Reaching and Winning Secular People

A Strategy Manual
GC Department of Personal Ministries

by Jon Paulien

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 INTRODUCTION

When one thinks of mission, the mind usually goes to people in faraway places whose

language and culture is radically different from our own. We don’t think of mission as applying to

neighbors who speak our language and live in circumstances similar to our own. But the average

western Christian would find it easier to share his or her faith in Fiji, Indonesia or Zimbabwe than

in New York, Sydney or London. So it is time we think seriously about mission to the mainstream

West.

Adventists today are as invested in public evangelism as they have ever been. Satellite

evangelism, prophecy seminars and/or a variety of bridge programs (stop-smoking plans, weight

control, family finances) occur annually in most Adventist churches. And people continue to be

reached with the gospel message. But we need to be honest with ourselves. What we are doing is

not changing the world. It is making a difference, but it is not impacting the heart of Western

culture.

Is the lack of impact our problem or theirs? Is the mainstream western culture naturally

impervious to the gospel, or are we missing something? Shouldn’t we just present the message as

we know and appreciate it and if they don’t like it, it’s just too bad? Life might seem easier that

way, but inspiration suggests that the Gospel is not heard until it comes to people within their

own context.

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“Lessons must be given to humanity in the language of humanity.”1 People need to be

addressed in a language with which they are familiar. The reason the Adventist message is going

like wildfire in places like New Guinea, the Philippines, Kenya, and parts of the Caribbean, is that

Adventism as we normally express it is exactly what those people are looking for. But in other

places the same message seems out of context.

In a physical sense, the horizon of each person in a room is the four walls and the ceiling

of the room, with a bit of a view out the windows. If I go outside, my horizon expands but may

still be limited. Every human being also has a cultural horizon. This is a horizon of the intellect, of

the emotions, of experience. Our knowledge and experience tends to be limited by schooling,

geography and family background. The horizon of churched people is often radically different

from that of secular people. A major purpose of this manual is to broaden the reader’s horizon to

include an understanding of the cultural horizon or world view of secular people.

Questions for Review and Reflection

Review:
What is the core principle of all mission work no matter what the context?
What do you think needs to happen before the gospel goes with power in the mainstream
West?

Reflection:
What things do you feel you need learn in order to effectively carry out the core principle
of mission in the secular environment where you live and work?

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Ellen White, Desire of Ages, 34.
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LESSON ONE

What Do We Mean By “Secular People?”:

New Developments Require Changing Definitions

The Basic Concept

What do we mean by secular people? Let me offer a brief, but practical definition at the

outset. A secular person is someone who lives from day to day with little or no reference to God

or the practices of formal religion. This is not normally a conscious decision on a person’s part.

Most secular people are not atheists. They may well believe in God, but involving God in the

everyday decisions and actions of life is not a priority for them. Whether or not they participate in

the corporate practices of religion, they don’t think of “church” as fun or particularly relevant to

everyday life.

While secularism is more obvious in places like North America, Europe and Australia, it is

increasingly present in all parts of the globe that are deeply affected by media and technology. So

while this manual is written with the Western situation in mind, the concepts and principles in it

will prove relevant in nearly every part of the globe. Secular people may conform to the outward

trappings of religion, but their hearts are increasingly tied to the “religion” of consumerism and

worldly success.

Adventists have had great difficulty reaching this group for almost a hundred years. If we

are to reach and win secular people we need to be doing something different than the typical
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methods of the past. And strategies that are effective in the West will likely be equally effective

with secular people in other parts of the world.

Two Types of Secular People

In my book Present Truth in the Real World (1993) I treated secular people as a single

entity. While secular people were and are as diverse as snowflakes, there were a number of

common characteristics one could count on in nearly every case. That has now changed.

Spirituality and faith play a bigger role in the Western world than they did ten years ago,

especially in the media. People are more comfortable talking about their spiritual commitments. I

find this to be true in Adventist congregations and educational centers as well. People both inside

and outside of the church are hungry to touch the substance behind the doctrines, institutions and

forms in which faith has been expressed. This hunger was not nearly so obvious ten years ago.

At the same time, however, Christian churches have not found their challenges

diminishing. While faith and spirituality are held in higher esteem, religion in general is not. Faith

and spirituality have made a certain peace with secular thinking. Faith and secularism can exist

side-by-side without bothering anyone. But strong denominational convictions remain suspect.

The result of these developments is that “secular people” now come in two fairly distinct forms.

They have some core similarities, but contrast widely in other ways. Understanding the distinction

between the two types is basic to understanding how to reach and win secular people of both

varieties.

Traditional Secular People

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In practical terms, the traditional secular person is someone who lives life without

reference to God. Such people normally do not pray before meals or watch religious programming

on television. They do not think about God very often and rarely read the Bible or other religious

literature. The personal and corporate practices of religion have simply become irrelevant at the

practical level of everyday experience.

The mark of a traditional secular person is the conviction that truth is governed by reality:

life as experienced through the five senses; sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. For the secular

person, the supernatural cannot be perceived by the five senses and is, therefore, irrelevant to life

as we normally experience it. When unusual circumstances occur, the traditional secularist will not

normally impute such events to the action of God. Instead, he or she will assume that unusual

events have a cause that would be explainable scientifically if we knew more about it. Miracles are

thought to be the product of ignorance rather than faith. Science, since it operates on the basis of

the five senses, is the primary authority in the area of knowledge. All values are relative and any

moral system is viable only for the group that creates it.

Traditional secular people tend to live for the day. If knowledge is limited to the five

senses, then this life is all there is and ultimate rewards and punishments are the natural result of

cause and effect. To the traditional secular person, belief in the afterlife is an attractive concept

but is the product of wishful thinking, conjured up by those who cannot face the fears and

anxieties related to death and dying. According to them, we arrive on this earth, we live for a

short time, then we pass on. There is no lasting significance to anything that we do.

The surprising thing is that traditional secular people are often involved in a “church” of

some sort. It may just be to please a spouse or parents. But the church experience does not affect
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the core of their being. They go through the motions of religion, but are not committed to faith or

a personal relationship with God. A secular Adventist, for example, will do some things differently

on the Sabbath, but the conversation is not likely to be guarded, and there is little conscious

reference to God.

Post-Modern Secular People

Over the last ten years or so one observes the increasing presence of post-modern secular

people. In some ways post-modern secularists are polar opposites of traditional secular people.

Where traditionals lived life without significant reference to God, post-modern secularists tend to

be very spiritual people who spend significant amounts of time in personal, private prayer. They

tend to enjoy the experience of worship, especially when it includes elements of contemporary

music and style. They enjoy reading books about God and learning from people whose faith

journey is radically different from theirs. They like the informal fellowship of small groups as long

as they are not bound to a long-term commitment.

In what sense, then, is the term “secular” appropriate to such people? What makes them

secular is a strong aversion to the forms and institutions of religion. They may have a relationship

with God, but they are not interested in having a relationship with a church or a denomination!

They are opposed to the authority of religious institutions. They feel that such institutions use lies

and fantasies to control large numbers of gullible people and get them to cough up money to keep

the institution operating, whether or not the spiritual needs of the people are truly served. Some

have come to call this attitude “post-denominationalism.”

So post-modern secularism is, at first glance, an advance on the modernistic, scientific

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variety of secularism. With post-moderns it is easier to talk about faith and values. But

denominations and other institutions of religion are finding it harder and harder to harness these

expressions of faith into a consistent and effective community. Post-moderns want to believe in

God and serve their fellow humans, but they are suspicious of attempts to organize those beliefs

into a coherent and focused community. As a result, post-modernism, in spite of its spirituality

and its affirmations of faith, is deeply challenging to the goals of institutional religion.

Conclusion

Whether one thinks of secular people in traditional or post-modern terms, one should

avoid the assumption that secular people can be easily classified. The distinction between the two

major types of secular people is important and helpful. On the one hand, not all secular people are

disinterested in faith and spirituality. On the other hand, not all secular people avoid traditional

churches. The distinction between the two types of secular people is not always sharply defined.

While there are people who fit neatly into each category, there are others who exhibit elements of

both or who are in transition from traditional secular thinking to a more post-modern approach.

How did these two forms of secularism come about? In the next lesson I will present a

brief history of religious thought over the last several centuries. While such historical outlines can

often be tedious, this one is very exciting if you are interested in reaching secular people. This

outline of history describes how I think God has brought us to the place where we are today and

suggests ways to be more effective in reaching and winning secular people.

Questions for Review and Reflection

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Review:
What are the two basic types of secular people and what are the defining characteristics of
each?
What traits do both types of secular people have in common?

Reflection:
Can you think of friends or family members who fit one or both basic secular profiles?
What approaches to secular people have worked or not worked for you in the past?
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LESSON TWO

A Short History of Religious Thought:

How People Approach Truth

Every few hundred years the world goes through a significant transformation, something

we have come to call “paradigm shift.” In the course of a few decades society seems to totally

rearrange itself. World views change, social and political structures are transformed, and the

things people value are altered. The way people determine what is true about their world is not

the same as it was before. From one generation to the next society enters an entirely new world.

And the people born into that world have a hard time even imagining what the world of their

grandparents must have been like. They have a hard enough time understanding their parents.

We are currently experiencing just such a paradigm shift, from modernism to post-

modernism. Some sociologists feel that the change has just begun and that the ultimate shape of

the post-modern world is yet to be fully grasped. But we know enough to begin assessing the

impact of these changes on the church and its mission. The best way to start is to review previous

transformations over the last thousand years or so.

While I realize that a “short history of religious thought” risks superficiality, it can provide

us with a basic handle on the major events that shape our world today. The question that guides

this outline of history is, “How do people determine truth? How do they decide what is true and

what is not?” The answer to this question has changed several times over the last 500 years.
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The Pre-Modern Period

In the Middle Ages (the pre-Modern period) truth was thought to reside in privileged

groups. The average person on the street didn’t think he or she had a clue. Truth could only be

found in the clergy or the Church. If you wanted to know the truth, you needed to talk to a priest.

Whenever the priests would disagree, truth would be decided by the Pope or an action of one of

the Great Councils. Truth was an idea reserved for those who were “in the know.”

Christian Modernism

With the Reformation, people’s confidence in privileged people and groups began to break

down. Truth was no longer seen to reside in the Church or the state, but in logical statements

based on careful biblical research. Priests, popes and nobles had no greater access to truth than

anyone else. The Bible was seen as the ultimate source and safeguard for truth, not churches or

bishops. The search for truth was an act of reason and logic, anyone with diligence and talent

could understand the truth for herself through careful study of the Scriptures.

The world view of Christian modernism dominated 19th Century America. It was the

milieu in which Adventism got its start and found its logical appeal to the American mainstream.

Anywhere in the world that Christian modernism dominates is a place where Adventism still

reaches the mainstream with power. But those areas are shrinking rapidly. The world has gone

through two more wrenching shifts since the 19th Century.

Secular Modernism

With the Enlightenment the world experienced a shift from Christian modernism to secular
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modernism. While intellectual circles in Europe were already making this move in the 18th

Century, secular modernism became the dominant North American world view in the early

decades of the 20th Century. The Fundamentalist-Liberal controversy of the 1920s could be

thought of as the decisive turning point. From that point on conservative Christianity was out of

touch with the mainstream of American society.

For early secular modernists the key to truth was methodological doubt. Descartes and

others believed that they could eliminate superstition by exposing the flaws in all previous

thinking. Grounded in the sense that the universe was stable and predictable (subject to Newton’s

laws) truth would be found by applying careful, scientific method to all questions, including

religious questions. Secular modernists rejected the idea that truth could be found in the church or

in the Bible, they placed their confidence in the scientific process of careful observation and

experimentation.

The end result of scientific process would be a “bomb-proof” minimum of truth in which

one could have absolute confidence. As scientific method was applied to more and more

problems, our understanding of “truth” would be gradually increased, and so would our

confidence that we had a reliable understanding of reality. As science increased our knowledge of

the “truth,” technology would provide the power to change the world. Education would spread

this new “gospel” of secular confidence and the result would eventually be a paradise of affluence

and security.

But reality got in the way of this dream. A hundred years ago relativity and the uncertainty

principle of quantum mechanics began to paint a very different picture of the universe than the

Newtonian foundation upon which scientific modernism had been based. The twentieth century
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also shattered the dream of a technological paradise. Scientific progress seemed to go hand in

hand with an increase in pollution and crime. Technological advances like the Internet proved to

be the basis for a large increase in work-related stress and new forms of addiction. World War I,

World War II, the Holocaust and other genocides, weapons of mass destruction and terrorism

combined to wring the confidence out of scientific modernists. A new generation proclaimed the

god of secular modernism to be a false god. Humanity is now turning away from the truth of

science to look for truth in other directions.

Secular Post-Modernism

Beginning with “Generation X” (born 1964-1980 in the USA) an increasingly pervasive

world view distrusts the scientific approach to truth. In post-modernism, truth is not primarily

found in science, the Bible or the church, it is found in relationships and the telling of stories.

Truth has become elusive. Rather than Truth (with a capital “T”) the post-modernist prefers to

think of “many truths,” a “variety of truths,” or “truth for me.” It is felt that no one, whether

scientist or theologian, has a clear grasp on truth. Everyone has a part of the picture, but it is

small bits of expertise in a vast array of ignorance. The building of community, therefore, is a key

component of the search for truth. As we each share that part of truth that we are “expert” on

everyone benefits. Building community has, therefore, become more important than the ideas that

once held communities together.

At first blush the “truth” of post-modernism seems a self-evident truth. Only an egotist

would claim to have a handle on all truth. Human beings have long recognized that “in a multitude

of counselors there is safety,” and that we all have a lot to learn. But there is something more than
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this going on here.

While post-modernism is generally accepting and inclusive, it is quite exclusive in three

areas. 1) It rejects meta-narrative, big stories that try to explain everything, like the Great

Controversy. It is felt that meta-narratives try to explain too much and therefore promote an

exclusivism that leads to violence. It is, after all, faith in a meta-narrative that fuels the terrifying

actions of an al Qaeda or the medieval papacy. 2) Post-modernism rejects truth as an institution

(church), particularly when that institution thinks of itself as unique or better than others (the true

church). Thus the idea of a remnant church is quite problematic in a post-modern environment.

The church is widely associated with colonialism and oppression, it is not seen as a source of

generosity and benevolence. 3) Post-modernism tends to reject truth as Bible, considering the

Bible to be filled with violence, everlasting burning hell, and the subjection of women and

minorities. While most of these charges are somewhat misplaced, they can be a significant barrier

to casual exploration of the Scriptures.

