Is Your Church “Externally Focused”?
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Mon, June 26, 2006
- Viewed 158
- (23) comments so far
In their recent book ”The Externally Focused Church” Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson discuss four different characteristics of what they call the “Externally Focused Church”. See if what they have to say could apply to your church.
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 on their communities. The good deeds, expressed in service and ministry to others, validate the good news. The good news explains the purpose of the good deeds.
Engaging the community with good news and good deeds is not just a tactic or even a foundational strategy of externally focused churches, it is at their very core; it is who they are. These churches have concluded that it’s really not ‘church’ if it’s not engaged in the life of the community through ministry and service to others. Ministry and service are not programs reserved for a few extraordinarily dedicated individuals but are woven into every aspect of life. This is certainly not the only thing these churches do, but to stop ministering and serving in the community would be to end their very existence. An external focus is embedded in their DNA.
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. They have moved beyond thinking about the church’s health apart from the community… to what the community would be like apart from the church. They recognize that God has placed them in their communities (whether they feel wanted or not) to be salt, light, and leaven. They are not social workers but kingdom builders!
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. Because service and ministry are part of their growth model for the church and the spiritual formation of its people, it is not unusual for huge percentages of their congregations to serve and minister outside the walls of the church. 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. It’s not a secret that the church in North America is not hitting the ball out of the park evangelistically. Church attendance has dropped from a high of 49 percent in 1991 to 43 percent in 2002. While the U. S. population grew by 9 percent between 1992 and 1999, the median adult attendance per church service has dropped 12 percent during the same time frame.
The good news for externally focused churches, according to a Faith Communities Today (FACT) study, is “congregations with a strong commitment to social justice and with direct participation in community outreach ministries are more likely to be growing than other congregations.”
In our evangelistic zeal, we often think that people just need more or better information to believe. But what they really long for is authenticity. Fewer are asking, “What must I do to be saved?” Instead their question is “What can I do to make my life work?” When people who talk about love God demonstrate love, the gap between doubt and faith is narrowed and the people around them often find themselves wanting to believe.
FOR DISCUSSION: So… how is your church doing in the area of evangelism? What kind of approaches are working in your area? Are you seeing a significant number of lives changed? If so, how? If not, what steps do you think you can take to help turn things around?
How is your church doing in reaching your community for Christ? So many times, churches become inwardly focused. This happens for many reasons... financial pressures; human desires to build a growing church; internal conflict and more. Let's face it, the vast majority of American churches are failing when it comes to reach our individual areas for Christ. So where do we start?
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John on Mon, June 26, 2006
I believe one must earn the right to tell someone about what Jesus has done for you.
Barging right in with the Gospel,turns people off. As stated you life and your actions,plus friendly
relationship,earn one the right.Pounding on doors is a thing of the past.People are satisfied
with how they live today. If they see somthing different about you,A few gentil words need to be
given first. that will leave the door open.Continue be what caused the first intrest in you.
The hows and the whys will come.One at a time,just as Jesus delt with those that question him.
Jesus knew the scriptures,because He had them written.
“The WORD became flesh and dwelt amoung men.”
Rick White on Tue, June 27, 2006
John…you’re just echoing a Youth for Christ cliche (or Campus Crusade—can’t remember). It’s not that those cliches are wrong…they’re just not correct all the time. In some circumstances, it’s just another “rule” to follow in preaching the gospel (funny how we hate rules, so we create new ones).
Heck, I don’t even know what “earning the right to be heard” means to most people. For some, it means that I must spend X amount of time with them before I preach the gospel. For others, it means that I must play X-style music at an event to be able to speak into someone’s life. I doubt that most people agree on what this means. I appreciate what you’re saying, but get beyond the cliche, because it doesn’t usually help in the discussion.
As for the article, I’ve read this book and it’s presented incredible challenges and ideas for us. We want to sharpen our external focus in these early days of our church. If you’ve never explored this area of your church’s ministry, it’s an excellent work and moves us beyond just sending money to cooperative agencies. In my opinion, Bob Roberts’ book “Transformation” is another great take on this subject.
James on Wed, June 28, 2006
Great discussion and wonderful comments. Jesus did teach to go out into the hiways and hedges and compel them to come-in. However, to come-in to what? A self-serving, self-centered, ill-group of dysfunctional believers? We are all dysfunctional to some degree. But when that dysfunction is an excuse to stay within our four walls, then I think we need to take another look at the “Great commission”. And speaking of the early church, it was a close knit group, but let us not forget that history understood that group of people as always reaching out with their resourses to people in need in the community. Not just their own, but others outside of the faith.
