More than an Outreach Program
Three First Steps to Move Your Church toward Community Transformation
Every pastor I know wants their members and anyone who attends their church to leave the Sunday gathering motivated and equipped to live on mission with Jesus. They want the people who participate in the congregational community to live out their faith every other day of the week.
This involves the way we think about God, our affections for God, as well as the practical behaviors of our lives.
Youth Ministry
For example, we want parents to be intentional about leading their children to trust and follow Jesus. The Gospel offers specific implications, a framework if you will, for the practice of parenting. Parents are asked to believe something about God’s design for the family, to embrace their responsibilities as parents, and then apply biblical truth in their daily lives.
The function of equipping parents is an essential aspect of the church’s role. As a result, churches organize ministries to children, teenagers, and parents. Participation in those ministries then become a metric of progress as we help disciple parents and children.
But there’s more to the Christian life than raising children. So, the church creates programs for men, women, young and old, single-never-married, single-previously married, and on and on it goes. All of it is good, but soon the effectiveness of the church, including the ministerial team and volunteers, is measured by the participation in each of these programs.
We function as if we have a baked-in, unspoken belief that if people will faithfully attend our church programs, and learn what we teach them, they will eventually live out their faith “beyond the walls” of the church. We hope that’s true, but we’re not entirely clear on how we know or who’s responsible for measuring that aspect of ministry.
Hire an Outreach Director
So, we hire a Director of Outreach, who then creates outreach programs for our members to sign up for in the foyer so anyone who is interested can do outreach. Outreach then becomes a competing ministry within the church—competing with the non-outreach programs of youth ministry, men’s and women’s ministry, worship ministry, and single-and-single again ministries for leaders, volunteers, platform-time, and dollars. But the Director of Outreach is responsible and will be evaluated for how many people sign up, show up, and give to the projects and partnerships designated by the church as “outreach.”
Interesting, it’s rare that ministry leaders in the church are looking at any metrics outside the church to determine the impact of the church in the community.
It’s rare that ministry leaders in the church are looking at any metrics outside the church to determine the impact of the church in the community.
Instead, the health of the church is measured by the participation in the programs of the church, while the metrics of congregational engagement in the community or the indicators of health in the community are largely ignored.
If we are asking people to “live sent,” how then do we know how and if they are doing that if we’re only measuring and celebrating when they “live gathered?”
Three Steps Forward
This is not a call to abandon the essential equipping ministry of the local church. Not even close. What it is, however, is an appeal to squeeze everything possible out the equipping ministry of the church by mobilizing believers into the public square with greater intentionality.
Here are three beginning steps in that direction:
Consider the condition of the city.
Like Nehemiah, ask about the condition of the city. If you’re a pastor, lead your church to exegete the city. The Everyone’s Welcome Network has resources for you to do that, but there are many resources widely available. Those include accessible data from state and local governments, as well as local school systems. Also, asking good questions to a wide spectrum of local leaders will provide helpful feedback.
Determine how to join what God is already doing.
This is not the time to create a new program, but instead to lead your people to join what God and others are already doing in the community. If it’s in the schools, join in. The overwhelming majority of kids and young families are connected to a local school. If it’s in foster care, join in. If it’s in addiction and recovery, join in. Many of these organizations may not be distinctively Christian, but serving them will empower your people to live sent and make a Gospel impact.
Lead and equip your church for the long game.
Some results may be quick, but the goal is lasting influence, not just immediate impact. As we live on mission with Jesus, we share the Gospel, but we are also shape the culture. Lives are changed, but it’s through our long-term investment that the community is transformed. That means not everything we do gets credited to our account. The lives that are transformed by our work and witness may not join our church. But believers live sent, lives are changed, and the kingdom advances in power to the glory of God.
As long as outreach is a program of our church, few of us will actually live on mission. But when the church equips and unleashes believers for the mission of God, revival and awakening—community transformation—await.
If this has been helpful, or if we can help your church take fresh steps toward community impact, please use the Contact button below.
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EVERYONE’S WILSON | THE EVERYONE’S WELCOME NETWORK
I’m the Executive Director of Everyone’s Wilson and The Everyone’s Welcome Network—a Gospel-driven community transformation initiative. Our mission is to unite the Church to engage the community, so everyone thrives. Very simply, we’re passionate about helping Jesus-loving people live like missionaries in their local community through prayer, equipping, collaboration, and service.
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