On this episode we talk to Brent Parker about how churches can be more effective and dynamic as they engage their communities with the light of the Gospel.

FULL SHOW NOTES:

• Connect with the community is possible: many community developers or workers will recognize that churches are a good thing for the community and a healthy community is good for a church.
• Having hospitality as a primary value is key.
  • Visualize your church like a “front porch” where people in the community know each other and trust each other.
  • Scaling this: teaching and preach it from the front, the most important gift we give to the community is hospitality.
  • Develop a key statement and use in every service every single week maybe even as a benediction.
  • Focus on serving things that are close by to your church building: Hospitals, schools, first-responder headquarters, etc.
• Develop a culture that is outreach-first, not trying to “steal” people from other churches. Pray by name for other local churches in the area within worship services.
• To develop this kind of culture, the leadership must make time for this: modeling that they take time and make time for people.
  • Shepherd your people to realize that every encounter is an opportunity to lead someone closer to Jesus.
  • Every encounter with them is an encounter with Jesus.
• When your church is often out in the community, one challenge can be that when people from the church aren’t acting in a Christ-like manner, that can more easily harm people’s view of the church than it otherwise might.
• “Swag” is an important part of reaching out to the community because it empowers people to demonstrate that they are a part of your church.
• Our primary goal with our church facilities isn’t to create more space for Christians, but to create space for non-Christians to rub shoulders with followers of Jesus.
• It is important for churches to look around at the community around them and ask, “What are your needs? How could we help meet those needs as ambassadors for Christ?”
• One thing that can hurt a church is to try to be everything to everyone everywhere rather than leaning into the things they are good at.
• Often the Devil will wait and patiently work his way into someone’s life. Yet, when Christians want to reach someone, we want to see life-change or a response to the Gospel right away.
• “Quit worrying about how many are coming in. You should be more worried about how many are going out.” -Brent Parker
• Contact Brent Parker: brent.parker@ministryarchitects.com – bparker@twmc.org
• Contact Bryant Johnson: bryant.johnson@ministryarchitects.com
• Contact Trabelus Whitfield: trabelus.whitfield@ministryarchitects.com
• Contact Melissa Rau: melissa.rau@ministryarchitects.com