WHEN THE CULTURE ASKS THE CHURCH FOR HELP
Thom S. Rainer
In the 1980s and 1990s, I served as pastor of four different churches. In each of those churches, I led a team to develop a“ prospect list” that included people in our community who were not members of a church. We had different processes to follow up and contact the prospects.
I remember when one of our deacons declared that we were running out of prospects. That was a first for me! The reality was that we were no longer being intentional about reaching our community. We had become dependent on waiting for people to show up at one of our worship services.
In the church where Nellie Jo and I are members and our son Jess is the pastor, we have the same closing to our worship service every week. Matthew 9:36-38 is shown on the screen in the worship center. Together we recite the words aloud:
When he [ Jesus ] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples,“ The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
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