Building Bridges Between Church and Community Bygge bro mellem kirken og Fællesskabets

BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN CHURCH AND COMMUNITY Bygge bro mellem kirken og FÆLLESSKAB

Overcoming the barriers to holistic ministry requires an intentional effort both to Overvinde hindringer for holistisk ministerium kræver en bevidst indsats for både at
welcome the community into the church, and to bring the church out into the community. bifalder samfund ind i kirken, og at bringe kirken ud i samfundet.
Here we give seven suggestions for cultivating an outreach-minded congregation. Her giver vi syv forslag til at dyrke en outreach-minded menigheden.

1. 1. Welcome whoever walks through your door. Velkommen hvem spadsereture gennem din dør.
A good place to start in cultivating the congregation’s commitment to reach out to Et godt sted at starte i dyrke menigheden's tilsagn om at nå ud til
the community is by loving the people in the community who come to you. samfundet er ved kærlige mennesker i samfundet, der kommer til dig. “We need a "Vi har brug for en
theology of welcome to tear down the fences that have come to separate ‘church’ and teologi af velkommen til at nedrive de hegn, som er kommet til at adskille "kirke" og
‘mission,’” asserts Kathryn Mowry. 'Mission', "hævder Kathryn Mowry.

A friendly face can go a long way in a person’s evangelistic journey. Et venligt ansigt kan gå langt i en persons evangelistic rejsen. An elder at Life En ældre på livet
in Christ Cathedral of Faith gives this testimony of the power of a welcoming congregation: i Kristus Cathedral of Faith giver dette vidnesbyrd om kraften i en indbydende menigheden:
“One of the things that made me want to stay here is that when I first came to the door, "En af de ting, der gjorde mig ønsker at blive her, er, at når jeg først kom til døren,
before I was delivered from drugs, there was a guy there who greeted me with this great, før jeg blev leveret fra narkotika, der var en fyr der der mødt mig med dette store,
huge smile. stort smil. . . . I was down to 130 pounds, I really looked a mess. Jeg var ned til 130 pounds, jeg har virkelig kigget en rod. . . . He greeted me with Han hilste mig med
a hug. en knus. That made me think, ‘Man, I like this place. Det gjorde mig til at tænke, 'Man, jeg kan lide dette sted. I want to stay here.’” A welcoming Jeg ønsker at blive her '. "En indbydende
congregation looks past the barriers to see each person as a potential bride of Christ. menigheden kigger forbi barriererne for at se hver enkelt person, som en potentiel bruden af Kristus.
It is human nature to view encounters with people in need as annoying interruptions. Det er menneskets natur at se møder med mennesker i nød som irriterende afbrydelser.

Encourage the congregation to welcome opportunities to minister informally to the needs Tilskyndelse menigheden at byde muligheder for at minister uformelt til behovene
that present themselves. at præsentere sig selv. Examples of this kind of every-day compassion abounded in our Eksempler på denne form for hver dag medfølelse abounded i vores
case studies. case studies. One day at First Presbyterian Church, a woman came to the office looking En dag hos First presbyterianske kirke, en kvinde kom til kontoret leder
for a volunteer who had told her about a local business that was hiring. for en frivillig der havde fortalt hende om en lokal virksomhed, som var lejet. When the Når
receptionist found out that the woman didn’t have a car, she put down the envelopes she receptionist fundet ud af, at kvinden ikke havde en bil, hun sat ned kuverter hun
was stuffing and drove her to the prospective job site. blev udstopning og kørte hende til den kommende job websted.

A member of New Covenant literally welcomed the homeless woman with two Et medlem af New konvention bogstaveligt hilste de hjemløse kvinde med to
children who knocked on her door. børn, der bankede på hendes dør. Over the weeks of the woman’s stay, the member led I løbet af de uger af kvindens ophold, det medlem ledede
her to the Lord. hende til Herren. The guest began attending New Covenant and was hired to help with the Gæsten begyndte at deltage i New konvention og blev hyret til at hjælpe med
job of painting the church building, though she had never painted before. opgave maleri kirken bygningen, selvom hun havde aldrig malet før. Now she is a Nu er hun en
self-supporting master painter. selvbærende, master maler. Bishop Robbins and his wife welcomed two at-risk children Bishop Robbins og hans kone hilste to udsatte børn
from the community into their home and raised them as their own, and have encouraged fra Fællesskabet, i deres hjem og gjorde dem som deres egne, og har opmuntret
others at Life in Christ to do the same. andre på livet i Kristus at gøre det samme. Such acts of loving hospitality may be overlooked Sådanne handlinger kærlige gæstfrihed kan blive overset
by news crews and grant-makers—but they form the warp and woof of a church’s af nyheder besætninger og give beslutningstagere, men de danner kæde og woof af en kirke's
transforming presence in a community. omdanne tilstedeværelse i et samfund.