In most Western countries people under the age of 35 tend to be post-modern. People 60

and above tend to be modern, whether Christian or secular. Everybody in between is simply

confused.

Conclusion

Post-modernism’s rejection of the Bible, the church and grand narratives as a path to truth

might seem to be a huge blow against Christian faith as most of us understand it. It is easy to

question whether the hand of God could possibly be seen in post-modernism. Is post-modernism

an act of the devil or is it something that God could use? Is it, perhaps, even a necessary stepping-
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stone to where God wants the human race to go?

I think the post-modern condition need not be as frightening as it is to some. As a

Seventh-day Adventist nurtured in the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation I cannot fathom an

environment that leaves God “without witness” (Acts 14:17). I am convinced that God’s hand is

behind these changes in the world and that we are heading to the place of His choosing. In the

next chapter I will share eight reasons to believe that God is in control of the current shift toward

post-modernism. If we embrace these eight changes, we can ride the wave of God’s continuing

purpose for the human race.

Questions for Review and Reflection

Review:
What features of SDA theology and organization are clearly grounded in the Christian
Modern era?
What aspects of SDA theology and organization are particularly well suited to the post-
modern environment?
Summarize in your own words the main features of each of the four ages described in this
chapter.

Reflection:
Think about what your world was like ten or twenty years ago. How completely have
things changed? What has stayed the same? To what degree can your own personal experience be
called a paradigm shift?
Do you have any secular moderns in your church or circle of friends and family? How do
they relate to the changes in the younger generation?
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LESSON THREE

The Hand of God in Secular Post-Modernism:

What’s Good About It

In the previous chapter we saw that the world has undergone a series of major

philosophical shifts. These shifts have isolated the church to the margins of society and made it

harder and harder to reach the mainstream in the West with the gospel. As we have seen, the most

recent shift is a trend away from Secular Modernism toward what I call the Secular Post-Modern

condition. But while aspects of this shift cause concern among church members, I believe one can

also see the hand of God in these changes. In other words, there are a number of features of the

post-modern condition that have positive implications for genuine Christian faith. If we can align

our efforts with some of these features, we will be more successful in reaching and winning

today’s secular people.

1) A Sense of Brokenness

Post-moderns definitely don’t share the self-confidence of secular moderns. They are

much more likely than their grandparents to think of themselves as broken people. They often

come from broken homes, or homes where the conflict and the put-downs are continual. When

they share home stories with their friends, they discover that things aren’t any better on the other

side of the fence. Post-moderns, as a result, have a keen sense of brokenness, a deep need for
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inner healing. In my experience this is as true in the Adventist context as it is outside. While

brokenness can lead to despair, it can also open the way to the refreshing winds of the gospel. So

the hand of God seems to be at work here.

2) Humility and Authenticity

Living in an age where image is king, post-modern individuals place a high premium on

humility, honesty and authenticity in interpersonal relationships. It is considered better to be

honest about one’s weaknesses and handicaps than to craft an image or “play the audience.” But

while true authenticity is prized, post-moderns are usually suspicious of personal claims to

authenticity. This principle is closely related to the previous one. Post-moderns not only have a

strong sense of brokenness, they are willing to share that brokenness honestly with friends they

consider safe.

Humility and authenticity are, of course, at the root of Christian faith. Confession is

nothing else than telling the truth about yourself. In modernism humility was thought to be

demeaning to human value; people were only humble if they had plenty to be humble about! Post-

modernism, on the other hand, sees genuineness as a higher value. So while Christians are rightly

concerned about where this new generation is heading, God has not been caught by surprise. He

is at work in post-modernism, bringing the culture to the place where it values one of the great

testing truths of the Christian tradition (John 3:19-20).

3) The Search for Identity and Purpose

An awareness of being broken is closely related to the loss of personal identity. In post-
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modern experience identity claims often prove to be flawed or self-constructed. So even though

post-moderns long for a clear sense of personal identity, they question whether they could ever

attain it for themselves. The media offers many role models, yet delights in exposing the flaws in

all these role models. The result is that post-moderns tend toward identity crisis. Faced with a

variety of flawed options, they may try on several “identities” to see which one will fit, but end up

with no clue which identity is really theirs.

This state of affairs leaves an opening for the kind of positive identity that can come from

knowing that one has been bought with a price. A well-rounded Christian faith helps people know

why they are here, where they have come from, and where they are going. The Scriptures, rightly

understood and presented, provide the kind of identity post-moderns are looking for. This

explains the recent interest in a “purpose-driven life.” Post-moderns feel a need for a sense of

mission and purpose, a sense that their lives make a difference in the world. They have proven

open to the scriptural teaching that each person is the object of God’s purpose for his or her life

(Jer 1:5).

4) Need for Community

As mentioned earlier, post-moderns have a strong need for community. I have been

amazed to watch this generation handle relationships. Unlike my generation, they seem much less

likely to pair off. They tend to go out in groups of five (say two girls and three guys) or seven

(say five girls and two guys), always with their friends yet somewhat reluctant to go deep with

any one of them. They long for community, they strive hard to attain it, yet they don’t know how.

Community (koinonea) is foundational to New Testament faith, whether or not most

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Christian communities have attained it. If Christian communities can learn to experience and

express the kind of community the New Testament proclaims, they would find post-moderns quite

interested in what they have to offer. Once again, the hand of God seems to be moving the

mainstream a bit closer to the biblical ideal.

5) Inclusiveness

There is a refreshing inclusiveness in the post-modern attitude toward others. I don’t

remember whether my wife or I said it, but my oldest daughter reacted angrily to a joking

comment about homosexuals one day. “You don’t say stuff like that! Even if you don’t agree with

what they are doing, they’re people and they should be treated with respect.” I was real proud of

her at that moment and her comments seem typical of much of her generation.

In the world of scholarship, things used to be much more controlled. One could only read

papers and make meaningful comments in relation to the fairly rigid agenda of scientific research.

People presented their views with a high degree of confidence and cloaked personal uncertainty in

technical language and obtuse jargon. Scholars whose views were at variance from the “assured

results” of scientific and historical research were scorned or simply ignored.

Scholars strike me as a lot more humble about their ideas today. The academic world is

much more open to a variety of perspectives, including even Adventist ones. The inclusiveness of

post-modernism has opened the way for Adventist exegetes and theologians, for example, (not

just text critics, linguists and archaeologists) to share the kinds of insights that we have been

developing for a century and a half. There is the sense in post-modernism that truth will only be

found if we are genuinely able to listen to those we disagree with. This means that the way of the
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gospel is more open than it was in the time of secular modernism. I suspect the hand of God is in

this.

6) Spirituality

I don’t think anyone questions that the younger generation is more spiritual than its

predecessor. While there is a strong suspicion of traditional institutions and the Bible, post-

moderns are open to spiritual discussions with anyone who knows God and can teach others how

to know God. I can’t imagine this is only the result of chance. God is at work here.

It is true that the new spirituality is more open to eastern religions and even the native

spirituality of Australian aborigines and Native Americans. There is a whole new language to learn

if we want to make sense when we talk about God to today’s generation. Post-moderns raise

problems and questions that we have never thought of. It is a challenging spirituality.

Nevertheless, we ourselves can grow in wrestling with it, so there is no reason to isolate ourselves

in the spiritual language of a bygone era.

7) Toleration of Opposites

One of the fascinating characteristics of post-modernism is its ability to tolerate opposites.

Philosophically, the Greeks saw the opposite of a truth to be false. Scientific modernism was

characterized by clear logic, in Greek Western terms. But Hebrew logic could often see

contrasting ideas, not in terms of true and false, but in terms of a tension between two poles. Thus

the nature of Christ is not an either/or. He is both 100% human and 100% divine. We are saved

entirely by faith and yet no one will be saved without works. With its rejection of the either/or
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categories of Greek philosophy, post-moderns may have an easier time understanding the Bible

than previous generations. I can’t help but think that is the way God wants it.

8) Truth as Story

As we have said, post-moderns find truth, not in church, Bible (as traditionally

understood) or science, but in community and in story. The concept of truth as story provides a

powerful corrective to traditional use of the Bible.

I think many Adventists are frustrated that the Bible was not written as a systematic

theology. You cannot open its pages and see the Fundamental Beliefs of Adventism clearly stated

there. You would think God would have been a little more logical about this truth business. But

since I cannot outline exactly what God was thinking when He caused the Bible to be put together

the way it was, I can only assume that the result is exactly what He wanted. If God chose the

Bible to be a collection of stories, then post-modernism might be our best chance to fully explore

its implications regarding the character and purposes of God. Perhaps post-moderns will

understand the Bible much more clearly than those who went before them. I can’t help seeing the

hand of God in that.

Summary

These trends point to an interesting tension. On the one hand, post-modernism seems to

undermine secularism with its spiritual, altruistic and global concerns. Yet on the other hand,

post-modernism has not abandoned the relativity and the suspicion of religion that characterized

secular modernism. To put it another way, while post-modernism leaves people more open to
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spirituality and to hearing the spiritual stories of others (“testimonies”), it is a personal, eclectic

and independent spirituality that offers no more encouragement to traditional religious structures

than secular modernism did. Post-modernism is a turn to God, but it is not a turn to “religion” in

the sense of authority structures and defined belief systems.

So secular post-modernism opens up both opportunities and challenges to Adventist faith.

We will not be able to survive with business as usual. Old ways of expressing faith and “doing

church” continue to turn off today’s generation. At the same time, there is a renewed hunger for

God, especially in the wake of September 11. A faith that is willing to meet people where they

are, listen to the stories of others, and exercise creativity in the use of Scripture has a legitimate

chance to make a major difference in today’s world.

Questions for Review and Reflection

Review:
Why do you think the shift to post-modernism is occurring at this time? To what degree
does the SDA Church need to change the way it does business in order speak meaningfully to this
new era?
What aspects of the gospel can foster community among people who sense their own
brokenness? How does the gospel, as you understand it, foster humility and authenticity?
Summarize in your own words the main features of each of the eight positive
characteristics of secular post-modernism.

Reflection:
As you read through the eight positive characteristics of post-modernism, what personal
strategies for reaching secular people come to mind? In a paragraph or two each, evaluate how
you could incorporate each of these strategies into your own personal routines. What kind of
training would you need to carry out these strategies?
Who in your circle of friends and relatives best understands the post-modern mentality?
How can that person help you in your quest to reach and win secular people?
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LESSON FOUR

The Post-Modern Challenge:

Overturning the Old Forms of Faith

While the post-modern condition is more accepting and inclusive than was the attitude of

modernism, there are, as noted earlier, three primary challenges to traditional Christian faith. In

this lesson we will take a closer look at these challenges and suggest some ways that Adventists

can counter them in their interactions with post-moderns.

The Rejection of Grand Narratives

The Problem

For Adventists a major challenge in working with post-moderns is convincing them of the

validity or even the usefulness of the Great Controversy “meta-narrative.” Some Adventists

consider the Great Controversy theme to be our greatest contribution to Christian theology. It is

certainly a defining element at the core of traditional Adventist identity. But to the post-modern

mind, grand narratives like the Great Controversy are mere human constructs, fictional devices by

which people impose order on history and make it subject to themselves.

Post-moderns are suspicious of people with “all the answers.” For them, any story that

claims a big-picture understanding of world history and even the universe claims much more than

anyone can possibly know. All the meta-narratives post-moderns know about have lost their
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credibility. The very idea that a grand narrative is possible has lost credibility. It is felt that no

grand narrative could possibly be big enough to encompass the experiences of all humans on

earth, much less what is going on in the universe as a whole. Human minds are finite and,

therefore, incapable of creating a narrative that takes in the full measure of truth.

Post-modernists believe that grand narratives, in their claims to explain the whole picture,

always result in oppression and violence toward those who don’t buy into the narrative. In

rejecting the validity of all meta-narratives, secular post-moderns believe they are helping to

eliminate violence and oppression on our planet. They are unlikely to be searching for that one set

of beliefs that explains everything, so approaching them on that basis is not a good starting point.

They are, however, open to local narratives, the stories that articulate a local community’s

experience in the world.

There is much to be said in favor of this post-modern concern about the big stories. After

all, The Great Controversy itself walks the reader through Christian history, showing how various

other grand narratives have been the means of abuse and oppression. So many meta-narratives

over the course of history have been destructive it is not surprising that the latest generation

prefers no grand narrative to a divisive grand narrative. How can we approach post-moderns on

this matter?

An Adventist Response

To begin with, it would be helpful in most cases to acknowledge that all meta-narratives,

including the Adventist understanding of the Great Controversy, are limited to some degree. To

take any other position will not only seem arrogant to post-moderns, it will in fact be untruthful.
 24

The Bible clearly teaches that “we know in part and we prophesy in part (1 Cor 13:9). To assume

that because we have the Bible we have the full knowledge of all the workings of the universe

does not take into account the immense difference between the finite and the infinite. The Bible

gives us knowledge sufficient for salvation, but not knowledge sufficient to satisfy the curious.

Our apprehension of truth will always suffer from the limitations of both the biblical revelation

and the human ability to understand it.

Post-moderns will usually appreciate the honesty and humility of the above approach. In

fact, to approach a post-modern in any other way will shut off communication. If we wish to gain

a hearing in the face of post-modern convictions, we must begin by acknowledging the substantial

truth in the post-modern critique of meta-narratives. Post-moderns expect Christians to be

arrogant and self-absorbed, a humble beginning can open the way to a critique of the post-modern

position later on.

What form should that critique take? Post-modern thinking on meta-narratives suffers

from circular reasoning. In its rejection of big-picture narratives, post-modernity sneaks in its own

meta-narrative by the backdoor. The post-modern meta-narrative is to relativize all other world

views as local stories that have no legitimate claim to reality. Radical post-modernism, therefore,

rejects the universal truthfulness of every other belief while assuming that its own big picture is

the only universally true one. The assertion, “All meta-narratives are false” is itself a meta-

narrative. Such reasoning is circular.

While the motive of avoiding violence and oppression is a good one, the real reason for

violence and oppression isn’t meta-narratives as such. Grand narratives can be either poison or

remedy, depending on how they are used. As poison they harbor the potential for oppression and
 25

violence, but as remedy they have the potential to promote justice and healing. The issue is not

whether Christian faith should or should not be rooted in a grand narrative, but what sort of meta-

narrative the Scriptures contain.

The real problem in this world is not meta-narrative, it is the violence of the human heart.

