Outreach

One year changed everything for me.  The year was 1973.  I was 16 years old, just got my driver's license and my first car - a 1970 VW Beetle.  But my new found freedom on the open road was not what changed my life.   My pastor asked me to be part of a group of people who were discussing how we can reach the lost for Christ.   Our church had joined a global outreach initiative called Key 73.  For weeks we discussed how we as a church could reach as many people as possible with the good news of Jesus.  With a few others we started a club for unchurched boys called Boy's Alive.  With some of the youth in our youth group we started to reach out to imprisoned youth.   For the first time in my life I got involved with non-Christians.   This ignited a passion in my heart to commit my life to seeing sinners saved and find new life in Jesus.

Is this passion for outreach alive in your church?  Do you pray for your friends, colleagues, and relatives that do not know Jesus Christ, that they will come to faith?   Do you try to deepen your relationships with people who do not yet know Jesus Christ?   Does your church support people in their evangelism endeavours?    These questions are critical to the health of your church.   At least this is what the research done by NCD (Natural Church Development) has discovered.   If you want your church to be healthy and growing, need-orientated evangelism needs to be flourishing in your church.   In this article I want to look at this quality characteristic of 'need-orientated evangelism'. ¹  

When it comes to the topic of evangelism church leaders and churches often get uneasy.   Not because they disagree that evangelism ought to be a priority.  As believers we know that Jesus has commissioned us to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything [he has] commanded [us]" (Matthew 28:19-20; see also Acts 1:8)   Or in the words of the apostle Paul, "We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:20)   So we know that we are to reach out to unbelievers with the good news of Jesus.   But the fact remains, while we might talk about reaching the lost for Christ, we seldom do.   As churches.   As individuals.   As one church leader recently admitted to me:  "I've been in this church for decades, and I cannot remember the last time we saw a genuine conversion of an unbeliever in our church."

So how do we do effective outreach in and through the local church?   You might have noticed that NCD does not simply talk about evangelism, but need-orientated evangelism.   NCD discovered that healthy and growing churches were not just preaching the gospel, witnessing to the truth of Jesus, and/or distributing Bibles and other Christian literature.   Healthy and growing churches were backing up what they said by good deeds.   They were meeting the needs of unbelievers.   They were putting into practice what Jesus taught us in Matthew 5:14-16:  "You are the light of the world.... let your light shine before people, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."   This is echoed by Jesus' disciple Peter when he wrote:  "Live such good lives among the pagans, that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." (1 Peter 2:12)

So again, how do we do effective outreach, remembering that the good news of Jesus must be paired with the good deeds of Jesus' followers?   Well it begins by churches encouraging people in their church to be involved in evangelism.   This needs to be kept in front of the congregation every week.  Christians need to be encouraged to pray for their unsaved friends and family, that they would come to faith.   Church leaders need to remind people that they should be inviting non-Christians to worship services, and not just at Easter and Christmas.   And not just to worship services.  To small groups.  To Christian gatherings of every kind.  And if people do not know who to invite, then they need to deepen their relationships with non-Christians.  Get involved in the community, in your neighbourhood, in sporting events, at the gym, and wherever.   Begin to pray for those people you meet.   Pray that God will open a door of opportunity for you to share your faith.   Invite those you meet to your home.  "Practise hospitality." (Romans 12:13)  When you celebrate someone's birthday or anniversary, (and you are not in lockdown,) invite your non-Christian friends and introduce them to your Christian friends.   And as you get to know non-Christians, be sensitive to their needs.   Think of ways that you can do some good deeds.   Mow your neighbour's lawn.   Provide a meal.   Drive someone to a doctor's appointment.   Meet the financial needs of someone laid of from work or laid up in the hospital.  Provide practical help to those in need.  This is what we as Christians and Christian churches need to be known for!   We are quick to help those in need.

So if evangelism is low on your congregational or personal radar, where do you begin?   Begin with prayer.   Pray daily for those who are far off from God that He will draw them near.   And then be ready -- ready to respond to those God puts in your pathway.   Always "be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...." (1 Peter 3:15)   And be ready to respond to the needs of those around you!  Be ready to reach out with outreach!

 ¹ Check out the previous articles on: empowering leadership, gift-based ministry, passionate spirituality, effective structures, inspiring worship services, and holistic small groups