First Impressions Are Formed Earlier Than You Think
Kay Kotan and Blake Bradford explain that a church visitor’s first impression is often formed long before they enter the sanctuary. So, hospitality needs to…
Browsing: Outreach
Articles
4 Tips for Launching a Church-School Partnership
Ann Michel of the Lewis Center Staff outlines four ways a church can lay a solid foundation for a church-school partnership before jumping in headfirst.…
From Parking Lot to Pew: Turning Building Users into Worshipers
Many churches provide meeting space for community groups hoping that building users will eventually show up for worship. But for a church to reach new…
Begin with Where
Rev. William H. Lamar IV, pastor of the historic Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal church in downtown Washington, DC, considers what it means for an older…
Episode 8: “Rooted in Place — Committed to the City” featuring William Lamar
What does it take for an older church to thrive in a changing urban context? Listen as Lewis Center Associate Director Ann Michel speaks with Rev. William Lamar, pastor of the historic Metropolitan AME church in downtown Washington, DC.
Related Resources
Begin with Where by Bill Lamar
5 Key Practices for Connecting with Your Context by Mark Gornik and Maria Liu Wong
Is Your Building Impeding Your Mission? by Mark R. Teasdale
5 Key Practices for Connecting with Your Context
Mark Gornik and Maria Liu Wong have been working to understand new practices of ministry that are emerging in vital and diverse urban settings. They…
Moving Beyond Church in A Box
Pastor Carey Nieuwhof says congregations need to break free of the mentality that people need to come to church at a set time and place…
Episode 4: “Becoming an Outward-Focused Church” featuring Junius Dotson
How can we really see and hear the people in front of us? Listen as Lewis Center Director F. Douglas Powe speaks with thought leader Rev. Junius Dotson about moving from being inward-focused to outward-focused.
Moving Faith Communities to Fruitful Conversations about Race
Moving Faith Communities to Fruitful Conversations about Race is a dialogue about race in America that may be used to help your church bring people…
Staying Attuned to Your Community
Lovett H. Weems, Jr., writes that congregations all start not for themselves, but to serve other people. But with the passage of time, they tend…
Preparing for the Shift
Incoming Lewis Center Director Doug Powe says that demographic shifts will bring increased diversity to the neighborhoods around most churches in the coming decades. Rather…
The Good Neighbor Church
Sue Nilson Kibbey, who works with missional church initiatives in Ohio, shares the story of a church that engaged the mission field immediately around its…
Using Your Building Assets
Rosario Picardo says unused building space can be a goldmine of opportunity if a church has eyes to see how their space could be used…
10 Ways to Strengthen Relations with Police and Public Safety Officials
Baltimore pastor Dr. C. Anthony Hunt says congregations need to work proactively to strengthen community relations and build trust with police and public officials. He…
Blessing Boxes Energize Churches to Meet Needs
The idea of a Blessing Box, shared widely on social media, has inspired many congregations to take direct action to meet community needs. Amy Forbus…
Organizing a Missional COMMUNITY
Hal Knight and Doug Powe discuss nine characteristics of transformative Christian communities that allow them to nurture spiritual growth while also remaining open to others…
The Multiplying Effect of Community Partnerships
Rather than creating new programs that reinvent the wheel, Rosario Picardo says congregations can multiply the impact of their outreach by seeking out the people…
Adopting a Missionary Mindset
Douglas Ruffle, who works with the Path 1 church planting initiative, says the role of church leaders in a culture that is increasingly estranged from…
Blessing of the Bikes
Pastor Daniel Kerlin’s Pennsylvania congregation wanted to reach people who wouldn’t normally come to church. They came up with a novel idea — a motorcyclist worship…
Does Your Church Need a Disaster Ministry Plan?
Jamie D. Aten and David M. Boan, who head the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College, say that you may never have thought about your…
Church Bell Calls Kids to Summer Food and Fun
Pastor Daniel Kerlin’s Pennsylvania church hosts a free summer lunch program. When kids who were on their own or couldn’t tell time were having difficulty…
Building Multicultural Relationships
Mark DeYmaz and Bob Whitesel say that the church must reposition itself to maintain credibility in an increasingly diverse community. They stress the importance of…
Coffee Shop Conversations
Scott Chrostek, pastor of Resurrection Downtown, visited thirty-three coffee shops during his first month in Kansas City with a daily goal of having thirty-five conversations…
Transforming Community: The Wesleyan Way to Missional Congregations
Drawing from the strength of their previous book, Transforming Evangelism, Henry Knight and Douglas Powe show us a Wesleyan way to form missional communities and…
Community Outreach Essential to Launch New Worship Site
Saint Mark United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas, recently launched a new worship service at a second campus in southeast Wichita that became part of…
Taking Prayer to the Community
Several recent research efforts addressing the spiritual practices of those not connected to religious communities have found that prayer is a practice that those inside…
The Power of Laity in Connecting to the Community
For much of my ministry, I had a recurring fantasy each time I was moving to a new church as pastor. I would imagine myself…
Not Safe for Church: Ten Commandments for Reaching New Generations
Reaching a new generation requires a new conversation. Congregations say they want to reach new and younger people, many of whom are simply turned off…
50 Ways to Take Church to the Community
Churches can no longer open their doors and expect that people will come in. Effective congregations go into the world to encounter those in need…
Engaging your Mission Field
Perhaps there was a time when inspiring worship and great music brought people to church. Today, however, in an increasing number of places, the quality…