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Book Release: August 2021
Jesus Has Left the Building:
The Nitty Gritty of Creative Church Outreach
Introduction
We’d strung the last garland of silver and finished the Christmas Store. A festive candy cane lane led to the entrance of the church gymnasium filled with hundreds of donated gifts. In just a few hours, financially strapped parents would be able to purchase a few nice things for their children at the affordable price of a dollar or two.
Then my pastor, Richard Gay, brought some disturbing news to my attention: “Toni, I’m concerned about the weather reports. We might need to consider postponing the Christmas Store. A snowstorm is coming.”
Postpone the Christmas Store? Impossible. We had no other game plan. In our third year hosting the store, we’d built a successful, well-oiled machine, but never contemplated a contingency plan in case of snow.
I had to make a call immediately—to go forward with the event or postpone. So many people depended on the Christmas Store to make their holiday special. But with no Plan B and nothing to guide me around an unexpected obstacle, I felt paralyzed with indecision.
Lord, what if I’m wrong? What if this feeling that we shouldn’t postpone isn’t from You but is my own thinking? Am I putting people at risk? What’s the best way to go?
I worried my desire to push through with the plan was from my own stubborn heart rather than God’s wisdom, and acquiesced. We changed the date. The atmosphere shifted from one of confidence that all was ready, to a panicked beehive of activity as we called shoppers and volunteers to announce the change of plans.
When the new date rolled around, despite all the obstacles of the move, we helped 75 parents buy Christmas gifts for their children that they would not have been able to afford otherwise.
Yes, the event went on. Yes, in the end it blessed people. But I was one stressed-out organizer, disappointed that what could have been, wasn’t. We lost much in the way of ambience and ease of flow because we had to work around other conflicting events. The less than perfect outcome affected my attitude and outlook. I concentrated on the negative elements of the day, got caught up in the woulda, shoulda, coulda’s, and made it more about my failures than God’s victories.
We learned two important lessons in the aftermath:
If you had been in my situation, would you have known what to do? Would you have attempted to do it again? Or any other kind of large Christian outreach ministry?
Inspiration and the Call
When I volunteered to create the outreach ministry at my former church, I didn’t know a thing about community service. My employment background included two decades in benefits administration and a dozen years writing and voicing radio commercials. Though I had no applicable educational background or practical experience, I did have the pressing sense that God was calling our church to move beyond its walls and impact our community for Christ.
I read Rusaw and Swanson’s book, The Externally-Focused Church, which challenged me to ask a few questions: If you (the local church) picked up and left, how would the city feel? Would your city weep? Would anybody even notice? Would anybody care?
I attended a loving, caring church, but feared the answer to these questions would be “No.” Our church was in the middle of an expansion and renovation project which included a larger sanctuary, a huge Fellowship Mall gathering place, and increased parking. But would our new facade be the only thing our neighbors noticed? Would that be all they knew of us? If our doors closed, would they mourn the loss of love, care, and services offered from inside our walls? Or would they merely drive by, see the empty building, and assume we had over-extended our construction budget?
Pondering the answers to these questions inspired me to change the course
of my career, and ultimately, my life.
Our church leadership and members longed to see people come to Christ. But to hear the life-giving message of the Gospel, our neighbors had to walk through our doors first. That wasn’t happening. What to do?
Well, if the people weren’t coming into our building, we needed to leave the building and take the message of God’s love outside our four walls. We needed to BE Church. To share God’s caring heart through our actions.
Do the Good Works God Has Prepared for You
Salvation doesn’t come from doing good works. Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly states, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
While salvation doesn’t come by performing good works, it is part of living a godly life. Ephesians 2:10 goes on to say, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Why has God prepared these good works for us to do?
“When he had finished washing their feet, He put on His clothes and returned to His place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ He asked them. ‘You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.’” John 13:12-15
Many churches argue over whether the concentration of doing good should be inward focused on meeting the needs of the church body, or outward into the community. Problems arise when a “charity begins at home” practice results in a church that becomes a self-serving club.
Good works must be in balance. Yes, we should tend to those in need within our congregations, but that’s not God’s end game for the church. Galatians 6:10 tells us to do good to ALL people in order to reap a harvest—a harvest of souls for God’s Kingdom, though we may not see immediate results.
Galatians 6:9 cautions us to not lose heart in doing good which indicates that we run the race more like a marathon, not a sprint, and gain an eternal benefit if we don’t grow weary in the work.
We must do good “as we have opportunity.” But that doesn’t mean if the opportunity arises by chance. God purposely created good works in advance for us to do. We need to seek out opportunities for service and make the most of them as the Lord leads.
When we put our faith into action and serve others, our purpose is to bring glory and honor to God, and to accomplish His will in the world. It’s not about us. It’s not about our church. It’s not to quantify the return on investment of a program. It is all about the Father and His immeasurable love for people.
Build Community by Developing Relationships
Although our purpose in outreach service is to glorify God as we accomplish His will, our faith in action results in more than just touching our communities with physical and spiritual needs. Those who serve receive benefits as well.
