Listented to Carey interviewed on my brother's Unseminary podcast about Change. Fantastic stuff. Best line for me was: "Are these the people to build the future of our church on?"
Original Post - September 4th 2013
Carey Nieuwdorf's post Why You Need to Stop Thinking Your Church is For Everyone is a great one-stop-shop on the thinking behind the long standing conviction they drilled into us at church planter's boot camp on the need to "define your target audience".
Great post.
Without wanting to be accused of proof texting, i would ever so gently offer that not only is that strategy a sound one from an organizational, financial, vision and staffing perspective but also from a Biblical one as well. (Wish Carey had included at least 1 or 2 Bible verses.)
Jesus - even though we don't like to admit it - had a target audience.
Without going all dispensational on everyone Jesus wanted his movement to start from within a particular brand of Judaism: synagogue, dispersed country Judaism of the Pharisees as opposed to the Temple-based, Jerusalem oriented, high court Judaism of the Sadducees. More than that he wanted it to start within a particular breed of Jew as well: Galileans.
We know this from the many times he and his movement was associated with Galilee, sometimes even in a pejorative fashion:
John 1:46
“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.
Luke 24:19
“What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.
Matthew 21:11
The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Acts 2:7
Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?
Why did Jesus choose so many Galileans as his first disciples? Why were the majority of his miracles performed there? Why was most of his teaching done with 5km of the Sea of Galilee?
There are a lot of historical arguments about why.
1. Galileans were of mixed racial and religious heritage with a history of revolting against the "powers that be" whether they were Jewish, Roman or Persian. So Jesus' disciples would have been naturally pre-disposed to adopt a "new" teacher and teachings... especially if what he was calling for was a new empire... the kingdom of God.
2. Thanks to their aquaculture and proximity to the Via Maris, Galileans had commercial ties that spanned the Nile, Mediterranean and Mesopotamian basins which gave them personal and professional contacts along which Jesus' message could travel.
3. Even though they spoke "the country language" of Aramaic (see Jesus' use of it here), thanks to their commercial ties Galileans would have had to have a working knowledge of many languages in order to buy, trade and transport their dried fish throughout the world.
But over and above these historical and cultural reasons, no doubt the reason Jesus chose to focus his ministry in Galilee was the spiritual one, these people had been destined and prepared by God for the good news of the Kingdom. Isaiah 9:1-3:
But over and above these historical and cultural reasons, no doubt the reason Jesus chose to focus his ministry in Galilee was the spiritual one, these people had been destined and prepared by God for the good news of the Kingdom. Isaiah 9:1-3:
9 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
So picking a target audience - ultimately - is not simply about "choosing any old group" or the "group that your church fits best". It is about discerning God's design and will for your church or church plant through knowing Him, yourself AND your community context as intimately as possible.
What are the best ways you have found to get to know your community as intimately as possible? My brother @richbirch has some great ones here.
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