Serving your community is one of the best ways to leave the world better than you found it — and to connect people to the ministry of your local church. To help you do this, here are some tips for creating an effective outreach.
10 Tips for Creating an Effective Outreach
- Have your team wear t-shirts with your church's logo when serving.
- Bring invite cards to every outreach and plan to give them to each person you serve.
- Document outreach and tell the stories through social media.
- Let your church know how their giving is making a difference by sharing video recaps and video stories of lives changed through your ministry's outreaches during the giving portion of your church service.
- When food is involved, make sure to follow food safety guidelines.
- Consider outreaches based around different times of the year: holidays, sporting events, festivals, the school calendar, the university calendar.
- Your outreach should be something that contributes without taking away (don't give away free coffee outside a local cafe).
- Prioritize safety and ensure people have the appropriate training and experience before attempting a specialized serve (cutting down tree branches, changing the oil in a car).
- Remember to leave everywhere better than you found it. Make sure there is a plan to clean up after your outreach.
- Serve with no strings attached. Be sensitive to the opportunity to pray for someone or share the gospel, but don't make serving them about them having to come to your church or listen to you preach.
Your members want to give to a church that is making a difference. Showing the tangible difference that your ministry is making in the world through serving and outreach is a great way to activate new giving and inspire your committed members to continue financially supporting your church.
Ready for more? Grab the free outreach library at buildthe.church — including 101 Outreach Ideas, Another 101 Outreach Ideas, and 10 Outreach Ideas That Work. You can also find out more about SERVE DAY here.