Our work in partnership with others builds a community of service volunteers in relationship together. Outreach related interactions encourage and bolster the faith of believers and invite non-believers to learn more about the gospel.
Some who join together—neighbors, friends, co-workers, and family members—may serve because they like doing good. They are caring people with a heart for others, but they may not have a personal relationship with Christ. Allowing them to serve side-by-side with believers in a non-threatening environment will minister to them, too. By inviting them to help, you create a way to dialog about why you and your church join in a particular community outreach.
This simple interaction may open the door to speak to them about the love of God and give you an opportunity to invite them to church. Church seems a lot less strange when you walk in and discover you already know a friendly face or two in the large, otherwise intimidating crowd. Working elbow-to-elbow with Christians and seeing them as regular people, takes away some of the uncertainty of interacting with them in a church environment.
Even if the non-believer isn’t ready to commit to attending a church service, a positive serving experience can lead them to accept your invitation to the next outreach and allows you to continue to build and strengthen the relationship. As a result, I’ve seen blessings multiply in the lives of those who became involved in, or who have been a recipient of, an outreach event.
How to Use This Book
In this book I lay out the “Nitty Gritty Details” you need to know to create twelve successful outreaches. Each chapter tells the story of our team’s different outreach ideas adjustable to your own unique resources and circumstances. I share what we learned in key areas of organization:
Each chapter is a stand-alone outreach you can read individually as it captures the imagination of your group. The outreaches begin with the simplest and least expensive then grow from there. Each idea can be easily modified for the size of your church, the size of your volunteer team, the size of your budget, and the needs of your community.
Through the years we’ve done a great deal of research into the plethora of community and corporate resources available to supplement outreach building. I’ve provided lists of these resources in each chapter that can bolster your efforts to access gift cards, grant funding, stipends, donations in kind, products, and even a pool of volunteers. Though the resource lists in the book are not exhaustive and may be more regional to the mid-eastern seaboard, our website continues to add resource listings from all over the country according to category. Visit tonicampbell.org to learn more.
When I signed up for this mission with my five loaves and two fishes, I had no idea what the Lord had planned for me. He allowed me to participate in a multiplication of miracles in the lives of so many souls precious to Him. May you see the multiplication of your efforts in even greater ways to the glory of our God in Christ Jesus.
Toni Campbell
July 2021
We’d strung the last garland of silver and finished the Christmas Store. A festive candy cane lane led to the entrance of the church gymnasium filled with hundreds of donated gifts. In just a few hours, financially strapped parents would be able to purchase a few nice things for their children at the affordable price of a dollar or two.
Then my pastor, Richard Gay, brought some disturbing news to my attention: “Toni, I’m concerned about the weather reports. We might need to consider postponing the Christmas Store. A snowstorm is coming.”
Postpone the Christmas Store? Impossible. We had no other game plan. In our third year hosting the store, we’d built a successful, well-oiled machine, but never contemplated a contingency plan in case of snow.
I had to make a call immediately—to go forward with the event or postpone. So many people depended on the Christmas Store to make their holiday special. But with no Plan B and nothing to guide me around an unexpected obstacle, I felt paralyzed with indecision.
Lord, what if I’m wrong? What if this feeling that we shouldn’t postpone isn’t from You but is my own thinking? Am I putting people at risk? What’s the best way to go?
I worried my desire to push through with the plan was from my own stubborn heart rather than God’s wisdom, and acquiesced. We changed the date. The atmosphere shifted from one of confidence that all was ready, to a panicked beehive of activity as we called shoppers and volunteers to announce the change of plans.
When the new date rolled around, despite all the obstacles of the move, we helped 75 parents buy Christmas gifts for their children that they would not have been able to afford otherwise.
Yes, the event went on. Yes, in the end it blessed people. But I was one stressed-out organizer, disappointed that what could have been, wasn’t. We lost much in the way of ambience and ease of flow because we had to work around other conflicting events. The less than perfect outcome affected my attitude and outlook. I concentrated on the negative elements of the day, got caught up in the woulda, shoulda, coulda’s, and made it more about my failures than God’s victories.
We learned two important lessons in the aftermath:
- We should have planned an alternate date in case of foul weather and advertised it on promotional materials.
- We should have directed shoppers and volunteers to call the church for an automated update if the weather looked questionable. That would have taken the responsibility of contacting everyone off our shoulders.
If you had been in my situation, would you have known what to do? Would you have attempted to do it again? Or any other kind of large Christian outreach ministry?
Inspiration and the Call
When I volunteered to create the outreach ministry at my former church, I didn’t know a thing about community service. My employment background included two decades in benefits administration and a dozen years writing and voicing radio commercials. Though I had no applicable educational background or practical experience, I did have the pressing sense that God was calling our church to move beyond its walls and impact our community for Christ.
I read Rusaw and Swanson’s book, The Externally-Focused Church, which challenged me to ask a few questions: If you (the local church) picked up and left, how would the city feel? Would your city weep? Would anybody even notice? Would anybody care?
