A survey commissioned by the American Bible Society and conducted by the Barna Research Group on Bible-minded cities revealed that the South was the most Bible-minded, and the Northeast the least. A Bible-minded person was defined in the survey as someone who had read the Bible in the last seven days.
GrayThe numbers were somewhat confusing. For example, Birmingham, Ala., at 50 percent, was one of the top cities for Bible-mindedness. Yet 58 percent of the residents of this city felt the need to share their faith, and 69 percent said they were “practicing Christians.” The city, according to these numbers, has practicing Christians who feel the need to share their faith but who do not read the Bible at least once every seven days.
In 91 of 96 media markets, the majority of people were not Bible-minded. However, 83 of the 96 markets had 20 percent or more who were Bible-minded. What does this mean? David Kinnaman, president of Barna Research, said, “The key is to not merely ‘preach to those insiders’ but instead to equip and empower those who do not believe with a strong and relevant message to take out into their communities, vocations, and spheres of influence. They are the tipping point and can have great influence on the greater city.”
The “tipping point” is a phrase that has gained notoriety in the last several years. It was popularized by Malcolm Gladwell’s book, “The Tipping Point,” first published in 2000. The tipping point is that moment where something takes off like an epidemic. Gladwell’s emphasis is that ideas or products that have “stickability,” are marketed and packaged well, and have the right circumstances will grow like a wildfire. The idea is illustrated by the tremendous rebound in Hush Puppies shoe sales, a lowered crime rate in New York City, the widespread sale of cell phones, and church-growth strategies.
Kinnaman says 20 percent is the tipping point, a number that is used in marketing. If 20 percent of a city becomes Bible-minded, there should be an epidemic in the growth of Bible-minded people. But being Bible-minded and being a disciple of Christ are not always the same thing.
Gladwell puts forth some ideas that most Baptists would find agreeable, like the “Law of the Few,” where 80 percent of the work is done by 20 percent of the people. Another interesting observation was that 150 is the optimal number of people you can have in social relationships.
Many people, including Christians, have embraced Gladwell’s ideas. Many have not. It is, at best, awkward to apply the principles of pop culture to church. It is always relevant and best to apply the principles of Scripture to the church. Our work as followers of Jesus is not as much about marketing as it is faithfulness. It is not so much what works, but what is right. It is not about collecting the highest numbers or even the most activities, but about growing disciples of Jesus Christ.
What about the tipping point? I am not sure it is something we can trust as a method for spreading the gospel. I know we can trust God’s Word. We may not reach the world, but we can reach some. In fact, every Christian can reach one. Maybe our best course of action is to read the Bible daily, study it diligently, apply it fervently and trust God for the results He gives. I learned something many years ago: God spells success f-a-i-t-h-f-u-l. Whatever the age, the culture, or the methodology, our mission as God’s servants rests on a Bible we can trust and a Lord who lives.