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Re-focus on your outreach

National Outreach Convention is an annual conference that helps inspire, equip, train and network church leaders in evangelism and outreach.

Refocus is the theme for this year, with the sub  catch cry ‘don’t let distractions get in your way’….

This helps raise important questions whether you are a church leader or not :

  • What distracts you from doing evangelism and outreach?
  • How can you re-focus on evangelism and renew your commitment to outreach in your church and personal life?

 

 

Barriers to church

One of the barriers people have in accepting an invite to church – is the lack of invitation.

When was the last time you invited your friend/ barista / colleague / brother / personal trainer to church?

Why Art?

Why Art?
God created the universe. God created us. Because we were created in His image, we have inherited the creative impulse from our heavenly Father. We all express that God-given creativity in wildly diverse ways, but certainly visual art is one of them. Our humble attempts to form art, like anything else we do throughout our days, should be offered in a God-ward trajectory of worship and should be offered to other people as acts of love. We believe the cultivation of smart, skilled, conceptually rich and beautiful art, coming from gospel-centered Christians, will result in a healthier, more beautiful church and more livable cities.

from Sojourn Church – Visual Arts Ministry

When mission looks like a cupcake…

Physically, on the ground our week long mission looks like art exhibition and prize, accompanied with a prize night for the entrants, Fair Trade markets with cupcakes and coffee, live music at night, kids art workshop, playtime under the bridge and more! There is pretty much something for everyone!

BUT Spiritually, it is all about MISSION!

As much as I love art, cupcakes, coffee, balloons, bbq’s, and having our face painted I love Jesus more and am convinced He is worthy of all creations worship. I want to see more worshipers around the throne, worshiping the lamb, not just because I know the benefits they will receive in doing so, but more importantly because Jesus deserves their worship. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. All the outreach ministries of our church aim to glorify Jesus by gathering more and more worshipers of him.

I want to create places for smiling faces, where people can meet Christians, gain exposure to gospel community and hopefully encounter Jesus. As one of my favourite pastors John Piper, says “mission exists because worship doesn’t. And so with I ♥ Kirribilli, it only exists because worship doesn’t.

It might not look like a normal evangelistic mission… Its a week long program with only two spots where the gospel is shared formally – the prize night and the kids art workshop. We don’t have an the charismatic evangelist, Billy-Graham-type speaking to the masses. We aren’t going doorknocking, and there isn’t a youth rally.

Instead of just bringing in the ‘professional evangelists’ or thinking there just needs to be a formal preaching opportunity – the evangelism during this week is going to be done by each of you. We each have the treasure of the gospel and the power to share it. Sitting on the door of church welcoming people to the exhibition, giving them a peoples choice response slip, offering a free cupcake, sample of fair trade coffee gives you reason to be chatting and sharing your lives with people.

In many ways it is door knocking / walk up evangelism handed to us on a silver platter. It’s a lot less threatening for all involved, its natural, and its what church should be doing… gospelling people we meet.

We estimated 1000 people wandered through the church during the week, last year.  This is just the opportunity we have with the many unchurched neighbours and friends who enter or view the exhibition. We get the opportunity to plant little gospel seeds into people’s lives, and perhaps see others or ourselves water, and God give these seeds the growth.

Tough Questions…

Churches often run courses like  So Many Questions , to equip believers to know what to say in response to many common questions about Christianity.  We do however, mainly run these type of courses or hot topic nights for the insider /believer, training them up to send them out to share what they learn with the people they are in relationship. This is really important element in the training of evangelism in churches.

However how about killing two birds with one stone: turn this evangelist training course into mini-evangelistic events. Open the event up to not just cater for the Christian. Promote it as something Christians could even bring unbelievers to.

  1. For the Christian – To train up and equip your church about the defeater beliefs, objections to Christianity, and tough questions that they face in the conversations they are having with their friends.
  2. For the Unbeliever – They would not only cater for the Christian but the unbelieving friend also. They would be nights where you could easily invite your friends to, and allow them to hear more about the Christian worldview.

