Facing Reality: Stalled Outreach

In this series of newsletters, we have been naming six challenges churches today cannot ignore. We have already discussed aging congregations, leadership pipelines running dry, and the decline of volunteerism. Today, we’ll turn to the fourth challenge, stalled outreach.

• Many churches say they are committed to reaching the unchurched in their community and beyond, but fewer are seeing actual impact. Some members are reluctant to engage with those who are different from them. Further, the programs that connect with the community often do not lead to making more disciples.

When outreach feels stalled, our first instinct is to start a new program and design a new event. Maybe instead of asking, “How do we get more people into our building?” we should begin asking, “Where has God placed our members, and how can they show up in their neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, and teams with love and curiosity?”

• Below are some ideas that can spark conversations about moving toward a more natural, relational way of living on mission.

Six ways to reimagine outreach

1. Find the right touch points by listening first 

• Sometimes churches design outreach ministries based on what they think people need, not on what people are actually asking for. Why not ask instead of guess?
• Ask local teachers, service workers, and city leaders what they see as the biggest needs of the community. Engage with them as a humble partner who is ready to serve, not a hero with all the answers. When churches align their outreach ministries with the community’s real needs, their witness will ring true.

2. Offer easy “next steps”

• After you establish touch points with the community, imagine what it would look like for the people you are reaching to take a next step toward faith. If you find people are rarely or never taking a next step, you probably are asking for too big of a step.
• What would be an easy, obvious, simple step people could take toward faith? Maybe attending a church service would be too difficult of a step for some. They may be more drawn to a seminar, concert, small group, or even service opportunity. Creative thinking is needed for every step along the way, as well as the bravery to change strategies when needed.

3. Commission people to be “on mission” wherever they go

• Outreach is more than big events on the church calendar, though. Jesus talked about mission not as something we occasionally do as a group but as a calling every Christian lives every day. We are a sent people (John 20:21)!
• Good questions to ask your congregation include: Where has God already sent you? What would it look like to be intentionally present there as a follower of Jesus? The benediction is a prime opportunity to commission people and send them into this ministry with God’s blessing.

4. Start with hospitality and curiosity

• As your people live “on mission” wherever God sends them during the week, what does this look like? Often, it simply looks like starting conversations and listening well. One reason church members often hesitate to start conversations is fear. They worry they will say the wrong thing, be asked a question they cannot answer, or come across as pushy.
• Spiritual conversations are often simpler than we think! Maybe they are as easy as hospitality plus curiosity. Hospitality says, “You are welcome with me.” Curiosity says, “I would love to hear your story.” You do not have to have all the answers. You just have to show up, be yourself, listen well, and be ready to share your own story when asked.

5. Offer training in sharing the gospel

• Having good conversations leads to authentic and deepening relationships. As God opens doors to talk about spiritual matters, it is important to feel ready and equipped to share the gospel.
• An easy way to help people feel confident in sharing the gospel is to make sure you preach the gospel in every sermon. If you do so with good “message discipline,” your people will hear the language you use week after week (e.g., sin, salvation, service) and internalize it naturally and without a lot of effort. A simple weekend workshop can help them gain even more confidence by practicing sharing the Good News with others.

6. Focus on names and stories

• It is easy to get discouraged when we only measure outreach by the number of people who show up to our events. Remember to celebrate small wins as well as big wins.
• Every conversation counts, so share testimonies of small, faithful steps: inviting a neighbor to church, praying with a co-worker, starting a conversation with someone you do not know at church. When people see that small steps count, they will be more likely to take their own step of faith!

If your church feels stuck in outreach, you are not alone. My prayer is that, as you reimagine what outreach looks like in your community at this moment in time, you will notice how God is already at work in the places where you live, work, and play. May you find fresh courage to join him there, one relationship at a time