We have found Bridge Events to be a great way to build better bridges for the people in our community. A Bridge Event is a community-focused activity designed to attract people who do not typically attend church.

We are called to spiritual maturity (Hebrews 5:14, Hebrews 6:1-2). There is an expectation that Christ-followers will start out as spiritual infants and mature over time. But a key element of maturity is not our age. There are many believers who are older in years but act very spiritually immaturely. This is because we have erroneously defined maturity as “tenure”. When really, spiritual maturity is about reproduction.

No matter what you’re preaching about, take 3 minutes and preach the gospel. Simply say, “You may be here and you’re not following Jesus in the way we’ve been talking about today. Let me tell you …” and then just go for it.

Ask a church member why they’re at the church. Ask any parent why they go to the church they go to. They will all have the same answer, “We have friends here.”

The town of Terrace Bay on the shore of Lake Superior in Ontario struggled — like many small towns — to maintain its economy and population through turbulent times. But there was hope for a bright future if the town could harness its potential and focus on adaptation. The town was revitalized, but the local Pentecostal church was still living in the past and dying in the present. Could a church live again?

The search committee says, “We want to have more influence in this community for the kingdom of God. Will you come and help us?” Who could resist responding to that kind of invitation?

In Canada, the largest demographic population is Millennials (ages 25-35) with young children. This is an incredible opportunity for the church to reach out to families with children. Whether you’re a large or small church, you can make connections and build bridges to families with children.

When do elected officials and leaders help a church reach out to its community? When you invite them to be front and centre for your initiative to spread kindness in your community. That becomes a win-win-win.

Big things can happen in a small town when church leaders trust God, focus on the mission and mobilize their congregation to reach out and share the love of Jesus with their community. Watch James Tripps's story.

For a church to grow by reaching lost people, the congregation needs to have a passion for souls to be saved. This seems obvious, but my experiences have shown me that many Christians aren’t too concerned about the eternal destiny of anyone other than themselves and their family.

When we think of church outreach, we tend to think of carnivals or block parties or musicals; events that involve lots of people, lots of planning, and lots of dollars. Although there is a place for such things in a church outreach strategy, I find there is a much higher return when churches are consistently outward bound even on a smaller scale. To do this, you have to be able to organize small teams of people quickly and spend less money for a single outreach.

We're less than 60 days from Christmas. Let that one sink in. As we're heading into the holidays, here are three stories and seven ideas to inspire and help you as you're planning and preparing your Christmas outreach.

While you may once again be bemoaning the interruption of your church planning calendar, this is the season for forging great church partnerships to reach lost people and serve your community. Here are some ideas to inspire you for the season ahead.

This Halloween enjoy giving and receiving, watch kids have fun dressing up in cute costumes, and use it as a time to reach out to your neighbours and show the love of Jesus. There are a variety of ways your church can host events for your community.

These are simple ways to get out and be in your community 5 hours per week. Remember, you’re building connections and making yourself accessible to those who live, work and play there. Don’t stay in your building. Get out and get in your community.

Now that we are gathering physically it doesn’t mean we’re off the hook digitally. There are still large segments of our congregation and community who can’t or won’t venture out into public gatherings. We can’t leave those people behind in our desire to get back to whatever we define as normal. Stories from churches about outbound online.

We are inspired by our everyday Children’s Ministry heroes in the ABNWT District! What they did this past number of months is truly amazing. Kathy Zelman asked some of our CM people to send in highlights and it is so great to see what God is doing in our District. May this encourage you and spur on with some great ideas in your context this upcoming year.

The imperative benefits of kindness as part of Christian behaviour.