The Sustainable Ministry Show Episode 137 – Tools and tips for engaging your community with the Gospel

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.combparker@twmc.org
  • Contact Bryant Johnson: bryant.johnson@ministryarchitects.com
  • Contact Trabelus Whitfield: trabelus.whitfield@ministryarchitects.com
  • Contact Melissa Rau: melissa.rau@ministryarchitects.com