Marketing the Church: Analysis and Assessment -- By: David F. Wells

Journal: Faith and Mission
Volume: FM 12:2 (Spring 1995)
Article: Marketing the Church: Analysis and Assessment
Author: David F. Wells


Marketing the Church:
Analysis and Assessment

David F. Wells

Andrew Mutch
Distinquished Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology
Gordon-Conwell Seminary
South Hamilton, MA 01982

Part 1

The Carver-Barnes Lectures, delivered at Binkley Chapel
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Wake Forest, NC, October 27, 1994

Introduction: Dr. Kurt A. Richardson

As is the case every year, the specially endowed lectures in honor of W.W. Barnes and W.O. Carver, two outstanding educators in Southern Baptist Seminary life and our heritage, are the ones after whom this lecture series is named. We will hear more about our very gifted lecturer in a moment, but first of all we want to go to the Lord to dedicate these lectures, our time together, that we might lift our praise to the Lord, and we will be led in an invocation by Ken Hardin, known to many of you as one of our students, after which we will be led in hymn number 27, “All Creatures of Our God and King,” by Joe Waiters. Brother Ken, will you lead us? There was a note passed to us this morning for us to please remember the many small groups who are already in prayer for our revival that will be taking place here on campus later on in the next month, and there was a note of encouragement that if you are not part of one of these small prayer groups, to either join one, or begin one of your own. And so as we go in prayer this morning, remembering not only these services, let us go ahead and begin prayer for our revival as well. Let’s bow our heads in prayer now as we go before our Father.

“Our heavenly Father, we know that You are the Almighty of the universe, and yet your word tells us that You are Emmanuel, God with us. And we rest on that promise and know that You are with us this morning, and we lift up the request, Father, that You be with us and prepare us and prepare the community around us for a series of revivals that will be taking place within the next month. We ask that You be with the speaker now, Lord, and prepare him as he prepares his messages for us. We ask, Lord, that You prepare our individual hearts. Let us not just speak of revival in the nation and in the community; help us to speak of revival in our own hearts and lives. We now ask, Father, that You be with our brother who comes to speak to us today

concerning the church. Help us to get over the mentality that they are our churches. For we all belong to You. Give him Your words of wisdom, and open up our hearts and minds to Your voice. In Christ’s name we pray, amen.”

What glorious singing and playing! Truly the Lord is in this place, and we trust Him fo...

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