Overcoming violence requires a remedy much more radical than merely getting rid of all big-

picture explanations of the universe. The rejection of meta-narrative has not prevented post-

moderns from being fascinated with media violence, for example. Ridding the world of violence

requires the transformation of the human heart. And post-modernism does not offer a ready

formula for achieving that.

While we need to acknowledge that all meta-narratives suffer from inherent limitations, we

can invite secular post-moderns to join us in a search for the best meta-narrative. Living without

any meta-narrative is no improvement over the oppression and confusion of the past. While we

may never know truth in the absolute sense, absolute truth was embodied in Jesus Christ and can

be tasted in the reality of a relationship with Him. There is no other successful remedy for the

violence of the human heart.

The Rejection of “Religion”

The Problem

While post-moderns are intensely interested in faith and spirituality, most are decidedly

uninterested in “religion.” By religion I mean the forms, the structures, the institutions and the

rituals through which believers have organized what they understand to be God’s work on earth.

Such “organized religion” has been increasingly marginalized by the post-modern condition. Post-
 26

moderns prefer to search for religious meaning outside church-related activities and institutions.

Since secular moderns are uncomfortable God-talk in any form, both modern and post-modern

seculars tend to be opposed to “organized religion.”

Secular people fear that organized religions promote coercion and manipulation, and that

is, sadly, often true. Religious coercion has proven to be one of the most vexing, if not the most

vexing, of all assaults upon personal liberties. When secular people do happen to come to faith,

therefore, they prefer to be involved in religious contexts where they are allowed considerable

freedom in the way they think and live.

In the Western world this suspicion of organized religion is particularly directed at

Christian churches. The post-modern culture thinks of Christian churches as worthless

institutions, willfully withdrawn from the mainstream culture and its challenges. They think of “the

Church” as a controlling and profit-making institution more than a spiritual one. Christians are

often seen as extremists who do not respect peoples’ differences, who are intolerant of any ideas

that differ from their church’s traditions.

As a result of this bias, many sociologists have spoken about the rise of post-

denominationalism, an attempt by local Christian congregations to distance themselves from

denominational ties in order to be more attractive to secular people. The church is seen as a

legacy of modernism, rather than a positive force in the community. Right or wrong, one of the

last places the post-modern would expect to be spiritual is the church.

While the Great Controversy narrative has some appeal for post-moderns in its critique of

mainstream Christendom, the Adventist Church does not fare well when post-moderns examine its

structure. Few Christian churches are more tightly organized and controlled than the Seventh-day
 27

Adventist Church. In my experience, structures and procedures that we often take for granted are

quite troubling to secular people who come in contact with them. We encourage people to

become educated, for example, but then expect them to turn off critical thinking where the church

is concerned. Fresh and creative ideas are frequently met with “We never did it that way before,”

or “Ellen White says,” whether she did in fact say it or not. This is post-modernism’s greatest

challenge for us to overcome.

An Adventist Response

Once again, humility is the only reasonable starting point when we are challenged by the

post-modern distaste for organized religion. Utilizing the Great Controversy critique, we can

agree with post-moderns that organized Christian religion has done at least as much harm as it has

done good over the centuries since the New Testament era. We can affirm the “Christian” role in

such travesties as the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Holocaust, apartheid and Rwanda. We will get

nowhere being defensive about how the Christian mission has played out over the centuries.

We also need to be candid that the Adventist structure will not always do the most

sensible thing from a post-modern perspective. In spite of our strong concern for religious liberty,

people will not always feel free to think and respond within the Adventist structure. If we do not

meet this issue head on from the first, post-moderns will likely feel betrayed at some point after

getting involved in an Adventist context. There is little any of us can do to smooth over the rough

edges of the Adventist system, so we need to be candid about its weaknesses as well as its

strengths.

The situation is not hopeless, however. I sense a rising openness among SDA
 28

administrators to create more caring structures and interactions in relation to the local church.

There are church administrators and structures that welcome creative, self-supporting ministries.

Likewise there are creative, self-supporting ministries that encourage and maintain a constructive,

accountable relationship with the church. The General Conference is seeking ways to consume

fewer resources so that more resources can be available at the local levels where most ministry

occurs.

The best and worst news, however, is that post-moderns will judged the church most by

what they perceive at the local level. No amount of organizational change at the upper levels of

the church will help if the members at the local level are not genuinely open to change. If a local

church is comfortable only with the ways they have done things in the past, secular post-moderns

will not stay long. If you are involved in such a church, serious outreach to secular people will

likely fail in the long run.

This means that the quality of life in the local Adventist community will have a greater

influence on the success or failure of the strategies in this manual than any other factor. If the

quality of life in your local community will work against you, it would be best to wait for a better

time or to create a new community (church plant) where secular people will feel welcome and will

be shielded from some of the hard edges of the Adventist “organization.” This is unquestionably

the greatest single challenge we face when it comes to reaching and winning secular people.
 29

Suspicion of the Bible

The Problem

Most secular people have many mistaken ideas about what the Bible teaches. They assume

that the ideas held and practiced by the Christians they know (or think they know from watching

the news) are based on the Bible, the sacred text at the foundation of Christian faith. In other

words, they assume that the ideas of the Bible rise no higher than the practices of those who claim

to follow it.

As a result, secular people tend to think that the Bible teaches many unpalatable ideas.

They assume, for example, that the Bible teaches an everlasting burning hell. What kind of God is

it, they argue, that hides Himself in obscure texts, then demands that everyone understand and

follow Him or else suffer eternal punishment in burning fire? The very concept sounds ludicrous

to the average secular person. Worse yet, it fills them with anger toward God and toward well-

meaning Christians who do not understand the way this idea plays in the wider world.

Secular people also take note of how arbitrary and violent the Church has been through

the ages of Christian history. They are intensely sensitive to the arbitrary cruelties of the

Inquisition, the Crusades and the Salem witch trials. These aberrations of history are featured in

documentaries and Hollywood dramas. The excesses of the Papacy and its administration by

absolute fiat are also known by many. Most secular people assume that the aberrations of

Christian history are to be blamed, to some degree, on the teachings of the Bible.
 30

An Adventist Response

Adventists address this issue from a point of some advantage. Our whole history is

centered around the discovery that conventional religious wisdom didn’t jibe with what we found

in the Bible. Early Adventists were willing to walk away from other churches when their theology

and their practice didn’t live up to the light we found in the Bible. So Adventists have credibility

when they draw a distinction between the teachings of the Bible and the beliefs and practices of

the mainstream churches.

In order to gain a hearing, however, we must be prepared to hear the Bible being accused

of many things without becoming defensive. Our tendency is to defend the Bible at all costs.

When someone brings up the questions they have about the Bible we tend to jump immediate to

apologetics. But while apologetics can be helpful at some point, it is wasted on seculars who

believe Christians have set and pat answers for everything, but answers that do not truly satisfy. A

quick apologetic answer will confirm the worst suspicions of a secular seeker. Even worse, most

secular people have stories of how particular Christians have hurt them, thinking that they were

following the Bible.

If instead of jumping quickly into defensive mode, Christians listen and sympathize with

secular people they may in time gain a hearing for a different view of the Bible. Frankly, there is

much that traditional Christianity has to answer for. And there is also much that Adventism has to

answer for in the way we have treated others. It takes time for abused secular people to come to

the place where they are willing to listen to a Christian and consider the possibility that the Bible

may be a useful resource for them.

In the wake of much patience, when secular people find out that the Bible isn’t like they
 31

have been told, they will be more open to its instruction. But they are not likely to respond well to

our traditional approach of proof texts which seem arbitrarily selected for effect. When you have

been burned by what others have seen in the Bible, you are reluctant to buy into a new view

without careful safeguards.

I suggest a more narrative and inductive approach to Bible study with secular people,

particularly post-moderns. We should spend the majority of our time in the clear texts of the Bible

rather than debating the fine points of passages that are less clear. When secular people digress to

their negative stories or experiences, affirm the truth in what they are saying and direct them back

to the text at an appropriate interval. Debate simply encourages people to hold the truths of the

Bible at an intellectual distance. Patience will be needed.

Studying the Bible with secular people will certainly prove to be a two-way street. They

believe in the process of discussion. Anyone studying the Bible with secular people will be

confronted with fresh ideas and fresh questions. There is much to be learned in this approach. A

kind and teachable spirit will be much more successful than one based on superior learning. (2

Tim 2:24-26) An arrogant approach of, “I am the teacher and you are the student (shut up and

listen),” on the other hand, will not succeed with secular people.

Conclusion

In the Japanese language the word for “crisis” is a combination of the words for “danger”

and “opportunity.” The post-modern condition certainly places many pitfalls in the way of the

church. But this moment of danger is also a moment of opportunity. One could say that the

emerging post-modern condition offers “dangerous opportunities” for the mission of the church.
 32

But the most dangerous position of all would be one that denies that the post-modern condition

exists, or that it offers opportunities for mission.

The challenges of the secular post-modern condition are serious, but they are not

insurmountable. With more positive structures at the local and higher levels of the church and a

more inductive approach to Bible study, there is great hope that secular post-moderns will find the

Adventist message relevant and refreshing. The path will prove frustrating at times, and much

patience will be needed, but the teacher will learn much and the relationships that result will be

deep and nurturing. The rewards will outweigh the frustrations by far.

Questions for Review and Reflection

Review:
Summarize in your own words the main features of the post-modern objections to grand
narratives, organized religion, and the Bible.
Summarize in your own words an effective approach to reaching post-moderns in each of
the three areas.
Re-read The Great Controversy and summarize its critique of the grand narratives of the
Papacy and the early Enlightenment. How do you think Ellen White would have responded to
post-modernism?

Reflection:
Spend some time with a secular person under 35 years of age. Share your convictions
regarding the Great Controversy and explore their reaction to the meta-narrative. Try to
understand the reasons for their reluctance to buy into such a story. Explore the kinds of narrative
that they appreciate and share some biblical examples. How do they react to your use of the
Bible? Try to discover the reasons for their reluctance to receive its word without challenge.
In practical terms, how do you think post-moderns got the impression that most Christians
are arrogant and self-absorbed? How would you go about countering that impression?
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LESSON FIVE

How Adventists Become Secular:

Are We Part of the Problem?

As we have mentioned, reaching out to secular people is a two-way street. There are

dangers as well as opportunities. Before we begin to talk about solutions to the problem of

secularization, therefore, it may be helpful to look specifically at the process by which an

Adventist can become secular. As is the case with both gaining weight and growing up,

secularization does not happen overnight, it is usually a lengthy process. Adventists rarely just get

up in the morning and suddenly walk out of the church. Most Adventists drift out of the church

gradually over a period of time. They may continue to believe the basic teachings of the church,

but progressively become less and less involved in spiritual matters on a day-to-day basis. For

convenience we will call the process by which an Adventist moves from deep commitment to

secular detachment “secular drift.”

Private Prayer

The first step in the process of secular drift occurs in the private prayer life. In its very

secrecy, private prayer is the ultimate personal barometer of spiritual commitment. But when

secular thinking enters in, prayer is usually the first thing to go, and even pastors are not immune.

To be candid, I have had pastor’s wives tell me, “My husband hasn’t prayed in twenty years
 34

except in public.” While such cases may be extreme, few Adventists do not admit to at least some

struggles in this area.

Bible Reading

The next area affected is usually the study life, although for some, especially pastors, Bible

study can continue for a long time in the absence of prayer. But in the absence of meaningful

prayer, such Bible study will have less and less personal significance. It is simply something one

does as a ritual or because it is part of a job description. Meaningful personal study and prayer can

become absent from a person’s life for years and yet no one else knows, except maybe a spouse.

The pastor may well be the last person to know that an elder’s personal walk with God is a thing

of the past.

Personal Standards

The third step in secular drift occurs when personal standards of behavior begin to erode.

This is often the first clue that anyone but one’s spouse will notice. As a pastor I came to

recognize a shift in personal standards as a spiritual distress signal. I am not concerned here with

whether that person’s standards were healthy or not. But when a person has believed for a long

time that a particular action is wrong, and suddenly acts in a contrary manner, it tends to be a red

flag that screams out, “I’m in spiritual trouble.” The kinds of belief shifts I have in mind are in

areas such as jewelry, tithe, the use of alcohol and choices in personal entertainment. As a pastor I

would follow up such signals with questions regarding the devotional life. The shift in personal

standards was usually preceded by slippage in the devotional life.

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Church Attendance

The fourth step into secular drift is slippage in church attendance. Now there may at times

be good reasons to skip church. But when accompanied with other evidences of secular drift,

slippage in church attendance becomes a very public indication that the earlier steps in the process

have become quite advanced. Slippage in attendance is usually quite gradual. First you miss once

a month, then it’s twice a month, and then you start coming only every other month and then

finally, it is just seems to be more trouble than it is worth. After a while you don’t even miss it.

Doubts

The fifth step in becoming secular is to begin to doubt the Bible, the reality of the afterlife,

and even if there really is a God. You pick up the Bible and it is as if a voice in your head is

saying, “What are you reading this for, it’s just ink on a page. This is a book like any other book.

That “voice” is the effect of secular drift. It is the result of the natural influence of our society,

which leads us away from God and a believing relationship with His Word.

Distrust of Authority

The sixth and final step in the process of secular drift is an increasing distrust of

institutions, particularly religious institutions. We become increasingly unwilling to allow the

authority of a group to influence our spiritual decisions. The most interesting thing about this

aspect of secularization is that it is often seen most strongly in groups characterized as “right

wing,” groups which would be quick to deny that secularism could have any impact on them. In

spite of this denial such groups tend to manifest some of the same consequences of secularization
 36

as their more “left-wing” counterparts. In their increasing distrust of Adventist institutions, the

right-wing Adventist groups and members betray that they are far from immune to the influence of

secularization.

The Impact of Secular Drift

I do not mean to imply that secular drift always takes place in the exact sequence

described above. In special circumstances the sequence may be altered or even reversed. For

example, if a person is embittered by some real or perceived action on the part of a church

institution, attendance and loyalty may be affected immediately while prayer, study, and standards

may continue for a while. On the other hand, a young person newly exposed to a secular

university may abandon the entire spiritual life in such a brief time that the very levels of secular

drift can hardly be discerned. What I have shared here is the most typical order in which the

process occurs, usually over a fairly lengthy period of time.

