Ten
Outreach Ideas for Smaller Churches
Ronald W. Waters
Smaller churches sometimes have difficulty reaching out to others and
experiencing growth. There may be a variety of reasons for that. Among
them might be that may outreach ideas are geared to larger congregations and are
out of the reach of smaller congregations.
Here are ten ideas that even the smallest congregations might consider
implementing to good advantage. Don't try to do everything—just try to do
one or two or three things very well!
1.
Our Jerusalem –
Conduct
a six-eight week mailing campaign to friend, relatives, associates, and
neighbors of people from
your church. In each mailing, include a cover letter written by someone from
your church along with a colorful brochure dealing with life issues. Follow up
with a phone call and an introduction visit.
2. Community Block
Party/Christmas Festival – Hold an event open to the community. Offer games
and activities for all ages, but especially for children. Especially be sure to
offer food! Offer door prizes as a means for encouraging attendees to share
their names and addresses. And don’t charge for anything—make this your gift to
the community.
3. Parents’ Night
Out
–
Set aside a certain Friday of each month to offer low-cost babysitting at the
church from 7:00 until 10:00 p.m. This is an outreach to single parents or
couples new to the community. Congregational visitor and member parents also
appreciate it. Offer special fun and learning activities for the children.
4. Latchkey
Program/After-School Tutoring – Adopt a local school. Offer to assist with
tutoring. Or offer after-school childcare for children in the community. Or
offer a Pioneer Club/AWANA program one day a week.
5. Backyard Bible School –
Take Bible school to the kids. Offer a Bible school type program at the homes
of persons in your congregation. It could be daily for a week or one day a week
for four-five weeks.
6. Candy Cane Giveaway –
Find a public place to give away small candy canes at Christmas time. Attach a
card with the story of the candy cane on one side and information about your
Christmas services on the other side.
7.
Servant Evangelism Projects – These
projects "show God's love in practical ways with no strings attached," softening
the hearts of persons who may otherwise be very resistant to the good news of
Jesus Christ.
8.
Prayer Booth – Offer a prayer booth at a community fair or festival with
a banner asking, "How can we pray for you?"
9.
Welcome Class – While we normally think of a
"pastor's class" or "inquirer's class" as focused toward membership, it may also
serve as a way to invite new people to the church and to a relationship with
Jesus Christ as saving Lord.
10.
Beast Feast – Invite unchurched
friends (especially hunters or fishermen) to a potluck meal of dishes based on a
wide variety of game.
What’s Worked for You?
Let us know. We'd be happy to add your ideas to our
Ideas That Work database. In fact, check there now for even more
great ideas!
Also visit the
Smaller Churches section of this web site.
