What Are We REALLY ABOUT?

What are we about at Marshall Baptist? What is our purpose? We are about helping people follow Jesus. In more theological terms, we are about glorifying God by making disciples. How do we do that? Well it starts by reaching lost people. We must do what it takes to reach lost people and then help them grow as disciples in Jesus.
Lifeway and Wheaton College just did a huge study on how churches with less than 250 in weekly attendance grow. 90% of churches fit that category, and though we’ve almost grown passed that category, we are still part of it.  So how do we grow as a church? What is the number one factor? The top reason why churches our size grow by reaching the lost is that they attract the unchurched to their church and then keep them coming. When a church can attract unchurched people and keep them coming, eventually those unchurched people will get saved.
The study reveals, “These churches are places of invitation, welcome, and involvement for the unchurched.  The unchurched stick around in great numbers. And they come to Christ and get committed to the church in great numbers.”
If you’re still wondering why Marshall Baptist has changed so much in the last few years, wonder no more. This is the reason. We want to reach lost people, and making sure our church is a place that attracts and keeps unchurched people is our top priority! But that’s a task that will take all of us! We need every age group inviting the unchurched, willing to adapt to change for the unchurched, and serving in ministry to reach the unchurched.
If something you like in the church has changed in a way that makes you a little sad. That’s okay. I get it. Just know the change has a purpose. And that purpose includes YOU! We are changing to help YOU help us reach lost people. We are changing to help you better live out the purpose that God gave you for this life. I hope you never think, “I’m not sure this church fits me.” Our church is for you in that you were made by God to reach lost people. Will you please help us do that? As Christian author Steve Moore put it, “The Great Commission is too big for anyone to accomplish alone and too important not to try to do together.”
At Marshall Baptist we are absolutely convinced that there are 5 essentials to helping people follow Jesus. They are: Come, Connect, Serve, Grow, and Go. It all starts by reaching lost people by inviting them to COME worship on a Sunday morning. We do Sunday morning to glorify God by reaching those people.
Starting the third Sunday night in August we will begin to teach those 5 essentials for making disciples. We want every single church member (new and old) to learn about all 5. Please mark your calendar now for August 20th. That’s when you will learn about that first essential of inviting folks to COME to Marshall Baptist.
​A final personal note. This week marks my 10th anniversary of being your pastor here at Marshall Baptist. I have no doubt God called me here, and I’m so excited about what He’s done the last ten year. But the really neat thing is, I feel like we’re all just getting started. God is on the move and there are even greater things to COME!

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