I Heart My City by Dino Rizzo

Did you know Jesus has a plan for you in the city He has sent you to? We see a great example of this in Luke 8:26-38. This once demon-possessed man is ready to follow Jesus after this miraculous life change. But Jesus commands him to, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” Go back to the city I have called you to. Go back to your home. Go to your city. Go to your people. Jesus was smart. He knew this city would know this once demon-possessed man. They would recognize something had changed in him. Something miraculous had to have happened to make this once crazy man, sane again. Here we have the first missionary sent to his own zip code. God has a plan for you in the city He has sent you to as well.

If you want to make a difference in your city you must first love your city. Loving your city opens ears to hear the gospel, unlocks heart to be loved, and unleashes Kingdom influence. You can’t fake love. You can’t love behind your church walls. You can’t love behind judgment. You can only “speak” love so much before you have to “show” it in order for others to believe it. Opening up your heart, your arms, your finances, your resources, your building to others with a ridiculous love for the people in your city will catapult you into God’s purposes like nothing else.

Loving your city starts with knowing your city. You have to notice, understand, listen, and pay attention to the culture, the rhythms, the condition, the seasons, and the story of your city. Being with the people will create a love for the people. Simply researching your city, only creates a data connection. What you need is a heart connection with the people in your city. Jesus was always among the people. He bridged the gap between physical need and spiritual need, because He could see what type of bridge needed to be built to connect with them. Knowing your city will help you determine how to truly love your city, minister to your city, and provide for your city.

Once you know your city, you act. Do whatever you can to meet the needs of your city. Know the need, see what you have to offer, and act. Not too long ago we noticed that cancer patients receiving chemotherapy in local hospitals were not receiving the nutritional snacks they really needed. A lady in our church started with 5 volunteers and went once a week to bring a healthy snack to a cancer patient. One year later we are in 5 hospitals, 5 days a weeks, and have served thousands of snacks. We have been able to share the love of Christ with thousands through a simple healthy snack.

When you know your city and act on the true needs within the city, there will be impact. Know, act, and impact will follow. You will be blown away by the access, opportunity, influence, and visibility that opens wider than you imagined possible. The government starts calling you to solve problems in the city. They know your name. Road blocks and red tape are no longer blockades to ministry. Door after door begins to open. You set the example for others. People start thinking, “Maybe the church does know how to solve some of these issues in our community for the cause of Christ.” You are advertising without even having to advertise because serving creates chatter. Let’s create lots of chatter!

You want people pulling up on your property saying, “I heard from someone that this church would help me.” Be necessary. Be seen as a solution. Is your church necessary to your city? Does it matter that you are here? As churches we often ask ourselves if the poor matter to us, but the real question is, “Do we matter to the poor?” Does your city need you? I believe they do because they need Christ. Let us be found faithful with the piece of earth God destined for us to serve on. Love your city.

Dino Rizzo is the founding pastor of Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana –a church with over 8,200 people in 8 campuses. HPC has been named one of America’s Top 25 Most Innovative Churches – a reflection of his overwhelming drive to reach the unreachable and to engage with others to show God’s love to the poor and hurting, wherever they are. His book, SERVOLUTION, exposes his passion to see believers join together in a revolution of serving others – Jesus style. Dino and his wife DeLynn have three children.

Reprinted by permission from Serve! by Steve Sjogren

Back to School Time

Increasing costs and decreasing financial resources are strapping schools for supplies. Many non-profits collect school supplies at this time of the year but through the school year thay they will continue to be stapped for the most precious commodity you have to offer: your time and energy.

Even if you can't afford to plan and implement one of the bigger, bolder ideas you see here, any contribution will have a profound effect. Simply offering to volunteer some of your time as a mentor or tutor will be a huge contribution.

Often times what kids really need is some one-on-one attention from an adult in this rapid, microwave-society that we live in today. Even if you don't have an expertise in a given content area, just being a caring adult is sometimes all that is needed. You don't have to be Smarter Than A Fifth Grader to serve one.

Most schools would love to have members of your church help out during ordinary daily programs if you can't offer help with some huge festivities on an important day. For instance, children love to be read to. If you are near an underprivledged school, you would be amazed at how this simple act that these kids are starved for will change lives.

Chances are if you had a normal upbringing, you were read to at night, if not on a constant basis. You may have lived in what experts call a literature rich setting.

Kids in urban schools do not get this for the most part. Just showing up during their reading times, if the school has them, will be a huge boost to their infrastructure. If they do not yet have some type of sustained silent reading program, help them with getting one started, even if it is on a small scale.

