Three Things Churches Love that Kill Outreach

On this week’s Whiteboard Wednesday, Art Wiers, Church Health Catalyst for Luminex, draws wisdom from Ed Stetzer to show how churches can reorder their priorities in order to grow and serve people well within their contexts. Stetzer says there are three things churches love to do that actually kill outreach:  

1. Too many churches love past culture more than their current context. If the fifties came back, many churches would be more than ready for that – but they’re not at all ready to deal with their current context.  This diminishes and destroys their efforts at outreach because they fail to engage the culture and meet people where they’re at.
2. Some churches love comfort more than mission. Is your church more focused on what makes it happy – or more focused on what pleases Jesus? How often does this discussion come up in the boardroom of your church? Ask yourself, “Now is this really pleasing to our Lord? Are the decisions we’re making more about helping our people be happy or reaching those on the outside of our walls?”
3. Churches tend to love traditions more than their children. This is a hard thing to talk about, but many churches will keep using old methods that are not only irrelevant to the current culture but don’t even relate to their own children or grandchildren. This also diminishes and destroys outreach and growth.

As a leader, are you willing to consider the dynamics at play in your own ministry? To continue growing and reaching out, church leaders need to embrace and engage with their current contexts. They need to focus on moving past comfort and back into their mission in order to connect the younger generations with the love of Christ that transcends time and place.

Watch the full video above – and be sure to like the Luminex Facebook page to discover more great church leadership resources.