We just can’t escape the truth that we have to “take” the gospel TO. They aren’t coming any longer to our beautiful facilities and nice flashy programs. We have to have substance to our faith, authenticity to our lifestyle, and real transformation from the inside-out. Good theology and acturate preaching was a must in the last century, but today we have to have much much more. Each person has to be a walking-talking-transformed messenger of the gospel in their homes, work-place, school, grocery-store etc. And for some Christians that scares them to do nothing, because for some it’s only a religious spirit and not living and active and real.
Every age of transition goes through what we are going through. Every age of a paradigm shift or change has faced what we are facing. The temptation to just do church the same way we’ve been it for the past 150 years, or transition to an unknown paradigm of staggering potential and power.
I believe the gospel has more power and truth than it ever has. So what’s changed? Everything! The whole social order is changing right before us. Our culture no longer supports or is even sympathetic toward Christian values. In fact the word Christian leaves a bad taste or memory in a lot of peoples minds. While the label of Christian has changed, the truth, power and potential of the gospel has not. We have more to offer than anytime previous IF, we will be open to change, open to being authentic (not theologically), open to being real, and being relevent to an age that seems to have rejected all common sense and moral living. No time in my understanding of our culture has a person called themselves a Christian and live a horrible decadent lifestyle. You see it all around you from the entertainment people, but even in the church. Folks justifying affairs, divorce, alcoholism, lust etc. in name of Christ. As Dr. Phil has asked, “Is it working for ya?” It’s time to change. Well, church what we’re doing ain’t working for us, so lets cry out to God and see what’s on His agenda. And for many churches that is the most frightening thing they could ever do is change! To take a long hard look at ourselves. We can justify our theology, our behavior to the point that we’re not good to anyone, not even our own congregations. Yet God is waiting patiently to hear us call out to Him. And some have and are rocking the proverbial “religious” boat.
todd erskine on Wed, June 28, 2006
I understand the concept of being “externally focused” there is a lost and dying world out there no doubt. Yes, we need to reach the lost for Christ and build the kingdom of God. Being externally focused sure beats being inwardly focused where the church is “all about me.” However, I believe the most important place we need to focus our attention on the Lord Jesus Christ and keeping his commandments. If we would love one another, “all men would know we are His disciples.” If we would “go into all the world and make disciples teaching them to obey whatsover He commanded.” If we would “glorify the Father with our good deeds.”, If we would entrust what we have learned to other faithful men then we no doubt be salt and light and reaching the world for Christ. There is no program, no philosophy, no misson statement, that can beat the basics of loving the Lord with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving your neighbor as yourself. I think the important thing to remember here is balance. What good is making converts without making disciples? What happens within the “four walls” should equip all of us to do the work of the ministry outside the four walls. A building can only be built as tall or as wide as the foundation is able to bear. God bless you all as you seek the mind of Christ in this matter.
Janis on Wed, June 28, 2006
Our ministry is on the cutting edge of post modern thought. Sometimes I feel like we are serving in Europe not the U.S.
The ONLY effective way to grow this church has been via relationship building. We are growing, but it has been a long haul and has come via trust building through service and time spent. Many of our new believers took 2 or 3 years to just come to church once. Big events don’t work. Special church service, nope. The only individuals we have reached have been through personal contact for a period of time.
I think we need to remember that we are in different areas of the country. What we are experiencing here is unlike anything we have faced in 25 years of ministry. And knowing other full time ministry professionals in different communities, we face a tougher “crowd” than most of them do. So, their perspective on church planting is completely different than ours. I would guess that this is the true of you out there.
The word that kept coming to mind during this discussion was “safe”. We have found that our biggest barrier within Christendom here in our valley, is that believers are afraid. This includes pastors and ministry professionals.
I think for us at least, that external focus has come when we have taken risks outside our safe boxes. And I do believe that ministry in the US will progressively develop to where we are, in a Godless, spiritual seeking but skeptical community who may never have even held a Bible in their hands.
These do not enter the doors of the church on their own. The ONLY way to reach them is to GO.
Churches that refuse to do this, I believe will struggle to survive in the long run.
Brian on Thu, June 29, 2006
Janis,
Thanks for your balanced comments. It would be nice if more of the books coming out today would put a disclaimer at the beginning that says, “don’t try this at home kids”.
Seiously, it’s not that ministry paradigms aren’t shifting they are, but they are not shifting at the same time and in the same ways throughout the country. I traveled with an evangelist for 5 years before becoming a full-time pastor. I’ve now pastored in 3 churches over 15 years. I’ve not in anyway, “seen it all”, however, I have seen enough to know that many of the approaches being promoted in some circles of leadership would not be effective at all in a majority of the country - and without balance (which the book promotes, but most of those reacting to this column don’t promote), these approaches will never lead over the long haul, to a successful sustainable local church family.
As for GOING…. we all need to remember that a well designed facility can be a major tool in the hands of a congregation… if a congregation has a facility to open up to community events, youth outreach, etc… the results can be fantastic. Our church of 500 has an open gym/computer game night on Friday for teens. We charge $2 to get in…the kids line up on Friday nights to get in. Over 100 teenagers every Friday night.
