How to Become an Outreach Oriented Church

Todd Hunter, Board Member and Consultant, Alpha USA

Part One
Cultivate the eyes of Jesus:

Jesus had a way of “seeing,” of observing what others missed.

He could see past the current situation of a given person. He recognized the potential in every human to repent and return to God. He knew God makes it possible for any seeker to become humanity as God intended. As Jesus went through his work-a-day life he paid attention. He was simultaneously present to the people and events of his life -and to God. He said things like “I only do what I see my Father doing;” or “I only say what I hear my Father saying.”  He then did and said those things in the context - people and places - of His life.

The Gospels tell a story of Jesus seeing in a hated tax collector - Levi - something no one else saw. Jesus saw Levi’s capacity to become “Matthew”- the person God made him to be, the writer of the first Gospel.  Can you imagine Jesus locking eyes with Levi as he passed his tax collecting booth that day. I imagine Levi saying something like this to himself: “Everybody hates me and calls me a traitor. They say I’ve sold my soul for money. This holy man is going to really rip me to shreds.” Jesus, though, looking deeper than Levi’s "I-know-I’m-in-the-wrong-eyes", looking beyond even his guilty soul, sees Levi’s capacity to change, and simply invites him to “follow me…” Jesus didn’t verbally rip him apart. Jesus communicated hope and the desire to be with Levi.

This is what all effective outreach oriented churches do. They see potential in people, not the past or present. Through paying attention to God and people, they develop in their congregation the faith-filled capacity to see the whole movie of a seeker’s life, not merely the present snapshot. 

Ask God to give you the eyes of Jesus, then practice paying attention. As you do, you’ll find both an exhilarating faith journey and evangelistic effectiveness.

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Part Two
Resolve to have the values of Jesus:

Everyone, as they go through life, has to prioritize, to decide what comes first, and to determine what has the highest value.

Remember being a kid, only having a dollar or a quarter in your pocket, going to the local corner store for candy or soda? It seems I always wanted more than I could afford. That called for tough decisions: should I get the M & M’s or the root beer, or the bag of chips? Congregations face the same predicament: on what do we spend our time, money and energy?

There is an easy way for a church to examine what they are actually doing: look at the church calendar—it represents the way you actually spend time and energy. Then look at the church budget and checkbook—it shows how you really spend money. The words “actual” and “really” in the previous sentence point to an important reality:

People and churches have stated values, but often these hoped-for priorities are not acted on.

This is much like the person who needs to go on a diet, and says they really want to, but never really change their eating habits and thus live with some measure of guilt and shame.

When it comes to valuing seekers, Jesus is our best example. Luke 15 in The Message says:

“The Pharisees and religion scholars growled: He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends. Their grumbling triggered these stories…”

Luke then went on to give an account of Jesus’ famous parables about seeking wandering sheep, searching for misplaced coins, and desperately being on the lookout for a lost son.

Everyone knew Jesus cared first and foremost for the lost. This made some people mad—the religious leaders—while it made others glad—the recipients of Jesus’ unconditional love. Determining actual values and priorities always has that effect. Some days, that poor ol’ Coke never got bought; other days the chips got left out. When it comes to church life, when you examine the calendar and budget of your church, what is getting left out? Evangelism is only effective when it has a valued place in both the schedule and financial plan.

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Part Three
Develop the outlook of Jesus:   

From before creation God has desired a people to call his own; cooperative friends, who for the sake of others, live constant lives of creative goodness through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus based his whole outlook on life around this intention of God. There was a rhythm to Jesus’ life. He was often found alone praying, but the next moment he was very publicly preaching, healing or forgiving sins.

What animated these activities—this outlook on life? Jesus, usually in reply to religious leaders who did not like what he was doing, said things like “I know it is the Sabbath, but my Father is working so I work, too—alongside Him.”

When confronted on other occasions he answered, “I only do and say what I see and hear my Father doing.” It is as if Jesus went through life with one ear and eye focused on his daily reality and the other on his Father.

Luke chapter 19 provides a classic look into the vital connection between the outlook of Jesus and evangelism. Below is a version of Zacchaeus’ story I have summarized from The Message:

Jesus entered Jericho…there was a man there, his name Zacchaeus, the head tax man and quite rich. He wanted desperately to see Jesus, but…he was a short man and couldn't see over the crowd. So he ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus when he came by.

When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home."

Zacchaeus scrambled out of the tree, hardly believing his good luck, delighted to take Jesus home with him…Jesus said, "Today is salvation day in this home! For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost."

How did Jesus know it was his day to have dinner with Zacchaeus?

First, He had the outlook of his Father; he knew what was up to: in this case, Zacchaeus up a tree!

Second, Jesus’ outlook was always positive regarding the capacity of people to change who were called to life in the Kingdom by his Father.

This positive outlook regarding others is crucial for would-be evangelists, absolutely indispensable for Alpha table hosts, and essential as an atmosphere in an outreach oriented church.

With the outlook of Jesus we can see the people in our lives that, wanting to see Jesus, climb to better places of observation. They go “up” to see God, but once they are up, they become visible to anyone with the outlook of Jesus to see where God is already working.

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Part Four
Declare war on unfruitfulness:

As they left Bethany... [Jesus] was hungry. Off in the distance he saw a fig tree in full leaf. He came up to it expecting to find something for breakfast, but found nothing but fig leaves. (It wasn't yet the season for figs.) He addressed the tree: "No one is going to eat fruit from you again—ever!" And his disciples overheard him…

…the [next] morning, walking along the road, they saw the fig tree, shriveled to a dry stick. Peter, remembering what had happened the previous day, said to him, "Rabbi, look—the fig tree you cursed is shriveled up!" Jesus was matter-of-fact: "Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you."

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Part Five
Create places for seekers in the life of your church:

They arrived at Jerusalem. Immediately on entering the Temple Jesus started throwing out everyone who had set up shop there, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of the bankers and the stalls of the pigeon merchants. He didn't let anyone even carry a basket through the Temple. And then he taught them, quoting this text:

My house was designated a house of prayer for the nations;

You've turned it into a hangout for thieves.

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