In the previous century Adventists saw themselves as a reform movement within the larger

Christian church. Most of the people they worked with did not need an emphasis on Christian

spirituality. So their emphasis was on assembling logical and reasonable arguments that would

persuade people intellectually. In today’s world, however, an intellectual faith is no longer

sufficient to guard against secular drift. Adventists, therefore, are crying out more and more for a

living walk with God, for a taste of His presence.

If one wishes to reach and win secular people it is imperative to maintain a strong

connection with God for at least two reasons. First, reaching out to secular people is a two-way

street. It can be hazardous to your spiritual health. A strong connection with God safeguards the
 37

witness against secular drift. Second, it is necessary to know God before you can lead anyone else

to the knowledge of God. Reaching secular people is about more than a method. It is about a

living relationship with God that can transform secular lives into living representatives for God on

this earth. You can’t reach and win secular people until you yourself have been reached and won!

You cannot share what you do not have.

In the next lesson I briefly offer some insights in how to activate and personalize our walk

with God in a secular world. If you wish to go deeper into these things I have written about them

at considerable length in the book Knowing God in the Real World. Secular people will be

attracted to people who know God and can teach them how to know God.

Questions for Review and Reflection

Review:
Summarize in your own words the typical steps in secular drift. Have you experienced any
of these in your own life? How did you stem the drift? How would you advise others who are
heading down that path?
To what degree are various Adventist standards a help or a hindrance when it comes to
secular drift?

Reflection:
In your experience do most people who drift out of the church follow the steps of this
chapter in roughly the same order?
When you feel challenged in your personal prayer life, what are some of the strategies that
help to keep your relationship with God strong?
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LESSON SIX

Keeping the Faith:

A Living Walk with God in a Secular World

As we have seen in the previous lesson, the challenges of reaching and winning secular

people are greater than simply whether or not Adventists can succeed in communicating with

them. Reaching out to secular people is filled with danger for us as well. There is the danger of

secular drift, in which we gradually lose our own hold on God, often without being truly aware

that this drift is taking place.

This means that secular ministry is not for everyone. There are many people whose soul is

at too great a risk to try it. If you are one of those people, read this manual, try to understand

what’s going on, and use what you have learned to pray for those who are out there risking their

souls for the lost. You dare not take the kinds of risks in ministry that others are taking. If you do

find yourself called to secular outreach, this chapter is of vital importance. You will also want to

read the book Knowing God in the Real World (or Present Truth in the Real World, pages 71-

123, if you can get your hands on a copy).

Two Models of Ministry

The Bible recognizes two major models of ministry. These two models can be found in

Matt 5:13-16. Verse 14 describes the model of ministry with which Adventists are most familiar:

“You are the light of the world; a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.” This metaphor of
 39

ministry is sometimes called the “fortress model.” A fortress-city has walls around it to protect

those who are inside from the dangers outside. Every so often, the inhabitants of such a city may

send out the army, snatch up a few captives, and bring them back in through the gate, slamming it

tight behind them. The population of the fortress grows but at minimal risk to those inside the

city. That is the fortress model of ministry. This is the typical Adventist model of outreach.

But Jesus offers more than one model of ministry. Notice verse 13: “You are the salt of

the earth ” How does salt do its ministry? It mingles with the food and disappears. It becomes part

of the crowd, so to speak. But as a result of that ministry, what happens? The whole dish of food

tastes better. The salt has an effect upon the whole. It is a quiet ministry, an infiltration ministry. It

changes the world.

The “salt model” of ministry will reach more people than the fortress model will. It

increases the influence of God’s kingdom in the world. But it also takes one outside the walls of

protection. And that is not only a danger to the one engaging in ministry, it can also destroy the

ministry itself. Matt 5:13 makes this point clearly when Jesus says, “If the salt becomes tasteless it

will become useless for its purpose.” A salt that has lost its taste will no longer accomplish

anything by infiltration. So a salt ministry will reach more people, but not without risk. Reaching

secular people will require a salt style of ministry. Secular people don’t usually show up at the

fortress.

Radical Conservatism

The ideal philosophy of life for those interested in reaching secular people for Christ is

what I call “radical conservatism.” The radical part means being scattered out there, mingling with
 40

the people where they are. It means doing whatever it takes, a willingness to risk all, to make

sense out there and reach the lost. The conservative part, on the other hand, means being faithful

to the mission God has called Adventists to. It means maintaining a living walk with God while

reaching out to those who don’t know Him. Conservative means that there will be something

solid and faithful for secular people to join up with.

The radical in radical conservatism has to do with the way we reach out to secular people;

the conservative has to do with how we maintain our faith in the course of that outreach. This

lesson focuses on the conservative part, how to conserve and even build up faith in a secular

environment. The lessons that follow explore the radical aspect, how to effectively reach people

who find the typical Adventist world to be totally incomprehensible.

Secular ministry can be a very frightening thing. Every day in the secular world you are

faced with unpleasant choices. For example, I absolutely hate coffee, yet coffee has become the

fuel of secular relationships. The mainstream of our culture has become the “Starbucks crowd.”

Refusing a cup of coffee can create a barrier in relationship that is hard to overcome. Life is

simplest when we can choose between good and evil. But in the secular world we are more often

faced with choices between two evils or two goods. Such times require tough and courageous

decisions.

The rest of this lesson, therefore, is as important as any other part of this manual. We

cannot give what we do not have. If in reaching out to secular people we become secular

ourselves, they will not profit from our spiritual concern for them. I will begin with a focus on the

devotional side of our spiritual life.

 41

The Devotional Life

As we suggested earlier, it is an emerging weakness in the personal, devotional life that

constitutes the first two steps on the road of secular drift. In response we need to slow down, to

reflect, and become attentive to God’s presence. The clearest message about God that most

secular people will ever see is the one that they read in the life of a Christian they know. It would

be a rare thing for us to lead a secular person into a living walk with God if we ourselves do not

have one.

Relationships are built on mutual communication. This involves listening and talking. We

learn about the other person through listening, and we share our inner selves through speaking

about the things that matter to us. The concept of talking to God is not strange. We are all

familiar with the concept of prayer. But how do you listen to someone you cannot hear, see, or

touch? How do we listen to a God whose voice we cannot hear?

Listening to God

The place where we can most clearly hear the voice of God today is in His written Word.

So a foundational step toward a living relationship with God begins with serious time in the study

of His Word and in other writings of high spiritual value, such as those of Ellen White. But not

everything in the Bible is of devotional benefit. The selections we make for study, therefore, may

be as important as the amount of time we invest in that study. The following steps summarize the

kind of study that enables us to hear the voice of God in our lives today. I have written about

these things at some length in Knowing God in the Real World, pages 68-71.

1) What we study must be relevant to everyday life.

 42

2) Devotional study needs to focus on the person of Jesus.

3) Devotional reading cannot be rushed.

4) Develop a devotional journal in which you write down the best devotional insights.

5) Develop a reflective diary in which you track your spiritual progress.

A Life of Prayer

When it comes to relationship with God, talking to Him in prayer makes more sense than

listening to someone you can’t hear. Nevertheless, the personal prayer life is probably the greatest

challenge that most Christians face in life. Time and again people set out to improve their prayer

life only to feel as if they have been shot down in flames. I have felt like a failure in prayer many

times. But over the years I have learned a number of things that have helped. I have elaborated on

the following in Knowing God, pages 71-75 and also 83-105.

1) Use whatever prayer position works best for you.

2) Focusing your prayer life with written letters to God.

3) Let prayer address the core issues of your life.

4) Allow God to answer your prayers.

5) Emphasize thankfulness for the things God has done in your life.

Finding Time

How can we find time for study and prayer in the midst of the crushing load of

responsibility most of us bear? After all, few people have the time to accomplish all that they

expect to accomplish in a day. That means that it is ultimately up to us to decide what is truly
 43

worth our time and what is not. You can’t add anything to your life without taking something else

away.

The problem is that most people prefer not to make such choices. They seek to

accomplish everything that is set before them, and it just does not work. Family, the devotional

life, or both, are sacrificed on the altar of indecision. So whenever someone asks me to accept a

position or perform a task these days, I ask myself the question, “What activity will this replace?

Is this more important or more interesting than what I will have to give up in order to do this?” If

we don’t choose what is important to us, life will choose for us. And we will be unhappy with the

choice.

So the first step in a closer walk with God to make it a front page priority in our lives. The

great thing about will power is that it is strengthened by use. Choose to put God first. Say it out

loud. Write about it to your friends. Decide what in your life needs to go if your devotional

experience is to grow. Be careful about adding new assignments or responsibilities. In the

devotional life, above all other things, we must echo the words of Paul, “This one thing I do,

setting all other things aside.”

A Life of Action

A living relationship with God begins, of course, with time spent listening to God in His

word and speaking to Him in prayer. But if relationship with God is limited to the devotional life

it will not have the lasting impact we need. The relationship with God must move out from the

devotional room to the real world. If we are to make a difference in the secular world our

relationship with God needs to be exhibited where it can be seen. This practical side of our walk
 44

with God is the topic of this section of the manual.

If you want to maintain faith in a secular world, you’ve got to have more than just an

interior life. Prayer and study alone are not enough. Without concrete and practical faith-action,

the devotional experience can easily become confined to a closet in one’s mind. This leads to a

schizophrenic existence where faith impacts on the life for a short time each day, followed by an

essentially secular existence the rest of the time. Doing battle with secular drift calls for more than

just the devotional experience, as effective as that may be.

Lifestyle Matters

In his book The Human Puzzle, David G. Myers confirms what Ellen White taught a

hundred years ago; what a person believes may have relatively little impact on how they live.

When people survey conservative Christian churches, they discover virtually as much adultery,

physical and sexual abuse, alcohol problems, and drug use as the non-churched culture; the

problems are just less visible in the church setting.

The other way around, fortunately, is very different. How you live has a powerful impact

on what you believe. This is a major theme of the chapter in Ministry of Healing called “Mind

Cure.” (pp. 240-259) The routine actions of daily life have a massive effect on what people

believe and how they feel and think.

That is the genius of the Seventh-day Adventist lifestyle. It compels us to bring God into

every detail of our existence. When you’re making out your family budget, the first thing on your

list is tithe. That reminds you that God is at the center of your financial life. When you are

shopping at the clothing store, you are concerned about the impact of your choices on your
 45

witness for God. When you are in the grocery store, you are reading labels. Why? Because you

don’t want to take into your body things that God wouldn’t approve of. The Seventh-day

Adventist lifestyle brings God into all the activities of daily life.

The strongest safeguard against secular drift--and even a secular psychologist will tell you

this if you ask--is a seven-day-a-week religion. Full-bodied Adventism is a faith that impacts in

some way on every moment of every day of our lives. Adventism cannot afford to be isolated in

the closet of our experience. To be effective in a secular world, Adventism must affect the whole

of our experience in this world. A lifestyle grounded in principle, rather than petty rules, will

prove attractive to both modern and post-modern seculars.

Sharing Our Faith Is Not an Option

While the daily practice of faith can strengthen our relationship with God, by itself it can

become a selfish exercise. Everything I do is to strengthen my relationship with God. It’s all about

me. The practice of faith will not be complete until we share our walk with others. In order to

keep our faith strong it is necessary to share it.

“It is a law of nature that our thoughts and feelings are encouraged and
strengthened as we give them utterance.”
Ministry of Healing, pages 251-253

Can you remember a time when you shared your personal testimony with a friend or even

a stranger? Whenever the cross of Christ is uplifted the Holy Spirit presses the claim of the cross

home with power to whoever is listening. But that is not all. That same power spills back to the

one who testifies. I am rarely so confident and secure in my walk with God as I am when I share

what He has done for me with others.

 46

Sharing our faith in the secular world is a major challenge. We need to learn a whole new

language to express our faith in meaningful terms. We need to learn how to do so without

crossing social barriers in ways that can end a relationship. The main point of this lesson,

however, is that sharing our faith is important not only because secular people need Christ, but

because we also need the spiritual strength and affirmation that comes when we share our faith.

Keeping the faith in the secular world cannot be taken for granted, it will be the result of a

conscious effort to know God and to practice the disciplines that keep us conscious of God’s

presence in our lives.

Questions for Review and Reflection

Review:
Summarize the fortress and salt models of ministry in your own words. How is the typical
Adventist way of doing church more like the fortress model than the salt model? What aspects of
the salt model could be implemented in most Adventist churches without a major upset?
Summarize in your own words the four major strategies for maintaining faith in a secular
world. How would you implement these strategies in your own life?

Reflection:
Which of the two models of ministry are you most comfortable with? What kind of
spiritual risks would you be taking if you entered into a salt ministry for secular people? What
resources do you have that would keep your faith secure as you minister to others? Which appeals
to you more, the radical part or the conservative part of secular outreach? Why?
Are there areas of your personal lifestyle that might place you in danger if you reached out
to secular people? What changes would you have to make in order follow God’s leading in
outreach?
 47

LESSON SEVEN

Boundaries in Secular Outreach:

Learning How to Play It Safe

Since I wrote Present Truth in the Real World in the early 1990s, it has become evident to

me that the dangers of secular ministry are social as much as spiritual. We can be tripped up in our

relationships with fellow Adventists as much or more than in our relationships with secular

people. The guard that we keep up to filter out secular ideas or sexual advances may be let down

when dealing with co-workers or other Adventists. So a lesson on boundaries in relationships

seems warranted.

In order to reach and win secular people we have to negotiate some of the boundaries that

are natural to faith in a conservative Adventist congregation. There are times when we have to

leave our comfort zone and take some risks if we truly want to reach people. The problem is,

once you allow yourself to negotiate some boundaries, all of your boundaries tend to become

negotiable. If you allow yourself flexibility in one area, it is more natural to allow it in others. This

brings the secular outreach agent into a danger zone. People who have been very effective in the

“fortress” have had difficulty handling life with more open boundaries. They become attracted to

co-workers and the ministry is often ruined before it gets off the ground.

The basic solution I have already suggested is a clear focus on both the radical and the

conservative in one’s life. There are boundaries in our lives that will need to be relaxed in order

for the ministry to succeed (“for the sake of the gospel”– 1 Cor 9:23). There are other
 48

boundaries, especially regarding our own faith and family life, that need to be strengthened in

order for the ministry to succeed. If we pay no attention to these boundaries, or we are unclear

which need to be relaxed and which need to be strengthened, we are setting ourselves up for

disaster.

Boundaries and Boundary Setting

In some ways this is the most important lesson in the whole manual. With the help of Ed

Dickerson, who has specialized in this area, I would like to focus briefly on prevention. How does

a person reaching out to secular people retain personal faith and values at the same time he or she

is meeting people where they are? Secular outreach will test our boundaries in ways we cannot

anticipate.

