Alabama's communities have changed dramatically in recent decades both culturally and demographically. There are now many religious and ethnic groups across the state. In order to transform communities with the gospel, Baptists must understand each community's unique dynamics, create customized ministry approaches, embody a biblical faith community, and demonstrate God's love and compassion. As the population shifts, congregations will need to transition to reaching diverse groups through equipping lay missionaries and multiplying ministries rather than just church growth programs. This will allow churches to impact their changing communities for Christ.

1. Reaching Alabama Regions
Missional Insights
Transforming Communities
Inside this issue:
faces different spiritual issues,
Over the last decades, Alabama
Northern Region fosters very different lifestyles,
communities have dramatically
creates unique social enclaves, and
changed culturally, spiritually, as
North Central Region produces unique ministry settings.
well as demographically. Today,
In order to see our communities
the buckle of the “Bible Belt” is
South Central Region transformed by the gospel, we will
dotted with twenty Mosques, three
need to bring the gospel to bear
Hindu Temples, fourteen Buddhist
upon these social environments.
Centers, one Confucius Institute,
Southeastern Region Community transformation begins
sixteen Jewish Synagogues, one Sikh
with four key actions on our part:
Temple and forty-nine Wicca and
Gulf Coast Region Pagan groups.
• Identifying the social & cultural
dynamics of each community.
Ninety-two different languages are
spoken at home in Alabama. While
Missional Resources • Creating customized ministry
many of these groups are small in With over 64% of the state unreached,
for Making a Alabama Baptists are becoming Difference
approaches that address the
number, the largest language groups
Makers in their communities and their
Difference lifeviews & spiritual issues that are
include: Spanish, German, French, congregations.
embedded in the community.
Mandarin, Vietnamese, Korean,
In the coming decade all of us Evangelical believers have become a
Arabic, Japanese, Italian, Tagalog,
will be called upon to make a minority voice in our communities
• Embodying a biblical faith
Hindi and Greek.
difference in transitioning across the state. However, by God's
community whose identity is based
congregations and transforming grace, Alabama Baptists can be used
on our relationship to God and one
Across the state of Alabama six very
communities. by God to see real community
another through Jesus Christ.
different social environments may
transformation occur through the
be found. Each social environment
The ALSBOM has partnered power of the gospel.
• Demonstrating God's love and
produces its own cultural context,
with IICM to make a number compassion to those who are in
cultural practices and cultural
of research reports available to need around us.
values. Each social environment
Alabama Southern Baptists at a
nominal cost.
Transitioning Congregations
1. MISSIONVIEW – a report
for churches to view their Someone once said that Southern the groups they are trying to reach. Churches will need to transition from
church and their community. Baptists have been very successful at The days of a “one size fits all” church growth to church multiplication.
reaching those who are like them, but approach are over. Church growth was all about
2. MISSIONSITE – a report the problem today is that the number “growing your church” by adding
for associations and church of people who are “like us” is Churches will need to transition to programs, buildings and budgets.
planters to identify church shrinking. This appears to be true not equipping lay missionaries to reach out to Church multiplication comes through
planting locations. only nationally but here in Alabama. different types of people (Eph 4:11- the multiplication of spirit-led lay
From 2003-2007, only 8.59% of the 16). Based on the missional roles that leaders (1 Tim 2:2). Through multi-
3. MISSIONCRAFT – a Alabama population worshiped in an God has given them, lay missionaries plying lay leadership, growing
report “power point” for ALSBOM church on Sunday. If we will need to be trained in culturally churches will multiply ministries,
associations to understand their are going to reach Alabama for Christ, appropriate methods to: start new plateauing churches will become
missional situation. congregations will need to make ministries and congregations, present revitalized, declining churches will
significant transitions in the years the gospel in ways that specific groups arrest their inertia, and new churches
Links to order forms will be ahead. can understand and respond, nurture will be started.
available through the ALSBOM new believers in the faith, train
website. The 21st century trends signal that
Churches will need to make believers to become ministry and
transitions to reach various types of ethnic, missional leaders, and understand significant cultural shifts lie ahead.
In partnership with the: community and congregational Today all churches need to equip their
lifestyle, lifestage, and socio-religious groups.
This means that churches will need to cultures. members to rise to meet the challenge.
develop contextual ministries (1 Cor
9:21-24) – culturally appropriate for
For 2010 - 2020

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© Copyright 2009 by the Intercultural Institute for Contextual Ministry and its data suppliers.

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Interculturally Focused, Missionally Driven

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