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I recently received a great question. A pastor asked me (and I paraphrase) whether a church should prioritize community impact efforts given the Church’s first priority of fulfilling the Great Commission.
My response is essentially this: community impact is a Biblically motivated “outreach” method that is, in the long run, as effective or even more effective than more traditional “outreach” methods. In this episode of the podcast, I walk through five steps or ideas for keeping community impact Gospel-focused. They are:
- Be up front with community leaders (once you have established credibility in your community.
- Explain to your church that community impact efforts are Gospel outreach efforts similar to more traditional methods.
- Set expectations concerning time. It simply takes time to build relationships.
- Use the powerful question, “Can I pray for you?”
- Plan events at your church that serve or honor the people you are serving.
Key takeaways:
- Gospel-focused community impact is a balancing act. On one hand, community impact can become just another effort to do good to do good. On the other had, it can become little more than a church marketing effort that makes little or no difference in your city.
- The purpose of community impact is ultimately to connect with people so you can connect them with Jesus.
- That said, the motive behind community impact must always be a desire to bless your city.
- J.D. Greear and Summit Church is an amazing example of a bold church. Greear’s “Local Outreach DNA” is helpful in this regard. On the Summit Church’s website, Greear explains, “Local outreach is not our public relations project. It’s not our way of creating goodwill in the community or forging partnerships with the city, though of course we want both of those things! At the core, local outreach is about taking the gospel to the people God commanded us to go to (everyone) who live in places we don’t (homeless shelters, prisons, etc.).
How do you keep your community impact efforts Gospel-focused? You can send us your feedback or ideas at info@theboldchurch.com.