A pastor called with a question about what I have called on this blog, “INTENSELY LOCAL MINISTRY.” How do we reach the people around us? The neighbor next door and the one across the street–how do we tell them about the love of Christ in a culture where the discussion of personal faith is seen as off-topic and inappropriate? If that is the “nut,” how do we crack the shell? Changing metaphors, how do we lead a parade of people to the foot of the cross?
Principle: There is no impact without contact.
Conclusion: We must increase our contact with those who do not know Christ.
Some Links to Help Us Think:
- Not Necessary, Not Normal, Not Natural
- Intensely Local Ministry Stories
- 18 Years of Ineffective Ministry
- The Voice of God: “Just show up”
- Living Missionally in a Multi-ethnic Neighborhood
- We’ve Got Discipleship All Wrong
So, back to the pastor’s question. Let’s turn this into a kind of case study.
Scenario:
You are the pastor of a small church (between 30-60 souls) with an aging congregation, very little foot traffic from the community, but a keen desire to reach the neighborhood. Recently, two young men in their 20’s have have been baptized and are actively pursuing Christ in discipleship. Two paths forward are being discussed.
- Training the entire congregation in actively expressing hospitality to the 4 square blocks surrounding the church.
- Expanding a well-received Wednesday Prayer Meeting (1 hour) into a small group lasting a total of an hour and 45 minutes, to focus prayer and training on reaching the community with the gospel.
Based on the above, come up with a strategy:
- Befriend the community and diagnose the soul of the neighborhood.
- Begin to pray for every family/home in a four-square block of the church.
- Train every member of the church to use their home in some way as a beacon for the gospel.
Possible Resources:
The Gospel Comes with a House Key, Rosaria Butterfield
Sharing Jesus without Fear, Bill Fay
The Art of Neighboring, Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon
ChosenRebel's Blog 