The 2009 Outreach 100

The 2009 Outreach 100 annual report is packed with practical ideas and encouraging words for any church, any size.

How do America’s Fastest-Growing Churches keep people coming and get them involved? What are the trends shaping church growth today? What are the common barriers to growth and what can we do about them? When does the leader’s personality become too great a part of the equation? And what have Outreach 100 pastors learned about one-on-one evangelism that they now want to pass on to you?


In This Issue


The Outreach 100

The Annual Special Report with LifeWay Research on the Largest and Fastest-Growing Churches in America


100 Largest Churches


100 Fastest-Growing Churches


Largest and Fastest-Growing Churches by State, by Region and by Denomination


Profiles of Growth: Inside 5 of the Fastest-Growing Churches


Outreach 100 Q & A: Research Ed Stetzer on 4 Crucial Questions


Evangelism Gets Personal: Outreach 100 Pastors Talk About Building One-on-One Relationships


The Personality Factor: How to Recognize When It Becomes More About You Than the Church


The Stupid Things We Do That Hinder Growth—And What to Do About Them


The Outreach Conversation: Rick Bezet (2009 Fastest-Growing Church) and Chris Hodges (2008 Fastest-Growing Church)

James P. Long
James P. Longhttp://JamesPLong.com

James P. Long was formerly the editor of Outreach magazine and the author of a number of books, including Why Is God Silent When We Need Him the Most?

Ohio Church Makeover

This move would not only give them room to grow, but also would enable them to do a lot more to fulfill their mission of being a church focused on “building the kingdom, one life at a time.”

How Much Tech Do You Actually Need?

Because you cannot do this alone, you are going to have to trust the right individuals who know more about tech than you do. Your calling is to shepherd. Do that.

Gene Appel: Do Less Ministry; Reach More People

None of the programs at our church were bad in and of themselves. The volume of it just prevented us from being focused on building relationships with those who are far from God. So, we had to do less ministry to reach more people. It sounds funny, but people had to be trained in how to do life with nonbelievers or people spiritually disinterested.