Episode 82 – How To Develop A More Outward Focused Church

(Editor’s Note: Jeff and Jonny are both on vacation this week, but they prerecorded this episode with Dave Jacobs just for YOU! Enjoy!)

For episode 82 we talked with Dave “the Coach” Jacobs from SmallChurchPastor.com about how to help our churches be more outward focused. It’s a tension that we always have to manage as pastors.

This church actually invited a circus troupe for two Sundays, had a ton of fun, and preached some tough messages on how to control the circus that is our lives! Large? Yes. But, our small churches can be just as innovative and creative!

We care for our people, we put them in small groups so that they can develop deep and significant spiritual relationships, and we train them to discover their gifts for service. Then we also try to get them to think about others and look outside the church. We don’t want the old “us four and no more” to be true of our churches.

Also in this episode we talk about the difference between having an outward focused church, and simply designing our worship services with outsiders in mind. Those are really two separate things, related, but separate.

A church service is not the same as a church. One is an event; the other is a group of people. So while we might fashion our services to be thoughtful of outsiders, we want to shape the hearts of our people to care deeply about the people who live in their community.

Dave shares some examples of churches being outward focused. He talks to pastors every day, and he’s heard of some things recently that they’ve done to reach out to their communities. Again, this is an episode you just have to listen to – print just does not do it justice!

When Jonny asked Dave what things pastors should focus on to help their churches be more outward focused, Dave shared four things:

1. Prayer
   
2. Patience
   
3. Educate
   
4. Evaluate

At some point in the conversation, Jeff admits that the first people who need to be reminded to have an outward focus are the pastors! How true this is. When we want to know why our church is the way it is, we just have to look in the mirror. Way too true!

We hope that you enjoy this episode – that it is both encouraging and helpful.

Recently Jeff talked with Dave about what he has to offer small church pastors and their boards, as a professional small church pastor coach. He is one of the few people who has vast experience coaching both pastors and their boards. You can hear that conversation here on Episode 77 - How Pastoral Coaching Could Really Help You.