Get a speaker to speak on their hobby horse topic, have a panel of speakers, or even open it up for questions time also.
Topics could include:

» Resurrection proof
» Hasn’t science disproved Christianity
» Reliability of the bible
» Objective Morality
» Ultimate truth/Exclusivity of Christianity
» Where is God during the GFC
» God hates religion – cause of all wars
» Christian disunity
» Role of sex in relationships
» Christianity is a group of homophobes
» Place of suffering in humanity
» Origin of creativity and beauty
» Purpose of work/career
» Toxic Culture
» Money

26 Outreach Ideas for Christmas…

I know it is only June, but what are you thinking of doing this Christmas?

Are you going to be exploiting the festive cheer to preach the good news of Jesus Christ given unto us?

Ideas for Christmas Outreach:

  1. Community Carols Event
  2. Christmas Festive Market
  3. Anglicare Christmas Appeal – Toys and Tucker
  4. Blue Christmas (church service for those grieving)
  5. Free Community Christmas Day Lunch
  6. Kids holiday program
  7. Letterbox drop
  8. Christmas Hampers for those in need in the local area
  9. Music / Concert / Recital
  10. Gingerbread House making night
  11. Nursing home visit with caroling
  12. Street Christmas party
  13. Apartment block Christmas party
  14. Outdoors large Nativity scene
  15. Nativity Play
  16. Church Christmas Tour
  17. Youth Band Night
  18. Additional Church services to the normal weekend
  19. Carols by Candlelight
  20. Midnight Mass Christmas Eve
  21. Family Christmas Service
  22. Christmas movie night screen “The Nativity Story” (bit old but…)
  23. Operation Christmas Child, invite community to take part.
  24. Christmas Shopping Child minding… look after kids while people shop. Have gospel content… Christmas craft etc.
  25. Christmas tree delivery
  26. Bible / Scripture giveaway

3 tips to help you and others share Christ…

  1. Daily Bible Reading

    All Christians should desire to have an increased Bible knowledge, that is a deep desire and commitment to dig deeper into God’s word personally through daily bible reading.  As we saturate ourselves in scripture we are more acquainted with our God and our hearts change. This will have an overflow effect into our words and actions. Why not make it a goal for yourself and others to read the Bible in a year!
    (check out resources here)

  2. Bookstall at Church

    Pump up the bookstall at church. Check there are good books on it and ensure new stock is brought in. Place a couple of quality books on their that aren’t just pushing your agenda of evangelism but that is pushing your sheep to love, know and obey Christ more deeply. We should read and meditate on the Bible, of course, but we should also read theology and grow in our understanding of the glorious truths of God. Let’s not be lazy with the things of God.
    (click here for more on why Christians should be readers)

  3. Use Facebook

    Help grow your flock’s affections for Jesus through your sharing of links to:
    * new mp3 sermons are up
    * resources that are on your church website
    * direct attention to good Christian blogs and websites Perhaps a tricky topic came up in the sermon and you read a good article or post on the topic, why not share it with others and encourage them to do further reading on the topic also.
    * new songs you are singing at church. The more we know the songs lyrics the more we own them and sing on Sundays with meaning & gusto. Plus music is a word ministry where the Spirit has great opportunity to minister to us as we sing the words and recall the words throughout the day – its a great defense against Satan also.

(Oh and a fourth tip… PRAY!)

Don’t even have to leave the couch…

When you think of successful evangelists and missionaries, you think of godly men and women serving in Africa, or the gifted preacher announcing the gospel to the thousands… But as I read the scriptures and reflect on experience some of the best evangelism can happen in the comfort of your own home – you don’t even have to leave the couch.

The home was an important place for the early church – that is where people met for church, where Christians could show compassion and care for the needs of the saints and the stranger.

This is especially the case in our society where we have lost that sense of community. Family don’t live near each other, we work in a different place to where we live and play, we don’t know our neighbours… we have lost a sense of belonging that I think is important to our emotional health and general relational well-being.

As Christians Christ calls us to love our neigbours and this love cannot be content with words. This love is a call to It show real compassion, hospitality and generosity. It is a call for radical hopsitality in all its messiness; It is a call to welcome the stranger into our homes, to sit at our table, no matter what the barrier might be.

When you read Hebrews 13:2 you can’t but help think about the far-reaching implications for our willingness to extend hospitality.

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