How Not to Reach Out

There are a lot of churches where I live. In fact, a quick check tells me there are over 40 churches in the small town where I am sitting right now. And due to urban sprawl, towns aren't really divided around here, so my guess is there are over 200 churches within a ten mile radius from where I sit right now.

It got me thinking the other day: with so many churches and obviously so many people going to these churches, who is left to reach out to? I think many people around these parts (I call where I live "Christendom" or "The Holy Land") think the same thing: since there are so many churches, everyone around here must go to church. Which can obviously lead to the thought of "why do we need to reach out?"

But last week while I was driving I noticed one church that was actively trying to reach out to their neighbors...unfortunately I thought they were doing it all wrong. Now I don't have all the answers, in fact, I have very few. But when a church puts a banner up in their front lawn that says "Outreach Car Show: Come for the Food, Fun, and Fellowship" I have to disagree with their technique. Their heart is obviously in the right place (wanting others to know the love of Christ) but their strategy is just plain wrong. One cannot effectively "reach out" simply by staying within the walls of your church, placing a sign in the front lawn, and hoping people will walk through the door. To reach out, you have to actually "go out." Go out to the neighborhood, to your places of work, to the malls, movie theaters, where you go. To your friends, dare I say to your enemies too.

So if you want to effectively "not" reach out to the lost world around you, put up a sign. Here's hoping.