Sustainability benchmarks

Introduction

Sustainability, a word coined around 1982, is now the leading idea and one of the most used words in politics, economics, environmental protection, social welfare, education, in development aid, in finance. It is also talked about in BESJ, There are over 1 million entries on the internet about sustainability.

Does BESJ have any reason to talk about sustainability? Let's look back. We can look back on tremendous growth. The number of affiliated congregations increased to 293. The average number of children and leaders per congregation increased from 29.4 (1992) to 63.75 (2004). The total number of children and leaders increased from 7,468 (1992) to 18,659 (2004). During the same period, the number of participants in BESJ training courses increased from 3,200 to 4,000. Former leaders are now involved in church leadership. Many leaders are now in full-time ministry. Children's ministry has a higher status in the churches, former leaders have become pillars in many churches. Many children came to faith.

We have much reason to rejoice, to be thankful and to worship!

But we have cause to be concerned about the sustainability of our work. I also observe much that is painful:

leaders/children and faith

• Leaders are suddenly away from the faith
• Former children no longer want to know about faith
• Believers stop, become lukewarm
• Fruit bearing withers or stops altogether

Community integration

• Children/teens are not only difficult to win to the church we are not succeeding enough in winning the biological church offspring to Jesus and the church.

Leader Outreach Duration / Team

• Leadership deployment time is decreasing
• Main leaders are getting younger because there are no others
• The average age of teams is dropping. Young people on the team are good but often missing
• People who are a bit more mature and bring other aspects to a team
• Willingness to take responsibility is decreasing

Differences with non-believers

• The value standards of many believers are little different from the world
• Christians in society are often not salt and light
• Christians live their lives as if Jesus and His Word do not exist

Reaching the unreached

• The percentage of "church-distanced" people reached is declining

Faith content and foundations Faith is increasingly mutating into an emotional event Biblical doctrine is losing ground, thus Christians are becoming more and more manipulable - they can no longer check and discern based on the Word of God

And the despite....

... Investment in general

What does the Bible say about this?

(for entire article, see: Measures of Sustainability_YW.pdf)

Source reference:

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