Four assumptions to avoid if you want to successfully engage

This article is based on the experience of many churches that are beginning to engage with their community. There are four common assumptions churches sometimes make, which can make it harder to interact with the community.

Assumption 1: People are anti-Christian.

If your church is ‘declining’, it’s easy to begin to believe that many things threaten its existence. As a consequence it becomes easy to develop a persecution complex and believe that anything you do will be attacked and opposed.

But churches which begin to address needs in the community discover that, generally, people are not anti-church, but rather unaware of the church and what it has to offer. Many assume as a result that the church is irrelevant to their daily lives.

To bridge this gap engaging churches have found that it is far better to enter into relationship with the community, not as experts with something to say, but as servants with something to offer. It is often assumed that as we identify needs within the community we should offer solutions. The far more potent approach is to engage as fellow strugglers who have found in faith help.

Care for the Family has succeeded in building relationship with those outside the church by building relationship based upon vulnerability and willingness to share mistakes as we well as the lessons we have learnt the hard way.

Assumption 2: We’re different from the people we’re engaging with

The second lesson many churches learn as they engage is that they have had to admit to having a wrong attitude towards those they are reaching out to. As churches begin to engage, they soon discover that there is no ‘us and them’, only us.

We all struggle with something. For some it is alcohol, for others tearaway children, and for still others it is fear. We all have failings - whether we have faith or not. The only difference is the assurance of hope that comes with forgiveness.  

Assumption 3: We have to have all the answers.

Churches can be guilty of engaging with a ‘come to us and we will sort you out so that you can be just like us’ attitude. Sadly people have looked from a distance and concluded that they don’t want to be just like us. We can appear smug and arrogant and even hypocritical.

But when we engage in humility, honesty and vulnerability, and admit our mistakes do not come across as “do-gooders” who have no problems, but are able to sort yours out.

Assumption 4: We need to be careful about being too ‘worldly’.

When Jesus said we are to be in the world but not of it, He didn’t mean that we are to retreat into our buildings, or glide through life having as little contact with the outside world as possible.

Often we have been guilty of fearing that if we get too close we will be ‘infected’. However, churches who are engaging successfully tell us that rather than being influenced negatively, they have in fact been a positive influence on others. Often churches do change as a result of interacting in deeper conversations with those outside the church - and often this is hugely positive, shining new light onto old truths and revealing more of God’s purpose and love.

Last Updated 30 November 2010