What would it take for your church to get involved in ministry to seniors?
Mary lives in an apartment all by herself. A film crew decided to follow her day and what she shared about 3 and a half minutes in crushed it.
community
A video interpretation of Isaiah 58
I watched this video interpretation of Isaiah 58 today and was impressed with the editing.
It could serve as a call to missions.
I also like the use of subtitles.
If the video is not displaying in your reader, please click through the post.
I love preaching from Isaiah 58.
The people had some great religious practices, but they were not connecting with God. They had the external practices of religion, but not the internal transformation.
Imagine using this verse and passages in calling a church to serve it’s community!
3 Avenues of Evangelistic Prayer
A reader question via Ask EvangelismCoach wonders:
What are some prayer points for church growth?
While there are many different avenues for intercessory prayers for church growth, let me suggest 3 avenues. [Read more…] about 3 Avenues of Evangelistic Prayer
A pastor listens to the community
Pastor Guiermo has listened to the needs of his community.
These needs form the social outreach part of his ministry to help their new church plant serve and connect with its neighbors.
He’s spent time listening to the needs of the new incoming residents in a part of the area undergoing new construction.
He’s spent time listening to the needs of the new immigrants in the trailer park nearby.
(Feed Readers: Click Thru to see the video).
Check out how these community found and met a need in it’s neighborhood:
Read: How to Find out Your Community Needs
What can your church do in 2009?
Take a look at this list. As you think through your 2009 goals as a church, use this checklist to help you plan your evangelism strategy.
- What can increase your focus on attention on evangelism/missions?
- What evangelism tools can cause you to think outside the box?
- What does your heart desires for reaching your community?
- What might helps you transition from attractional thinking (“come & see”) to thinking more incarnationally (“go and tell”)?
- What preaching and teaching can remind you and the church to get lost in the wonder ofthe grace and mercy of the cross?
- What strategies and ideas moves our focus off of yourselves onto others?
- What might lead to a a “crisis of belief” for many of your members that move to action?
- What programs and studies might push you way out of our comfort zone?
- What series or course might encourage your church to face of the reality of missions?
- How can you rock the boat and make the complacent people very nervous and engage?
- How can you grow the various levels of Christian maturity in your church?
- How can you challenge those who are serious about their faith in your congregation?
- What goals can turn the inward church outward?
- Ultimately, what about your programming and planning glorifies Christ this year?
- What are you doing to help new believers become followers of Christ?
A church that missed connecting with the community
As part of our 5 week road trip, we are collecting stories of evangelistic outreach ideas, and learning what some churches are doing successfully or not.
Meeting a Community Need
One community church had heard that a local city council banned people from walking their dogs in the local park.
If you owned a dog and wanted to take the dog for a walk, you were not allowed to legally take your dog for a walk in the city park.
The church took a different action.
Seeing the need in a community, they fenced in their front yard and set up a dog park for the community. Of course, some rules were in place to keep it clean and pet friendly. Benches were provided for people to sit on and visit while their dogs played.
Over the few years, this park has become a vital spot for the community to gather, even though the local council has changed it laws.
People have formed clubs around the type of dog: beagle club, poodle club etc.
Between 5-7pm, when the owners get home, the dog park is very busy with lots of community members gathering.
Sounds like a great outreach idea: it serves the need of the community, allows the church to be more visible.
Does the church connect?
This sounds like a great idea to help a church connect with it’s community, to build relationships with people in it.
- Perhaps the pastor can get a dog and join the club for that breed.
- Perhaps church members can get dogs and start visiting and connecting with people.
- The church can “do life” with the community, providing the grounds for great discussions about faith, for opportunities to invite people to church.
- The church can connect with its neighbors.
- Imagine having hundreds of people and their dogs on your church’s front yard each week.
From the second hand conversations I have had, it appears that people in this particular church do not visit the dog park in their front yard.
A few folks were asked if church members are connecting with people, and no one knew of any.
Perhaps the church is missing a great outreach opportunity that is meeting regularly in their front yard.
Let me ask you this?
Consider how the general public uses your building outside of worship service times: dog park, AA or NA meetings, day care, after school tutoring, etc.
- How are church members connecting with people already visiting your church on a regular basis outside of Sunday morning?
- Are church members inviting these people to your worship services?
- Are church members talking about their faith?
Coaching Call
Do you want to discuss your where your outreach to the community is stuck?
I offer a coaching call where I spend time on the phone with you or your committee, up to 90 minutes, where I help you trouble shoot and develop some action plans. I can help you review your systems through a step by step flow chart that I’ve developed. Read more about that outreach coaching here.