2. 2. Network in the community. Netværk i lokalsamfundet.
Networking is the exchange of information, ideas and resources. Netværk er udveksling af information, ideer og ressourcer. The goal of Målet med
networking is to build relationships as you gather information, scout out potential allies, and netværksdannelse er at opbygge relationer, som du indsamler oplysninger, spejder ud potentielle allierede, og
let others know about your church. lade andre vide om din kirke. Another benefit of networking is that it builds the En anden fordel for netværkssamarbejde er, at det bygger
church’s reputation in the community, says Carl Dudley. kirke's omdømme i samfundet, siger Carl Dudley. “Others will see your church as a "Andre vil se din kirke som en
concerned neighborhood institution. pågældende nabolaget institution. The people you contact begin to think of the church De personer, du kontakte begynde at tænke på kirken
as a potential partner in the area of shared concerns. som en potentiel partner i det område af fælles bekymringer. They will treat the church differently De vil behandle kirken forskelligt
and include the church in community meetings it has not been invited to before.” (See What og omfatter kirke i fællesskab møder det ikke har været inviteret til før. "(jf. Hvilke
is our ministry setting? er vores ministerium indstilling? for more on networking.) for yderligere oplysninger om netværk.)

So get to know the executives and staff of key community institutions. Så får at vide, at ledere og medarbejdere af centrale EU-institutioner. Offer to take Tilbyd at tage
people out to lunch, arrange to meet for coffee, or ask for a tour of their facilities—and folk ud til frokost, aftaler at mødes til kaffe, eller bede om en rundvisning i deres faciliteter og
leave a packet of information about your church. forlade en pakke af oplysninger om din kirke. Institutions to target for networking include Institutioner til mål for netværksarbejde omfatter
other churches (and non-Christian houses of worship); social service agencies; schools; andre kirker (og ikke-kristne huse for tilbedelse); social service agenturer; skoler;
police; social security and welfare offices; businesses; health clinics; and foundations. politi, social tryghed og velfærd kontorer; virksomheder; sundhedsklinikker; og fonde.
Bakke and Roberts suggest a useful conversation starter in networking with other Bakke og Roberts foreslå en nyttig samtale startmotor i netværk med andre
congregations is to ask, “What is the most important lesson you have learned about being menigheder er at spørge: "Hvad er den vigtigste lektie, du har lært om at være
a pastor in this community since you have begun?” Every church leader can network in the en præst i dette samfund, siden du er begyndt? "Enhver kirke Leader kan netværk i
community in the area of his or her ministry—for example, the youth pastor might connect samfund inden for hans eller hendes ministerium for eksempel de unge præst kunne forbinde
with public school principals and teachers, the director of the local Boys and Girls Club, and med offentlig skole hovedforpligtede og lærere, direktøren for den lokale drenge og piger klubben, og
people associated with the juvenile court system. mennesker er forbundet med den unge retssystem.

