Monday Morning Insights

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    The Externally Focused Church

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    1. Externally focused churches are convinced that good deeds and good news can't and shouldn't be separated.


    Just as it takes two wings to lift an airplane off the ground, so externally focused churches couple good news with good deeds to make an impact in their communities. The good news explains the purpose of the good deeds.



    2. They see themselves as vital to the health and well-being of their communities.


    They believe that their communities, with all of their aspirations and challenges, cannot be truly healthy without the church's involvement. It is only when the church is mixed into the very life and conversation of the city that it can be an effective force for change.



    3. They believe that ministering and serving are the normal expressions of Christian Living.



    Even more, they believe that Christians grow best when they are serving and giving themselves away to others. They are convinced that Christians can learn through good instruction, but they really cannot grow if they remain uninvolved in ministry and service.



    4. Externally focused churches are evangelistically effective


    People are looking for places of authenticity where the walk matches the talk -- where faith is making a difference. These words are carved in stone of the entrance of Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati: "Small things done with great love wil change the world."



    How is your church doing? Are you more 'internally' or 'externally' focused? What unique things are you doing to reach your community?




    I’m just back from a couple weeks of vacation, and I’m ready to get back into some type of work routine. I just started a book I’m really enjoying called "The Externally Focused Church". In this book, Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson discuss the effectiveness of churches that serve their community with the love of Christ. Rick and Eric have come up with four characteristics of ‘Externally Focused Churches’:


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    Comments

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    1. Kirk W. on Mon, September 20, 2004

      Great book.  While I didn’t agree with everything (i.e. some of the partnering with certain agencies or other religions) I loved the idea of the church making a difference in the community and this book gave many ideas to make that happen.  It seems to me that the areas of my disagreement often tend to paralyze us to do nothing. 


      The over-arching question that all church leaders should be forced to answer is “If our church left the neighborhood would anyone care?”  I think that in a lot of cases many of us would be forced to say “no,” much to our shame.

      The Vineyard Community Church’s vision statement was worth the price of the book.

       

    2. K Graven on Tue, September 21, 2004

      Great food for thought.  After more than thirty years, my family and I have been led to move on.  God led us to a wondefully energetic church whose goal is to reach out to others, not wait for them to come to you.


      It was difficult to leave after all of those years, but we have learned to never question what God wants in our lives.  He has a better plan than anything we could ever come up with.


      Thank you for your ministry.

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