Barna: Pastors Need to Push Flocks Harder on Spiritual Matters

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TBN's Acquisition Of 'Holy Land Experience' Theme Park Seeks To Change More Lives

June 9, 2007 ORLANDO -- Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), the world's largest religious broadcaster and America's most-watched faith channel, hopes to change more lives through its addition of the "Holy Land Experience" theme park in Orlando, Fl., to the TBN family. Through the acquisition, TBN will bring an integration of the powerful living recreation of ancient Jerusalem with a cutting edge facility that will be used for television production, dramas, musical concerts, special events and movies.

"This marriage will bring an unprecedented synergy to both ministries and the production that is done there will be seen by a worldwide audience. TBN's involvement made sense, because both ministries are about changing and effecting people's lives. We've been doing that for 34 years," said Paul Crouch, Jr., TBN Vice President of Administration. "We believe this opportunity was heaven sent because it bought TBN an Orlando-based facility to fulfill it's local programming obligations for WGTL CH-52 and it will provide "The Holy Land Experience" with much needed promotion to bring more people to the theme park and Orlando as a whole."

The Holy Land Experience could well be considered Orlando's most inspiring destination as visitors experience a full day of discovery that takes them 2,000 years back in time to the world of the Bible. It brings to life ancient Israel as a unique, thriving world filled with fascinating exhibits and venues. Visitors learn about the Wilderness Tabernacle and the Great Temple; discover the amazing history of the Bible; explore the city of Jerusalem in miniature; see re-enactments of Jesus' ministry, His life, death, and resurrection; and feel the power and passion of our original musical productions.

WGTL TV, Channel 52, has a reach of over four million viewers in the Orlando and Cocoa Beach metropolitan areas with TBN's wide range of innovative faith-based programming. In October of 2006, TBN celebrated the inaugural broadcast of WGTL Ch-52 in Orlando with a dedicatory service attended by TBN founders Paul and Jan Crouch, Pastor Benny Hinn, Singer and Preacher Judy Jacobs hosted by Pastor George Cope and Calvary Assembly in Winter Park, Fl.

The combination of the production facilities and the Holy Land Experience offers Orlando visitors a powerful and unique faith based experience that can be promoted worldwide through the TBN network. The promotional capability can drive visitors to the complex.

"Some of the staff was asking what is going to be the immediate effect here at the park and my answer was 'I'm planning on you having more people coming through the turnstiles this summer,'" said Crouch. "Universal Studios does the same thing. We want the 'Holy Land Experience' to be a faith-based version of that."

About TBN
TBN is the world's largest religious network and America's most watched faith network. Each day TBN offers 24 hours of commercial-free inspirational programming that appeals to people in a wide variety of denominations. Beginning in 1973 as a single UHF station in southern California, TBN now reaches every major continent via 65 satellites and more than 12,500 television and cable affiliates worldwide. In the United States, TBN is available to 92 percent of the total households. Its website receives more than 27 million visitors monthly. For more information on TBN, visit www.tbn.org

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Barna: Pastors Need to Push Flocks Harder on Spiritual Matters

By Allie Martin -- Agape Press

2006-01-23 -- WDC Media News -- WDC Media News (AgapePress) - A leading Christian researcher says if churches believe in the life-changing power of the gospel, they must do a better job when it comes to holding congregants to a higher standard. The Barna Group conducted two surveys which found a sizeable gap between the perception of pastors and the reality of people’s devotion to God. For example, pastors were asked to identify what they felt was the most important priority for their church members. Overall, pastors said a majority of their members would put their faith in God at the top of the list -- but only 15 percent of church members surveyed listed their faith as their first priority. (See earlier article) George Barna, president of the Barna Group, says core issues -- such as stewardship -- are not seen as valid indicators of church vitality. Barna says a church can establish a budget based on the notion that all church families are going to tithe (give 10 percent of their income) to the church. "But then what you’re going to wind up with is a lot of disappointed people," the researcher asserts, "because we know that currently only six percent of born-again families actually tithe. "On the other hand," he continues. "setting the standards so low that there’s really no reason for people to give more generously and more biblically ... creates a different kind of problem." Similarly, evangelism is apparently not a priority in most churches. "The fact that most churched adults do not verbally share the gospel in a given year is not deemed problematic," Barna’s survey summary states. The researcher says his findings indicate that many pastors and church leaders are more concerned with leading an institution than they are with people’s spiritual growth and maturity. Pastors, he says, are often focused on building programs, budgets, and activities, while church members are seeking a deeper walk with the Lord. Barna explains there is a "growing number of people" who are saying they want more of God in their life and they are willing to do whatever it takes to get it. But many of those, he claims, are saying "I’m not sure that I can get it from a local church. I may have to go outside the box, outside the walls to find that kind of relationship and opportunity and network so that I can really be the Church rather than think so much about am I just attending a church." Barna encourages church leaders to stop pandering for popularity, and instead to challenge their congregations to a higher and more challenging standard. For example, he observes in his findings that pastors are "nine times more likely to seek reactions to their sermon than they are to assess the congregation?s reactions to visitors." "Perhaps most alarming of all," says the Barna report, "pastors were 21 times more likely to evaluate whether people showed up (i.e., attendance) than to determine whether people experienced the presence of God during their time at the church." The surveys questioned 627 pastors and 1002 adults nationwide, and were conducted in October and November 2005. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.

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