3. 3. Cultivate a sense of belonging to the community. Dyrke en følelse af tilhørsforhold til samfundet.
“Your people shall be my people,” said Ruth to Naomi (Ruth 1:16). "Dit folk skal være mit folk," sagde Ruth til Naomi (Ruth 1:16). In the same way, På samme måde
help the congregation to think about residents of the community as “our people.” hjælpe menigheden til at tænke over beboere i Fællesskabet som "vores folk".
Cultivating a sense of belonging is a transformational process that unfolds through Dyrke en følelse af tilhørsforhold er en transformationsproces, der folder sig gennem
many small steps. mange små skridt. Help the congregation become familiar with the community by leading Hjælp menigheden blive fortrolige med samfundet af førende
“field trips” to cultural events and restaurants, preferably together with a hosting team from "Ekskursioner" til kulturelle arrangementer og restauranter, helst sammen med en hosting-hold fra
the community. fællesskabet. Invite community leaders to your church’s Christmas party, and attend the Inviter samfunds ledere til din kirke's Christmas part, og deltager i
dedication for the new elementary school. dedikation til den nye elementære skole. Host town meetings, AA meetings, community Vært byen møder, AA-møder, samfund
theater productions. teater produktioner. Become a sponsor for the community’s little league team. Bliv sponsor for samfunds lille liga holdet. Display Vise
artwork in the sanctuary that reflects the community’s ethnic heritage. kunst i det fristed, der afspejler samfundets etniske arv. Print church Udskriv kirke
bulletins, clean the carpet and purchase office supplies using local businesses. nyhedsbreve, rene gulvtæppet og køb kontorartikler med lokale virksomheder. Write letters Skriv breve
to the editor about issues affecting the community. til redaktøren om emner påvirker Fællesskabet.

Be a presence in times of tragedy or outrage. Vær en tilstedeværelse i tider med tragedie eller harme. For example, when a local home for For eksempel, når en lokal hjem til
the developmentally disabled was vandalized, the pastor of First Presbyterian Church wrote Det developmentally handicappede blev vandalized, præst i Første presbyterianske kirke skrev
an editorial for the local newspapers, and organized members from various congregations en redaktionel for den lokale aviser, og den organiserede medlemmer fra forskellige menigheder
for an overnight prayer vigil at the home. for en overnatning bøn vagt i hjemmet. Find ways of identifying with the struggles of those Finde metoder til at identificere sig med kampe af disse
in the community (Heb. 13:3), and express your sorrow over the things that cause God and i samfundet (Hebr 13:3), og udtrykke din sorg over de ting, der forårsager Gud og
your neighbors grief. dine naboer sorg. But do not focus exclusively on what is different or dysfunctional. Men ikke udelukkende fokuserer på, hvad der er anderledes eller dårligt fungerende.
Encourage the congregation also to identify with everything in the community that is Tilskyndelse menigheden også til at identificere sig med alt i Fællesskabet, som er
delightful. dejlig. Give thanks for all its assets—from block captains to children’s smiles—as “good Giv tak for alle sine aktiver-fra blok kaptajner til børns smil-as "god
and perfect gift[s] from above” (James 1:17). og perfekte gave [s] fra oven "(James 1:17).

These small steps contribute to a process of becoming friends with the community. Disse små skridt bidrage til en proces for at blive venner med Fællesskabet.
In the beginning stages of holistic ministry, invest in later initiatives by building up the I begyndelsen faser af holistisk ministerium, investere i nyere initiativer ved at bygge op
congregation’s visibility and reputation. menigheden's synlighed og omdømme. Developing a profile as a community-oriented Udvikling af en profil som et community-oriented
church, for example through wise use of media contacts to publicize church events or by kirke, for eksempel gennem en fornuftig udnyttelse af kontakter i medierne med at omtale kirkelige arrangementer eller ved
consistently sending representatives to community meetings, increases the likelihood of konsekvent at sende repræsentanter til community møder, øger sandsynligheden for
winning support from the community for major new ministry projects. vinde støtte fra Fællesskabet til større nye ministerium projekter. Becoming known as At blive kendt som
the church that gets involved in local issues will help open doors to resources and kirken, der bliver involveret i lokale spørgsmål vil hjælpe med åbne døre til ressourcer og
collaboration. samarbejde. Recognition is the first step toward trust. Anerkendelse er første skridt i retning af tillid.

