Becoming an Externally Focused Church Eric Swanson Becoming

Becoming an Externally Focused Church Eric Swanson

Becoming an Externally Focused Church Eric Swanson eric@tangogroup. com www. ericswanson. blogspot. com

Attractional and Missional Churches Matthew 22: 2 -5, Luke 14: 18 -20 ”The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to come but they refused to come. Then he sent out more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet. But they paid no attention and went off —one to his field, another to his business…. and they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me. ’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me. ’ Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come’”. Then he said…Go out …into the streets and alleys… Go out to the roads and country lanes…so that my house will be full. ”

What we are seeing

They believe that their communities can’t be healthy without the church

They understand the power of service Needs and Dreams of the City Evangelism is our ultimate motive, not our ulterior motive Common Grace Control Service Callings and Capacities of the Church Salvation Mandates and Desires of God

“Social Gospel” Good Deeds Demonstration Evangelicalism Good News Proclamation What if we changed the continuum to a matrix?

9 Goal: Saving the lost and serving the least 8 Belief: Transforming community leads to transforming individuals 7 Belief: We are most effective when we transform individuals and communities Focus: Grace and Truth Actions: Service—”Show Them” 6 Actions: “Show and Tell” Result: Salt and light 5 Result: Light but not Salt Goal: Saving the lost Belief: Good teaching and truth will change and heal people Belief: Transformed people will lead to a transformed society 3 4 Goal: Building up the saints Focus: Teaching Truth 2 Result: Neither salt nor light 1 2 3 Internal Focus: Truth Actions: Evangelism –”Tell Them” Actions: “Caring for our own” 1 Internal Focus External Focus Good Deeds—Gal. 2: 10 Demonstration” Goal: Serving the least 4 Result: Salt but not Light 5 6 7 8 9 External Focus Good News—Romans 1: 15 “Proclamation” ©

Good deeds create good will which opens the door to good news n n Jesus Ministry • “amazed, ” “astonished, ” “marveled, ” “wondered, ” etc. 12 -20 bumps before people come to faith 100% of the time you will be asked, “Who are you? ” “Why are you doing this? ” “Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? ” 1 Peter 3: 13 -15

Good Deeds is not Good News People, left to their own, will intuitively arrive at the wrong conclusion • “Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean? ’, ‘They have had too much wine. ” Acts 2: 12 • “Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? ” Acts 3: 12 • “We are only men, human like you…” Acts 14: 8 -18 • “Faith comes from hearing…” Rom. 10: 17 n Deeds verify the meaning of words…words clarify the meaning of deeds

They partner with other entities Ownership Ministries inside your four walls that originated with your church Ministries outside your four walls that originated with your church Internally Focused Externally Focused Ministries inside your four walls that others have begun that you are participating in Ministries / NFPs outside your four walls that others have begun and you are participating in Partnership

Where Do You Want to Go Today? Eric Swanson

They partner with other entities “Bounded Set” Do you believe like I believe? “Centered Set” Do you care about what I care about? People of good faith working together with people of good will

They lower the thresholds to service What is ministry? Ministry is anything we do to meet another’s need with resources God has given us.

“Critical Mass” is the willing Late Adopters 34% Early Adopters 13% Innovators 3% Middle Adopters 34% Laggards 16%

Who? n n Who do you want to engage in externally focused ministry that is currently not engaged? Is there anyone who is exempt from experiencing both expressions of Ephesians 2: 8 -10?

What / When? At what level are people currently engaged?

People Projects Externally Focused Depth of Engagement Money & Things Yearly Quarterly Monthly Weekly Externally Focused Frequency of Engagement

People Projects ill f l u F ort f m co s Di Money & Things Externally Focused Depth of Engagement nt e m Yearly Church ____________ Weekly attendance: ______ Quarterly Monthly Weekly Externally Focused Frequency of Engagement

Where? Where is the focus (foci) of your externally focused ministry? Across the street (in your community) Across the tracks (different socio / economic) Across the seas (another country)

What could we do? Orphans Widows Immigrants Prisoners Jas 1: 27 Lev. 19: 33, 34 Heb 13: 3 Sick / Disabled Mat 25: 36 Physical n. Food / Nutrition n. Shelter / Housing Spiritual n. Salvation n. Discipleship Social n. Loneliness n. Addictions Emotional n. Grief n. Stress Educational / Training n. Literacy n. Language n. Career guidance Poor Aged Gal 2: 10 1 Tim 5: 9

Assessing the needs of your community n Nehemiah • Tell me about the people • Tell me about the city n n Ask the people you are serving Use existing research • • n http: //www. zipskinny. com http: //www. census. gov/ http: //factfinder. census. gov/home/saff/main. html? _lang=en http: //www. dataplace. org/ http: //www. city-data. com/ http: //www. epodunk. com/ http: //realestate. yahoo. com/neighborhoods http: //www. neighboroo. com/ Recognize the power of existing relationships—an existing “champion”

Why At what level do you seek to enage?

Micah 6: 8 Walk Humbly With God Love Mercy Addresses the spiritual lives of those who come to church Addresses individual symptoms outside the church • Personal salvation • Acts of kindness • Spiritual disciplines • Giving people “fish” • Seeking the Lord • Worship Helping those inside the church become devoted followers • Shelter • Groceries • Clothing • Medical care Doing Justice Addresses systems that create symptoms Teaching people how to fish and own the pond • Evangelism / Discipleship • Tutoring/mentoring • Job training • Job / business creation • Livable wages Home ownership Internally Focused Externally Focused

What should we do? Deuteronomy 10: 17 -19 Proverbs 31: 8 -9 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute Deuteronomy 15: 11 Jeremiah 22: 15, 16 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land He defended the cause of the poor and needy…Is that not what it means to know me? Job 29: 11 -13 Matthew 25: 35 -40 I rescued the poor…the fatherless…the man who was dying; I made the widow’s heart sing Whatever you did to the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me Psalm 68: 5 James 1: 27 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling To look after orphans and widows in their distress Proverbs 14: 31 1 Timothy 6: 18 Whoever is kind to the needy honors God Be generous and willing to share

Create Systems for What You Value n n n n Preach and teach externally focused ministry Christology—missiology—ecclesiology Constitutive part of what church is Must think “kingdom” not church Build service / ministry into every department-Annual plans of each ministry director (from children to senior adults) to reflect some external focus Build into every small group a regular rhythm of service to those in distress. (“Good friends turn good intentions into good deeds. ”) Annual one-day / weekend events

Where Do You Want to Go Today? Eric Swanson eric@tangogroup. com www. ericswanson. blogspot. com

Your Church’s Externally Focused Engagement / Capacity New Opportunities Competition / Collaboration New Collaborations What Needs Doing What Others Do Well Opportunity for Others

They believe Christians don’t grow until they begin serving For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2: 8 -10 n Two judgments—John 5: 24 / 2 Cor. 5: 10 n Two testimonies

They believe Christians don’t grow until they begin serving [Leaders] “to prepare God’s people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up…”Ephesians 4: 11, 12 [Scripture] “be thoroughly equipped for every good work. ” 2 Timothy 3: 16, 17 [The body to] “spur one another on toward love and good deeds. ” Hebrews 10: 24 [Spiritual gifts] “to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. ” 1 Peter 4: 10 [Wealth] “to do good, to be rich in good deeds…” 1 Timothy 6: 18