WHAT IS "MINISTRY-BASED OUTREACH"?

Ministry-Based Outreach is an intentional commitment to build meaningful relationships between members and non-members based around shared interests. These relationships become the “channel” through which God’s love is experienced first-hand, and a “bridge” over which many ultimately cross to new faith and membership in your church.

Ministry-Based Outreach identifies one or more “people groups” with whom you desire to build a relational connection. There are many examples of Ministry-Based Outreach in churches across America. Such groups might be people who share a common concern (health, finances, family, etc.) ... a common interest (fishing, reading, gardening, etc.) ... common age (adolescents, seniors, GenX, etc.) ... common gender (widowers, young women, single dads, etc.)…or some other significant defining characteristic.

For examples of Ministry-Based Outreach click here.

Assumptions Behind Ministry-Based Outreach

Here are some known facts that affect evangelism (or the lack of it) in local churches:

Between 75% - 90% of new believers come to faith and church involvement through a relationship with a Christian friend or relative.

Most Christians have few or no meaningful relationships with non-Christians. That is because the longer people are in the church, the more friends they develop in the church, and the fewer meaningful relationships they have outside the church.

Most non-Christians have few or no meaningful relationships with Christians.

This “disconnect” inhibits many Christians from being effective witnesses, many non-Christians from tangibly experiencing God’s love, and many churches from growing.

But effective outreach involves more than just connecting people around shared interests; social clubs can do that. The seminar presents a 4-step process to show churches how to:

Identify the most responsive groups.
Establish connections with these people.
nurture meaningful relationships, and
respond with Christian love in times of receptivity.

The reason Ministry-Based Outreach is so effective is that the gospel travels best over natural “networks” of friendships and relationships. Ministry-Based Outreach intentionalizes the process of building and nurturing relationships, involving many people in the church who might otherwise never consider themselves “evangelists.” It is a process of outreach that sees new people come to faith and sees churches begin to grow.

Please book the How to Reach Unchurched People in Your Community Seminar today.