Chapter Seven

Reaching Out

Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Acts 13:2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.

When most of us hear the term "missions", we think of foreign missionaries, and we'll look a little later at that kind of missions support.  First, though, we'll consider our "Jerusalem", our local community, the first and most important area of missions for a local church body.  One of the characteristics of a dead or dying church is a "disconnect" with the surrounding community.  The more a church turns inward in its struggle to stay in existence, the more isolated it becomes.  There are a multitude of ways we can reach out, many of which cost nothing but our time.  If you've reached this point in our "program" to revive your church, then you have already made the commitment to spend time in prayer and Bible study, and in the fellowship of believers.  Once you accept the idea of "redeeming the time" (Ephesians 5:16 and Colossians 4:5), it becomes much easier to spend time in the Lord's service.

A living church is a loving church, a caring church.  We need to minister to our own members, to be sure, but we should also reach out to those outside our congregation, especially the lost or backslidden.  As always throughout this book, I have several suggestions about how to go about doing that, not a complete list, but a starting point:

• Send a card.  This may be a get well card, a birthday card, a sympathy card, or any number of cards for either occasions.  To do this kind of ministry requires a certain amount of knowledge of the surrounding community.  In a rural setting, or in a small town, this is not too difficult, since most people living there are not far removed from their neighbors in relationship and knowledge.  In an urban setting, such connections are more stretched out, and we may not know the people who live right around our church.  There are ways to gain information about people's circumstances.  We can check with community organizations, pastors or members of other churches (not all will cooperate, but many will), and keep an eye on the local paper for obituaries, marriages, graduations, and so on.  The cards should be filled out and addressed by hand, not by computer, and we should include an address and phone number where the pastor, or a responsible person in the church, can be reached.  We should also include an invitation to visit the church, and attend a service.  There are risks; some people with needs, genuine or not, tend to become parasites, and may pester the church if it makes contact.  The rewards, though, of offering a word of encouragement or concern far outweigh any problems, and Christ never promised a life free of troubles and heartaches.
• Do a clothing drive in the church, and in the community.  Advertise in the local paper, and by posters, or leaflets.  The clothing collected should be sorted, washed, and neatly folded or hung on hangers.  Contact social service agencies, or organizations like Good Will, and arrange to give all or part of what you've collected.  If you have clothing that you know will meet the needs of a particular family, or families, contact them discreetly to see if they would be willing to accept good used clothing.
• Along the same lines, do a canned food drive.  In this case, you can give what you've collected to a local food pantry, or distribute it to needy families.  Both of these can be ongoing projects, though be careful not to press people too much -- just the clothing.  I know, I know -- very bad pun.
• Set up a local missions fund, under the control of your pastor and church treasurer.  There should be regular reporting of all funds received and disbursed to the whole congregation, at least on a quarterly basis.  All checks for payments should require two signatures.  Rather than giving money to people, which can quickly get out of hand, give them vouchers for food, gas, or lodging, whatever the immediate need may be.  Arrange with a local gas station and food store, and a motel, if there is a decent one in the area, to accept the vouchers.  If you suspect people are abusing your generosity, call other churches in the area, and see if they've been there.  Though situations may arise where giving cash is the only alternative, as a rule don't use it at all for missions work, local or otherwise.
• Throw a party, or a meal, anyway.  Publicize it well in advance; people are busy, and may not respond to last minute invitations.  Free food, when it's advertised, will often draw people in droves, especially around Thanksgiving or Christmas.  You should come up with some occasion to justify the event, like celebrating an elderly member's birthday, or recognizing faithful members.  If only a few people, or none, show up, don't get discouraged.  Word will get around, and once it reaches a critical mass, people will start coming in droves.  It's not good to have to turn people away, but it's a good problem to have.  If you want to have a program, invite a singing group or two (more than two is too many), and / or a community figure.  Let people know that the Singing Gentlemen or Judge Ornery are going to be at the event, and everyone is welcome.  Plan at least two or three months in advance; groups or speakers worth having will book their appearances well in advance.   The better-known they are, the longer lead time you have to allow.