4. 4. Incorporate a commitment to outreach mission into church life. Omfatte en forpligtelse til opsøgende mission i kirkens liv.
How much does a concern for community outreach enter into the life of your church? Hvor meget koster en bekymring for samfundet opsøgende træde i livet i din kirke?
Here are some self-examining questions: Her er nogle selvstændige undersøge spørgsmål:

• Do the songs sung in worship services mostly talk about our personal Do sangene synges i tilbedelse tjenester meste taler om vores personlige
  relationship with Jesus? forhold til Jesus? Or do they also reinforce a message about God’s love Eller skal de også styrke et budskab om Guds kærlighed
  for the whole world and the church’s calling to serve and reach out to others? for hele verden og kirken's opfordring til at tjene og nå ud til andre?
• What do the art or religious symbols visible in your church communicate? Hvad gør kunsten eller religiøse symboler synlige i din kirke kommunikere? Is Er
  there anything that conveys the biblical themes of service, evangelism, der noget, der giver det bibelske temaer af tjenesten, forkynder evangeliet,
  restoration, transformation? restaurering, transformation?
• Do the needs of people outside the church and the issues faced by the Har de behov, mennesker uden for kirken og de problemer, der præger
  community or other lands around the world regularly find their way into samfund eller andre lander rundt om i verden med jævne mellemrum finder vej til
  congregational prayers? congregational bønner? Is information about community events promoted via Er oplysninger om samfund begivenheder fremmes via
  church bulletin boards or bulletin announcements? kirke opslagstavler eller bulletin annonceringer?
• Do the literature available in the foyer and the books in the church library or Do litteraturen tilgængelig i foyer og bøger i kirke bibliotek eller
  bookstore address issues of mission, or are they solely directed at the spiritual boghandel behandle spørgsmål af missionen, eller er de udelukkende rettet mod den åndelige
  and personal development of Christians? og personlig udvikling af kristne?
• Is the concept of “mission” used in such a way as to imply that it applies only to Er begrebet "mission" anvendes på en sådan måde, at antyde, at det kun gælder for
  foreign missions? udenlandske missioner? For example, if you have a missions bulletin board, are the For eksempel, hvis du har en missioner opslagstavle, er de
  pictures and letters all from overseas missionaries? billeder og breve alt fra oversøiske missionærer?

Consider ways to enfold a loving awareness of the community of ministry into Overvej måder at enfold en kærlig bevidsthed om samfundet i ministeriet i
“ordinary” aspects of church life. "Almindelig" aspekter af kirkens liv. The church should be a refuge for members from the Kirken skal være et fristed for medlemmer fra
bruising realities of the world, but not a fortress where people go to shut out the world. stødpletter realiteter i verden, men ikke en fæstning, hvor folk går til at lukke ud i verden.

5. 5. Interweave the interests of church and community. Interweave interesser kirke og samfund.
A Christian speaker told of the time God convicted him of not taking seriously En kristen taler fortalt af tiden Gud dømte ham om ikke at tage alvorligt
Christ’s command to love his neighbor as himself. Kristus's kommando til at elske sin nabo som sig selv. Sure, he occasionally did nice things for Sure, han lejlighedsvis gjorde nice ting til
people in need—but did he love others as himself? mennesker i nød, men han elsker andre som ham selv? So he set up a jar in his home marked Så han nedsætte et glas i sit hjem markeret
“For the Neighbor.” Whenever he bought something non-essential for himself, like a soda, "For de naboen." Når han købt noget ikke-væsentlige for sig selv, ligesom en sodavand,
he put an equivalent amount of money in the jar. han har lagt et tilsvarende beløb af penge i krukken. His family got used to saying, “Here’s one Hans familie fik bruges til at sige, "Her er en
for me, and one for the neighbor!” When a crisis arose in a neighbor’s life, he went right to for mig, og et for naboen! "Når en krise er opstået i en nabo liv, han gik ret til at
the jar, dumped out the money, and was able to help meet the need. den glas, dumpet ud af de penge, og var i stand til at hjælpe med at opfylde behovet.

In a similar spirit, a church might link its internal care to outreach. I en lignende ånd, en kirke kan forbinde sine interne pleje til opsøgende. When the church Når kirken
raises funds for new carpeting, raise an extra “tithe” of the amount to donate to a local rejser midler til nye carpeting, gøre en ekstra "tiende" af det beløb, der donerer til en lokal
housing organization. bolig organisation. When the youth group plans a ski trip, invite (and pay for) a youth Når den unge gruppe planlægger en ski-tur, inviterer (og betaler for) en ungdom
from a homeless shelter to come along. fra en hjemløs husly til at komme sammen. Hold a congregational meeting in the local Hold en congregational møde i det lokale
community center, and afterwards repaint it. community center, og bagefter repaint det. Think of the things you are already doing, and Tænk på de ting, du allerede gør, og
dream up ways to turn them into an opportunity to connect with others (see Tool # 34 ). drøm op måder at gøre dem til en lejlighed til at forbinde med andre (se Tool # 34).
Such actions help to develop the habit of talking about inward ministries and outreach Sådanne aktioner bidrager til at udvikle den vane med at tale om aktiv ministerier og opsøgende
ministries in the same breath as all part of the church’s mission. ministerier i samme åndedrag som alle er en del af kirkens mission.

