Providing Entry Points Worship doesn’t have the draw like it once did. Many people have no idea what church is and see no reason to attend. Until people get to know Christ, worship is just entertainment and there are lots of different kinds of entertainment out there which are more professional and have more resources than the average church has. Vacation Bible School once attracted unbelievers but rarely does today. Entry points, like the ministries I have described on my blog under church ministry, not only minister to people where they are, they often provide opportunities for people to get to know you and find a reason to become a part of your church. For entry points to be effective, the church must follow up on visitors, but few do, so very few visitors return. Visiting those that visit the church often leads them to visit the church again. As they attend church, they can get to know Christ. Once they get to know Christ, worship will take on a whole new meaning for them. However, worship alone will not hold them. Unless there is fellowship and members are being ministered to, they will not stay. However, keeping them in the church is not the final goal. They need to grow in Christ and learn what it means to serve Christ and very few churches today have active programs to train members to become disciples. Once members are trained as disciples, they can become points of light leading unbelievers to Christ.
Archive for the ‘Neighborhood Ministries’ Category
Reaching the Lost-B
In the past people either had a church background or someone close who attended church and when they had problems, they turned to the church. Evangelists like Billy Graham also led people to seek out a church. In addition, many parents who went to church as kids, but no longer go, sent their kids to Sunday School to learn how to live a good life. Some people also attended special programs that provided entertainment, like Gospel groups, or fellowship, like dinners and study groups. That is no longer the case. Many people today have never had a church connection and there are no longer any great evangelists. They see no reason to contact a church, let alone attend one. As a result, the church now has to go out and search for them. However, few churches make the effort and so see very few new people. The ones who they see are usually those formerly active in church who just moved into their area and are seeking a church. Since people no longer seek out a church, the church must develop entry points to attract people.
Reaching The Lost-A
Lately, God has been impressing me with our need to expand our work in reaching the lost and making disciples. I have had a burden for the lost ever since God called me to serve Him but lately it has become a heavy burden as I see people struggling to survive in our increasingly secular society with reaching out to help them. I reach far more people than the average pastor, outside of radio and television preachers, yet it is mostly with pastors and the number of unbelievers I have contact with is only a small number when compared to the number of those who don’t know Christ and it isn’t the close personal contact needed to bring someone to conversion and nurture new believers. With the changes in our society, many pastors don’t have the close personal contact with unbelievers to bring them to conversion or the personal contact with their members to nurture them in the faith. That is why I wrote the three courses in the “Church That Transforms” series that details the changes in our society and how it has affected the church, how the church has dealt with similar problems in the past, and how it can become more effective in reaching the lost and making disciples. But it will take more than just church leaders. Christ calls all believers to reach out and touch those around them. That is why I am looking for churches who are willing to reach their neighborhoods and believers who are willing to gather their family, friends, and neighbors to study the Gospel.
Intro to Neighborhood Ministries NW Ohio-video
Books promos can be accessed by clicking on link “books” and study course promos can be accessed by clicking on link to “study courses”
Church MInistry-3-W
In addition, many large churches were at a distance that made it difficult to attend beyond the worship service and they could not attend many of the programs offered. As a result, many people are also seeking churches close by where they can participate more. That offers hope for churches, especially in rural areas with very few similar churches. Different people prefer different forms of worship and people will seek churches with worship they are used to. Because the membership of rural churches may include a sizable area, small groups made up of clusters of members who live close together and meet regularly will provide support for members in times of stress. While neighbors once provided support for those with no family nearby, neighbors no longer know each other and don’t know who around them that they can trust. Small groups whose members live close to each other can provide that support. Trust is also a factor in outreach. With the increasing mistrust of media, Ad campaigns no longer attract many. While door-to-door campaigns attract more, the response is still low, due to the fact residents do not know those who visit them. Empowering members to reach their neighbors increases the success greatly. By reaching out to their neighbors, they can make successive visits to get to know their neighbors. As members get to know their neighbors, their neighbors begin to see that they are interested in them and not just in filling the pews or the collection plates.
Church ministry-3-V
Rural churches continually tell me they feel they have very little future, but the evidence is increasingly in their favor. The big rush to large churches with professional grade services and lots of programs is ending in a bust. The people liked the fact that the large churches were welcoming but felt lost once they started attending. With increasing isolation, people are increasingly feeling isolated and Covid has intensified that feeling. As a result, many are returning to smaller churches where they feel welcome. Due to Covid, many people are avoiding large crowds in favor of smaller gatherings. Size alone doesn’t cut it, the small church must be genuinely welcoming. Many small church members shun strangers or ignore them and are not reaping the harvest. The programs don’t have to be fancy, the people just want to feel accepted. However, the average church size from 2000 to 2020 has dropped from 137 to 65, indicating that the smaller churches are not reaching those who leave the larger churches. While rural churches tell me most people around them attend church somewhere, surveys show that very few of them do. Many could be attracted to smaller churches if the church showed them it cared about them.
Sixth Sunday of Epiphany-Feb. 12
Sixth Sunday of Epiphany– Building Bridges– Today, many neighbors are isolated and do not know each other. In the past, neighborhoods were close knit communities where people worked and shopped nearby and helped each other in times of need. Increasing mobility has separated housing from office and shopping areas and has made even stable neighborhoods into bedroom communities. People work and shop elsewhere and only come home to have supper and sleep. Family used to provide support but many live a long way from any family members. They have no one to reach out to in an emergency or in time of need. By getting to know your neighbors you can build bridges that help you be there when they need help and opens opportunities to share the Gospel with them.
Fourteenth Sunday of Pentecost-Aug 22
Neighborhood Bible Studies Neighborhood Bible Studies-Many people in neighborhoods are becoming isolated and have little interaction with neighbors. With families moving a great deal, they often have no family nearby and the only cheap entertainment available is to go to a bar or neighborhood parties where beer is often abundant. Church families can start family friendly get-togethers and even Bible studies in their neighborhood by getting to know their neighbors and inviting them to cookouts in the back yard or other activities where neighbors can get to know each other and do things together. Once they get to know the church family in their neighborhood, they may be more open to attending church and even more so as some of their neighbors begin attending the church
Thirteenth Sunday of Pentecost-B
Mother’s Clubs-Mothers who do not work may feel isolated and become frustrated with no social interaction besides their kids, especially if their
husband is gone all day at work and even more so if they are a single parent and have no other adult interaction. Today, many mothers no longer
have family living nearby to help. Since families are having fewer children, many mothers did not grow up with younger siblings and did not learn
to care for children. As a result, they need help learning to manage their kids. They are glad to get together with other mothers who can help them
to deal with the problems they face caring for young children. In addition, many parents no longer let their kids roam the neighborhood and it gives
children the opportunity to play together and learn to deal with others. Mobile home parks, apartment complexes, and new neighborhoods often
have a lot of families with young children, and are fertile for neighborhood mother’s clubs. It is good to have an older church woman whose kids
are grown who can work with the young church mother who hosts the group to help her deal with problems she hasn’t experienced yet. Older
unmarried college age girls can help watch the kids and keep them occupied while their mothers meet giving them valuable experience dealing with
kids, or the mothers may take turns watching the kids if no one else is available. You may also have older women whose kids are grown teach a
children’s Bible Club for the children of the mothers who participate and other neighborhood children who wish to attend.