If ten people from the neighborhood surrounding your church were asked, how confident are you that they would actually recommend your church to someone? What do they know about your church? How have they formed those opinions? Has the church been intentional in informing the neighbors about its ministries? Has the church been intentional in forming relationships with the neighbors? Even if your neighbors don’t attend your church, how is your congregation being good neighbors? What does your congregation do to improve or invest in the neighborhood? How is your church having a positive impact on the lives of the neighbors?
It’s time for a reality check! We are in a culture that is growing more and more unchurched. The church is viewed by many as being hypocritical and untrustworthy. Our denominational struggles have done us no favors at a time when people are looking for places of peace, love, hope, grace, and a sense of community. We must be more intentional in tending to our community reputation and witness. But hear me very clearly – this is not about the right marketing strategy! This is instead about the right focus.
Your neighbors will recommend your church when your focus is aligned. Your neighborhood will be positively impacted when your focus is on the right stuff. Your neighbors will know about your ministries when the church is focused where it should be. Your congregation will be building relationships with the neighbors if the focus is properly aligned. Your church will no longer be invisible if the focus is leveraged by the congregational gifts and leaders’ passions. The lives of your individual neighbors will be positively impacted because of your congregation’s focus.
What is this focus? It is honestly quite simple. The church sometimes makes it so complex, but it really isn’t. The focus is this – missional focus. When the church has a missional focus, everything aligns to the mission. Programs, ministries, and events that are no longer missionally effective are discontinued. Personal preferences are trumped by missional alignment. Congregational resources are leveraged for missional effectiveness. All the church does helps existing congregants grow deeper in their discipleship and new people come to know Christ and begin their discipleship journey. When the congregation gets this missional focus, they become hyper-focused. When the congregation can focus on their mission of making disciples who transform the world, you better believe that knowing the neighbors, building relationships with the neighbors, having a positive impact on the lives of the neighbors, and transforming the neighborhood is a top priority for the congregation. Why? Because that is what the mission is
all about!
When a church gets how to “focus,” they can be assured that their neighbors will indeed recommend their church! This recommendation will not come from advertisement or second-hand information. No! This recommendation will come from first-hand experience!
If you’re interested in a Neighborhood Recommendation Consultation for your church, please
email Info@YouUnlimited.com for more information.