The idea here is to get inside the school and build rapport and trust. Find a need and fill it. Tackle the doable projects that you encounter. This could be as simple as sprucing up the entryway to the school with some quick landscaping or fresh paint. By getting into the school and getting shoulder to shoulder with the educators you will see their felt needs pretty quickly.

Our outreach department hosts a dinner for the teachers during parent conferences. It is easy to do. All it involves is taking the normal Sunday Church social or brunch on the road. Any investment of your time, energy and money will be greatly appreciated.

The economy is causing families with children to really feel the pinch. So are teachers and schools. Why not consider sponsoring a few kids, or classrooms if your budget can handle it, with books to read for sustained silent reading?

Your church has tremendous resources sitting in the pews that can be tapped simply by asking. Become a difference maker in your community. Invest in your local school.

Nine Ways to Create Momentum for Fall Outreach (Part 1 of 2)

Legendary football coach Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant said, “Have a plan. Follow the plan, and you’ll be surprised how successful you can be. Most people don’t have a plan. That’s why it’s is easy to beat most folks.”

In a recent survey it was revealed that 79% of churches have no, to little, plans for fall outreach. This may be the reason why 80-85% of the churches in America are either in plateau or declining.

Designing, executing and implementing outreach plans and strategies is one of the skills pastors need to create positive momentum in their churches.

Here are a couple insights that you can apply in planning your fall growth thrust.

1. Develop a team
Too many pastors try to carry the load all by themselves, which is an unbiblical notion. Christianity is a team sport. Team building is one of the skills successful pastors need in their tool belts. Learning to pick the right players on your team is crucial. Guiding and leading the team is imperative. Trusting the team to execute the plan is empowering. Celebrating and encouraging the team is vital. I encourage pastors to use short-term task forces with a specific task along with a starting and ending point. If you built a task force for each of your major outreach initiatives for fall, winter and spring your team building skills would improve each time. Team building is a skill which is honed through the “learning by doing” process.

Getting key influencers involved in the process is vital to building positive momentum.

2. Develop a time line
To develop a good time line, start with the last date of the project and work backwards. If you are doing a fall growth push here are a couple ideas. End your fall outreach campaign on the first weekend in November with a family friendly comeback event and start July first with the selection of the team. This is what I call the “three month rule” which is to begin the detailed planning process at least three months before launch of the outreach campaign. Here is an overview of what would happen in those three months:

November
Celebrate and evaluate progress
Family friendly comeback event
Membership class offered

October
Newcomers luncheon set
Bible 101 or seeker study offered
Small groups launched around theme
Sunday worship theme launched
Second Touch teams equipped and empowered

September
Teaching series on outreach and prayer launched
Prayer walking implemented
Affinity groups launched – youth, singles, men’s & women’s ministries
Executing marketing plan
Equipping congregation with promotional tools

August
A clear call to prayer made to the entire congregation
Prayer emphasis kick off
Marketing and promotional plan set
Marketing and promotional tools sent to printer
Small group leaders trained and prepared

July
Team selected
Theme developed
Promotional strategy selected
Graphic images & promotional tools designed

3. Brainstorm ideas for a delivering strong biblical content that address the heart language issues of your mission field

Many pastors struggle with the creative aspects of leadership. I recommend that pastors research and purchase many of the good outreach or spiritual growth campaigns available. Many of these come with time lines, job descriptions, graphics, sermon ideas and small group materials. The key is planning ahead. After the church has done a few of these campaigns, then they can take a shot at developing their own.

Reprinted by permission from Gary Rohrmayer EvangelismCoach

Attraction Not Promotion

In the 5th chapter of John's gospel you remember the story about the the pool called Bethesda in Jerusalem where throngs of sick people waited around the pool for God to send an angel and stir the water. The first person in the pool once this happened was healed.

I was thinking about a modern day equivalent of this sovereign move of God's healing mercy. My thoughts went to the years I spent as a pharmaceutical salesman walking through the waiting rooms of hospitals and clinics, including our own Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. There people from all over the world came for a healing touch from great doctors and surgeons.

As an outreach pastor, a good deal of my time and energy goes into building the image in the community for our church. We appeal to the business and civic community through service projects and serve our local schools as tutors. We design special ministry to attract youth and provide hunger relief with food drives. This is good and necessary, but not the ultimate solution.