6. 6. Take the church out into the community. Tag kirke ud i samfundet.
A congregation cannot hope to build loving relationships with the community, En menighed kan ikke håbe på at opbygge kærlige relationer med Fællesskabet,
particularly those who are most needy and vulnerable, by “sitting in the four walls of the især dem der er mest trængende og sårbare, ved at "sidde i de fire vægge af
church. kirke. You’ve got to actually get out in the community,” says Bishop Dickie Robbins. Du har nu fået til rent faktisk at komme ud i samfundet, "siger Bishop Dickie Robbins.
Instead of always waiting for the community to come to the church, your church can “take I stedet for altid at vente for Fællesskabet at komme til kirken, din kirke kan "tage
its show on the road,” moving out into the community. sin musik med på farten, "bevæger sig ud i samfundet.

This does not entail starting a new ministry program—just relocating some of the Dette indebærer ikke starter et nyt ministerium program-bare flytte nogle af de
existing ones. eksisterende. One of the simplest things to do is to hold a regular weekend worship service En af de nemmeste ting at gøre, er at holde en regelmæssig weekend tilbedelse service
outdoors in the summertime. udendørs om sommeren. (Just make sure you don’t annoy the neighbors by blasting (Vær sikker på at du ikke genere naboerne ved sprængning
your music into their windows early on a Sunday morning!) Tenth Presbyterian Church’s din musik i deres vinduer tidligt på en søndag formiddag!) Tiende presbyterianske kirke's
Sunday school classes overflow their building, spilling out into the community—meeting in Søndag skoleklasser overflow deres bygning, breder ud i samfunds-møde i
local nonprofits and and restaurants. lokale nonprofits og og restauranter. “I love the idea of being outside of the building,” says "Jeg elsker tanken om at ligge uden for bygningen," siger
the Sunday School coordinator. Sunday School koordinator. “Everybody says, ‘But we want to be in the building!’ And "Alle siger," Men vi ønsker at være i bygningen! "Og
I say, ‘The building is not the church.’” Jeg siger, »Bygningen er ikke kirken."

A success story of ministry relocation comes from New Covenant Church of En succeshistorie ministeriets udflytning kommer fra New konvention Kirke
Philadelphia. Rather than holding the traditional Vacation Bible School at the church, New Snarere end at afholde de traditionelle Vacation Bibelen Skole ved kirken, New
Covenant decided to tell families, “We will meet you right where you are.” One summer, Konvention besluttet at fortælle familier, "Vi vil møde dig ret, hvor du er." One sommer,
120 VBS groups met in homes, public facilities, and community nonprofits. 120 VBS grupper mødtes i boliger, offentlige faciliteter og samfund nonprofits. The Den
decentralized format requires more organization and congregational support, but it also decentrale format kræver mere organisation og congregational støtte, men det er også
allows the church to reach far more children than if it held a single VBS at the church’s gør det muligt for kirken at nå langt flere børn, end hvis den havde en enkelt VBS ved kirken's
facility. facilitet. Another impact of moving the program out of the church and into members’ homes, En anden effekt af at flytte programmet ud af kirken og ind i medlemmernes hjem,
explains a church leader, is that now “families in that community see those homes as a forklarer en kirke leder, er, at nu "familier i dette samfund se dem hjem som et
place of refuge.” People in the community who would not dream of calling the pastor to ask nødområde. "Mennesker i lokalsamfundet der ikke ville drømme om at kalde præsten til at bede
for prayer feel more free to ask at the home where their child went to VBS. for bøn føle sig mere fri til at spørge på hjemmet, hvor deres barn gik til VBS.

