Vineyard pastors do not set out to be famous â they set out to make Jesus famous. They donât set out to conquer their cities, they set out to love their cities. One common prayer of Vineyard church planters is they they do enough good in their city that they would be missed if they left. From time, to time, even though it wasnât their main goal, Vineyards doing this kind of work make the news.
Night To Shine
Vineyard Circleville got a last minute opportunity to participate in an event held simultaneously at over 100 other churches, sponsored by the Tim Tebow foundation. The event was called âNight to Shine,â and it was a chance for folks with special needs to have a chance to experience a prom night.
Over 300 volunteers came to give VIP treatment to 80 guests, including hair, clothes and makeup. The evening consisted of dancing, food, and every guest getting crowned queen or king of the prom. The local paper did a story on the event featuring associate pastor Luke Pollock.
Prayer In The Streets
The Vineyard Church of Augusta, Georgia took the idea of going into the streets literally. On Monday mornings, from 7-9 am, they offer prayer to folks on their way to work and dropping off kids at school. They pray for cars as they go by, and offer individual prayer to anyone who stops.
They took the idea a step further, offering free coffee and prayer downtown on Friday nights. Again, their motivation was the idea that Jesus didnât wait for people to come to Him, but went out to meet people where they already were, offering them the kingdom of God. Again, the local paper picked up the story, noting that the church didnât just seem to be proselytizing for itâs own sake, but rather simply offering real love to the community of which it is a part.
Reaching The Unreached
The Vineyard Church in Rochester, New York, got noticed for its creative outreach to those who might never want to step foot in a church. Dorothy Ross noticed a large group of young folks in her community attracted to alternative forms of spirituality, and she struggled to find resources about how to share Jesus with them.
Being a former art teacher, she discovered that the common ground she had with these young people was a shared interest in art and creativity. While they resisted any traditional evangelistic approach, she found they were open to stories about Jesus, to prayer and healing, and to her funky, living room style, Sunday morning community gatherings.
A Christian website picked up the story. The outcome is that not only are there young people being reached who werenât before, but thereâs now a new resource online for others who might seek similar ministries.
It’s Worth Asking
Itâs worth askingâwhat was it about these churches that got them noticed by their communities? What common factors enabled them to make a difference in such a way that Jesus got noticed?
Four Ways Your Church Can Become Community-Transforming
- Community-transforming churches have an instinct to notice the unnoticed. They have Jesusâ kind of eyes for the people that others overlook.
- Community-transforming churches try things no one else is trying. This means risk of failure, but it also means accomplishing things no other church is accomplishing.
- Community-transforming churches love people for who they are, not for what they can do for the church. They are out to make a genuine difference, not just win another convert.
- Community-transforming churches work hard. All of these examples showed persistent, consistent, resilient work â week after week, month after month â to convince a community of the love of God for them.
