THE EXTERNALLY FOCUSED CHURCH

Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson Group, Loveland, CO, 2004, 224 pp.   ISBN
0-7644-2740-7http://www.grouppublishing.com/

Rusaw is pastor of LifeBridge Christian Church in Longmont, Colorado.
Swanson works for Leadership Network.  Based largely on the experience of
LifeBridge, the authors explain how a church can focus on serving its
community.  This book follows in the train of The Church of Irresistible
Influence by Robert Lewis, pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock.
http://www.davidmays.org/BookNotes/LEWCHUR.pdf

"Our world is still open to a gospel it can hear and see.  The real gospel
is two-sided-it's truth and proof!"  (Robert Lewis, Foreword)

"The early church served.  Service is, and should be, the identifying mark
of Christians and the church." (11) [Perhaps service is one of the
identifying marks of love, which Francis Shaeffer called the mark of a
Christian. dlm]

"One of the most effective ways to reach people with the message of Jesus
Christ today is through real and relevant acts of service.  Honest,
compassionated service can restore credibility to the crucial message we
have to share.  To tell the truth, we must show the truth." (11)

"How we spend out money and our time exposes what truly matters to us." (12)

The church has become more concerned with telling than showing.  We have
forgotten to show God's love. (13)

"Internally focused churches concentrate on getting people into the church
and generating activity there." (16)

Externally focused "churches look for ways to be useful to their
communities, to be a part of their hopes and dreams.  They build bridges to
their communities instead of walls around themselves."  They measure "the
spiritual and societal effects they are having on the communities around
them." (17)

Focus on two groups: those on the margins and the city.  (18-20)

"Being externally focused is about the perspective and purpose of the church
more than any program...." "These churches have concluded that it's really
not 'church' if it's not engaged in the life of the community through
ministry and service to others."  "[It is] woven into every aspect of church
life." (24) [I suggest the same thinking applies to both people unlike us
nearby and people unlike us far away, i.e., "missions." dlm]

"It is only when the church is mixed into the very life and conversation of
the city that it can be an effective force for change." (25)

Ministering and serving are normal expressions of Christian living.
Christians grow best when they are serving and giving themselves away. (26)

Two strategies: 1) identify the needs of the community and start ministries
to meet the needs, 2) partner with existing ministries or human-service
agencies that are meeting needs in the community. (29-30)

"Power is important.  But focus is everything." (36)

The Great Commission describes the fruit.  Matthew 28:19-20.  (36)

Too often our people-our greatest resource-are underutilized and we feel we
have done our part by donating money.  Previously, LifeBridge created large
special events as their main outreach strategy.  Events take lots of money
and staff time and they are internally focused, asking the community to come
to us.  (37-39)

"We decided to come alongside schools, service organizations, and other
nonprofits (religious and secular) to see how we could help them." (41)

"We often used the image of 'crossing the street.'  For us...that literally
meant crossing the street from our church into the neighborhoods and city
streets across the highway."  "For us, serving in the community meant
getting to know our community." (45)

Community transformation "lies at the intersection of the needs and dreams
of the city or community, the mandates and desires of God, and the calling
and capacity of the church." (56)  "God has always used his people to bring
hope and health to a community." (58)

"When people come to faith, they can immediately be involved in serving
others.  From the get-go, they can understand that being a Christian isn't
an isolated experience but a life lived in community and service." (62)

"Service is always about meeting others' needs or helping others succeed."
"Service is the mark of a Christian.  'Your attitude should be the same as
that of Christ Jesus...taking the very nature of a servant' (Philippians
2:5-7)." (64)

"It takes between twelve and twenty positive bumps [refreshing encounters
with the church] before people come to Christ." (67, quoting Dave Workman,
lead pastor of Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati)

"So much good can be done apart from money."  "The poor need relationships
more than they need money.  In the inner city, there's a lot of free stuff
to be had.  What the poor need is people who care." (quoting Vicki Baird,
Cincinnati Vineyard Community Church)  But sometimes there is no substitute
for cash. (68)

One church asks their members to give 5% of their incomes to ministries
outside the church! (72)

"Good nutrition alone cannot make a person healthy.  Good Bible teaching
alone is insufficient for spiritual maturity.  People need exercise...  We
grow by serving others."  (76)  "Getting people involved in service is much
easier than getting them involved in activities specifically designed to
deepen their faith."  "Of course, it is possible to serve without growing
spiritually...."  "Serving puts people in real-world situations where their
faith is on the line." (77) [I would have appreciated more emphasis on
'nutrition.'  Mainline churches are known for doing much social work but
sometimes with little spiritual transformation in either those ministering
or those being ministered to. Dlm]

"We do nothing and give to nothing where our people are not involved.  We
tell our congregation, 'If you give money to a ministry, then we want you to
get involved in that ministry.'" (83 quoting Kenton Beshore, Mariners
Church)

"We in the church have often defined ministry too narrowly.  In doing so, we
have limited the opportunities for meaningful ministry."  "Ministry is
simply 'meeting another's need with the resources God has given to you.'"
(86)

"Wouldn't it be great if on any given Sunday you could point randomly to any
person in your congregation and say, 'Please tell us about your ministry,'
and every person...would come forth with a description of how God is using
him or her in ministry to others?" (90)

"The church grows through relationships."  (93)  "Relationship is key to
building bridges into the community." (94)

"First, make sure that the church and the community organization both
clearly understand each other's needs and expectations.  Second, begin
slowly, if possible.  Third, ensure that one person with passion for the
project is responsible for it."  "Finally, no matter what hurdles you face
along the way, remain committed to finishing what you start!" (96)