As for our 500 people, we were at 350 just a few years ago, stuck at that number. We grew by challenging people to invite their friends to church, providing them with “big events”, to invite them to, then encouraging our people to follow up with the same people they invited in the first place. You know, “old school” We also have done regular training, equipping, etc…(all done in the building of course http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/smile.gif
People are being impacted during the events we know, but much more ministry, evangelism and impact is happenning before and afterward OUTSIDE the walls for sure.
My point, I think it is clear, is that “traditional” approaches using the facility, big events, drawing a crowd, equipping the people, etc… still works. The types of events have changed, but this type of ministry approach still works in most of the country.
As for community outreach projects, and similar ministry. Most churches in Amercia have always had benevolence ministries. Usually, people come to the church facility seeking help. In our case, people look us up in the yellow pages, or contact us through our web-site or just show up at our door. Once the word gets out that your church provides assitance, those people with need will find you. Really.
As for relational ministry, building relationships before sharing the Gospel, etc… of course that is crticial…. traditional approaches to ministry have always assumed that you would have a relationship with your neighbor, before inviting them to a church outreach event. How about cutting your neighbors grass, offering to watch their kids, helping them mulch etc… it’s not a program, it just being a good neighbor, out of a motivation of Christ’s love.
BTW… there is an “old school” method of using the Sunday School as a major outreach component. As I watch broken families, and listen to single parents, it seems that many of them are much more open to receiving help with their children than we realize. The whole “house church”, and related community outreach approach doesn’t address the necessity of strong organization and well-trained teachers - and the importance at some point, of having a safe, clean facility to bring children to. Another “old school” method is to use our facility as a daycare and preschool. The #1 concern of young families is childcare for the two income family. This is another major way that we use our facility to reach OUT, while bringing them IN. Balance, balance, balance…
It has been interesting reading everyones comments. I think this book does a good job of raising awarenenss of ministry approaches that have always been available to the church. One of my biggest complaints is their confusion surrounding the word “community”.
And my biggest concern is that some churches are trying to do “community outreach” through projects, instead of simply encouraging people to do what we have always encouraged them to do, bear an unspoken and sometimes, when the Holy Spirit leads, a verbal witness to their neighbor (their neighbor being the folks that live two doors down). Thanks for your comments Wendi…I totally agree that we have too many churches and Christians “punching the clock” by doing ministry outreach programs, instead of looking for ways right where they already live and work, to find ways to serve. I wonder, how many people went on a ministry team to serve in the Katrina crises, but have never offered to help their neighbor next door with a service project or act of kindness…
A final BTW… don’t forget that the Word mandates us to care for the orphans and widows in our midst - that would be, within the four walls. That’s what the collections were taken for primarily in the early church. Where is the discussion in the church today that helps us to define and understand this as “true religion”? “they (those outside the four walls) will know we (those of us inside the four walls) are Christians by our love”(our love for each other inside the four walls). Or is it that most of the books being written today, and most of the “emerging church” are churches that are mostly made up of 20’s and 30’s (i’m 35). Maybe these churches and leaders think that you have to GO outside the church to find widows and orphans to minister to. And maybe their churches lack a central meeting location and therefore the poor and needy in the community don’t know where to go to ask them for help…. just a thought… http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/grin.gif
As many have already said… LOVE GOD, LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR
Rick White on Thu, June 29, 2006
Brian said:
“And my biggest concern is that some churches are trying to do “community outreach” through projects, instead of simply encouraging people to do what we have always encouraged them to do, bear an unspoken and sometimes, when the Holy Spirit leads, a verbal witness to their neighbor (their neighbor being the folks that live two doors down).”
Exactly. That is why it is just important to DO mission and BE a missional person. One encompasses intentional activity while the other is about being Jesus to people 24/7. It’s a both/and deal.
Alistair on Tue, July 11, 2006
We don’t go to church. We are the church wherever we are. We gather together from time to time for coporate worship and to enjoy fellowship and “to prepare God’s people for works of service” in the world (Eph 4:12) . I like the challenge of the Externally Focussed Church for us to look outwards and to take more seriously the challenge of mission in the world around us. But with its focus on encouraging participation in groups already involved in community service (which I do commend and support) it ignores the most significant missionary opportunity of all which doesn’t demand any new programed involvement from us, because it is about supporting Christians to live out their faith in those places where most Christians already spend most of their time encountering and serving non-Christians in the midst of their everyday working lives. Preparing God’s people for authentic Christian ministry in daily life seems to me to be the best starting point. Then ministry starts to be about what every believer does all the time rather than just about what we do with the few hours we can put into special programs outside our other everyday commitments. How different would our gatherings be if they seriously prioritised a real concern to see every believer better prepared and equipped and supported for this ministry in daily life?
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