“So what are churches
doing to reach people today, Thom?”
I hear some version of
that question on a regular basis. The difficult response is that more churches
are doing nothing rather than something.
But, to be fair,
thousands of churches are doing some type of outreach to their communities and
beyond. But the times have definitely changed. Here are seven of the most
common changes in church outreach practices over the past one to two decades.
1.
From
in-home visitation to lunch or coffee shop visits. Relatively few churches do in-home visits. But
many are connecting with people at lunch or at a coffee shop. In fact, I
believe every church should have some budget dollars allocated for this type of
outreach.
2.
From
newspaper ads to Facebook ads. Facebook ads are not only affordable; their algorithms allow a
church to be highly focused on the target audience. Starting as low as $15 per
month, almost every church can afford some level of Facebook ads.
3.
From
worship services to the church website as the front door. Guests to a church in the past would check out
the church first by visiting the worship services. Guests today often make
their first impression decisions by checking the church website. There is no
excuse for a church to have a poor and dated website today. They are affordable
and user-friendly.
4.
From
complex gospel presentations to simple gospel presentations. The most popular gospel presentation of the
past several decades was “Evangelism Explosion.” Theologically rich and highly
effective for a season, EE did, however, require a great deal of memorization
and training. Today many churches look for an effective gospel presentation
that requires less training.
5.
From
multi-service to multi-venue and multi-site. While churches still use the multi-service
approach as a strategic means to reach people, more resources are being
invested in new sites and new venues. I have written on this issue extensively.
I am still amazed how quickly this practice has become so widespread.
6.
From
attractional to going. Many churches have invested significant resources in attracting
people to their worship services or to some big event. More resources are now
being expended on members going into the community. Hands-on ministry and small
group connections are becoming a more normative approach to reaching people
today.
7.
From
national and international giving to contextual giving. Churches are now more likely to fund outreach
ministries where they know the ministry or people involved in the ministry.
They are becoming less likely to fund a national or denominational fund that
then decides funding recipients. Of course, this issue is presenting challenges
to many denominations, including my own.
These are not merely
shifts; they are dramatic changes. And most of the changes took place in a
relatively brief period.
What do you think of
these changes? Let me hear from you.
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