Routine interactions and chance meetings also provide opportunities for members Rutinemæssig interaktioner og chance møder også giver muligheder for medlemmer
to represent the church to those outside the congregation. til at repræsentere kirken til dem uden for menigheden. One day Rev. Richard Smith, En dag rev Richard Smith,
pastor of Faith Assembly of God, was walking with a lay leader through the neighborhood præst om tro forsamlingen af Gud, var til fods med en lægmand leder gennem nabolaget
around the church. omkring kirken. A little girl who did not attend the church passed by, and Rev. Smith En lille pige, der ikke deltog i kirken vedtaget, og Rev Smith
greeted her. mødt hende. She stopped, because she did not recognize them. Hun stoppede, fordi hun ikke genkende dem. “Who are you?” she asked. "Hvem er du?" Spurgte hun.
Rev. Smith answered her, “I’m your pastor!” Members take the church out into the Rev Smith svarede hende, "Jeg er din præst!" Medlemmerne tage kirken ud i
community when they adopt the incarnational understanding that wherever they go, they Fællesskabet, når de vedtager den incarnational forståelse af, at uanset hvor de er, de
are the church. åre kirken.

7. 7. Support the relocation of church members into the community. Støtte til udflytning af kirkens medlemmer i fællesskabet.
If your church is cultivating a relationship with a needy community where few of the Hvis din kirke er at dyrke et forhold til en trængende samfund, hvor nogle af de
church members actually live, encourage members to consider a calling to relocate there. kirkens medlemmer rent faktisk bor, opfordre medlemmerne til at overveje en opfordring til at flytte dertil.
John Perkins, the co-founder of the Christian Community Development Association, calls John Perkins, medstifter af det kristne samfund Development Association, opfordrer
passionately for relocation, which "transforms ‘you, them, and theirs’ to ‘we, us, and ours.’” lidenskabeligt for udflytning, som "transformerer 'dig, dem, og deres' til' vi os, og vores."
This ministry is essential to breaking down barriers and developing a healthy sense of Dette ministerium er vigtigt at nedbryde barrierer og udvikle en sund følelse af
belonging to the community. tilhører samfundet.

The book of Nehemiah provides a wonderful model for relocation. Bogen af Nehemiah giver en fantastisk model for udflytning. Nehemiah had Nehemiah havde
completed the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, but the city was still in ruins and the afsluttet genopbygningen af væggene i Jerusalem, men byen var stadig i ruiner og
local economy was a shambles. lokale økonomi var et kaos. Few residents remained in the city to complete the work Kun få beboere opholdt sig i byen for at fuldføre arbejdet
of restoration (7:4). på restaurering (7:4). Those who had fled the city were naturally reluctant to return to such De, der var flygtet ud af byen blev naturligvis tilbageholdende med at vende tilbage til sådanne
an unstable, unsafe environment. et ustabilt, usikkert miljø. So the people of the outlying area came up with an Så folk i de fjerntliggende område kom op med en
innovative solution: they “cast lots to bring one out of ten to dwell in Jerusalem” (11:1). innovativ løsning: de "cast partier for at bringe en ud af ti bo i Jerusalem" (11:1). In I
other words, they tithed their population to relocate to the city! andre ord, de tithed deres befolkning til at flytte til byen! The Nehemiah model De Nehemiah model
encourages congregations to anoint those who dedicate themselves to living in the tilskynder menigheder til at smøre dem, der dedikerer sig til at leve i
neighborhood as the church’s ministry representatives (11.2). nabolaget som kirken's ministerielle repræsentanter (11.2). Those who have relocated De, der har udflyttet
become community liaisons who help others in the congregation understand and connect bliver samfund liaisons der hjælper andre i menigheden forstå og tilslutte
with the community. med Fællesskabet.

Besides nurturing an affinity between the church and the community, relocation also Ud over at pleje en affinitet mellem kirke og samfund, udflytning også
lays an important foundation for effective holistic ministry. indeholder et vigtigt fundament for en effektiv holistisk ministerium. Bob Lupton writes of the Bob Lupton skriver i
importance of “achieving neighbor-leaders” who “bring living, personal modes of hope back vigtigheden af at "nå nabo-ledere" der "sætter levende, personlige tilstande af håb tilbage
into a disheartened environment. i en modløs miljøet. Achieving neighbors bring resources and skills into a Opnåelse af naboerne sætter ressourcer og kompetencer i en
depleted neighborhood, along with fresh energy to deploy them.” Seeding a community with nedfiskede nabolaget, sammen med frisk energi på at implementere dem. "Seeding et fællesskab med
strong Christian families strengthens the fabric of community life. stærke kristne familier styrker struktur i samfundslivet.

