Capturing the Heart of the Community

Big Idea: Churches need the right attitude, boldness, community contact, and a genuine desire to reach people like the early church did.

Not too long ago, I was driving west along the Queensway. I’ve traveled this route hundreds of times, but this time I noticed a restaurant advertising its prices. I thought it was new, but Charlene said, "It's been here as long as we've lived here!"

I estimate that tens of thousands of cars pass by our church every week. I've heard some people, who have passed by our doors hundreds of times, claim that they've never noticed our church before. Now, let's consider what people notice when they do see our church. I'm sure that we want our church to exude a sense of openness and invitation. Although it was the last thing we wanted, our churches have inadvertently created what is called a fortress mentality. The buildings we created for worship have instead isolated us, limiting our impact on the gospel in our communities. This is far from what the Bible teaches and far from what we intended.

I dream of a church that captures the heart of the community. As I read the New Testament, I discover that the early church did capture the heart of the community. Acts 2:47 tells us that the early church enjoyed the favor of all the people. Acts 5:13 says that they were highly regarded by all the people. As the early church grew and believers were scattered through the Roman empire, little communities of Christ-followers sprang up.

You get the sense in Acts that the early church was a force, and it had an impact all over the Roman Empire. The early church wasn't perfect, but we can learn valuable lessons from the New Testament about engaging the community. I pray that God will touch the hearts of Humber Bay through Park Lawn Baptist Church, just as He did with Nineveh through Jonah.

What We Need

Here are four essential ingredients for this undertaking. My role is to identify these elements. You'll then assess whether you possess each one.

Attitude

The first ingredient that is absolutely crucial is attitude. Attitude shapes action, leading to accomplishment. Our attitude toward our church and community influences our actions, which in turn affects our impact on God's kingdom in the community. Our attitude toward the church and the community ultimately determines our effectiveness.

Consider the contagious enthusiasm of the early church in the book of Acts. Acts 2:11 says, "We hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God." But their testimony didn't stop with speaking.

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47)

Let me ask you a question. What if early believers had been disharmonious, self-centered, and critical of their leaders? "Who do these apostles think they are?" "Apostles preach too long!" "Are they serving fish again?" Do you think that people would have jumped at the chance to participate in a group like that? Not likely!

Once upon a time, there was a woman named Ethel who went to church every week. And every week she was frustrated because her pastor refused to give an invitation at the end of the service. Ethel felt it was important to invite people to walk forward and accept Christ, but the pastor wouldn't do it. Every Monday at work, her longtime friend Harriet asked about her weekend. Every Monday, Ethel complained about her stubborn pastor. "He wouldn't know a good idea if it socked him in the face," she muttered.

One week, Ethel suggested, for the zillionth time, that the pastor give an invitation. "Hmmm," he said, "that might be a good idea." Ethel was shocked. "If you get someone who needs the Lord to church, then I will offer the invitation." Ethel couldn't wait for Monday to roll around. She marched up to her friend Harriet. "Would you come to church with me this week?" "No," said Harriet, with a quizzical look. "But you're my oldest and dearest friend," Ethel blurted. "Why not?" "Well, I'd do just about anything for you, Ethel," replied Harriet. "But for two years I've been hearing what an imbecile your pastor is. I'll never, ever go there."

What if we each made a habit of noting something we value about our congregation? Sharing these positive reflections with others a couple of times a week could naturally open doors. When people consistently hear what matters to us about our faith community, they become curious. Eventually, extending a personal invitation to join us for a service or activity feels like a natural next step. I wonder: How do you typically talk about our church with others?

We need the right attitude. Here's the second ingredient we need.

Boldness

The second ingredient necessary to capture the heart of the community is boldness. The early believers prayed for courage to speak God's word boldly despite threats (Acts 4:29).

God answered. Listen to what happened:

But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. (Acts 5:18-21)

The apostles profoundly impacted lives in Jerusalem, demonstrating God's power despite the risk of arrest or worse. And the church began to grow beyond Jerusalem. The early believers were courageous. They couldn't help but tell you about the Lord!

