A sophisticated outreach program in a church or parachurch ministry might look something like this:
Level 1: Social events. Invite everyone!
Level 2: Content events. The Christian worldview is presented in a thoughtful way. Venues could be talks, discussions, debates, panels, workshops. Audience is seekers.
Level 3: Harvest events. An explicit call to faith is made. Aimed at friends and acquaintances who may be ready to follow Jesus full-time.
Keys to success:
- Everyone in the ministry knows at which “level” the next event is offered. Then members know who (and who not) to invite.
- Quality: Especially important at the second level, events must be excellent. Building trust with your own people takes a long time to establish (but, of course, only a moment to break).
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| A Level 2 event I participated in recently with some atheists |
One last thought: It seems to me the missing piece in many ministries is Level 2 above. Topics can range from apologetic (existence of God) to educational (managing your money).
At these events you want your people to be glad they brought a friend — or disappointed if they didn’t.