• Hold a series of revival services.  Again, obtain your evangelist well in advance; some need a year's advance notice or more.  Don't just rely on itinerant evangelists, though; there are probably pastors in your general area with a reputation of having a dynamic soul winning ministry.  Be sure, though, they hold the same doctrinal positions as your church, and that they have no known or suspected skeletons lurking about.  Revival is primarily, and first of all, for the benefit of church members; you can't revive someone who's still spiritually dead.  Nonetheless, we should never pass up an opportunity to share the Gospel with unbelievers.  This is a good opportunity to follow up with people we've visited who never accepted our invitation to come to church.  Just like with visitation, we start first by inviting family, friends, and acquaintances, then working out from there.  Follow up a phone call with a card, or send the card first and do the phone call later, which ever works best for you.  In the time between securing an evangelist and the date of the scheduled services, bathe the meetings in prayer.  Your prayer time in every service, and your private prayer time, should include a time devoted particularly to the revival.  This includes a  list of specific people to pray for, those that you invite and some you are reluctant to invite (because, for example, the person is violently opposed to Christianity).  Just before the revival, use all means at your disposal -- radio, TV, newspapers, posters, leaflets, the Internet -- to spread the word.  Re-contact the people you touched base with before, if you made contact weeks or months before.  Arrange transportation for anyone who needs it.  Urge your children and youth to invite their friends, and plan activities specifically for them during the week.  We could easily devote a whole book to this topic alone, but space is lacking here.
• Here it comes -- support a missionary, preferably more than one.  Most denominations, including those made up entirely of independent churches, are served by missionary-sending agencies who share the local churches beliefs.  Your pastor should already know about some; if he doesn't, or you don't have a pastor, contact the pastor of another like congregation, or check the Internet.  Although you can support a missionary already in the field, it's best to select one who's on deputation (raising the necessary support for the mission), or furlough (temporarily home from the mission to raise further support, or to address personal or other needs).  That way, you have a chance to meet the missionary and his family, if he has one, and judge for yourself if the proposed or ongoing missionary effort is worthy of your support.  Start small, if you wish, but set goals to increase your giving each year, either by increasing the level of support, or by supporting more missionaries.  Never support a missionary or missionaries as a part of your regular budget; we shouldn't rob poor Peter to pay poor Paul (did I alliterate enough there?).  Find out about the Faith Promise program, a proven technique for supporting causes above and beyond the regular level of giving.  Basically, it means pledging an amount we do not presently have, after prayerful consideration, believing on faith that God will provide it.  If we don't believe that, we shouldn't make the pledge to begin with.  If you can secure the presence of more than one missionary at the same time, preferably three or four, organize a missions weekend, or longer, culminating in the Faith Promise pledges.  As with any other funds the church collects, assure there are adequate safeguards for the money that comes in, and it will.  Keep the congregation advised of your progress through the year.  It may be a few years before you feel confident in organizing a missions conference, but Faith Promise is something you can start right away.
• Look for opportunities to minister to people one on one.  We meet many people, if we're at all active, in the course of our daily lives.  That includes our coworkers, our friends, and people we see regularly at banks, stores, doctors' offices, and other places of business.  If you're afraid to ask if they're Christian, just be friendly; a smile and a kind word can help make someone else's day.  Never be rude or impatient; if that's a problem for you, pray about it.  Our day to day lives should be consistent with what we profess to believe on Sunday.  This is the last point in this list, but it may well be the most important.  The Bible says, in reference to the saints of God (that's all of us who accept Christ as Savior), and the defeat of Satan, And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. (Revelation 12:11).

The end?  No, pursuing the Lord's work should never end until Jesus comes, or for as long as we have life.  If your church starts out on the right path, but falters later, or becomes complacent, all of your hard work will be in vain.  This isn't a "quick fix" plan, or something you can do a few months and give up on.  It's a long-term program, just like our individual walk as Christians.  You may find from time to time you have to go back to the beginning; that's not good, but it's far better than just giving up.

The next section is a bonus.  It's free -- oh, that's right the whole book is free.  Anyway, I pray it's something you can make good use of.  May God bless you in all your efforts, in Christ, to bring new life to your congregation.