"One rule of thumb is that churches should come only to serve and bless, not
to control."  "Always ask the organizations in your community, 'How can we
help you?' and don't worry about who gets the credit." (101)

"Watch for opportunities to share God's grace, but don't force the message."
"We serve for two reasons: to meet basic needs and to create positive
relationships." (103)

Community leaders generally don't trust Christians and the church doesn't
have a reputation for being very helpful. (105)

"The best way to create relationships is to enter the world of those you
seek to know, rather than waiting for them to enter yours."  Discover ways
to be useful.  (106)

"The early Christians lived in such a way that caused the world to stand up
and take notice, for they had a distinctive lifestyle that could not be
ignored." (113)

"The Christian faith, for the most part, has been reduced to a
philosophy-principles and tenets that we believe and can defend but don't
necessarily practice.  It is our actions toward others that separate
Christianity from philosophy.  It is tying loving God to loving our
neighbors as ourselves that puts legs to our faith." (116)

"We need an apologetic for faith that can be observed more than postulated
and debated."  "It's not so much a matter of sharing information as it
sharing love." (118-19)

"Good works can be the bridge or the road, but they are not the saving
message that crosses that bridge or travels that road.  Good works are the
complement but never the substitute for good news."  "We must figure out
ways to be intentional about evangelism-sharing the good news."  "If we
think it is necessary for people to understand the gospel, then we've got to
use words." (120-21) [I would have liked some additional explanation of how
they do it and how they ensure that it gets done. Dlm]

"In serving others, salvation is our ultimate motive but not our ulterior
motive.  People sniff out motives pretty quickly." (122, quoting Sam
Williams)

How to tell the good news: 1. Listen to the other person's story.  2.  Ask
permission to tell your story.  3. Ask permission to tell God's story: the
plan of salvation. (123-24)

Casting the Vision.  Chapter 8 is a good chapter on vision, summarizing much
of what has been written on the topic. (145-154)

Vision Problems (from Mark Scott, Ozark Christian College) (149-51)
. Nearsighted - too focused on daily stuff . Farsighted - all vision and no
action . Tunnel Vision - so focused on their own situation they miss
surrounding opportunities . Walleyed - Caught up in the latest fad . Lazy
Eye - Great vision but lack of effort yields mediocre results

"An external focus is not a tactic or a strategy.  It is a transformation."
(152)

The core values of LifeBridge: outreach, spiritual development, worship, and
involvement.  "Each ministry department develops plans, events, and
activities that reflect our values." (152)

"We see community outreach as an important part of our overall mission.  So
each ministry department is encouraged to find ways to make community
outreach a part of its programming and plans."  (153)

Assessing the Needs of Your Community. 1. Ask the people you are serving to
identify their needs and dreams. 2. Conduct or use existing research on your
community.  Get latest information regarding income, educational levels,
demographics, and employment statistics from formal census research at
http://factfinder.census.gov/ 3. Recognize the power of existing
relationships.  Often you already have a 'champion' in the church that is
involved in a ministry on his or her own. 4. Look and listen.  Observe.  
(159-163)

Six categories of needs (per Raymond Bakke): physical, spiritual/moral,
social/relational, emotional, education, training/mentoring. (165)

Types of people: poor, children, aged, widows/single parents, orphans,
prisoners, sick/disabled, aliens/immigrants. (166)

You can make a chart with types of people across the top and needs down the
side and fill in the blanks to list service opportunities. (166)

"Whatever your focus, aim for the double benefit of changing the lives of
those who are serving as well as of those who are being served." (167)

Some ideas for narrowing your selections: 1. Draw a geographical radius.
2. Establish some 'engagement criteria,' such as a. Does this put us in
relationship with those we seek to help or others who are serving? b. Is
this ministry or agency willing to work with us? c. Will this allow us to
minister holistically? d. Do we have people ready, willing, and able?
e. Will this result in changed lives?  (168)

"However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the
results." (173, quoting Winston Churchill)

"When hiring staff, make certain the job and their passions are intertwined,
that they are being paid to do something they were born to do.  It's too big
and too important just to be a job." (176)

"Define the minimum qualifications for a volunteer." (177)

"Churches that seek to mobilize every person must also define ministry in a
broad enough way to encompass the skills, experiences, giftedness, passions,
and relationships of every person in the church." (178)

We have to figure out ways for the volunteers to get "paid" -ways that are
meaningful to the volunteers.  Pay is whatever motivates people. (179)

Provide four things to young people in the church: (182) 1. a mentor to
guide him or her 2. a teacher to develop skills 3. a judge to evaluate
progress, and 4. an encourager to cheer them on. [This might be a good model
for following up people who go on mission trips! Dlm]

"Our vision is only as big as that for which we are willing to raise money."
(185)

"Working with what already exists [meaning organizations already working in
service ministries] may be a church's most underleveraged opportunity."
(192)

Measure inputs: the resources you put toward your objectives. Measure
outputs: the results of your efforts (194)

"It's not what you add to your life, it's what you abandon that will make
the difference." (203)

"The best way to engage the hearts of high-capacity people is by engaging
their minds around big challenges and ideas." (209)

"It's not about size; it's about impact." (214)

[Service is the outworking of love and love draws people to oneself and to
Jesus.  However, it is possible to serve from other motives-a sense of duty,
to be part of a group, to meet others' expectations, etc.-and fail to
develop relationships and express love.  I suppose some kinds service done
in some ways must be much more effective at reaching people for Christ than
others.  dlm]

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________________________ David Mays ACMC http://www.davidmays.org