Spiritual Maturity
among Southern Baptists in Kentucky
Annual Meeting
November 14, 2007
Slide 2
The mission of
Kentucky Baptist Churches
Mission Statements from SBC church websites in KY
• “Our purpose … is to bring people to
Jesus and His church, to teach and
equip them for ministry, resulting in
gain for God's kingdom and glory to
His name.”
• Our church “is committed to reaching
the world for Jesus Christ by
equipping every member to be on
mission with God.”
Slide 3
The mission of
Kentucky Baptist Churches
Mission Statements from SBC church websites in KY
• “To bring people to Jesus and
membership in His family, to develop
them into Christ-like maturity and
equip them for their ministry in the
church and mission in the world in
order to glorify God's name.”
• “To introduce all people to a life-long
journey with Jesus!”
Slide 4
The mission of
Kentucky Baptist Churches
Mission Statements from SBC church websites in KY
• A passion for Christ: to reach, to
teach, to serve, to grow, to love
• “To help all people to be fully
devoted followers of Christ, in
authentic community, for the good
of the world.”
Slide 5
The mission of
Kentucky Baptist Churches
Mission Statements from SBC church websites in KY
• “We seek to learn, live and
proclaim Christ’s message of
grace, hope and love through
worship, fellowship and service.”
Slide 6
The mission of
Kentucky Baptist Churches
What is the current status of
your church’s mission?
Slide 7
Nationwide Research Study
• A representative sample of 2,500
American adults who attend a
Protestant church once a month or
more was surveyed
• A demographically balanced online
panel was used for the interviewing
• Surveys were conducted during
May 2007
Slide 8
KBC Research Study
• A representative sample of 223 adults in
Kentucky who attend an SBC church was
also interviewed, using the same
questionnaire
• Respondents were not informed the
research was being conducted on behalf
of LifeWay Research or the Kentucky
Baptist Convention
• Sample size provides 95% confidence that
sampling error does not exceed +6.6%
Slide 9
Measuring Spiritual Maturity
• The survey consisted of 63
elements of discipleship, 16
elements of doctrine, as well as
demographic questions.
• Beliefs, desire to follow, and some
actions were measured on a fivepoint agree-disagree scale
• The other actions were measured
as a frequency or indicating a onetime event
Slide 10
Measuring Spiritual Maturity
• Each response was scored as Top
(most positive; closest to ideal),
Positive, or Negative/neutral
• For example, “agree strongly” that “I
believe everything I have belongs to
God” would be a Top response
• A Positive response would be either
“agree strongly” or “agree somewhat”
with that statement
Slide 11
Total Discipleship Scores
Slide 12
Average of ideal responses on all elements in all domains
Average Spiritual Maturity Scores
• On average, 40% of Kentucky Southern
Baptists gave the top response on any
given element of spiritual maturity
• An additional 25% of Kentucky Southern
Baptists gave a positive response on any
given element of spiritual maturity
KY SBC
Among
Kentucky
Southern
Baptists
40%
25%
Top
0%
20%
Positive
40%
60%
80%
100%
Slide 13
Beliefs about Life after Death
When you die, you will go to Heaven because…
You have confessed your sins
and accepted Jesus as Savior
79%
15%
You tried to be a good person
God loves everyone
3%
No way to know
3%
Christian activities
0%
No life after death
0%
0%
Among Kentucky Southern Baptists;
Response options abbreviated here
20%
40%
60%
80% 100%
Slide 14
Spiritual Maturity of
Kentucky Baptist Laity
What areas need the
most work?
