The word outreach has been around a long time. In the early 1900’s, it referred to social welfare programs to help those facing challenges and needs. By the 1960’s, outreach was also being used to refer to an organization’s or business’s contacts to expand operations. In the 1980’s, AT&T produced the “Reach Out and Touch Someone” campaign to encourage long-distance calling. Today, “Steve reached out to me” simply means “Steve phoned me.”
Congregational outreach involves all of the above. Jesus reached out to the community of people around Him—the sick, the needy, the sinners—showing kindness and compassion for their welfare. The disciples would do likewise. Peter and John healed the cripple at the Temple, Paul healed the cripple at Lystra. Sad to say, we often leave it to someone else to help those with needs.
Further, Jesus instructed His disciples to be “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19), to reach out to bring others into God’s kingdom of forgiveness, new life, and eternal salvation. It’s through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus that sin and its consequences—death and damnation—are removed. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19 NKJV) “How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?” (Romans 10:14 NKJV) Sad to say, we often leave it to the individuals themselves to find their way to our congregation’s message of pardon and life through Jesus. Outreach is part of a Christian congregation’s life. This publication regularly prints reports from CLC congregations, sharing their methods of Gospel outreach.
The devil does not want anyone, any congregation, or you, to share the Good News of Jesus with others. He convinces you that it’s too much work, too time consuming, too expensive, produces too few results, and is just plain outside of “my” realm. Seek the Lord’s forgiveness and help. Ask the Lord to show you opportunities suitable for you. If you or your congregation are satisfied with “maintaining membership,” then little outreach will be done. When numbers dwindle, then the thought arises, “We need to do something!” For whose sake? For your own sake? For the congregation’s sake? How about, for others’ sake! Gospel outreach is done for the sake of others.
A first step is often, “Let’s start a program. Let’s get somebody’s help. Who can do this for us?” It takes a long time to get to, “I will do something.” Indeed, one-on-one contact is very precious. Example: in your visits at the nursing home, get to know the roommate of the friend, relative, or church-member you’re visiting. This opens the one-on-one door for sharing the compassion and kindness of the Lord, and sharing His lifting-away of the burden of sin, guilt, and death—sin’s punishment. Jesus suffered all and rose in glorious victory, for each one. Be alert to opportunities to lift someone’s burdens through Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, Rescuer and Redeemer.
Why? To feel good, useful, or worthy of God’s love? To do your share and help the congregation grow? The goal is not numbers. Rather, it is concern for another who—apart from Jesus—faces only doom. Eternal rescue in Jesus is the fuel for the fire of outreach!
Do you lack the fire? Well, how do you feel after worship? Discouraged, burdened, ho-hum-same-old-thing? Instead of tuning out at worship and turning away to other thoughts, which the devil wants, take to heart the great news of the Father’s mercy and forgiveness through Christ. It may take some mental “work” at worship. The pastor is not an entertainer like the TV. Comfort and fire are in the message of Scripture! The recipe for your willingness and zeal for outreach is, “Forgiven and spared in Jesus!”—a gift! Breathe the fresh air of the Gospel of salvation in Christ. Go forward as a humble yet privileged fisher of men!
is pastor of Saint Luke’s Lutheran Church in Lemmon, South Dakota.