Okay, so you’re a new visitor to Heights Christian Church. How did you find out about our church? [How DO people find out about us?]. Let’s say you’ve moved to Shaker. How do you find out what church to visit? Okay, so you’ve somehow found Heights Christian. What do you experience when you call the office? What do you experience when you walk in the door? What are your concerns? What are your fears?
In this chapter, Martha Reese assumes we are doing SOME evangelism. Hitting ourselves over the head about what we’re NOT doing won’t get us anywhere. We should acknowledge what we are doing, build on it, do it better, and pray about a new level we’d be willing to move into.
Chapter 5 lists nine groups of people that church people like us could evangelize:
(1) our own children—Yes! We’re doing this through our home and religious ed programs!
(2) Our children’s friends—not too big a stretch; we can invite them to vacation Bible School and Easter Egg hunts, for only two examples;
(3) People who attend but haven’t yet joined—well, I guess it wouldn’t be hard to invite them, if we know who they are!
(4) Christians from similar church backgrounds—may they find in us a compatible theology, music, biblical orientation, outreach focus and a lively worship structure!
(5) Christians from different Church backgrounds—uh-oh, this is more swampy ground, but I’m proof that it can happen—the theology fit, AND the people were welcoming, warm, the worship enriching, and ah, the music!
(6) People who drifted away—but maybe some life passage or crisis will lead them back and maybe we can have open arms;
(7) People who were hurt by the church—okay, this is a tough one, but people in our church HAVE reached out to people who were hurt and have kept reaching out until they returned;
(8) Unchurched people who are like us—a real challenge, even though they have jobs, careers, schooling and even ethnicity like us;
(9) Unchurched people who are unlike us—this is the hardest. How do we reach out to those who move in different circles and have had very different experiences?
Martha Reese asks us to take the focus off of ourselves for a moment and to look outward: at the needs of people in our neighborhood, for example, at the opportunities we all have to meet new people, and at our own gifts for evangelism!
There are barriers, both within us and in our church. Most people say they CAN’T do evangelism because they don’t have a cogent reason to, or they’re afraid a friend will be turned off, or because they’ve never talked about such an intimate thing as faith out loud before! [And there’s a fourth reason I’ve often heard: because they respect people’s privacy and their individual beliefs and wouldn’t think of intruding on them]. Can we talk about and ‘dismantle’ these barriers?
And in our church: do we have a good idea of what it’s like to be a visitor? Do people really feel comfortable? Ask a new visitor, a new member! Take one to lunch. Ask: Is it easy to make friends here? To join groups? To use your leadership skills? Do you feel welcome?
What can we as a church do to improve our chances for new members? Whether you are a participant in a small group or not, WRITE DOWN YOUR IDEAS for all of us to consider! We will! We need and value your ideas. Respond to this blog or email the church at heightschristian@sbcglobal.net.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
We know that Jesus Christ told His followers to go into all the world, making disciples of all nations and teaching people God's way of life. This takes cooperation and organization. To effectively describe the organized functioning of the people of God, the apostles used the analogy of the human body.
"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration. (1Corinthians 12:27-28, NIV).
Directing the work of the Church as its living Head is Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:18). To emphasize how dependent the Church is on His leadership and inspiration, Jesus compares Himself to a vine: "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). The success of the Church is dependent on the power and inspiration it receives from Jesus Christ.
Functions within the Body of Christ are established by Him "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-12, NRSV).
Paul tells us that "there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone" (1Corinthians 12:4-6, NRSV).
Among the gifts Christ gives His Church are gifts of spiritual leadership: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11). They are entrusted with the responsibility of teaching, nourishing, protecting and building the Church. Godly character and exemplary spiritual qualifications are required of those entrusted with spiritual leadership (1Timothy 3:1-10; Titus 1:5-9).
These are to lovingly shepherd God's flock (John 21:15-17) so that all members of this spiritual body may "come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13).
They are to lead the people of God to work together in unity-to love, respect and support each other. "But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other" (1Corinthians 12:24-25, NIV).
Those who are led by Jesus Christ recognize a common Spirit in each other-the very Spirit of God, which makes them the people of God.
It should lead them to work together in unity to accomplish the mission Christ gave the Church as its ministry when He said: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you . . ." (Matthew 28:19-20).
The Church that Christ built is that special body of people who, led by God's Spirit, obey His commandments and are zealously committed to accomplishing the commission Jesus Christ gave them.
Post a Comment