I am a very practical thinker, but when God begins to move through miraculous healings like the pool at Bethesda our outreach ministries will be quite different. Sick will be waiting in the lobbies of our churches 24 hours a day. The church parking lot will be jammed with ambulances. Clinics will call you because they have immediate openings. Pharmacies will slash their prices because of over supply of medications.

The reputation and image of the local church will change dramatically. We will scurry to keep up with the demand, not wait for the community to visit our Sunday service. Sick people will see that health care is no longer the property of doctors and Washington lawmakers but a product of the Great Physician.

When our prayer brings God's healing flow, like the pool at Bethesda, our houses of worship will no longer require promotion, the gospel will again become attractive.

Living Word helps Brooklyn Park Take a Bite Out of Crime

When Living Word Christian Center heard that the Brooklyn Park Police Department needed to replace retiring police dogs but lack funding, they responded with a contribution that defines LWCC's ongoing commitment to building community partnerships.

Last weekend, Canine Unit Supervisor Lt. Steve Pearson along with the dog handlers and police dogs 'Dingo', 'Falco' and 'Diesel' were introduced before the services. A special video was presented which explained how the new canines were acquired, trained and fielded.

It was heart warming to see the appreciation that was extended by our congregation to these public servants who place their lives on the line every day to maintain law and order in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis.

Living Word's cooperation with the police goes beyond financial support. The BPPD uses Living Word's facilities during the week to provide ongoing training in suspect search to the great delight of our staff and Maranatha school children.

The bible says in Proverbs 29:2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. The crime rate is down in Brooklyn Park, in great part to the cooperation between church and law enforcement.

Does Your Church Need a Community Outreach Team?

Some Ideas for You to Consider when Evaluating Your Effectiveness

When looking at innovative ways to reach out to your community, do not overlook meeting the basic needs of your community. Community outreach is not always limited to reaching out to them with the gospel of Christ. It also means reaching out to them and providing basic needs, necessities, sense of community and showing love and hospitality to those around you.

I recently heard our Middle School pastor relate a story about a homeless man who used to come to our church regularly begging, coming for free meals on Wednesday nights, who was very antagonistic towards God and all Christian or "religious folk."

A month or so ago, a gentleman came to the church receptionist and asked to see our Middle School Pastor. The Pastor recognized the name but was having a hard time putting a face with a name. When he came down to see the man they engaged in polite conversation and the mans countenance completely changed. His eyes started welling up with tears and he inquired "You don't know who I am do you?" Our Pastor stated that he did not know who he was.

Well, he ended up telling the Pastor who he was and what the love shown to him by the church had done for him. He had turned his life over to the Lord and experienced the life changing love of Him. He mentioned that it was the love, patience and generosity of the people from our church. That even when he was antagonistic and ungrateful they continued to love on him and provide for his needs.

Tears were pouring down his face at this time when he further shared that now he had his own apartment, had a job, was getting ready to buy his own home and was a completely changed person. He just wanted to stop by and say thanks to those who spent time with him. Wow! We serve an awesome God and praise the Lord for his working in the lives of His children!

I share the above story with you as a demonstration of the needs of a community above our presenting the Gospel to them. So, when you are considering a Community Outreach Team or effort, consider all the needs and meet them where you can and where they will be most effective.

by The Scotsman April 14, 2008

'How Not To Do Evangelism'

"Wise men learn from fools more than fools learn from wise men. For while wise men learn from the folly of fools, fools do not learn from the virtues of the wise." Cato

Before you undertake an outreach project to your community please watch this hilarious video. Do not make the same mistakes that our friends "Dumb and Dumber" have made.

Lay Liberation – Doubling Our Influence

For nearly 20 years Living Word has gone to the mission field, conducted street witnessing and organized servant evangelism and community outreach. Recently the Holy Spirit has impressed me with the fact that we aren’t tapping our full potential. The vision for outreach has been limited by what the Outreach Department can organize, lead, fund and staff.

In order to grow our influence we need to decentralize ministry. The church needs to experience what I call a ‘lay liberation movement’. In order to do that our staff must recruit, train, equip and motivate outreachers to function on their own.

Each summer homemaker Mary Nelson reaches out to her neighborhood and multiplies the influence of the gospel by hosting a backyard bible club. "I invite the kids up and down street, prepare the treats and act as host" she said. Childrens lives are changed when they hear about Jesus.

"Pastor Mac (Hammond) encourages us to bring one other person into committed fellowship annually", Mary explained. "In a matter of just a few years our whole community would be saved and growing in the knowledge of God".