I attended a loving, caring church, but feared the answer to these questions would be “No.” Our church was in the middle of an expansion and renovation project which included a larger sanctuary, a huge Fellowship Mall gathering place, and increased parking. But would our new facade be the only thing our neighbors noticed? Would that be all they knew of us? If our doors closed, would they mourn the loss of love, care, and services offered from inside our walls? Or would they merely drive by, see the empty building, and assume we had over-extended our construction budget?
Pondering the answers to these questions inspired me to change the course
of my career, and ultimately, my life.
Our church leadership and members longed to see people come to Christ. But to hear the life-giving message of the Gospel, our neighbors had to walk through our doors first. That wasn’t happening. What to do?
Well, if the people weren’t coming into our building, we needed to leave the building and take the message of God’s love outside our four walls. We needed to BE Church. To share God’s caring heart through our actions.
Do the Good Works God Has Prepared for You
Salvation doesn’t come from doing good works. Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly states, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
While salvation doesn’t come by performing good works, it is part of living a godly life. Ephesians 2:10 goes on to say, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Why has God prepared these good works for us to do?
- To glorify God:
- To put our faith into action:
- To follow Christ’s example:
“When he had finished washing their feet, He put on His clothes and returned to His place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ He asked them. ‘You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.’” John 13:12-15
- To accomplish God’s will:
Many churches argue over whether the concentration of doing good should be inward focused on meeting the needs of the church body, or outward into the community. Problems arise when a “charity begins at home” practice results in a church that becomes a self-serving club.
Good works must be in balance. Yes, we should tend to those in need within our congregations, but that’s not God’s end game for the church. Galatians 6:10 tells us to do good to ALL people in order to reap a harvest—a harvest of souls for God’s Kingdom, though we may not see immediate results.
Galatians 6:9 cautions us to not lose heart in doing good which indicates that we run the race more like a marathon, not a sprint, and gain an eternal benefit if we don’t grow weary in the work.
We must do good “as we have opportunity.” But that doesn’t mean if the opportunity arises by chance. God purposely created good works in advance for us to do. We need to seek out opportunities for service and make the most of them as the Lord leads.
When we put our faith into action and serve others, our purpose is to bring glory and honor to God, and to accomplish His will in the world. It’s not about us. It’s not about our church. It’s not to quantify the return on investment of a program. It is all about the Father and His immeasurable love for people.
Build Community by Developing Relationships
Although our purpose in outreach service is to glorify God as we accomplish His will, our faith in action results in more than just touching our communities with physical and spiritual needs. Those who serve receive benefits as well.
Our work in partnership with others builds a community of service volunteers in relationship together. Outreach related interactions encourage and bolster the faith of believers and invite non-believers to learn more about the gospel.
Some who join together—neighbors, friends, co-workers, and family members—may serve because they like doing good. They are caring people with a heart for others, but they may not have a personal relationship with Christ. Allowing them to serve side-by-side with believers in a non-threatening environment will minister to them, too. By inviting them to help, you create a way to dialog about why you and your church join in a particular community outreach.
This simple interaction may open the door to speak to them about the love of God and give you an opportunity to invite them to church. Church seems a lot less strange when you walk in and discover you already know a friendly face or two in the large, otherwise intimidating crowd. Working elbow-to-elbow with Christians and seeing them as regular people, takes away some of the uncertainty of interacting with them in a church environment.
Even if the non-believer isn’t ready to commit to attending a church service, a positive serving experience can lead them to accept your invitation to the next outreach and allows you to continue to build and strengthen the relationship. As a result, I’ve seen blessings multiply in the lives of those who became involved in, or who have been a recipient of, an outreach event.
How to Use This Book
In this book I lay out the “Nitty Gritty Details” you need to know to create twelve successful outreaches. Each chapter tells the story of our team’s different outreach ideas adjustable to your own unique resources and circumstances. I share what we learned in key areas of organization:
- Timeline to track mini goals on each leg of the project.
- Items Needed for the project.
- Volunteers Needed to complete all tasks.
- Approximate Cost to prepare a comprehensive budget for marketing and execution.
- Alternate Resources to engage corporate assistance to promote or fund the event.
Each chapter is a stand-alone outreach you can read individually as it captures the imagination of your group. The outreaches begin with the simplest and least expensive then grow from there. Each idea can be easily modified for the size of your church, the size of your volunteer team, the size of your budget, and the needs of your community.
Through the years we’ve done a great deal of research into the plethora of community and corporate resources available to supplement outreach building. I’ve provided lists of these resources in each chapter that can bolster your efforts to access gift cards, grant funding, stipends, donations in kind, products, and even a pool of volunteers. Though the resource lists in the book are not exhaustive and may be more regional to the mid-eastern seaboard, our website continues to add resource listings from all over the country according to category. Visit tonicampbell.org to learn more.
When I signed up for this mission with my five loaves and two fishes, I had no idea what the Lord had planned for me. He allowed me to participate in a multiplication of miracles in the lives of so many souls precious to Him. May you see the multiplication of your efforts in even greater ways to the glory of our God in Christ Jesus.
Toni Campbell
July 2021