"How can you shift more of your church members from sitting to serving, from being spectators to engaging more deeply? Would doing so help more people to grow and develop spiritually?"-From the Preface

The Other 80 Percent is a practical guide for church leaders written by respected researcher Scott Thumma and noted author Warren Bird. The authors draw upon new research across a broad range of Protestant churches of all kinds.

Thumma and Bird have listened to thousands of church members' voices to discern what motivates less-connected, inactive members to move toward a life of discipleship and living out their faith in community.

The authors explore societal norms influencing involvement and identify distinctive qualities of churches that shape patterns of better volunteer participation. They also examine the sometimes faulty and limiting perspectives leaders have about ways to increase involvement.

The book proposes practical steps to develop listening and learning teams to assist clergy in uncovering membership patterns, cultural norms, and leadership blind spots common to Evangelical and mainline congregations alike.

The Other 80 Percent includes a wealth of creative ideas that can expand what it means for people to engage more fully with their church. Thumma and Bird reinforce the idea that spiritual growth is directly related to participation and involvement and that spiritual nurturance of the entire congregation should be at the heart of this effort.

Leadership Network^®

a division of OneHundredX, seeks to accelerate the impact of 100X leaders. Since 1996, Leadership Network Publications have presented thoroughly researched and practical concepts from leading thinkers, practitioners, and pioneering churches. www.leadnet.org.

About the Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series xi

Preface xiii

Introduction: Wandering Sheep xix

Part One: Listening

1. What Do You Hear from the Committed 20 Percent? 3

2. What Do You Hear from the Less-Committed 80 Percent? 23

3. How to Create a Listening Team 39

Part Two: Learning

4. Cultural Causes of the 80/20 Problem 59

5. Comparative Patterns in Churches 75

6. Misinformed Efforts to Build Participation 97

7. How to Create a Learning Team 117

Part Three: Leading

8. Start with What You Do Well 127

9. Create More Ways for People to Participate 143

10. Reach Toward Spiritual Growth and Development 165

Afterword: The Sheep Who Came Back into the Fold 173

Appendixes

A. Resources 175

B. Methods and Description of the Datasets 181

C. Sample Survey Questions 189

Annotated Bibliography 197

Acknowledgments 201

The Authors 203

Index 205

The Authors

Scott Thumma, Ph.D., is professor of sociology of religion at Hartford Seminary and researcher at Hartford Institute for Religion Research. Scott is recognized as a leading researcher and writer on congregational studies. He is also editor of the Lilly Endowment funded website Insights into Religion.

Warren Bird, Ph.D., is director of research and intellectual capital development for Leadership Network. An ordained minister, he serves as an adjunct faculty member at Alliance Theological Seminary. Warren has coauthored 22 books including Culture Shift and Viral Churches, both from Jossey-Bass.