The Movable Middle offers untapped potential within the Christian community that needs our attention.
The American Bible Society’s State of the Bible 2024 report reveals a group of 65 million American adults known as the Movable Middle.
After they interviewed 35,000 mainstream Americans, the Movable Middle identifies as:
- Open to hearing the message of the Bible.
- Curious to know more about what the Bible says.
- Interested in learning more about Jesus.
Based on the study, the church has a massive opportunity to engage 65 million people who are actively seeking to learn more. In previous editions, The State of the Bible research highlighted five basic characteristics that churches, ministry outreaches, and active disciples should know when approaching those within the Movable Middle.
5 Characteristics & Engagement Ideas
They are interested in the Bible for practical life.
- Offer introductory classes at church on daily Christian living without heavy theology. Keep the teaching simple and offer tips on how it applies to daily life.
- Hold a Bible study using Rick Warren’s timeless Christian lifestyle book, The Purpose Driven life. For self-study or online learners, a free PDF is available.
They struggle with historical and ancient cultural differences in the Bible.
- Churches offer a class that compares historical and modern-day relevancy.
- Host an online class using a free course through biblicaltraining.org. Dr. Todd Miles offers a video teaching the historical and cultural context in interpreting biblical text.
They prefer modern translations of the Bible.
- Leverage the power of technology and encourage the use of Bible apps in your church or ministry outreach. In the YouVersion Bible app, there are 3,137 Bible versions in 2,073 languages offered for free. NIV, NLT, and many other modern-day Bible translations are easy to read and understand.
- I attended a church that gave the New Testament Bible in the NIV (New International Version) as a gift to guests. Why not offer these books to anyone interested?
They welcome help and practical guidance.
- Many churches offer a connection area for guests to ask questions about the church. The church could expand the offer to anyone in the service who is looking for spiritual guidance. From there, the church guide can direct the person to the class or other resources.
- Churches must become more focused on promoting spiritual growth over membership if we want to reach this group and beyond.
They want to emulate a person of faith.
Frequently, they know someone they admire who they perceive as a “Bible person” and long to become more like that Bible person.
- Mentorship and discipleship programs are crucial and perhaps one of the biggest opportunities for churches to implement or expand. In my spiritual growth ministry programs, students share their need for mentorship and discipleship from the Christian church.
- For fun, offer free quizzes to help them view the Bible as less intimidating. Which Biblical Woman Are You? or Which Disciple Are You?
While these five characteristics offer insight and tips to advance engagement, the study also reveals key demographics to help pinpoint the Movable Middle.
According to American Bible Society’s research, The Movable Middle represents one in four American adults stating, “As researchers, we would say that these groups over-index for being open to the gospel message.”
Findings reveal people are more open to God’s Word when facing disruptions, whether positive or negative. Here’s a high-level list. For more details, download the State of the Bible 2024.
5 niche areas to minister to people within the Movable Middle
- People struggling with anxiety or other emotional needs.
- People grappling with uncontrolled anger.
- People suffering from loss and grief.
- People developing romantic relationships.
- People in transition. I.e., graduating or starting something new.
To sum it up, the Bible is critical for people to hear God’s voice and experience the advantages of a relationship with Him. We all face the challenge of being the guides that these Bible seekers are searching for in the church. Our task is to grasp the needs of every individual and present them with the message of hope found in God’s Word, diligently and faithfully.
Accredited Resources:
https://archive.org/details/the-purpose-driven-life/page/n5/mode/2up
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