But anyone can set and maintain effective boundaries once they know how, and want to.

According to Ed, boundaries place limits on behavior in relationships. They function very much

like our conscience, distinguishing between good and bad behaviors and attitudes. And like our

conscience, if we allow those boundaries to be repeatedly violated, they will no longer function as

the safeguards we need. Boundaries first originate and exist in our minds. We choose how we

treat others, and how we will allow them to treat us. But what we choose to do to others will be

done to us. Boundaries always go both ways.

“Boundary setting” means acting on the boundaries we set in our minds by notifying

others of those behavior limitations. You can set boundaries with others in an official way, making

it explicit that you are setting them, or you can be more subtle if needed. You can set them with

others before there is a problem, or you can correct a violation after the fact. The key is to make
 49

boundary setting as painless as possible, but as clear as necessary, because boundaries always go

both ways.

Boundaries come in different shades of importance. Vital boundaries are the ones vital to

life. In order to stay alive and accomplish God’s design for your life you need to protect your

body, your time, your life and your basic beliefs from outside harm and intrusion. Instrumental

boundaries, on the other hand, have to do with the way we express our lives, they are not vital to

life but they important and meaningful to us. Instrumental boundaries concern our feelings, our

preferences, our reputations and our possessions. Having our car stolen or our house broken into

will not normally kill us, but the act can damage our sense of who we are and violate our sense of

value and uniqueness.

When you decide to pursue a salt ministry for secular people, you are acting on a

fundamental life conviction. You believe God has called you to reach and win secular people to

Christ. Not to act on that conviction would be to violate one of your own vital boundaries. But to

engage in deep relationship with secular people will challenge less-central boundaries in multiple

ways. In order to be effective in reaching secular people you will have to be willing to sacrifice

some of the instrumental boundaries in order to preserve the higher priority boundaries.

For example, how do you respond constructively when secular dinner guests bring wine to

your home, as they would elsewhere? How do you respond when a friend, who has been asking

questions about spirituality, desperately wants to play golf with you, but can only go on Saturday?

What happens when a secular person of the opposite sex develops a crush on you? Every one of

these–and many more–have confronted Adventists in secular ministry.

A key to negotiating such challenges is to recognize the difference between one’s beliefs
 50

and one’s feelings, between fundamental life decisions and preferences. Worshiping God is a

fundamental belief, but exactly how we express worship to God is largely a matter of preference.

Do we prefer to pray standing, kneeling or prone on a prayer rug? Do we prefer to sing a capella,

with an organ, or with a guitar? In our ministry to secular and postmodern people, we will have to

forego many of our preferences. To balance this, it becomes imperative that in our private and

family time, we humor those preferences. To do the radical well means safeguarding the

conservative lest our ministry to others destroy our own walk with God.

To have strong boundaries does not, however, mean detailed lists of activities and sets of

circumstances. It would be nice if life were always black or white, right or wrong, but when

working with secular people, we will often be confronted with shades of grey. Instead of a choice

between best and worst, we often have to choose between good and not so good or between fair

and poor. In the New Earth, we will enjoy only the best. But in this broken and sinful world, we

sometimes have to settle for “poor” in order to reach the lost.

Are we talking about compromise here? It depends on what you mean by the word.

Compromise can mean action that combines good and bad in an inappropriate way. It can also

mean accommodating conflicting circumstances in the best available way. In the latter sense even

God has had to “compromise” many times. In the laws of Moses God compromised on both

slavery and divorce. Although clearly contrary to his will, he allowed both to continue, but

provided remedies for their worst abuses (Exod 21:1-6; Deut 24:1-3). Seeing actions in shades of

grey certainly makes life more complicated.

But consider the alternative. Seeing life as black and white brings plenty of problems on its

own. No list of rules can cover every situation without much reflection and discernment. Such
 51

lists may be necessary to guide children, but they don’t work very well in a messy, adult world.

When boundaries are rigid and legalistic they are also brittle. A person with rigid boundaries

cannot reach out to secular people without violating his or her conscience. Violations of

conscience will result in one of two outcomes, neither of them good. One will either abandon the

attempt to engage secular people seriously or one will violate conscience, fall into despair and

lose hold on faith.

Healthy Boundaries

On the other hand, boundaries that are strong, yet flexible, allow one to reach the lost and

still maintain one’s personal experience. I may do something for another that I would not do for

myself. Jesus healed others on the Sabbath, but He remained in the tomb until the Sabbath hours

had passed. He worked on the Sabbath when the needs of others were at stake (John 5:17), He

did not violate the Sabbath for His own sake.

Healthy boundaries are tough and resilient–they can take a hit and bounce back. That’s

important, because in a sinful world they’ll take plenty of hits. The rigid fortifications that guarded

the Normandy beaches on June 6, 1944, held up the Allied invasion force for less than twelve

hours. But the French hedgerows held up the invading army for weeks. A certain amount of

flexibility is essential to maintaining one’s beliefs in the face of the massive assaults against those

beliefs that will be experienced in a secular world.

1) A Strong Sense of Self-worth

How do you build and maintain healthy boundaries? It all begins with a strong sense of
 52

self-worth. How much is a human being worth? It depends on the context. The chemical value of

my body (melted down) is less than twenty dollars. But the average American is valued by his or

her employer at a much higher level than that, something like $50,000 dollars a year. But suppose

you were a great basketball player like Michael Jordan. Suddenly the value jumps to tens of

millions of dollars a year. And if you were the nerdy designer of the software everyone in the

world uses, you would be valued at tens of billions of dollars (Bill Gates)!

So value depends on the context. According to the Bible, Jesus was worth the whole

universe (He made it). So when He died on the cross, He established the true value of the human

person. When the Creator of the universe and everyone in it decides to die for you and me, it

places an infinite value on our lives. So the cross provides a true and stable sense of value. It’s

about the value the human race has in the eyes of God. So the road to healthy boundaries begins

at the cross.

2) Respecting the Value of Time

Now if you sense your value in God’s eyes you will greatly value your time. No matter

how strong the demands of ministry, always allocate adequate time to your Lord, yourself, and

your family. There’s a reason God reserves 1/7 of your time and only 1/10 of your money. God

knows that healthy relationships demand time, and lots of it. And forget the notion of quality time:

time is like gold ore–you get so much gold per ton. Want more gold? Process more ore. Want

better relationships? Spend more time on them. As emphasized in this manual, relationship with

God is life and death for the success of secular ministry.

Maintaining a balanced life is not a distraction from ministry–it is the essence of ministry.
 53

If dedication to ministry results in seriously unbalanced relationships, then those you disciple will

pattern their relationships after you and become unbalanced themselves. When they join you in

ministry later, your relationship defects will become defining characteristics of the ministry.

Defective boundaries, too, always go both ways. The one whose boundaries are violated, will

violate the boundaries of others.

3) Awareness of Potential Dangers

As we go out into a salt ministry, we need to be aware of potential dangers. The tempter

is skillful at meeting felt needs in order to get us to violate our boundaries. God intended for Eve

to eat to satisfy her hunger. It wasn’t feeding her hunger that was sin, it was using the illicit means

of forbidden fruit to feed it. If your God-given hungers are met with appropriate food, you will be

less likely to seek forbidden fruit to satisfy them.

So those who wish to reach and win secular people need to make sure their own spiritual

and emotional needs are satisfied. We will be working with broken and hurting people, people

with poor boundaries and a low sense of self-worth. Such people will look to us to fill their needs.

A legitimate desire for male (or female) affection can quickly lead to boundary violations. It is the

responsibility of the believer in a relationship to notice such dangers, and protect both parties in

the relationship. If our own marriage is under stress, the dangers involved in reaching others with

the gospel is compounded.

To some degree all of us have unmet needs. It is imperative when we reach out to secular

people that we be doubly alert in areas where we ourselves are struggling. Awareness of our own

weaknesses should inspire humility, not fear, caution, not despair. Like a good defensive driver,
 54

anyone working with secular people should pay attention not only to immediate dangers but also

potential dangers down the road.

4) The Unique Challenges of Post-Modernism

There are unique boundary issues that have arisen as a result of the shift from modernism

to post-modernism. The boundaries of Generation X, the first post-modern generation, are

especially battered. The post-modern generation has suffered the breakdown of nearly every

significant institution in their lives: broken homes, government corruption, and philosophical

assault. As someone has written, Generation X is “the most aborted, abused, molested, and

neglected” generation in recent history.

The poor boundaries of postmodern individuals heighten the dangers of reaching and

winning secular people. Post-moderns are quite likely to violate the boundaries of those who wish

to help them. They tend to be highly sensitive and easily offended when someone tries to “set

boundaries” with them. So great care must be exercised to protect everyone involved. That means

boundary setting in ministry to secular people needs to be pro-active and intentional.

The traditional Adventist evangelistic approach not only does not attract secular

postmoderns, it actually offends them. Talk about sex all you want, using the crudest language,

and few will be offended. But talk about right and wrong, about convictions and beliefs, and they

will react as if you had committed public indecency. They do not talk about such things seriously,

even among themselves, except in the most intimate of relationships, and not without discomfort

even there.

Opportunities for ministry must be earned. If you want to share beliefs with post-moderns,
 55

you must first build a relationship of trust, and allow them to share their beliefs, as well.

Boundaries always go both ways. Post-moderns will not readily define their relationship with

you–it seems too much like a commitment, and commitment is something they scrupulously

avoid. It is up to person working with post-moderns to define the boundaries. This must be done

with the utmost subtlety and tact or the secular postmodern individual my abandon the

relationship altogether.

Accordingly, in the early stages of relationship, be prepared to pro-actively define the

boundaries of relationship in ways that are respectful to where they are coming from. Instead of “I

keep the true Sabbath,” say “I choose to (preference) reserve Saturdays as my spiritual time.” In

discussing doctrine, speak in terms of feelings more often than beliefs. “I feel that Jesus offers the

best way to meet my needs.” When speaking of beliefs, speak tentatively, keeping the reference to

your choices and your preferencs. Telling people what they should believe is, in fact, a boundary

violation. With secular post-moderns, in particular, it may well end the relationship. Telling people

what you believe and why is acceptable.

Ministry to secular and post-modern people will challenge you at every point. But this is

not bad news. There are no healthy relationships without confrontation, and the very rough and

tumble of dealing with secular people is an extraordinary opportunity for growth. Boundaries are

not always easy to get right, but if we are attentive to our feelings and God’s leading, we will

learn how to do this more effectively.

Questions for Review and Reflection

Review:
 56

According to this lesson, what does it mean to “negotiate boundaries?” What are basic
areas in which there can and should be no compromise?
In your own words describe the difference between vital boundaries, which are at the core
of human survival, and instrumental boundaries, which have to do with the way we express
ourselves. List at least two boundary violations in each area that you have experienced.
In your own words articulate the difference between accommodating the needs and
interests of others, on the one hand, and destructive compromise on the other.
In your own words, describe the four basic steps that lead to healthier boundaries in
ourselves and in the lives of those we minister to.

Reflection:
What kinds of boundaries are routinely violated in church work? What kinds of violations
have you experienced in a church setting? Are there areas where you feel convicted that you have
violated the boundaries of others? What needs or lacks in your own life contributed to both kinds
of violations in your experience?
On a scale of one to ten, how ready do you think you are for the challenges of secular
ministry? How ready would those closest to you think you are? What steps can you take to
increase your readiness?
 57

LESSON EIGHT

Meeting People Where They Are:

The Fundamental Principle of Reaching Secular People

The Biblical Evidence

The more familiar you are with the Bible the clearer it becomes that every part of God’s

Word was given in the time, place, language, and culture of specific human beings. The unique

personalities and writing skills of Paul, John and Peter all visible in their New Testament writings.

The Greek language of the New Testament was not the classical Greek of Plato and Aristotle or

the public Greek of law and government, it was the everyday language of people on the street. In

the New Testament God went out of His way to meet people where they were.

The same principle is evident in the Old Testament as well. God even adjusted the content

of visions in order to more effectively communicate to inspired prophets. Daniel 2 and Daniel 7,

for example, present the same basic message. But God delivers that message to the pagan king

Nebuchadnezzar in the form of an idol, and to the Hebrew prophet Daniel in the form of the

creation story of Genesis 1 and 2. So God chooses to reveal Himself in terms that make sense to

the individuals or groups He was trying to reach with the message.

The ultimate evidence for the principle that God meets people where they are is found in

the stories about Jesus. The fact that there are four gospels instead of one enables a variety of

audiences to grasp the implications of Jesus’ life and death for themselves. And in all four gospels
 58

the story of Jesus is the story of a God who comes to earth as a first-century Jew, lives in

Palestine, and talks in terms appropriate to the local language and culture. The incarnation of

Jesus demonstrates the depth of God’s commitment to meeting human beings where they are.

So the first reason why we should meet people where they are is because that is what God

does. We treat others the way God has treated us (Matt 18:23-35). God’s behavior becomes the

model for our behavior. We will reach the most people when we approach them the way God

would approach them.

Human Learning Styles

A second reason to meet people where they are is because that is how people learn best.

People learn in a variety of different ways. We used to assume that some people are just plain

smarter than others. But now we realize that a lot of the differences in how people learn have to

do with learning styles. Some people may appear unintelligent because the way material is

presented to them doesn’t fit their learning style. They are actually quite smart when they are

allowed to learn according to their unique learning style.

I have three children. When they were small one of our favorite activities as a family was

reading books together. I would, for example, pick out a children’s book that told the story of a

bunny rabbit hopping through the woods. As I began reading the story, my oldest daughter would

start repeating the story after me! Frankly, I found this rather irritating. But what I have come to

realize since then is that my oldest daughter is an auditory learner. She learns best through the ear.

So when she was repeating the story after me she was reinforcing the content of the story in her

own mind. She was learning the way that worked best for her.
 59

My son seems to be more of a visual learner. So when I started reading the story about the

bunny hopping through the forest, he would get up and bound across the room to grab the book

out of my hands! What was he doing? He wanted to see the picture of the bunny hopping through

the forest! As a visual learner the story meant more to him when combined with the pictures that

could only be seen from the vantage point of my seat.

My youngest daughter is a kinetic learner. She learns best when she is wiggling or moving

around. So when she heard the story of the bunny hopping through the forest, she would get up

from her seat and go boing, boing, boing; hopping around the room. The story would have the

greatest impact on her if she could act it out.

