a few teens and a few seniors.

 

[dudley]

We have had three converts from Roman Catholicism since January. We are working on about 4 more. Seems to be a fruitful ministry the Lord placed into our laps.

I am happy to see that Bens Presbyterian congregation has had 4 roman catholics convert to Protestantism and he says they are working on 4 more. My Presbyterian congregation has several ex roman catholics like myself and we have had 2 former roman catholics convert to Protestantism and the Presbyterian fold since January. The fact is that many roman catholics are leaving the church of Rome and over 15 million of us are now Protestants and many even on the PB like me are now Reformed Protestants.
When a guest visits this site some are roman catholics beginning to question their church and it is good for them to see that there are many who have left and come to the Reformed Protestant fold.