Four benefits to a church from annual outreach equipping

Four benefits of annual outreach equipping

A cycle that needs breaking

There is a repeating cycle of ‘non-equipping’ in many churches. Is this a problem? Consider these thoughts.

• Local church leaders who don’t equip their members for their mission naturally go on to raise new church leaders after them who are the same.
• Bible college lecturers who are timid in discussing spiritual matters in their everyday conversations – even while academically motivated – are likely to birth students who will have a similarly low intuition for outreach.
• Youth leaders who have never been equipped are likewise unlikely to equip in a sustainable way – because they’ve never seen it done – and are therefore unlikely to raise up youth with an intuition for everyday conversational witness .

An irony here is that we are in a cultural environment where there is now evidence of an increasing spiritual interest amongst this generation (See a UK study here). The same is true of the general populous – noting as one example a 30% increase in church attendance in the UK in the past 5 years.

Just because God moves, it doesn’t mean all churches grow. Like a surfer with a wave approaching, we sometimes have to paddle hard to get the momentum needed to catch a developing wave.

Common excuses I’ve heard  

As a context for the points that follow, we can’t fix a problem we can’t see. I therefore note these common excuses – all of which I’ve heard stated by seasoned Christian leaders .

• “How could we equip when our members aren’t yet discipled themselves? They aren’t fit to represent Christ!”
  – The problem: Ten years later – it’s still the same.
• “Shouldn’t outreach come naturally, as an overflow of the heart? We’re going or that!”
  – The problem: I suggest it an observable fact that most people don’t discover the skills needed by intuition.
• “How could we equip them for outreach? Do you know how many hurts they have? They need healing first!”
  – The problem: Ten years later…
• “We want to show our community how much we care through our generosity and kindness first.”
  – The problem: Ten years later…

What is often missed is that, if we chose to think and behave differently (becoming intentionally disciple-makers), many of these problems would self-rectify.

What kind of ‘outreach equipping’ is needed?

Here’s a simple ‘curriculum’ to reflect the areas I suggest we’d do well to equip believers in via our pulpits and small groups.

• Conversational skills – to know how to ask and lead conversations through good questions.
• Gospel skills – to be able to share God’s story clearly and concisely – ideally within a conversation in a natural way, followed with a natural story, question or invitation.
• Testimonial / storytelling skills – to be able to give evidences to the truth of the message through story, whether our own, someone else’s, the story of amazing things in nature, or of positive societal change enabled by Christianity in history.
• Teamwork skills – because God made us different for a reason. (This releases the potential of ‘invitation’.)

All of these things are biblical, and can be taught from a biblical base.

To be clear of our goal, it not so much that our members talk to strangers as it is that they begin to engage with greater confidence and competence in their everyday conversational opportunities.

1. Outreach equipping strengthens a persons OWNERSHIP of a person’s faith

When a person shares their faith, it moves from being ‘a private religious activity’ to something that they more personally hold, protect and desire to advance.

2. Outreach equipping strengthens a person’s BELIEF in their faith

When a person shares their story or God’s story, they naturally think through why they believe it to be true – becoming more convinced in the process. Where questions are asked, they are forced to think the answers through for themselves. A deepened sense of conviction in the faith results.

3. Outreach equipping propels a person to greater HOLINESS

Not only is an empowered and engaged person more convinced of their claimed beliefs; they instinctively know they are a watched representative of them also. They know that their most-obvious sins will be perceived as hypocrisy. They naturally seek God’s strength to represent him better.

Mysteriously (or by God’s power), many then find a new level of strength in their faith, lives and conduct – changing for the better!

4. Outreach equipping enables a person to fulfil their God-given MISSION

It is bewildering to consider what might ever have caused some to think that this wasn’t necessary. But we did! It is a failure of ‘church culture’ and practice – and something we could each participate with to change.

• Most Christians are significantly disabled in their missional endeavours due to a lack of basic knowledge related to the gospel, conversational skills and story-telling skills.
• Most people don’t develop these skills naturally, because their role-models have the same challenges, timidity or weaknesses.

Basic annual training, and monthly motivation, compelled by a desire in the leader to actually see God’s Word applied and mission pursued, can make a profound difference – if we would try.

A challenge to all church and youth leaders:

Here are some challenging words.

1. If we do not equip, we fail in SINCERITY

If we genuinely believe people need to know Jesus, how could we not equip those we lead?

2. If we do not equip, we fail in a CORE DUTY IN MISSION

Ephesians 4 is clear that key church leadership roles have been given for the purpose of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry. The main role of the main leader of a church is to make sure the main thing is the main thing. The main thing in any organisation is its mission. A mission is an ultimate purpose for existence.

I love a comment I recently heard on this, which I thought was quite profound: ‘The Church doesn’t have a mission; the mission has a Church.”

3. If we do not equip, we also fail in a CORE DUTY IN DISCIPLESHIP

We are to disciple followers of Christ to:

1. love God,
2. love one another and
3. make Christ known.

To fail to teach ‘evangelism’ is to fail to disciple.

In discipleship, it is sometimes amazing how many things fall into place when the gospel is put in a central place. I think of church leaders trying to get greater passion and sincerity out of their members, or a greater pursuit of holiness. They they teach outreach; they authencially seek to mobilise their members – and these other things fall into place.

Fortunately, all that is now needed is that we ALL make the CHOICE to change this.

Fall in love with your role model: Jesus!

Jesus was a first-class role-model regarding conversational skills and storytelling – always to covey a message. There is much that we can learn from him for our outreach.

A simple decision is needed:

What will you now do?

• Our challenge is that there be outreach equipping in every pulpit, every church small group and every youth group every year.
• As a starting standard – how about a four week series – but also a time for vision and refreshing of this at the start of every school term. (School terms are the most natural cycle to work with for our community lives and programming.)

Change is possible and resources exist.

For youth leaders – we suggest you start with leadership videos #4 and 5 at Godtalk.nz/leadership

For church leaders / pastors – we suggest you start with video #2 (and then #3) at AllTogether.co.nz/pastors

From these webpages you will each find a multiplicity of support resources including

• Sermon series outlines / notes, with matching PowerPoints and discussion guides
• Small group resources
• Really simple video curriculum
• …and more – and all for free.

Be blessed!