4 Practical Ways to Boost Your Outreach to the Community
Christian evangelism works best when churches make a plan for community outreach. Their willingness to listen and help can bring lasting transformation change. | by Tom Pounder
I don’t know if you have watched the news lately, but there is A LOT happening! The news wants to tell you how the Supreme Court is impacting your life. It wants to tell you how inflation is impacting your life. It wants to tell you how the latest sporting championship is impacting your life. It wants to tell you how wars and other conflicts are impacting your life. The news will tell you that many things will impact your life — for the better or worse.
The reality is that some of these things will, in fact, impact you and your community. But, how do you know for sure if they will affect the people you care about? The only way you know what is impacting your community is by knowing your community.
You cannot rely on the news or any other source to tell you what is impacting your community. While the news can tell you what is happening, it can’t tell you how and why certain events affect your community. You must get to know your community to understand the impact.
So how can you do that? How can you effectively impact your community for Christ, no matter what is happening around the world? Here are a few ideas:
-
Know the history of your community.
Every community has a history. It may not all be a good history. There could be some bad stuff there that impacts your community. Get to know the history of your community.
Go to the local library or town hall and find out more information. You can also Google search your community to find out more about it. The more you know the history, good and bad, the more helpful you can be.
-
Be among the people.
You need to get out and be with the residents, listening and engaging them in conversations. The more you can do that, the more you can understand your community. And the more you understand your community, the more you can impact your community for Christ.
Go to the local coffee shop, flea market, farmers’ market, county fair, or any other community event to hear what people are talking about. If your community is too big for these “small town” events, find out where the people tend to go. Maybe it’s the local sports fields on a Saturday or the town center, a specific restaurant, or a playground. Be present. Listen and learn.
-
Support your community.
One of the best ways to impact your community is to serve. Take part in a neighborhood clean-up, volunteer at a food bank, or help at a donation drive.
These are great opportunities to support the neighborhood while getting to know people and discovering what is important to them.
-
Get some help.
As important as it is to get out and be with people in your community, sometimes you need a little help. The good news is that there are great organizations, like Firm Foundations Marketing, that can help you and your church understand the community better.
The more you can understand your neighbors, the more God can use you to minister to their needs.
Conclusion
God has you in a community for a reason. Know what impacts the people in your community so that you can meet their needs.
Do your research. Get to know the community and its history. Get involved in events and support local businesses. Be present. Talk to people. Listen to their stories. If you need help, contact a ministry or organization that can help you get to know your community better.
Learn all you can about your community so that you can help them experience Christ. Your love can lead to change and hope.
