Evangelism is “the headwaters of everything,” according to pastor and ministry leader Sam Rainer. “All church health flows downstream from evangelism.”

Rainer, pastor of West Bradenton Baptist Church, Bradenton, Florida and president of the Church Answers ministry, led a breakout session at the Alabama Baptist State Evangelism Conference, at Heritage Baptist Church Montgomery March 2.

Rainer became pastor of West Bradenton 10 years ago, describing it as a “neighborhood church.”

“In the South we sometimes talk about having churches on every street corner,” he acknowledged. “And I say, ‘What’s wrong with that?’ This is gospel real estate and God has called every church to bless its community. You are where you are for a reason.”

‘Return of the neighborhood church’

Rainer based his breakout session on his 2023 book, “The Surprising Return of the Neighborhood Church,” saying his research suggests “megachurches” are a Baby Boomer phenomenon.

“We define a megachurch as one with 2,000 or more worshipers on site for one year,” he noted. “In 2010 we had about 1,600 of these. The number peaked in 2012, and today there are approximately 1,000, though some insist 800–900 is more accurate.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a megachurch, of course, but we have some 400,000 churches in America. Each of these is called to bless their communities.”

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This article was originally published at TheAlabamaBaptist.org.