Get Out of the Car!

Several years ago, Herb Miller wrote in Net Results, his top ten list on how church members should reach out with their neighbors. Number one on his list was “get out of the car.” Most church members will drive to and from church for worship and bible study and will never take the opportunity to get out of their car to go meet the people who live around their church building. Some of these churches will send out fliers or develop a flashy web page to talk about their church activities but never go out to meet their neighbors. And then some of these churches wonder why they are “invisible” to their neighbors! Last month, I had the opportunity at the national Multicultural Church conference to co-lead a workshop with the Rev. Rob Mueller, Pastor of El Divino Redentor Iglesia Presbiteriana in San Antonio, Texas. Rev. Mueller shared with the workshop participants how his congregation went out into their community to meet their neighbors and to listen to their stories, their hopes, and their concerns for their families and their community. In connecting with their neighbors, this congregation responded by developing congregational and community ministries that connected with their neighbor’s deeply felt hope and needs. This partnership did not happen overnight. The relationship building and the development of community partnership took lots of time, energy and spirit but in the long run, members of El Divino Redentor Iglesia Presbiteriana were able to develop trust and a two-way partnership that is revitalizing the spirit of their congregation and their community. Places of Promise: Finding Strength in Your Congregation’s Location by Cynthia Woolever and Deborah Bruce (John Knox Press) is an excellent new resource to help your congregation look at how to engage your community and to develop ministries that fit the realties of your community. Trey Hammond, Pastor of La Mesa Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico has written a free leader guide for use with this book (www.uscongregations.org/pdf/leaderguide.pdf). Jack Marcum, Coordinator for Presbyterian Research Services says, “The guide and exercises provide a framework for understanding how location forms a congregation’s identity and ministry and will help congregational leaders explore the congregation’s connections with its God-given location.”