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Posts Tagged ‘neighborhood Ministries’

Reaching The Lost-C

12 Dec

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.

 

Reaching the Lost-B

12 Dec

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.

 

Video-sermon-Winning the Lost

12 Dec

 

Reaching The Lost-A

11 Dec

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

10 Jun

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

10 Feb

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

10 Feb

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

08 Feb

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.

 

 

Eleventh Sunday of Pentecost-B

10 Aug

Inner city ministry The church has become so middle class oriented that most church members find the inner-city to be like a foreign country. Churches which grew up in the inner-city when it was a middle class neighborhood, are moving to the suburbs as their members become employed and move out and the neighborhood deteriorates into a slum. The problem is that in doing so, they leave their poorer and older members behind since they can not commute and there is no one left to minister to them. In addition, the church gives up its neighborhood base. Without a building in the inner-city, it is almost impossible to carry on a ministry there without renting a building and your motives will be suspect by residents who see you as an outside group trying to exploit them. The problem could be solved by keeping the inner-city church and building a satellite church in the suburbs. By building partnerships with inner-city churches, the rural and suburban church can help the inner-city church carry on ministry. Usually the members of such churches are poor and elderly. They do not have the money or personnel to carry on ministry. The churches outside the city can supply funds and personnel badly needed while the inner-city church can supply the facilities and the trust of the people, as well as a knowledge of the needs and how to meet those needs. As those from outside the city work in the inner-city, the learn about the need and how to minister to them. That  information is helpful as many of those needs are moving to the suburbs which lacks the trained people to deal with them.

 

Eleventh Sunday of Pentecost-Aug 14-A

10 Aug

Homeless shelter ministry-Many people think of drunks and drug addicts when they think of homeless shelters but a growing number of families are ending up in shelters when they lose their housing. Life can be boring and never ending when there is very little to do, especially for children. Donations of magazines, books, toys, and personal items are always appreciated. In addition, volunteers are needed to provide activities. Churches with buses could take residents to free activities such as museums and collect money to pay their way to ball games, the zoo, or other activities, enabling them to get out and do things they might not otherwise be able to do. Many men and women could use help finding employment, getting their GED, or simply getting clothes suitable for job interviews. Even such things as haircuts and manicures are helpful.