These different learning styles certainly make things challenging for teachers. A classroom

seems to work best when children are quiet, stop their wiggling and stay in their seats. But all

three of my children find the typical classroom less than ideal for the way they were wired up. Are

they dumb? Absolutely not! Each of my children has demonstrated striking brilliance in one or

more areas. But each of them learns best when they are free to apply their unique learning style to

the educational situation.

The lesson for reaching and winning secular people is that the more we meet people where

they are, the more clearly they will hear the gospel. We need to meet people where they are

because that is the way people learn best.

Barriers Against Persuasion

A third reason to meet people where they are is that every human being has a built-in

barrier against persuasion. James Engel, in the book Contemporary Christian Communication,
 60

discusses this at some length.2 He notes that human information processing is highly selective. In

other words, human beings tend to see and hear what they want to see and hear. People are fully

capable of resisting attempts to influence them and there is no magic potion that guarantees that

the message you want to present will be taken seriously.

The average person has a strong barrier against persuasion. When somebody else comes

along with an idea that is radically different than what they believe, a psychological brick wall

goes up. And the more you pound against that wall, the more it is reinforced. Engel calls it a

“God-given defense” against unwanted persuasion. If someone approaches you in an unwanted

way, you have the capacity to tune them out! Even the most powerful advertising cannot force

people to act against their natural desires.

But there is a way around the “brick walls” that people put up. There is a way around

selective attention. It is to approach people in the area of their felt needs. A felt need is a point in

that person’s life where they are open to instruction. Students of world mission call this felt need

the point of contact, that point in a person or a group’s experience where an aspect of the gospel

intersects with conscious needs and interests.

Conclusion

The call to meet people where they are does not make life easier for those who wish to

reach and win secular people. Secular people are as diverse as snowflakes. Talk to twenty secular

people and you will discover twenty different felt needs that you have never met in quite that form

before. But meeting people where they are will prove to be a great adventure that will enrich your

2
Pages 47-57.
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life. We meet people where they are because that is what God does, that is how people learn, and

that is how to bypass the God-given human barrier against persuasion. When our lives are bathed

in prayer, this is the basic formula for success.

Meeting people where they are means that audience analysis is the first step in reaching

out to secular people. We need to listen first before we talk. People have the power to tune the

gospel out. If we fail to meet them where they are, the message will not reach them, even if it is

staring them in the face. We need to spend time discovering the felt needs of individuals and

groups before the gospel can be presented to them in power.

Before we go into more detail on the process of discovering people’s felt needs, it will be

helpful to present the basics of an overall strategy for reaching secular people. This will give us

the framework for all the parts that go into the process.

Questions for Review and Reflection

Review:
In your own words, summarize the three reasons we need to meet people where they are
in outreach. What are the limits to meeting people where they are?
What will the typical Adventist church have to do differently in order to truly meet people
where they are?

Reflection:
Which of the Scriptural evidences that God meets people where they are is the most
convincing to you? How would you lay out this evidence for someone who is criticizing the way
you are carrying out your ministry for secular people?
Have you noticed barriers against persuasion in your own life? What kinds of approaches
never work with you? Have you, nevertheless, tried the same approaches with others, even
though they felt uncomfortable to you?
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LESSON NINE

The Overall Strategy:

Living Like Salt in a Secular World

The shift to post-modern thinking naturally affects the way people approach faith and their

relationship to faith-based institutions. The Seventh-day Adventist Church will certainly not be

able to continue with business as usual in a post-modern world. I am not suggesting that the

Church discard the fortress model of evangelism entirely. The fortress model worked extremely

well in the age of Christian modernism and continues to work well in territories where a large

number of Christian modernists can be found, including immigrant cultures in North America,

Europe and Australia. But the increasing impact of secularism and post-modernism on the

mainstream cultures of the world can be better met by an incarnational model of outreach.

The salt model engages the church and society in a productive interaction. It has the

potential to rekindle the fires of outreach that have gone cold in the mainstream cultures of the

West. There are at least seven changes in traditional Adventist outreach that will be necessary if

we wish to reach secular post-moderns in significant numbers. Recognizing that we cannot ignore

the will of God in these matters, I provide Scriptural or historical support for each of these

changes.
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1) From Public to Relational Evangelism

Traditional Adventist outreach uses public meetings as the crucial factor in spiritual

“regime change.” But post-moderns are not usually comfortable in that kind of a setting. They are

not likely to come to the typical Adventist evangelistic series, nor are they likely to be moved by it

if they do come. Experience teaches that post-moderns are best reached one on one, through

friendships and mentoring relationships. One on one relationship allows people to explore

unfamiliar ideas at their own pace in a safe environment.

Such a shift in strategy is unquestionably supported by Scripture. Mentoring and

discipleship are at the heart of the Great Commission proclaimed by Jesus (Matt 28:19-20). There

is only one main verb in Matt 28:19-20. That verb does not express a command to hold public

meetings. Instead it is a command to “make disciples.” While meetings can be an aid to mentoring

relationships, the relationships themselves are the primary evangelistic strategy presented by Jesus

in this passage.

2) From Short Term to Long Term

Traditional Adventist evangelism is a short term project. A local church invests in public

meetings, tries to move people to baptism in 3-5 weeks, and then breathes a sigh of relief for the

next year or two. And this strategy can reach people who are at a point of transition, as is the case

with most immigrants. But a clear lesson learned from the New York Project attempted in the

aftermath of September 11 is that mainstream Americans do not join the Adventist Church in a

matter of 4-6 months. It takes a long term investment (at least 3-5 years) to make an impact in the

mainstream culture.
 64

In the past Adventists have not shown much patience for this kind of approach. But the

model of Jesus’ earthly ministry suggests that patience in evangelism should be the norm rather

than the exception. Jesus Himself, the most effective mentor the world has ever known, invested

three and a half years in just twelve people and even then suffered a dropout (Judas). We should

not expect things to move more rapidly with post-moderns in today’s world.

3) From Our Agenda to Felt Needs

Traditional Adventist outreach is based on a clear sense of what outsiders need to learn

from us. We give it to them the way we think they should hear it, and if they don’t get it, it is

“their problem.” Post-moderns, unfortunately, have proven quite disinterested in our traditional

agenda for their souls. They don’t feel that the answers we provide are addressed to questions

that matter to their lives.

A more successful approach is to listen before we talk. Through listening we can discover

the felt needs in the mainstream community and meet them in the power of the gospel. When I say

“felt needs” I don’t mean the needs that we think they should feel, but the needs that they

themselves feel they have. Paul articulated such a felt-needs approach in 1 Cor 9:19-23. “Become

all things to all people in order that you might save some.”

4) From Church-based to Neighborhood/Workplace Based

In the typical Adventist approach, meetings are held at the church building. Even if they

begin in a public hall, they are moved as soon as possible to the church venue. But post-moderns

are not likely to come to a church, even if they are interested in the topics being presented. On the
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other hand, mainstream Americans are found in every neighborhood and every workplace.

Adventists are located in the same neighborhoods and work places. To be successful in the

Western world you need to meet people where they are. So a move toward neighborhood and

workplace outreach is a step in the right direction.

Paul endorsed this type of approach when he used his skills as a tent-maker to meet the

mainstream people of his day. Spending large amounts of time at a tent workshop in the middle of

town enabled Paul to meet many people who would never have come to a synagogue. The

example of Paul as well as the realities of post-modernism suggest that we move from a church-

centered mission to a mission-centered church. The purpose of the church is not to be the goal of

mission, but the instrument through which the mission can be accomplished.

5) From One Way to a Multiplicity of Approaches

The typical Adventist evangelistic approach does not significantly differ from a schema

that goes all the way back to an evangelist named Simpson in 1902. Though there are variations,

the overall approach is fairly consistent. Those to whom it appeals respond very well, but in the

Western world, at least, the percentage of people that find it relevant seems to be declining fairly

rapidly.

Post-moderns are as diverse as snowflakes. The beautiful thing is that such diversity can

be countered with the kind of variety bequeathed by the Spirit (1 Cor 12-14). Truly Spirit-filled

Christians do not fit into a cookie-cutter mold, they are, in fact, rather unpredictable (John 3:8).

The variety of the Spirit’s gifts will lead to a multiplicity of approaches to meet the various

mindsets and felt needs of the post-modern seeker.

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6) From a Conversion to a Process Focus

Traditional Adventist evangelism focuses on conversion and baptism. Imagine a

continuum that goes from -10 to +10. -10 designates a person who has absolutely no knowledge

of God. +10 designates a fully devoted follower of God. The zero point is the point of conversion

and baptism. Traditional evangelism focuses on getting people from minus two into plus territory.

It is not considered successful unless there are baptisms as a result. But mainstream Americans

tend to be far deeper into the minus continuum than the typical evangelistic “interest.” This means

we have little or no impact in the mainstream community.

Salt evangelism, on the other hand, can occur even when there is no immediate baptism in

view. If a person moves from -8 to -6 on the scale, successful evangelism has occurred. The key

to a process focus is to encourage the people we are working to begin or continue moving in the

direction of Jesus. And process evangelism is not limited to reaching secular people. The idea of

process is also relevant to the “plus” side of the spectrum, nurturing baptized saints into a more

fully devoted discipleship.

The book Desire of Ages makes it clear that Jesus was dedicated to process evangelism.

Her best examples of process are found in her description of the way Jesus handled both Judas

and Peter. In both cases the journey was fitful and full of digressions and dead ends. Yet Jesus

continued to work with both of them and eventually succeeded with Peter. Jesus’ patience with

long, slow conversions is a good model for working with post-moderns.

7) From Church to Community

Adventists have grown accustomed to the idea that a community of believers has to have a
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building to meet in that is called a “church” and looks like a church. But post-moderns do not

think of “church” in positive terms. At some point in their experience they have been burned by

the church idea. In Britain, among other places, many post-moderns will cross the street rather

than walk by a church. The very style of the church building can be a turn-off. So an Adventist

community that is seriously interested in reaching post-moderns will consider new models for

community. Among the models that are being tried are cafes, health centers, gymnasiums and

“house churches.”

This may seem painfully radical to you, and perhaps even heretical. But you might be

shocked to find out that the oldest known church building in the Roman World is usually dated

somewhere between 250-300 AD. It is located at Dura-Europus in Syria. So for more than 200

years the early Christian church flourished without church buildings. Our fixation with such

structures today is a legacy of Constantine, a character we don’t normally take as a model of

sound New Testament thinking. In New Testament times most churches seem to have met in the

largest home available to the members in that area. So other forms of community are not contrary

to Scripture.

Conclusion

The above seven points set a basic strategy for reaching out to secular people in today’s

world. The “salt ministry” that is needed is in considerable contrast to the approached that work

among Christian moderns. We will need to become more flexible and have the kind of

understanding that Paul developed with Peter and James (Galatians 2). Recognizing that Jews and

Gentiles would not be reached by the same type of approach, Paul and the Jerusalem apostles
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“shook hands” on an agreement to go separate ways in mission (Gal 2:1-10). The differences

between them were for the sake of the mission.

Active group work for secular people is likely to stir up opposition among “fortress-style”

Adventists. So those who want to reach and win secular people also need to reach out to less

adventuresome colleagues and let them know two things. 1) Those who reach out to secular

people are as passionate about the mission and message of the Seventh-day Adventist Church as

those who operate in the “fortress mode” of outreach. 2) Those who minister as salt are not

rejecting the fortress, instead both approaches are necessary in order to meet people where they

are. Those reaching out to secular people need the support and encouragement of the fortress.

And they should be willing to offer support and encouragement in return.

Two Biblical Options for a Post-Modern World

Fortress Salt Biblical Basis

Public One to One/Relational Matt 28:19-20
Short Term Long Term Jesus’ Ministry
Our Agenda Felt Needs 1 Cor 9:19-23
Church-based Neighborhood/ Paul’s Tent Making

Workplace Based
One Way Spiritual Gift Based/ 1 Cor 12-14

Multiplicity of Approaches
Conversion Focus Process Focus Peter, Judas
Community as Church New Models for Community No Churches Until Fourth

(church = building) (homes, pubs, cafes) Century

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Questions for Review and Reflection

Review:
In your own words, summarize the seven changes in Adventist outreach that will be
necessary in order to have success with secular people. Which of these seven would be the most
stressful for the typical Adventist church? Why?
Do you think it is possible for the same church community to do outreach on the basis of
both salt and fortress models at the same time? What are some of the ways in which the two
approaches intersect?
In seeking to transition a church community from a fortress approach to a more salt-style
approach, what would you think is the best starting point?

Reflection:
Which of the seven salt-style ministries is your local community already involved in? What
changes has that brought into the way your community “does church?” Which of the seven would
be the most challenging for you personally?
In your city or county is there some “unentered area” that would provide a good setting
for a church plant focused on secular people? List all the Adventists you know that might be
excited and engaged by such an adventure. Where would you begin to get such a project rolling?
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LESSON TEN

A Personal Approach:
Meeting Needs Creatively

How can we share our faith in a secular world that is both modern and post-modern? How

do we get past the many barriers that secular people erect in order to protect themselves against

the unwanted influence of religion? A good place to start is to deal with secular people the same

way that Jesus dealt with people. And that is to meet them at the point of felt need, that place in

their life where they are searching for something better than they have now.

Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour
mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them,
ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, “Follow Me.”
MH 143

In this quotation the direct spiritual appeal is the last in a series of five steps. Jesus spent

time with people, “mingling” in conversation, showing sympathy, meeting their needs, and

winning their confidence. Only then did He challenge them with His unique mission. His method is

still the best method.

Note how closely this statement follows the salt side of the chart on the previous page.

Jesus worked for people one on one in the neighborhoods and workplaces where they could be

found. The approach He took was not a short-term approach, Jesus invested more than three

years in a handful of disciples, and most of them didn’t “get it” until after His death and
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resurrection. Jesus’ approached was centered on people’s needs, and was therefore individualized

to meet them where they were. And Christ’s method outlines a process. The goal is in mind, but

there are many steps along the way.

The Basic Needs of Secular People

A good starting point is to locate some basic felt needs of all secular people, modern or

post-modern. I will discuss only the needs that come the closest to direct spiritual interest.

Individual, more specific needs can only be determined by one on one contact. But these general

needs provide a good starting point in the Western mainstream. Adventism is uniquely well placed

to meet some of these needs.

1) A Need for Commitment to Something Greater

Secular people in a high-tech world generally feel a need for commitment to an issue, a

group or a person that is clearly greater than themselves. People cannot be satisfied with an

endless round of routine tasks. Meaning must come from outside the ordinary. People may seek

to meet that need by a commitment to the Los Angeles Lakers or the Washington Redskins. A far

less trivial substitute for faith would be patriotism or a passion for preserving the environment.

