Tag: outreach

The Ministry of Listening

As Christians, we are all taught to talk. Evangelism is one of the first skills we learn, even as young children: say this, say that, memorize the Romans Road, learn to share. But we learn listening less or not at all, and the more time passes the more I become convinced that listening is just as vital a part of ministry and loving others. [Click title to read more.]

7 Things Seekers Want To See On Your Church Website

My husband and I have recently started church-hunting. As a part of that process, we - like so many others of our generation - turned to the Internet first. We used Google maps to identify the churches nearby, and then to narrow down the prospects we started visiting websites: some good, some bad, some incomprehensible. In light of that, I thought it might be useful to offer up a list of things I, and most seekers (believers or otherwise), might be searching for when we find your church on the web. [Click title to read more.]

A Quick Christian Guide To Supporting The Depressed and Those Bereaved By Suicide

The church has a role to play in our culture's understanding of suicide and of depression - as a place of healing, we have something to give. As a practical matter, and because of my own experiences, I felt inspired to offer some tips on how to address the way we talk (or don't) about mental illness and depression in our own congregations and, by extension, to minister to the families of those who have taken their own lives. [Click title to read more.]

One Reason Children Raised In The Church Leave It Behind

Few young Christians are prepared in a rigorous, individual way, to continue to choose Christianity for themselves beyond the walls of their church or an "inherited" faith. Not many have the tools to, as the Bible puts it, "work out" their salvation - to go beyond the commitment of a moment to the commitment of a lifetime. [Click title to read more.]

Drive-By Evangelism Helps No One

You can't make a disciple with a pamphlet. You can't condense God's love into two paragraphs. Most of all, you cannot treat evangelism - the holy duty of sharing God's word and love with others - as a marketing ploy by indiscriminately blanketing the streets with a generic version of "the Good News." [Click title to read more.]