Outreach Ministry
Introduction
The church outreach ministry is any ministry that
brings the church into the community to reach souls for Christ. No outreach
ministry will reach its full potential without planning, preparing, and
promoting.
Planning, Preparing, and Promoting
These steps are vital for any
outreach program, from a bus ministry to a cantata, they each need to be
planned, prepared, and promoted. First, the outreach needs to be planned. It
must be determined if the outreach lines up with the mission of the church. If
it does not, we need to ask ourselves why we are attempting it. If it does, the
goals for the outreach must be set, as well as the means to meet those goals.
The goals must be measurable and attainable so that it is possible to gauge the
success of the program.
Next the outreach must be prepared, but more important than that, the church
must be prepared. The congregation needs to pray for the program and for its
officers. They need to support it with their prayer life, their finances, and
their time. The congregation is the church, and if they are not behind a
ministry, it will fail. Having a prayer meeting specifically for the outreach is
a good idea, especially if it is held before the business meeting for the same
outreach. Special collections and pledges would help fund an outreach that is
too big for the current budget.
The outreach must be adequately promoted. Many outreaches that are
excellently planned and prepared are lost due to under-promotion. There are
several mode of promotion from which to choose and a church should not limit
itself to only one. Many television and radio stations will do announcements for
nonprofit organizations free of charge, many news papers will do the same. It
should not be outside of the possibilities to pay for advertising as well. A bus
ministry is of no use if people do not know it exists. No one will come to a
gospel concert, if they do not know it is happening. It is important to promote
the outreach and promote it creatively.
Types of Outreach
There are many type of outreach programs and I
will not attempt to mention them all here. If I did, I am sure that I would miss
a few.
- Visitation
- It is important to have an active visitation ministry. Any person that
honors the church as a visitor deserves a visit in return. I have seen
churches grow without visitation, but they did not have the amount of
conversions that they could have had, nor did they reach anywhere near their
full potential. Visitation ministry should also visit the sick, shut-ins,
and those that have missed a few weeks.
- Sunday School
- Though it is a regular part of the agenda at many churches, Sunday
School could be used as an outreach. Marketed properly, Sunday School could
reach those that are curious about the things of God, but are not
comfortable with going to church, especially if it is held on a different
night or in a different building.
- Bus Ministry
- One of the largest, and most expensive outreach ministries is the bus
ministry. It takes commitment, but it can be a rewarding ministry that will
reach souls that would not otherwise be able to make it to church.
- Musical Programs and Holiday Programs
- Though musical and holiday programs will bring in many people that are
new to the area and seeking a church, they can reach the unsaved as well. If
the program is performed by the members of the church, as opposed to an
outside group, many friends and family members will come to see them. These
people will be more open to the gospel, as they are likely to have seen the
effects of Christ in the life of the performer.
Conclusion
Regardless of which outreach programs you choose, it
is important to reach out into the community. They all need proper planning,
preparation, and promotion.