On the other hand, without a strong community presence, a church’s success in På den anden side, uden et stærkt samfunds tilstedeværelse, en kirke's succes i
transformational ministry can actually undermine the overall quality of life in a distressed transformationen ministerium faktisk kan undergrave den generelle livskvalitet i en nødstedte
community. samfund. As maturing Christians get their lives together, as they get a better job and Som modning kristne får deres liv sammen, så de får et bedre job og
higher income, and as they develop a healthy family life, they often move out of the højere indkomst, og som de udvikler et sundt familieliv, de ofte bevæge sig ud af
community. samfund. By empowering persons, the church might be helping to drain the community Ved at give personer, kirken kan hjælpe med til at dræne samfundet
of its best assets—stable Christian families. af sine bedste aktiver-stabile kristne familier. Encouraging church members to relocate helps Fremme af kirkens medlemmer til at flytte hjælper
to counter that trend. at modvirke denne tendens. It sends a strong message to residents of the church’s long-term Det sender et stærkt budskab til beboerne i kirken's langsigtede
commitment and serves as a symbol of hope. engagement og tjener som et symbol på håb.

These seven measures can help strengthen your congregation’s commitment to Disse syv foranstaltninger kan bidrage til at styrke din menighed's tilsagn om at
outreach. opsøgende. They will also make the church and its gospel message more appealing to the De vil også gøre kirken og dens evangeliet budskab mere appellerende for
world on its doorstep. verden på sit dørtrin. If the church is consistently cultivating a sense of belonging to the Hvis kirken er konsekvent dyrke en følelse af tilhørsforhold til
community, incorporating an emphasis on reaching out to the community, stressing its samfund, og hvori der indgår en vægt på at nå ud til de samfund, understregede sin
hopeful vision for the community, and modeling its dedication to the community through håbefulde vision for fællesskabet, og modellering sit engagement i samfundet gennem
relocation, it will be better able to attract and keep Christian families from the community udflytning, vil det være bedre i stand til at tiltrække og holde kristne familier fra fællesskabet
who share the church’s mission. der deler kirkens mission.

If love is not the heart of the matter, these bridge-building activities and relationships Hvis kærligheden er ikke sagens kerne, er disse bro-building aktiviteter og relationer
can easily become just a means for self-promotion, a kind of community public relations (1 kan nemt blive bare et middel til fremme af egen virksomhed, en slags samfund public relations (1
Cor. 13:3). This is why spiritual formation and social outreach must go hand-in-hand. Derfor åndelige dannelse og sociale opsøgende skal gå hånd i hånd. The Den
more a congregation loves God, the more God can love a community through the mere et menigheden elsker Gud, jo mere Gud kan elske et fællesskab gennem
congregation. menigheden. The more your congregation yields to God’s will and relies on the Spirit’s Jo mere dit menigheden udbytter til Guds vilje og bygger på Spirit's
power, the more it will identify with God’s mission in the community. magt, jo mere vil det identificere sig med Guds mission i samfundet. The more your Jo mere dit
congregation enters into the life of your community, the more the life-giving Spirit can flow menigheden træder i livet i lokalsamfundet, jo mere liv, giver Ånden kan flyde
through you to your neighbors. gennem Dem til dine naboer.

Adapted from Ronald J. Sider, Philip N. Olson and Heidi Rolland Unruh, Churches That Make a Difference: Tilpasset fra Ronald J. Sider, Philip N. Olson og Heidi Rolland Unruh, kirker, der gør en forskel:
Reaching Your Community with Good News and Good Works, chapter 7. Opnåelsen af dit fællesskab med gode nyheder og gode projekter, kapitel 7. Used by permission of Baker Benyttet med tilladelse fra Baker
Books, a division of Baker Book House Company, copyright (c) 2002. Bøger, en afdeling af Baker Book House Company, copyright (c) 2002.