Have church leaders ever thought about how a congregation might minister outside the church walls while making an impact in the community? Here are some practical tips and ideas to make it happen.

Devote one Sunday monthly to serving in your community. One church called the event Second Sunday Impact and provided a light lunch after the morning worship service for those who wanted to attend. After lunch, projects were described, groups were formed and everyone went out to complete their assignments. A time was set to report back to the church and groups were allowed to share their experience. The event ended with a time of prayer, thanking God for the opportunity to minister in the community. Sample projects might include:

Prayer-walking or prayer-driving
Plan a route and give suggestions on what to pray for such as:

• At the police station ask God to give the officers protection, understanding, discernment, etc.
• At a park pray that parents and children might come to know Jesus as their personal Savior.
• At a school pray for safety, opening the children’s minds to learn, Christian teachers who would boldly proclaim the gospel, etc.

Cookie handout
Bake cookies ahead of time. Attractively arrange cookies and info about your church in a gift bag. Hand out bags at police and fire stations, laundromats, car washes, to gas station attendants, etc. Explain to those who receive the bag what church you are from and that you are out sharing God’s love with the community.

Sack lunch for the homeless
Prepare simple sack lunches and deliver to street people or those holding a sign on street corners asking for work. Add a gospel portion or tract to the bag. A ziploc bag with first-aid items could be added to the sack lunch.

Other places for ministry might include nursing homes, a homeless shelter or park. Spend time surveying the needs of your community and ask God for guidance when deciding on projects to do.

The CSBC missions advancement group is available to consult about mission praying, mission giving and mission going. Contact the missions advancement group by calling 559.229.9533 x 252.

For more online resources go to: www.csbc.com/thecuttingedge