The power to reach our world rests in multiplying our effort by a factor of two. When one of us reaches out like Mary, we double our influence. The Lord is asking is for each of us to simply multiply ourselves in one other person.

Lay Liberation – Zaccheus

For nearly 20 years Living Word has gone to the mission field, conducted street witnessing and organized servant evangelism and community outreach. Recently the Holy Spirit has impressed me with the fact that we aren’t tapping the full potential of our congregation. In order to grow our influence we need to decentralize ministry. Our church needs to experience what I call a ‘lay liberation movement’.

In the gospel of Luke the bible tells talks about a tax collector named Zaccheus who climbed a tree to see Jesus. Gary Albig who runs his own tree service has climbed many trees in his business as an arborist. His life changed one summer evening when our teams were picking up trash in the city park. When Gary learned where the workers went to church, he attended Living Word and received Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Now Gary spends part of his of time servicing the tree removal needs of elderly and disabled homeowners. Gary’s efforts have gained the attention of our city parks department who call on him regularly for help. Gary is an example of what I call homegrown outreach. Like my mom used to say “homegrown is always better than store bought”.

No Strings Attached

Relevance in the community is a key component to creating influence for your church. Community outreach is a great way to express God's love for the lost through simple acts of kindness with no strings attached.

Living Word conducted our first summer Operation Outreach event last Wednesday night. Despite weather that has been colder and wetter then usual our experience was very positive. I thought it might be helpful to describe how we Rock the Neighborhood with evangelistic activities.

The midweek service starts at 6:30 p.m. which is one half hour earlier than normal. In this way we capture as much sunlight as possible. Our youth band gets everyone energized with Hillsong’s “Tell the World.” Workers don distinctive t-shirts identifying them as Living Word outreachers.

This time we had 225 workers participate in fifteen separate events. 40 teens staged a “reverse car wash” in the parking lot of a local food market. (At the completion of the $1 car wash we award our guests a $1 for the privilege of washing their car.)

Several yard care teams mowed, raked and weeded the lawns of senior and disabled adults. Four groups of outreachers cleaned up local parks of litter and trash and two teams replanted gardens for our community parks maintenance department. Fifteen families with small children handed out hundreds bottles of ice cold water to softball game spectators. Half dozen eager teens bagged groceries at the supermarket and another team washed windshields at a local gas station. Two dozen soul winners hit the streets and led 138 people into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

All this outreach activity generates a pretty big appetite so the evening culminates with a free pizza party in the Fellowship Hall where testimonies are shared and new friendships are formed.

This is our tenth year conducting Operation Outreach. What I have learned is that if we will deliberately plan and organize every detail in advance, our congregation will respond and eagerly give their supply to these type of events.

Relevance in the community is a key component to creating influence for your church and community outreach is a great way to express God's love for the lost. Simple acts of kindness with no strings attached

Rock the Neighborhood

Because summer in Minnesota is the best time to touch the greatest number of people, several years ago we launched 'Operation Outreach', an all-church event on one Wednesday evening per month in June, July and August.

At Operation Outreach hundreds of outreachers spread out into our communities in positive and practical ways by washing cars, mowing yards, grooming parks, bagging groceries and picking up trash. “Kindness in Action” signs and yellow t-shirts identify workers as Living Word outreachers.

To encourage attendance we make the event fun and family friendly. Safe projects such as ice cold water giveaways at summer softball games are enjoyed by adults and children alike. Community public works departments are always happy when families help to weed and mulch their flower gardens. Free pizza with fellowship and testimonies afterwards insure an evening to remember.

Operation Outreach starts 30 minutes earlier than our normal midweek service to take advantage of more daylight. After a short rock band introduction, I briefly explain the schedule for the evening. Within 30 minutes we dispatch as many as 480 workers divided into 50 project teams out of the front door to “Rock the Neighborhood.”

Experience has shown that leadership recruitment and project planning are the keys to success. Several summers ago after completing a summer of Operation Outreach events, tornadoes struck our community causing extensive damage. Our experience with Operation Outreach helped us mobilize and equip storm cleanup teams within 48 hours. This brought a special citation from the Mayor’s office.

It is sometimes challenging to get congregates to minister outside the church. Designing an outreach event such as Operation Outreach around a theme that compliments your vision and appeals to different segments and motivations of your congregation may rock your neighborhood!

How to Start a Community Outreach Ministry

Community outreach connects the local church with the people in their city by meeting existing needs. Starting or adding Christian ministry initiatives will help positively impact your local community and grow your church membership. These services will help you engage your community, attract and give help to needy individuals, build relationships with the community and share the faith.

