I’ll be frank; I’m not good at writing, and especially writing a blog that potentially could be read by 100’s of people. But I am good at giving instructions in things I know about. In this case it will be about outreach. I am no expert on outreach, but I have learned a lot this summer from Bob and others at Singing Oaks.
Outreach is defined as putting yourself in position to be asked for and give help, while trying to share the gospel. To be effective at outreach you should use a combination of: Service, Giving, Community, Adaptability and Humility. Each attribute is a key component to any Outreach by a church or person, but no one should be doing it alone, it doesn’t really work that way. It does not work for mission trips, most parts aren’t really applicable, and this is a much more long term plan of action for outreach. The outreach needs a clear goal in mind, as does its leader and participants. Each individual needs to know what and why they are doing each task, motivated to work towards the common goal like community improvement or evangelism.
A good outreach should systematically implement the key attributes mentioned above; using this chart you can know exactly how.
1: Service 2: Giving 3: Community 4: Adaptability 5: Humility
Let me give you an example.
What is community? A group of people all working together to accomplish a certain goal. A group of people that may not always get along, but each member trusts one another and can be real and honest with each other member.
How can you be a community? The main part of community is trust. No trust means no community. Be open and real with one another, and everything works or at least works better.
Who is the community? Community is made up of members willing to take ownership of the problems and who are willing to work through the issues to resolve them. Don’t put the blame on a single member; you’re a group, so take the blame as a group.
When are you a community? Always. So don’t give up, encourage each other. Keep on keeping on and don’t give up.
Why should you be a community? No one can do it alone, you need others to complete what needs to get done. So be a community and experience failure and success together.