Jeremiah 29:7 says, “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Just as bridges and cities go together, churches and communities are linked. God’s people are to be connected to the city, the community, and the world."
Bridges--amazing structures that fascinate us and provide so much connection.
“Imagine a world without bridges. Imagine London, Paris, and Rome without dry paths across the Thames, the Seine, and the Tiber. Bridges and cities go together,” wrote Henry Petroski.
Now imagine life without another sort of bridge--one that spans from your church to your community.
Jeremiah 29:7 says,
“Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.
Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
Just as bridges and cities go together, churches and communities are linked. God’s people are to be connected to the city, the community, and the world.
Another great bridge-building era has come. Congregations of all sizes and in all places are
connecting to their communities, providing good deeds and good news to people in poverty, families in crisis, cities in decay, and schools in need. Many of these churches call themselves “externally focused.”
In their book, The Externally Focused Church, Rusaw and Swanson describe this kind of
church as “willing to step outside the safety net of our church pews and cross the street into real-life, real world acts of service in order to share the truth of Jesus Christ.”
Building a bridge from the church to the community is possible for a congregation at any stage of life, but not necessarily easy. Why do many churches do it? They must. Externally focused churches fulfilling Jesus’ mandate to be salt andchoose to love and serve the community for the purpose of being light.
“You are the salt of the earth....You are the light of the world...let your light shine before men,
that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
(Matthew 5:13-15)
While not easy, leaders of these churches agree that building this bridge has brought life to their churches and light to the world.
What are the first steps to building a bridge connecting your church to your community? While no two congregations follow the same blueprint for community involvement, most have had to answer the following six questions along the way to becoming more externally focused.
What is our congregation’s current view of outreach ministry?
What is our current ministry programming?
How are we preparing people for externally focused ministry?
What are the needs of our city?
Who can we partner with?
How can we get everyone involved?
Read this whole article at http://www.faithformation2020.net/uploads/5/1/6/4/5164069 /five_steps_to_an_externally_focused_church.pdf
Bridges--amazing structures that fascinate us and provide so much connection.
“Imagine a world without bridges. Imagine London, Paris, and Rome without dry paths across the Thames, the Seine, and the Tiber. Bridges and cities go together,” wrote Henry Petroski.
Now imagine life without another sort of bridge--one that spans from your church to your community.
Jeremiah 29:7 says,
“Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.
Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
Just as bridges and cities go together, churches and communities are linked. God’s people are to be connected to the city, the community, and the world.
Another great bridge-building era has come. Congregations of all sizes and in all places are
connecting to their communities, providing good deeds and good news to people in poverty, families in crisis, cities in decay, and schools in need. Many of these churches call themselves “externally focused.”
In their book, The Externally Focused Church, Rusaw and Swanson describe this kind of
church as “willing to step outside the safety net of our church pews and cross the street into real-life, real world acts of service in order to share the truth of Jesus Christ.”
Building a bridge from the church to the community is possible for a congregation at any stage of life, but not necessarily easy. Why do many churches do it? They must. Externally focused churches fulfilling Jesus’ mandate to be salt andchoose to love and serve the community for the purpose of being light.
“You are the salt of the earth....You are the light of the world...let your light shine before men,
that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
(Matthew 5:13-15)
While not easy, leaders of these churches agree that building this bridge has brought life to their churches and light to the world.
What are the first steps to building a bridge connecting your church to your community? While no two congregations follow the same blueprint for community involvement, most have had to answer the following six questions along the way to becoming more externally focused.
What is our congregation’s current view of outreach ministry?
What is our current ministry programming?
How are we preparing people for externally focused ministry?
What are the needs of our city?
Who can we partner with?
How can we get everyone involved?
Read this whole article at http://www.faithformation2020.net/uploads/5/1/6/4/5164069 /five_steps_to_an_externally_focused_church.pdf
