Neighborhood Ministries

Many churches started in the inner-city when the areas were more prosperous. As the areas deteriorated, many members moved out. The churches did nothing to reach the people living around the church. Eventually, the churches were made up mostly of non-resident members who came back to worship. The small remaining congregation was no longer able to support the big building which was too expensive to maintain.  Eventually the churches decided to move to the suburbs where most of their members lived. Since the remaining members were often poor and elderly, they were not able to travel to the new church. Now some churches are seeking to reach the people in the inner-city but are finding it difficult because they have to rent facilities and they are often viewed as outsiders. The people are often geared toward survival and preaching alone will not attract the people here. The church must demonstrate God’s love through tangible ministry by meeting needs and showing they care. It must go beyond merely providing food and clothes to providing job training and teaching life skills.  

Para-church organizations–Ministry beyond the church In the beginning, para-church organizations to minister to the community were supported by the churches which provided oversight as well as supplying funds and volunteers. As a result, many church members were able to get training and experience through the programs. However, many churches no longer support the parachurch organizations and the organizations get very little support from individual churches, so they are often forced to draw their support from the community at large. As a result, churches often see them as competitors for money rather than as avenues for ministry and church members are finding few avenues to serve and no training in how to serve. Many para-church organizations can provide volunteer opportunities for members to serve God and often provide needed training. (see “The Important I”-LULU  Press) If you are interested in serving Christ beyond the local church check with the local Salvation Army or other church related ministries to see what volunteer opportunities are available in your area.

Parachurch Ministries– Ministry beyond the church In the past, many members learned to minister to others as they ministered to other members and to those who  came to the church for help. Today, church members are so scattered they rarely know each other well and few people come to the church seeking help anymore. As a result members get little experience in ministering to others and few church members have the experience to help. Many problems in small churches do not warrant separate programs to deal with them, however many problems formerly associated with the inner-city are moving to the suburbs as the poor move to the suburbs where rent is cheaper, housing is better, and there is less violence. Many suburban and rural areas do not know how to deal with the problems and many problems are too big for individual churches to handle. As a result, many churches today have withdrawn from ministry to those around them so many community needs are not being met. Parachurch organizations have grown up to help, such as Habitat For Humanity, Crisis Pregnancy Centers, etc. to carry on ministries and to meet the unmet needs in the community.