Church outreach ministries look at their community, assesses the needs and say, ‘Our community needs this, and as a church we feel like God has given us the resources and skills, and so we’re going to meet that need and use that as the our vehicle through which we’ll share Christ’. This ministry can have many different expressions.

For example, you have people in communities who are hungry or need help with clothing. Our church saw the toll that the recession was taking on families and engaged Angel Food Ministries to provide quality food items at half the cost. Years ago we identified a need for value priced clothing so we opened the Maranatha Storehouse. Another example would be a church that realizes its community deals with alcohol and drug abuse. That church might want to start a recovery program such as Living Free to address the issue.

Other popular community outreach ideas include jail or prison ministries, after-school programs for children or yard clean up for elderly and disabled. The nature of the ministry depends on the needs of the specific community where the church is located.

Here are some simple steps that will help you plan for a successful start up for your church outreach ministry:
• Develop a detailed ministry plan and share your vision with church leadership.
• Be prepared to resource your vision with time, talent, prayer and even your own money.
• Recruit, organize and develop a team of volunteers to implement your outreach programs.
• Develop a website to communicate your services and success stories.
• Evaluate success and recognize volunteers and donors.

The American church is by some standards losing its influence on society. One way to regain a voice in our communities is to harness the strength of the church through community outreach. For more information, call our Outreach Hotline at (763) 315-7111.

Building Community Partnerships

Three dozen area pastors and educators met at Living Word Christian Center on Thursday March 19 for lunch and an open discussion of the challenges and opportunities facing churches and schools in our communities.

Limited Resources
Cuts in state aid to our school districts coupled with the economic downturn are causing under resourced school districts to tighten their belts. A failed budget referendum in a nearby district has forced the closure of three schools. These circumstances create an opportunity for churches to positively impact their communities by partnering to support our public schools.

Service Opportunity
Called "the greatest missional thinker" of our times, Ed Stetzer, in his book Comeback Churches, reported that 3500 – 4000 churches close every year in America. Stetzer concluded that churches that will reach out to their communities with a relevant presence are the ones that will survive.

After a delicious luncheon there were presentations of best practices by Dave Lowe, Executive Pastor of Edinbrook Church, Tommy Watson, Principal of Palmer Lake Elementary School in Brooklyn Park and Suzette Erickson, Principal of Crestview Elementary School in Brooklyn Park. Examples of homework helpers, an after school junior golf program and food distribution to needy families all contributed to the idea exchange.

Partnership Results
This timely forum revealed that many schools are open to partnering with non-profits for help in bridging the gap in public funding. In addition, churches looking to gain relevance and positive exposure will create opportunities for community outreach.

New alliances were established between ministers and principals and everyone left the meeting with a greater appreciation for the value of partnering for mutual benefit.

March Madness

February was a good month for me. Opportunities to reach out appeared daily. I found a new sense of purpose as I discovered blogging. I began reading again. The gym became an almost daily purgative to the press of ministry. Most importantly, my heart is turning more and more toward the needs of other people who are struggling amidst the economic downturn. (Probably needful for a pastor.)

Now March.

My assistant, Adam, and I have been counting days until the first day of spring. With the average high temperature at 34 degrees and college basketball playoffs in the air, I am making a commitment to Go MAD in March. That’s right. I am going to Go Make A Difference this month.

This month I am committing myself to:
• Keep my ears open for how God wants to use community outreach in a BIG way.
• Work closer with our food shelf Emergency Food Shelf Network

• Look for more ways to use our church facility for public access.
• Corroborate with local pastors and public school principals to promote mutual goals.
• Honor and acknowledge the value that lay leadership brings to the ministry.
• Help feed more hungry people through Angel Food Ministries.

What awesome opportunities to make a difference await us this month.

I’m going MAD in March! Join me?

The Church Has Left the Building

One of the most popular and rewarding outreach ministries is servant evangelism. SE involves doing acts of kindness for people who don't expect it, simply to show that God loves them.

Servant teams regularly reach out to the community through Operation Outreach, a high energy, group activity that provides opportunities for everyone, including families who want to serve together. Typical our servant evangelism projects include:

Rock the Neighborhood One Wednesday night a month in June, July and August, Operation Outreach becomes a church-wide event as hundreds of outreachers put on yellow t-shirts and invade our communities to wash cars, clean windshields, mow yards, and pick up trash, impacting people in a positive and practical way with the love of God.