Slide 15
Average of ideal responses on all elements in all domains
Average Scores by Domain
I: Learning the Truth
39%
II:Obeying God/ Denying Self
43%
III: Serving God and Others
41%
IV: Sharing Christ
38%
24%
45%
VI: Seeking God
47%
30%
Doctrinal
30%
24%
V: Exercising Faith
VII: Building Relationships
20%
22%
25%
67%
0%
All Domain Questions
28%
20%
Top
40%
60%
Positive
10%
80%
100%
Slide 16
Domain I
Learning the Truth
Slide 17
Learning the Truth
Domain I
Desire to
Follow
Belief
Action
I desire to please and honor Jesus in
all that I do (87% Agree strongly or
somewhat)
A Christian should consider
himself/herself accountable to other
Christians (66% Agree)
Read the Bible a few times a week or
more (46%)
Among Kentucky Southern Baptists
Slide 18
Domain II
Obeying God/Denying Self
Slide 19
Obeying God/ Denying Self
Domain II
When I come to realize some aspect of
my life is not right in God’s eyes, I make
the necessary changes (77% Agree)
I am generally a different person in
public than I am in private (61%
Disagree)
Reading and studying the Bible has not
made significant changes in the way that
I live my life (59% Disagree)
Among Kentucky Southern Baptists
Slide 20
Domain III
Serving God and Others
Slide 21
Serving God and Others
Domain III
Belief
I believe everything I have belongs to
God (91% Agree)
Desire to
Follow
With reference to my values and
priorities, I can honestly say that I try
to put God first in my life (79% Agree)
Action
Currently volunteer your time to serve
in any capacity or role within your
church (49%)
Among Kentucky Southern Baptists
Slide 22
Current Lay Leadership within the
Church
Percent of laity involved in different types of service
100%
80%
60%
49%
40%
27%
20%
15%
0%
Any Type of
Service
Among Kentucky Southern Baptists
Teaching or
Mentoring
Leadership
Function
Slide 23
Domain IV
Sharing Christ
Slide 24
Sharing Christ
Domain IV
Belief
Action
It is every Christian’s
responsibility to share the Gospel
with non-Christians (87% Agree)
I intentionally spend time building
friendships with non-Christians
for the purpose of sharing Christ
with them (31% Agree)
Slide 25
Sharing Christ
Percent who shared 1+ times in last 6 months
100%
80%
60%
40%
51%
57%
20%
0%
Among
Kentucky
Southern
Baptists
Shared how to become Invited an unchurched
a Christian
person to church
Slide 26
Domain V
Exercising Faith
Slide 27
Exercising Faith
Domain V
Belief
Actions
Among
Kentucky
Southern
Baptists
I believe that God has a purpose for
all events in my life, regardless of
whether I perceive each event as
being good or bad (95% Agree)
I express praise and gratitude to
God even in difficult circumstances
(80% Agree)
My life is often filled with anxiety
and worry (37% Disagree)
Slide 28
Domain VI
Seeking God
Slide 29
Seeking God
Belief
Action
Among
Kentucky
Southern
Baptists
Domain VI
Your Christian faith is very important
in your life today (95% Agree)
Often during the worship part of the
church service (singing or prayer), I
find myself just “going through the
motions” (49% Disagree)
Set aside time for prayer of any kind
a few times a week or more (71%)
Slide 30
Domain VII
Building Relationships
Slide 31
Building Relationships
Domain VII
I have developed significant
relationships with people at my
church (70% Agree)
I intentionally make time in my
schedule to fellowship and
interact with other believers
(55% Agree)
Among Kentucky Southern Baptists
Slide 32
Building Relationships
Domain VII
I generally do not share personal
things, such as feelings, joys,
struggles, and needs with my
Christian friends (50% Disagree)
Pray in a group with other
Christians a few times a month or
more (60%)
Among Kentucky Southern Baptists
Slide 33
Doctrinal Issues and Beliefs
Slide 34
Where Laity Stand on
Doctrinal Elements
Beliefs
Among
Kentucky
Southern
Baptists
Jesus died on the cross and was
physically resurrected from the
dead (94% Agree strongly or
somewhat)
The Bible teaches that participation
in a local church is a necessity for
any believer who desires to be truly
obedient to God (62% Agree
strongly or somewhat)
Slide 35
Where Laity Stand on
Doctrinal Elements
Beliefs
Jesus may have committed sins while
in human form on earth (65% Disagree
strongly or somewhat)
Christians must continually work
toward their salvation, or risk losing it
(49% Disagree strongly or somewhat)
Among
Kentucky
Southern
Baptists
If a person is sincerely seeking God,
he/she can obtain eternal life through
religions other than Christianity (45%
Disagree strongly or somewhat)
Slide 36
Encouraging Spiritual
Maturity in 2008
Slide 37
Approach your Church
Differently
Since many quietly misunderstand or
disagree with specific beliefs in Scripture:
Create a safe environment for discussion
“I do believe. Help my unbelief.” Mk. 9:24
Don’t oversimplify – explain why things
are true and alternatives are not
(earlier young adult research led to the Threads
study entitled The Tough Sayings of Jesus)
Faithfully teach the truth
Slide 38
Invest in your
Discipleship Process
Discipleship must be intentional
Ensure that your process is
comprehensive (using the 7 domains)
Prioritize building relationships by
proactively moving people into Small
Groups or Sunday School classes
(see Simple Church, Chapter 6)
Encourage continued movement to
subsequent steps in your process
Slide 39
Encourage the Disciples in
your Church
Encouragement helps people desire to
act and to take action
Provide encouragement from the pulpit
Provide opportunities to do “good works”
For we are … created in Christ Jesus for
good works. Eph. 2:10
In any case, we should live up to whatever
truth we have attained. Phil. 3:16
Slide 40
Lead by Example
Leaders who genuinely model Christ-likeness,
impact the culture of the church
Personally examine ourselves and
submit to God’s standards
Mentor younger believers in the faith
Share testimonies of those who are
living their faith
Join in imitating me, brothers, and
observe those who live according to the
example you have in us. Phil. 3:17
Slide 41
Spiritual Maturity
among Southern Baptists in Kentucky