Loving Your Community: Proven Practices for Community-Based Outreach Ministry

by Stephen Viars

Overview

Are you and your church making a difference in your community? Are you meeting needs in a positive, proactive, and loving way? Too often when churches are presented with a need outside their walls, they operate on the principle of "Say no unless you have to say yes."

Don't want that to be your church's legacy in your community? Drawing on more than 30 years of service to the community surrounding Faith Church in Indiana, pastor Stephen Viars shows you how to develop a dynamic, giving relationship with your community, one in which your natural response to needs is "Yes! How can we help?"

No matter the size, location, demographics, or issues in your community, the approach found in this practical book will help you improve people's lives, draw them into productive conversation about the hope you have in Christ, and glorify God.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801094781
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/21/2020
Pages:	234
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Stephen Viars (MDiv, Grace Theological Seminary; DMin, Westminster Theological Seminary) has served as a pastor and biblical counselor at Faith Church and Faith Biblical Counseling Ministries in Lafayette, Indiana, since 1987. He is a frequent speaker at conferences, colleges, and seminaries in the United States and abroad. In addition to overseeing the staff and ministries at Faith, he also serves on the boards of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors, the Biblical Counseling Coalition, Vision of Hope, and the Faith Community Development Corporation. The author of Putting Your Past in Its Place, he and his wife, Kris, have been married since 1982 and have three children and three grandchildren.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Taking the Gospel to the Streets 11

Part 1 The Biblical Foundation of Community-Based Ministry

1 Loving in the Name of Christ 19

2 Meeting Your Community's Pressing Needs 35

3 Caring for the Welfare of Your Community 52

Part 2 The Practice of Community-Based Ministry

4 Biblical Counseling: Sharing Hope with Those Who Are Hurting 67

5 Accessible Facilities: Opening Your Buildings to Neighbors in Need 80

6 Instructional Classes: Showing the Practicality of God's Word 95

7 Restructured Ministries: Including Others in Everything You Do 111

8 Outreach Events: Making Big Statements to Celebrate God's Glory 126

9 Restored Neighborhoods: Bringing New Life to Distressed Areas 141

10 Community Centers: Constructing Your Next Building with Others in Mind 156

11 Residential Treatment Programs: Demonstrating God's Power to Change Lives 172

Part 3 The Challenges of Community-Based Ministry

12 Answering Common Objections 193

13 Getting Started 206

Epilogue: Pictures Are Powerful 221

Notes 231