Adventism is uniquely positioned to make a difference here. Adventists can present the

greatest Person and the greatest issues that anyone could possibly commit themselves to. The

environment of the entire universe for all eternity is at stake in the work of the gospel. Keeping

the cautions of an earlier lesson in mind, the great controversy theme can be part of an attractive

witness after a certain level of personal credibility has been gained.

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2) Release from Guilt

While secular people may feel uncomfortable with the term “guilt” in light of its Judeo-

Christian associations, they recognize the need for release from the failure to live up to their own

expectations. Most persons, whether or not they know anything about the Ten Commandments,

have a sense that they are not living up to their own expectations for themselves. Secular people

often have a very strong sense of obligation, a strong sense of where they want to be in life. The

failure to achieve that leaves a sense of brokenness that cries out to be fixed. Many may deny that

brokenness, or drown it in alcohol, drugs, or promiscuity, but that brokenness can ultimately be

fixed only at the cross.

This opportunity among secular people challenges Adventists to ask ourselves the hard

question of whether we truly understand and appreciate the gospel. Until we do, we cannot meet

this deep need, not only of secular people, but of all human beings. I address the issue of a gospel

that can impact today’s world at length in my book Meet God Again for the First Time. The issue

is addressed more briefly in Knowing God in the Real World.

3) Genuine Relationships

Secular people have an urgent need for genuine relationships. They long for real

relationships with real people who care enough to be honest as well as loyal. People today live

noisy and distracted lives. They are rushing here and there and relationships tend to be

increasingly superficial. A committed Christian who is willing to enter into sensitive and authentic

relationship with a selected number of secular people will find open arms waiting.
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The church has a tremendous opportunity here to reach out to struggling, hurting, secular

people. Many have avoided church because of the perception that church people are inauthentic

and superficial, and thus incapable of meeting their deep relational needs. But as a high-tech

society makes it more difficult to maintain meaningful relationships, people are becoming open to

a wider variety of options in their search for genuine relationship.

4) Cosmic Philosophy

Although they may not always be conscious of the fact, secular people have a need for a

cosmic philosophy. While post-moderns may despair that a big-picture outlook can be achieved,

most human beings need to know that everything somehow fits together, that they belong to a

meaningful and ordered universe.

For Adventists the whole Great Controversy scheme is a great organizing principle for

one’s personal concept of the universe and one’s place in that universe. Adventists often take their

awareness of cosmic issues in the universe for granted. Just think what life would be like if you

had no idea where you came from, no idea how the world is going to end, no idea what the

universe beyond the telescope is like. At appropriate times, this sense of place in the larger

scheme of things can be quite meaningful in a secular context.

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5) Life-style Direction

Secular people these days are earnestly seeking direction for their lifestyles. The number

one selling category of books today is self-help; self-help for plumbing, self-help for home-repairs,

self-help for marriage, self-help for potty-training, etc. The big concern of most young people

today is that they do not know what to do with their lives. Basic life skills seem to be missing for

a large share of the mainstream population. They are open to help from any direction, provided it

directly touches base with felt needs, and speaks a language that is familiar and meaningful.

Frankly, there is no faith anywhere that offers more direction for people’s lifestyle than

does the Adventist faith. We offer suggestions for almost every area of life. I suspect that we do

not always present it in a way that is effective or meaningful, but there is much there that would

be of great interest in the secular context. If we can learn to present lifestyle guidelines from a

principled and logical perspective, rather than as rigid rules, we have much that will be attractive

to the average person on the street.

Conclusion

This brief look at some of the basic felt needs of secular people indicates that Seventh-day

Adventists have a marvelous opportunity to make major inroads into the secular community. In at

least three of the above areas, we have some unique things to contribute beyond what other

Christians know and practice.

It would seem that the best Adventist approach would be to aim at the felt needs in the

area of lifestyle, with particular emphasis on health, stress management, personal finance, and time

management. We have a unique niche in the area of health and lifestyle. After all, the longest lived
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demographic group in the world is vegetarian Adventists who live in California. We can also

integrate the help that people receive in specific areas into a comprehensive worldview (Great

Controversy/cosmic eschatology) that will provide unity and meaning to every area of people’s

lives. If we can learn to express our convictions in up-to-date language, we may be surprised at

the kind of people who will be anxious to become involved.

The Right Kind of Witness

There are at least four qualities that equip a person to be effective in reaching secular

people. While it is not necessary to be proficient in all four of these as a starting point, the more

skilled the witnesser the more effective the witness.

Identify with People

The first quality of a good “witness” to secular people is the ability to rapidly identify with

others, the ability to sense where they are coming from. People with this quality have an uncanny

ability to speed the process of relationship building. They are able to get close to others in a hurry,

to intuitively put themselves in other people’s shoes and see the world through their eyes.

Adventists, mirroring the nineteenth-century heritage of the American frontier, tend to be

rugged individualists. This individualism is reflected in the proliferation of private interest groups

at the fringes of Adventism today. The individualist attitude radiates, “If people see things

differently than we do it’s their problem.” But spiritual outreach across cultural lines requires

great sensitivity to other people’s ideas and feelings.

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Fresh and Creative Witness

The second quality that sets two-horizon people apart is the ability to offer a fresh and

creative witness when the circumstances demand it. A canned or pre-packaged approach is limited

in its impact to those few who are interested in what that particular kind of can contains. With

secular people it is necessary to “wing it” a lot more than most of us are accustomed to. Fresh and

creative witness means the ability to say something that you have never said before because a

particular situation requires it. Obviously, the only way we can do this is to be sensitive to the

leading of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit can impress you with the right word at the right time just as

He did with Jesus while He was here on earth.

Biblical Knowledge

A third quality essential to the secular witness is to know the Bible well. Secular people

almost never ask the questions that are found in the typical set of Bible lessons. They ask

questions that you have never dreamed of. The kind of Bible knowledge you need to reach and

win secular people does not happen overnight. The key is simply to spend a lot of time with the

Bible. And I don’t mean reading books about the Bible or studying Bible lessons. I really mean

studying the Bible itself. The broader your knowledge of the Bible’s big picture the more able you

will become to apply the Bible authentically to any and every situation. I have outlined the kind of

Bible study I have in mind here in The Deep Things of God, pages 79-92.

Common Language

The fourth quality that characterizes Christians who successfully interact with the secular
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environment is the use of basic, everyday language. There is a language that is common to all who

speak English, the kind of language used in magazines like Newsweek or in the daily newspaper.

These media utilize a basic 8,000-10,000 word vocabulary that communicate to virtually

everyone, whether or not they can read or write. We Adventists, on the other hand, often use our

own “in-house” language which communicates accurately only among us. Using common,

everyday language of the technical terms of Adventist religion is a learned behavior, but you will

get better and better at it with practice.

Conclusion

The basic principle of all outreach with the gospel is meeting people where they are. In

order to do that with secular people you have to begin by learning all you can about their needs

and interests in general. That will give you a good starting point for discovering the needs of

specific secular individuals.

The second key to reaching and winning secular people is to be the kind of person that

they will want to be reached by! The four qualities described briefly above are basic to that

personal profile. They require both involvement with the Holy Spirit and much effort and

experience. It is not necessary, however, to master all these areas before one can begin reaching

out to secular people.

The good news is that God enables those that He calls. If you feel called to develop an

outreach to secular people, I invite you to commit yourself before God to get the training and

experience that will make a difference in the quality of your efforts. The very best training,

however, lies in the doing, the subject of the next lesson.

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Questions for Review and Reflection

Review:
In your own words, summarize the five basic needs of secular people. Based on your
experience with family and friends, rank the five needs in order of importance to secular people.
Write a paragraph on each need, explaining why you ordered each need in the way you did.
Based on the statement in MH143, how do you think Jesus would relate to each of the
five basic secular needs? Write out an imaginary scenario of Jesus approaching a secular person
with that need in mind.
In your own words, summarize the four qualities that equip a person to be effective in
reaching secular people.

Reflection:
Which of the five basic needs of secular people has been most strongly affected by your
Adventist faith? How have you or would you use your experience to communicate effectively
with those you are trying to reach and win?
Reflect on the four qualities of a good witness in terms of your own strengths and
weaknesses. Which area is your strongest and why? Which of the four areas is the weakest? How
can you go about strengthening that area of weakness?
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LESSON ELEVEN

From Theory to Practice:

Reaching Out One to One

The preceding lesson concludes with a sobering reality. The greatest Adventist

shortcoming in dealing with secular people may be our failure to learn and use their language.

This may seem puzzling at first glance, since we may both be speaking English, Spanish or

German. But the way that secular people use language and the kinds of questions they ask are

radically different than the kinds of things Adventists talk about among themselves. Unless major

efforts are made, the gulf between the Adventist way of speaking and thinking and that of the

Western mainstream is not easily bridged.

So if we want to move from theory to practice, we will need to learn a whole new

language. We will need to understand the way secular people think, the things that trouble them,

the needs that drive their search for something better in their lives. How do you learn their

language in practical terms? The same way children learn language, by listening and talking. If you

never interact with secular people you will never truly learn how to reach them with the gospel.

But as we interact regularly with secular people over time, we will gradually learn how to

communicate effectively with them in practice.

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Creative Listening

How do you actually get close to a secular person? I know of no better way than what I

call “creative listening.” I define creative listening as the art of asking leading questions, questions

that gently zero in on what really matters in the other person’s life. Creative listening doesn’t

come naturally for me. I tend to talk too much and listen too little. So a willingness to listen is

fundamental. When we realize that reaching and winning secular people requires a listening ear we

will be motivated to be more attentive to what outsiders are saying and thinking.

The goal of “creative listening” is much more than just “passing the time.” Creative

listening aims to discover the felt needs that drive another person’s life. It means asking questions

that sensitively encourage another person to reveal those things that are of central concern in their

lives. Creative listening means learning to ask the right question at the right time. We invite the

other person to share their life’s experience with us.

Most people love to talk about themselves and they love others who are good listeners.

Through questions we invite a secular person to talk about his or her family, job, hopes, and

dreams. When we become more comfortable with a person and they become more comfortable

with us we can also ask about their fears and worries. We allow them to unpack their emotional

lives. Will you make mistakes when you do this? Will you overstep people’s boundaries and

embarrass yourself from time to time? Of course. But there is not better way to learn how to

reach and win secular people than to actually try doing it.

The Point of Contact

Creative listening, therefore, is the starting point for outreach to a secular world. We are
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trying to discover the felt needs that open a particular person to input from others. What are the

basic needs that motivate that person’s search for truth and self-betterment? Where is that person

hurting at that moment, what are the current problems in their lives that stimulate a desire for

something better?

As noted in an earlier lesson, every human being has a built-in barrier against

persuasion. They do not lightly change their minds on any topic. When somebody else comes

along with an idea that is radically different than what they believe, a psychological brick wall

goes up. And the more you pound against that wall, the more it is reinforced. But there is a way

around those walls, it is to approach people in the area of their felt needs. A felt need is a point in

that person’s life where they are open to instruction. Students of world mission call this felt need

the point of contact, that point in a person or a group’s experience where an aspect of the gospel

intersects with conscious needs and interests.

This felt need principle, however, introduces some complexity into the process, because

secular people are as diverse as snowflakes. If you talk to ten secular people you may discover ten

different felt needs at a given time, none of which you have ever met in quite that form before.

Without a fresh and creative approach, the situation may appear hopeless. But although the

attempt will have its ups and downs, it is a great adventure that will enrich the life of everyone

who thrives on adventure.

Door to Door Listening

How do you put the felt need principle to work on a large scale, such as a church outreach

ministry? The most basic strategy is “listening” to the community you are planning to reach. It is
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helpful to begin such listening with demographic studies. Put some of your teens to work on the

Internet, searching out all the information they can about your target audience, whether that is a

particular neighborhood, ethnic group or age segment (such as teen-agers or seniors). You can

also talk to your pastor or conference leadership about marketing studies related to specific zip

codes. These studies give you an idea of how well a particular community responds to Adventist

outreach. Or you can contact the Institute of Christian Ministry at Andrews University for

assistance.

The general information available through demographic studies can become the basis for

the next step, which I call door to door listening. Based on what your church group knows about

your target audience, create a short survey that attempts to discover more specific and detailed

felt needs that are common in the target community. As early returns from the survey come in, it

is important to modify the survey itself on the basis of the feed-back. The bonus to this “door to

door listening” is that your survey agents will have plenty of opportunities to become acquainted

with secular people they would not otherwise have met. These opportunities can lead to beautiful

friendships.

After listening to the community it is helpful to survey the church to find out what

resources and interests are available. The ideal outreach program will be one in which the needs of

the community and the spiritual gifts of the church intersect. The neighborhood survey indicates

where the “fertile fields” are, it identifies people and groups who are open in specific areas of

needs. And when felt needs emerge, the Spirit will move on the hearts of believers to take action!

There is one further area of listening to the community besides demographics, surveys and

personal friendships. It can be tremendously helpful to get acquainted with the “movers and
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shakers” in a community. Whether the community is large or small, there are local leaders that

have their fingers on the pulse of a community. They would include the mayor of a town, the

supervisor of a township or urban neighborhood. They would include the principals of the public

and private schools, the chief of police or of the local precinct. A look at local newspapers will

bring out other influential individuals, from columnists to sports coaches to medical professionals

to business people. A pastor or influential lay person would be the ideal person to get interviews

with such people and get an educated sense of what makes a particular community “tick.”

The more you know about the felt needs of people and of communities, the more accurate

will be the church’s response to the mainstream culture. We have to learn before we can earn the

right to teach.

Kindness Ministries

Another way a small group can have a large impact on the community is through kindness

ministries. I am aware of a church plant with a regular attendance of ten adults and a $1500

budget that contacted 20,000 people in just one year. And every contact involved at least a smile,

a word of encouragement and perhaps a handshake. In other words, these 20,000 contacts

involved real human interaction.

Did it require extensive training or specialized skills? Not at all. Anyone can so “kindness

ministries,” all you need is a desire to do something nice for other people. Kindness ministries

build enthusiasm, energy, and a sense of mission among church members. They increase the

church’s name recognition and establishe a positive reputation in the community. Kindness

ministries involve “random acts of kindness,” opportunities to express God’s love in a practical
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way.