I made a new firefighter friend last month. One thing about firemen—they spend a lot of time together. They practically live together for 24 hours at a time. What a place to be a Christian! You couldn't help but share your faith with others. My friend Winton shared that when he discussed his relationship with God at work, he found many hidden Christians among his coworkers. They were shy about discussing Christ. If we're going to capture the heart of the community, we need boldness!

Like the early believers, we can pray that God would enable us to speak his word with great boldness. We can become people and churches that take our light out from under our bowls and put them on a stand, where we can draw men and women home safely into the Master's arms. The church can become that true lighthouse for people in the storms of life.

If the church neglects Jesus’ mandate to go and make disciples, why should we expect God to bless it? If we resist being shaped by our Lord, why expect his blessings? When a church loses its focus on reaching the lost, it forfeits the blessings of God. When we fully surrender to him as Lord, we will witness God's extraordinary work in our lives.

We need the right attitude, and we need boldness. Here's the third ingredient we need.

Contact

The third ingredient we need if we're going to capture the heart of the community as a church is contact.

I believe the early church had two advantages over us. First: their lack of buildings meant ministry couldn't be contained within physical walls. Don't get me wrong. Buildings are a gift. But many North American churches have unintentionally become inward-focused. Worship spaces can limit our ministry focus and reduce our impact in the community. We're salt that's meant to season the world, yet we often remain stored away. Our challenge is finding ways to extend our ministry beyond our gathering place.

I believe we should intentionally establish ministries within our community. I'm also convinced we should continue sharing our facilities as a community resource. Currently, our church hosts two girls' groups, English language classes, and other community organizations. While perhaps not revolutionary, these practices demonstrate our genuine commitment to serving our neighbors.

Another advantage the early church had is that they were scattered. We read in Acts 8 that the believers were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria because of persecution. In other words, they were literally forced into contact with unbelievers. Sometimes in church the opposite happens. The longer we're Christians, the fewer friends we have who are not Christians.

We need to connect with non-believers. To his Father, Jesus prayed:

I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one... As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. (John 17:15,18)

Jesus repeatedly addressed the importance of sending, or scattering, his people into the world. Ministry is incarnational; we need to be among people. Paul even tells us not to separate from sinners in the world.

How much contact do you have with the community to capture its heart? How well do you know your neighbors? What community groups are you involved with? What steps are you taking to keep involved with the community?

We need the right attitude, boldness, and contact with unbelievers. There's one more ingredient we need.

Desire

Perhaps the ingredient we lack the most is desire. When Jonah went to Nineveh to preach, the entire city repented and turned to God. The Ninevites were known far and wide for their savage cruelty. What happened? Jonah was so upset that the Ninevites repented that he wanted to die. Jonah wished that they would be destroyed rather than saved. How much do we care about capturing the heart of the community?

A pastor came to church in jeans and a t-shirt one Sunday morning, and his hair was in a ponytail. He preached that Christians often worry about trivial matters while neglecting what truly matters. He preached the whole sermon without a word about his appearance. He talked about compassion for people in the community who are marginalized, disadvantaged, and about breaking our circles of security.

He concluded by saying, "Some of you seem more upset about my ponytail than about people not receiving Christ's gospel and love. The truth is, ponytails don't matter, but people do. I'm going to cut my ponytail. What are you going to do about your neighbors?"

The heart of our conversation today is about caring deeply. Do you care enough about connecting with our community to identify one area where you can make a meaningful difference?

Let's make a positive change by daily noting one thing we appreciate about our church family. Then, share these observations with someone in your life at least twice each week. As these conversations unfold naturally, extend an invitation for them to experience our community firsthand.

This practice isn't complicated, but it's remarkably powerful. Regularly expressing our values about our faith community enhances our appreciation and encourages others to explore what we've discovered.

Who might join me in this practice of noticing, sharing, and inviting?