The one thing to reach people

Do you remember the movie, “City Slickers?” A crusty old cowboy named Curly shared the secret of life with some city folk who were helping herd cattle. Holding up one finger, he said, “One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that, and the rest don’t mean [a thing].” Mitch, the city slicker, asked, “What is that one thing?” Curly answered, “That’s what you have to find out.”

What is that one thing a congregation can do to reach people in their community?

I honestly don’t think anybody knows right now. A sure-fire formula that guarantees success doesn’t exist.

Yet, I agree with Curly’s answer. It’s something that churches must discover for themselves.

In this fast-changing world, it’s impossible to keep up with trends and technology. There are so many ideas and so little time. People today are stressed out. Our members are too busy, struggling with burnout, and highly concerned about the future. It shouldn’t be surprising that churches are having a hard time finding members to volunteer.

And yet, God blesses gospel activity. Through trial and errors, he allows God’s people to stumble upon a gospel activity that gains traction and helps create outreach momentum. It becomes that one thing that churches can concentrate their efforts to gain an audience in their community to learn the Truth.

What is the one thing that is certain?

God’s Word always works! And the most powerful form of evangelism is members inviting friends to hear the Word.

Evangelism is not all about coming up with new ideas to reach people and gain new contacts, but learning how to engage, invite, and proclaim to people whom we already know. This might be surprising, but this strategic shift could easily be considered as different and innovative.

It’s interesting that making friends or knowing our neighbors seems to be a lost art in this emerging digital age. Think how powerful it can be when evangelism committees devote 80% of their attention to further relationships with guests and visitors. These are people whom God has already brought to church. If friendship evangelism is powerful, then learning how to make friends with visitors could be a form of outreach or evangelism. It could be like adopting a person to be a member of a close-knit family.

This is not a new idea, yet few churches are successfully employing this idea as a primary impetus for their outreach and evangelism activity.

Evangelism today is requiring a personal touch during this time of widespread apatheism throughout our communities. It’s that one thing that can make a difference.

More insights: “The Tupperware Dynamic” by James Emery White.