The Externally Focused Quest - Can reaching out to the community be hazardous to your career?

[James Nored]

The past couple of weeks I have gone to the Exponential conference and the Pepperdine lectures. Both events were filled with speakers saying the same thing--that we are losing people to the world in droves, and that the church must wake up, stop being inward-focused, and become outward-focused or "missional."

 

On this subject, I was also reading last week The Externally Focused Quest: Becoming the Best Church for the Community by Eric Swanson and Rick Rusaw. In this book, Eric Swanson gives the following letter from a minister who sought to transition his congregation from a congregation with an inward focus to one with an outward focus. WARNING - THIS MAY PROVE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR CAREER.

 

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(Letter from minister who sought to make a congregation outward-focused)

So here I sit at Starbucks . . . yeah, I think I hate this place today. Listening to Wayne Newton so stop trying to push that on me. But that's not why I am writing. I have been involved in this whole externally focused church idea and thoughts for a while. Your article about paradigm shifts put on paper some thoughts that have been stirring in me for about three years or so. As I drove around my community, I was saddened by two very crazy thoughts: how come there are so many needs, and why are there so many churches being built, yet the community is unchanged?

 

So all these thoughts led me to get fired from my position as an associate pastor--probably for the best anyway. I approached the church with applicable ways to integrate more into our community instead of trying to invite everyone to the church (which doesn't make sense to me anyway). So I suggested little ways to make a Sunday church more passionate and directed to community transformation. That truly is my passion--to see community changed regardless of what happens to the church growth numerically. I proposed simple suggestions: What if we asked each small group to own a neighborhood in the small community and twice a year serve them somehow? They could throw a block party, provide a day out through free child care, a physical service project, invite a person to talk on safety issues . . . whatever, just something small to get their feet wet . . . just trying to get them to think differently. 

 

I suggested that when we do events, we think them through differently. For example, why don't we invite children to the church for a movie night? What if we worked with the mothers' group in the community and plan a movie night at the park and then give the mothers group the credit for pulling it off? What if we did a capital campaign to pay the homeowners' association feeds for the single parents?

 

These were just little ideas, but they led to a huge problem. It was not about the church then! So I kept gently trying to be a visionary and lead by example. I gathered a small group of people, and we began. After fourteen years of ministry, you would have thought I would have learned how to be institutionalized. Nope . . . haven't learned that yet. So, after fourteen years, I got the boot and was shown the door. Exact quote: "We are about the Sunday service and growing in worship." So I just wanted to say thanks for getting me fired. No, just kidding. It's cool and I trust God for what is next. I know my passion to see community changed and for churches to get it. I am totally in love with Jesus and I know he gets it.

 

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 I have helped lead lead a missional transition in two churches, and consult and do seminars with many others; however, I must warn those who would try this--you will face resistance, as the above story shows. Perhaps fierce resistance. Jesus' call to be "deny oneself" is not a popular message. Just think--on the day of Pentecost, there were a mere 120 followers of Jesus! In today's "endulge yourself," consumeristic society, the problem is even worse. Some 90 percent of members think that the church exists for them (meanwhile, 90 percent of ministers think that the church exists to reach the lost!).

 

Yes, there will be those that are excited about this outward focus. At Liberty, where I previously served as a minister, some 80% approved of the outward focus and direction there, and we grew 43% over six years. And tremendous things have happened at High Pointe as we have become a more missional church--increases in baptisms, feeding the hungry, planting new churches, etc. "Outreach" is now viewed as our strongest ministry, whereas 4-5 years ago, it was a source of great dissatisfaction. God has done some amazing things. By and large, I believe that going down the missional path will produce a lot of joy and a satisfying harvest that will greatly encourage most congregations.

 

Missional, however, is not the same as "church growth." In fact, many may say to the idea of a missional church, "Sounds great--but not for me and my family." Or, "the church ought to be taking care of its own." Or, "What about me?" Furthermore, in places with the most "success" there will often be the most resistance, for the sending of resources outside will be viewed as a threat. Plus, Satan will instantly attack a church that decides to step out of itself and reach out. So being missional--which is really about following Jesus and his life and mission--is not for the faint hearted.

 

What kind of resistance do you think may be faced as a church becomes more missional?

[James Nored]

Dad, it is indeed a spiritual problem.

[James Nored]

Bill, great observation about who the missional church will reach and what the reaction in some churches will be. Churches want to grow by just getting the "beautiful people"--intact families with three kids, white, upper-middle class, who can give a good tithe. Hey, the beautiful people need Jesus too. But if this is all we are looking for, then we have become respecter of persons.

[James Nored]

Chris, you have correctly captured some typical reactions of those who don't get it. Throwing a block party is a great idea. People are social by nature, and most are missing relational connections in their lives. But to throw a party just to get people to automatically come to a worship service shows great impatience, little care for people's lives, and an obsession with worship only (as opposed to other aspects of the Christian faith).

[Lynn S. Nored]

It seems obvious to me there are three different but spiritually related reasons for resistance:  1) The church has a large building debt and is focused on $ given and attendance  2) The church has a comfortable atmosphere with "programs", sermons, and emphasis on "feeding" themselves.  However, the " being fed" here are words that reinforce their inward focus and comfort and 3) there is the belief that being a disciple is essentially " what we do in worship"  In all  of these cases there is a fundamental misunderstanding of what "being a Christian" is and the purpose of both individuals and the church.  In short it is a deeply embedded spiritual problem.

[Bill Bowman]

Here is my observation: A missional message is to reach out.  Many that respond are those who are in some kind of personal trouble: divorce, addiction, loos of job, etc.  So the growth is made up of troubled people for the most part. (I believe that is the way Christ would be pleased.)

 

Those unbelievers on the outside of the church who see themselves as AOK are not interested in seeking a new relationship with our group.

 

So the end result is that the church is growing out of a Country Club Atmosphere into a group which largely are just trying to survive seeking Christ as their Savior.

 

This uncomfortable situation helps the Devil undermine the church into a loss of determination to do God's will.

[Chris Walker]

Some possible reactions:

• How is this evangelism vs. good works that the Rotary club can do?
• Some will feel good serving but never verbally share the gospel.
• Why don't "they" come to church the next Sunday?  It doesn't work.
• What are "those" people doing in our church?
• Why are we spending all this effort but not instantly seeing more new people on Sunday morning?

One church I coached faced this very question:

 

Read: What One Church Did to re-engage it's community.

 

After their first block party one Saturday, no one came to church on Sunday.  Pastor and leadership were bemoaning all that effort "wasted."

 

I encouraged them to continue the work and the article lays out some fruit that was born out of the persistence.  They now have much more opportunity to share the gospel with their neighbors because they are connecting with their neighbors.