So how did that tiny church plant make twenty thousand contacts in 12 months? They

started with a table at the local community college’s orientation day. They gave away formatted

computer disks (very popular), notebooks, pencils, cookies, brownies, cups for a soft drink,

copies of outreach magazines, and entry forms for a prize drawing. Members sat at the table and

offered a smile, answered questions, and assured students that everything was free. Contacts were

made at the rate of 50 or so an hour and many students took the outreach materials.

The same group supplied treats and stickers for children at their city’s annual parade,

roses to hospitals on Mother’s Day, Christmas ornaments and cookies to local fire and police

departments. They gave out thousands of valentines declaring God’s love. For Father’s Day, they

gave small tape measures to Dads, along with the words to the popular song, “The Measure of a

Man.” Depending on the situation, the group has given away sunscreen, toilet paper, light bulbs

and rulers. With each item they provide a business card with the name of the church, address,

meeting hours and contact information, along with the words “showing God’s love in practical

ways.”

People who participate in kindness ministries usually want to do it again, because of the

sheer joy people get out of doing something for others. And it doesn’t usually take long before

people contact the church, sometimes with heartfelt thanks for these small acts of kindness. When

such a church group takes out an ad in the paper, or puts a flyer on a bulletin board, many who

see the publicity are already favorably disposed toward the church. Combining kindness ministries

with community surveys are excellent ways of knowing and becoming known. For a fuller

discussion of kindness ministries, with lots of ideas, see “Conspiracy of Kindness: A Refreshing
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Approach to Sharing the Love of Jesus With Others,” or more recently, “Changing the World

with Kindness,” both by Steve Sjogren.

Patience

Patience is extremely important when working with secular people. To move from a

totally secular environment to a commitment to Adventistism is not going to happen in two or

three weeks. In my experience it averages about two years. This is long-term salt ministry, and it

may be more appropriate to elders than to pastors in some circumstances. The key people who

develop a relationship with a secular person need to be around when he or she goes all the way

with Christ.

Mass media advertising has led to a situation where educated secular people have

difficulty believing anything that is offered in the public square. Propaganda is not interested in

truth, only in persuasion. Thus in the secular environment, when an individual makes a strong

statement about the certainty of his or her belief that statement is automatically suspect. Basic to

reaching the secular mind, therefore, is an attitude of honesty and openness to discovery.

Secular people are attracted to those who are willing to admit that their understanding of

truth is subject to limitation and distortion. The open forum setting is actually much more

persuasive for them than an assertive lecture. Through listening and dialoguing, we show respect

for the viewpoint of others and encourage a similar respect in return. Such an approach will

require patience, however, as secular people do not normally experience rapid conversions to

Christian faith. But God has been patient with this earth for thousands of years, a year or two

more to make friends for eternity is a small sacrifice!

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Questions for Review and Reflection

Review:
In your own words, summarize the main points of this lesson.
Develop a glossary of typical words which isolate Adventists from the daily language of
secular people. Make it a habit each day to try out substitutes for these words drawn from the
everyday language spoken in your community.
Write out a paragraph for each major Adventist doctrine that utilizes “in-house” language.
Write out alternative ways to express each of these teachings in everyday language.
Develop a survey instrument that you think might draw out the felt needs of people in
your community. Try it out on your Adventist family and friends first. Then try it out on
neighbors and non-SDA relatives. After modifications, try it out on people you don’t know. A
good survey instrument is an excellent basis for positive contacts in the community.

Reflection:
Think of two or three secular people that you already know. They can be friends,
neighbors or relatives. After much prayer, write out a plan to meet needs and strengthen your
relationship with each person. Consider ways in which biblical truth can make a difference in each
person’s life. What kind of setting or scenario would be an ideal context for addressing spiritual
needs with that person?
In order to make sure you are being faithful to the essence of Adventism, put your
alternative ways of describing Adventist beliefs (from Review section above) to the test when
speaking with Adventist family and friends. Then try the language out on secular friends and
family to see if you have, in fact, avoided the Adventist tendency to speak only to ourselves.
Practice “creative listening” at least an hour a day with your spouse or a close friend. They
will love you for it anyway. Practice finding the “point of contact,” the place where your spouse
or friend is currently open to information.
Consider your own personal history with God. At what points in your life did God need a
great deal of patience with you? What can you learn from these experiences that will carry over
into your efforts to reach and win secular people?
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LESSON ELEVEN

Outreach as a Church:
Mending the Dis-connect Between Church and Society

Life might be simpler if reaching and winner secular people were purely a “one-on-one

activity. But one cannot reach out to secular people in a vacuum. At some point one needs to

confront the inevitable tension between the way the church does things and the way mainstream

people respond. We have to struggle with the question of how the Adventist horizon and the

secular horizon can come together without compromising the best qualities of either. So at some

point we have to ask the question, What can a local church or conference do to make a bigger

impact in the secular environment?

Educate the Church

First of all, churches and groups of Adventists need to be educated regarding the
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challenges of both secularism and post-modernism. Many still believe that the strategies of the

past will work if implemented with sufficient faith and vigor. But while faith, prayer, and a

principled commitment to Adventist beliefs need not present barriers to secular post-modern

people, business as usual will not accomplish the task. Secular post-moderns need and deserve a

whole new way of outreach.

We also need to educate the church about the problem of horizons. Members need a lot of

listening and learning before they will be effective in reaching secular neighbors, friends, and

family. The Bible does not offer a single, rigid model for outreach and evangelism. Since most

members are uncomfortable with change, they need to learn that change in the area of outreach

will bring us into conformity with Scripture rather than the reverse.

Multiply Ministries

As part of the process of education, we need to encourage a multiplicity of ministries.

Secular people are as diverse as snowflakes. They tend to respond in unique ways and are not

normally reached in large groups. The only way, therefore, to counter the pluralism of society is

with the pluralism of the Holy Spirit, an explosion of all kinds of outreach ministries empowered

by the Spirit (John 3:8). This will not come from central planning but from the members

empowered to discover the unique roles God has designed for each person.

Nothing will “energize the laity” as much as discovering God’s unique plan for each

person’s life and outreach. No pastor can reach the secular community by himself or herself. It

takes an army of people working under the empowerment of the Spirit. When a church activates

the energy of the Spirit, it is amazing the different kinds of ministries that will emerge. A spirit-
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driven multiplicity of ministries is the perfect compliment to the incredible diversity of secular

post-modernism.

The Role of the Workplace

The best place to reach secular people is the workplace. It is in the workplace that

Seventh-day Adventists come in contact with the mainstream of society, not at church. But many

opportunities are lost because the outreach possibilities of the workplace are either misused or go

unnoticed. While some have made misguided or unethical attempts to evangelize the workplace,

we must not throw out the baby with the bath water. The workplace provides unparalleled

opportunities for relationship with secular post-moderns. It also provides the context for

demonstrating the difference that Christian faith can make in the non-religious environment.

If the work place is the best place for evangelism, then Seventh-day Adventists need to

enter a wide variety of professions. The possibilities are especially large in media, education,

journalism, and the arts because these are the occupations that have the greatest influence over

the mainstream of society. Adventists involved in media or the arts will face serious challenges to

their faith and much criticism from fellow believers. But they will be acting in harmony with

counsel we received many years ago.

Men are needed who pray to God for wisdom, and who, under the guidance of
God, can put new life into the old methods of labor and can invent new plans and new
methods of awakening the interest of church members and reaching the men and women
of the world. (MS 117, 1907 [quoted in Ev 105])
Means will be devised to reach hearts. Some of the methods used in this work will
be different from the methods used in the work in the past; but let no one, because of this,
block the way by criticism. (RH, Sept 30, 1902)
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Encourage Constructive Change in Worship

While public evangelism often succeeds in increasing baptisms, it does not always result in

sustained church growth. One reason for this is that the people didn’t join a Saturday morning

church. They joined a church that met five nights a week, used lots of visual aids, and had exciting

music performed by professionals. After baptism people are expected to settle for once a week,

few visual aids if any, and a piano or organ played with a minimum of enthusiasm. A little

reflection indicates that the quality of Sabbath worship is crucial to sustaining church growth, not

just among secular people, but in general.

Many SDA churches, therefore, are finding that a relevant and vibrant worship service has

powerful, word-of-mouth drawing power upon the unchurched. Those who have fallen away from

church attendance because the worship service seemed boring, manipulative, and out of touch

with their lives, are often open to giving church another chance when the worship service is

interesting and speaks powerfully to real issues in the real world. Following are some suggestions

for making worship a friendlier place to secular people.

1) Everyday Language

A non-controversial, yet significant enhancement to worship is the use of common,

everyday language in prayer, praise and preaching. While it may take a while for people to learn

how to do this, the goal would be to express all aspects of our faith in the kind of language that is

understood on the street, rather than in the specialized language of Adventism. It is incredibly

frustrating to be involved in a search for God only to discover that you will have to learn a new

language in order to learn anything about Him from His people! God meets people where they
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are, so when we are using everyday language, we are following His example.

2) Take-Home Value

A second enhancement to worship in the secular post-modern context is to make sure that

whatever happens on Sabbath morning has high “take-home value,” in other words, is usable

outside of Sabbath hours. People need to hear things they can apply on Monday, Tuesday, and

Wednesday mornings. A demonstration of practical, living Christianity is an attractive force that

invites others to inquire further into godliness.

We will become effective in presenting how a Christian copes with Monday morning when

we ourselves have wrestled honestly with the issues people face at home, in the neighborhood,

and on the job. When we ourselves know how to walk with God every day of the week, we will

be able to learn how to teach others to do the same. The churches that are making the greatest

impact on mainstream society today are emphasizing practical Christianity.

3) Excellence

Although we demand quality in the products we buy, the motels we stay in or the

programming we enjoy, we somehow expect an unchurched person to enjoy a half-hearted

sermon or a thoroughly butchered song. Less than the best isn’t good enough anymore. The

music, the Scripture, prayer, and even the announcements are worthy of careful planning and

skilled execution.

One of the best ways to enhance excellence in any operation is to evaluate and critique on

a regular basis. As threatening as evaluation may be, if we are serious about excellence, we need
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to constantly get feedback regarding the quality of our efforts for God. The ministries and

services of a church should constantly be measured in relation to the Word of God and the needs

of the people being served. No one should consider themselves exempt, not even the pastor. The

evaluation process is often painful, but results in more effective ministry.

4) Grab People’s Attention

A fourth area that can make a difference is directly related to the reality of the media.

Worship needs to be more visual and attention-grabbing than before. In a media age people’s

attention cannot be taken for granted. In today’s world, we may only have five or ten seconds to

make a case for people to take the sermon seriously, for example. To grab people’s attention is in

harmony with the example of Christ, who had a fascinating way of asking those little rhetorical

questions like, “Which of these two sons really obeyed his father?”

Music, if it is done well, can enhance the attention quotient of a worship service. Equally

effective is the use of visual aids to communication, such as computer presentations, and the

judicious use of video and drama. The visual arts can bring home spiritual lessons with incredible

power. If the people in your church are dead-set against the word “drama,” utilize the children’s

story with an eye to also impacting the adults. Co-ordinate it with the sermon, the hymns, and the

Scripture reading; make the whole service a single piece. Adults love the children’s story, so it is

possible to make the worship service more interesting without offending everybody.

5) Strong, Spiritual Tone

Critical to worship renewal is a strong spiritual tone. Truth is not enough to keep people
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in church today. People need to experience a living God. When secular post-moderns decide to

come to church it is because they sense that the living God is present there. They are drawn to

churches where the people know God and know how to teach others to know God. Everything

that is done, whether it is the sermon, the special music, or the prayer needs to be driven by the

spiritual vitality of those who participate.

6) Authenticity

This brings us to the sixth area of potential improvement in Adventist worship, and

probably the most important one. People today are crying out for examples of genuine, authentic

Christianity; or to use street terms, being real. So often in Adventist churches, people are just

going through the motions, playing church. But secular post-moderns seem to have a sixth sense

about who is genuine and who is not. They can smell phony Christians a mile away.

The most effective path to true authenticity is to cultivate genuineness each day in a

devotional encounter with God. Christ can help you to see yourself as others see you. In Christ it

is possible to learn how to truly be yourself. As we reach out to the secular people in our

communities, we will discover that one of the best ways to find the point of contact in another

person is through our own confession of need. People are reluctant to make themselves vulnerable

to others. But if we allow ourselves to be vulnerable with them (at the appropriate time and in an

appropriate way) they may feel comfortable to share their deepest needs and concerns with us. I

have written at length on this important subject in my book Knowing God in the Real World.

Transitioning Secular People Into the Church

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No matter how “seeker-friendly” a worship service may be there is much about the

corporate personality of traditional churches that makes it hard for secular people to feel at home

there. A critical component to any corporate outreach to mainstream society is the provision of

some sort of “half-way house” between the “world” and the church. What I mean by a half-way

house are things like small groups, distinctive worship services, or non-traditional gatherings

(such as parties or focused seminars) in a neutral location.

The spiritual sub-culture is a setting where secular post-moderns who are interested in the

church, but don’t quite fit socially or politically, can get the spiritual direction that they need.

While church is usually designed with the needs and interests of traditional members in mind, the

goal of the sub-culture is to do business in such a way that the needs and interests of secular post-

moderns drive everything that is done. A subculture aimed at the secular mindset would

intentionally avoid the minor irritations that drive secular people away from churches.

By means of these sub-cultures, one can provide a door to the church for people who

wouldn’t feel at home in the church otherwise. Over a period of time many secular people will

gradually make the transition from the sub-culture into the main body of the church. Others may

attend the sub-culture for two or three years and indicate no further interest in the church.

Patience will certainly need to be the watchword in this vital ministry to secular people. It takes

time for people out of the mainstream to be integrated and grown into Adventist ways of thinking

and doing. But when we realize how long God has waited for us to come around on one issue or

another, we will want to deal with people the way He has dealt with us.

Questions for Review and Reflection

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Review:
In your own words, summarize the main points of this lesson.
Utilizing what you have learned in this manual, develop the outline of an education
program for your own church. What kinds of insights would be the most helpful in aiding your
fellow members to more effectively reach and win secular people?
What kind of “sub-cultures” could be developed in your local church? How would you
encourage such sub-cultures to get started?

Reflection:
What are some of the gifts and talents in your local church that could be utilized in an
effort to reach secular people? How do these gifts and talents intersect with the basic needs of
secular people and the specific needs of your community?
What aspects of your local church’s life and worship would tend to repel secular people?
What areas would your church be open to change and what areas will tend to remain obstacles to
secular seekers? What opportunities are there in your church and community for a new church
plant?