Angel Food Ministries Each month we host Angel Food, a food program that sells food boxes, filled with meat, vegetables, eggs, and much more for only $30. We have mobilized hundreds of workers, many who come from the community to help distribute food and have also fed thousands of families who don't attend our church.

Baskets of Blessing Thanksgiving is a time when hundreds of needy families in our community look forward to receiving a food box complete with turkey and all the trimmings donated and delivered to their home by LWCC congregates.

CrestView Toystore Nothing says Christmas to a child more than toys. Yet the families of many children who attend CrestView School are unable to afford them. LWCC and Maranatha Christian Academy annually donate thousands of toys and distribute them to

Homes for Heroes Life must go on for the families of deployed soldiers. When a home maintenance or repair need arises our Homes for Heroes team will perform yard work, and fix or repair projects to demonstrate support for our troops.

Serving others often involves going to where they are. A small act of kindness nudges a person closer to God, often in a profound way as it bypasses ones mental defenses. This often results in a heart open to the gospel – a gospel of love.

You Are Cordially Invited

In my last post I talked about the opportunities presented when we organize for different types of outreach ministry. One type of outreach is what we call Event Evangelism.

North Americans are an event-oriented. Many churches have seen event evangelism as an excellent way to communicate Jesus Christ to our communities.

Our goal for event evangelism is to invite newcomers to our facility by sponsoring community or business related events that will attract first time guests. We encourage our members with ties into the business community to invite their friends, colleagues and business clients. These events include:

Winners Luncheon: Since 1996 business professionals from throughout the metro enjoy lunch and learn practical leadership principles from Mac Hammond and a variety of local and national speakers.

Maximum Impact Simulcast: In the spring LWCC will host John Maxwell’s leadership seminar. Hundreds will attend; many invited by LWCC members.

Job Fair Several hundred Twin Cities-area job seekers attend the Fall Job Fair and network with employers seeking to fill positions.

Back-to-School Rally In late summer we hosted 2500 school teachers and staff who held their Fall Back-to-School Rally in our church sanctuary.

Military Family Fair With troops deployed overseas, this pampering event invites hundreds of service families to take time out and enjoy massage or manicure.

In a pluralistic society, it is not impolite to refuse an invitation to church. But there is still something culturally compelling about an invitation to a meal.

Evangelistic sports events also can serve as a wonderful platform for the gospel. Golf tournaments can culminate in a get-together with a meal and a testimony speaker. A Christian fisherman like Al Lindner will always attract unreached people.

There is no overt evangelism during our events. The goal is to expose newcomers to an environment that emphasizes the love of God and community service. Some of these events are even self supporting through reduced ticket fees for attendance.

An important part of planning an event is prayer. If we program, we get what programming can do. If we promote, we get what promotion can do. But if we pray, we get what God can do!

A Community Outreach Chronicle

Out of the Pews
Too commonly churches find themselves mired in ministry that focuses almost entirely on meeting the needs of their congregates. Now more than ever churches must make a statement to the communities they serve that goes beyond a Sunday morning sermon. When churches connect with their community through ministry and service, the church is seen as relevant and its reputation is restored.

As my pastor friend Tim says, "The church must go out into the community before the community will come into the church. Before they will accept us we have to accept them".

How It All Started
In January 2005 our church leadership team merged several unconnected outreach activities under a coordinated vision to influence our community with the love of God. A mission statement was developed and staff was hired. The goal of the new outreach department was to influence an ever increasing number of non-Christians with God’s love and cause more in the congregation to become outreachers.

Existing events such as a monthly business luncheon, an annual Job Fair, sponsorship of a local elementary school and a weekly street evangelism outreach were partnered with monthly servant and invitational evangelism activities. Teaching on personal and relationship evangelism was initiated on a monthly basis.

What Happened
Five years later this increased emphasis on outreach has resulted in a significantly increased involvement in outreach and positive exposure for our church in the community.

Over the next few episodes of reachingoutloud I will simply chronicle how we got to where we are now. I don’t want to be one more self-proclaimed prophet laying down my version of how ministry should be conducted. We have done some things right and alot wrong, yet I am compelled to chronicle the journey.

Why Blog?
Why do I blog? I love my church but can’t personally connect to every outreacher. The people at Living Word deserve everything I’ve got and this blog is one more way to give it. I blog because ministry and leadership are better when learning is shared. I blog because I’d rather offer my journey than just assert my conclusions.