Time to Push Forward
I don't generally feel like God always gives me a "word" for the year, but I have been thinking about a specific idea for a little while now. The idea is: forward, progress, advance. I know there is a fine line between marketing the church and sharing the mission of the church. Outsiders might see a fine line between seeking numerical growth and wanting to reach more people. They also might look for a fine line between being "seeker-friendly" and simply loving others unreasonably. So I think I have taken the route of caution over these last years. To not give off the impression like we are "into ourselves," we didn't really do any marketing in the community - a result is people still don't know we exist 2 years in.
In spite of this, God has brought new people, we've seen steady growth over the first 18 months, and this has been a home and a place of healing for many de-churched people.
But here's what I know; God has placed us in a very unique place with a very unique mission. I believe that he has commissioned us to fill some gaps in this community and reach people that could not be reached otherwise. Legacy City is not church as usual, this is a movement and I think it's time for this movement to progress forward, to advance. If we really believe that God has given us this unique vision and mission, then we have to own it, live it, and share it.
How do we do that? A few simple ways:
Invite. That's right, take some invite cards, reach out to those around you, and share what God is doing here. Studies show that more people respond to a personal invite than any other form of marketing we could come up with.
Social Media. I know, I know. This seems lame to some. Many of you may not even have social media and that's perfectly fine. But if you do, why not cut through the madness and the darkness by sharing the message of hope that God has given us? Why not tell people that there is a place where they can come to be loved and cared for no matter what their situation is? You all simply liking, sharing, and commenting goes a LONG way to getting our voice out there. Leaving reviews on FB and Google helps a ton also!
Leading by Example. Do you know what people really want? Authenticity. They want to see that you practice what you preach, that you are buying into the same thing you're inviting them to. Because if you're not, then we just come off as a bunch of hypocrites. Be involved.
These are just a few thoughts church. Let's move forward together. Let's prepare the way for more church plants to come. Let's prepare the way for training up future leaders. Let's prepare the way for impacting a community like never before. These are our mandates. For God and his Kingdom, For People and this City. Forward. Progress. Advance.
Pastor Robbie Earle