A guest post by David Bloom
“If we fail, will this town notice?” What a terrible question, right? This kind of question keeps church planters and pastors up at night. When my wife and I moved from our Indianapolis apartment to Colorado, did any of our neighbors notice? Nope. We didn’t even know their names, let alone have any meaningful conversations.
Your church is actually a neighbor of sorts. Would anymore miss your church?
Every church needs to ask, “What can our church do to build relationships, foster love, and partner in our community?” Here are three shifts we need to make in macro neighboring.
Shift #1: From Competition to Collaboration
When we grab hold of the broader mission of God we must work together.
“Mission is not ours; mission is God’s…it is not so much the case that God has a mission for his church in the world but that God has a church for his mission in the world.” Christopher Wright
God is already on the move. If we recognize we are sent into something much bigger than our personal ministries it should open us up to others.
Instead of competing to get Christians into our church services, let’s collaborate to show the broader community the service of the church. Relationships and collaboration are at the heart of this.
Who can we collaborate with?
- Churches
- Schools
- Non-profits
- Civic Leaders
Practical Next Step: Begin conversations with others who care about your city.
Shift #2: From Organizing Episodes to Cultivating a Culture
We must move beyond events and a sermon series to changed culture.
The church is good at creating events and programs for people to attend. However, if we are not careful we can compartmentalize obedience to Jesus’ teachings into an event. Events can create episodes of neighboring but this does not equal a culture of neighboring.
Do we have a culture that embodies Jesus’ charge in Luke 10:27 “love your neighbor as yourself?”
I have had to learn how to love my neighbors well, because I have neglected them for so long. If macro neighboring becomes a regular part of your church, it will bleed into the lives of your people.
How do we help shift culture as leaders? We start with story. Stories shape culture. They remind us of what’s possible. Neighboring well is not the norm. Neighboring stories remind and reengage us with a command of Jesus many of us have ignored.
Practical next step: Provide platforms to share micro and macro neighboring stories.
Shift #3: From the Harvest to the Soil
We must turn from a harvest obsession to cultivating the soil in our context.
Church leader, if you’re not neighboring you are chucking seeds on the rocky ground of your city. The church has often focused so much on manufacturing harvest that we have neglected the soil. The soil is the context of your ministry. It is how your city views and interacts with the church. It impacts how Gospel seeds are received.
At times our macro behavior accidentally adds stones to the soil. But when neighbors see churches acting in unity to seek the welfare of the city, care for the poor, and embody mercy it softens the soil. Macro neighboring tills the soil of your city.
This also gives us a proper perspective on growth. You don’t reap a harvest when it’s time to till and sow. Macro neighboring might not fill your churches, but it will soften the soil as the gospel takes root in your city. The often-slow work of faithful neighboring can be discouraging, but when we view macro neighboring as cultivation we can delight in the process.
Practical Next Step: Develop a macro neighboring “scorecard” for success