As Pastors, Ministers, or dedicated church saints, we all share a burden for those who are lost in some way. That burden is often what truly shapes the core of our church and its purpose; and it should! The Great Commission of course directs us to go and spread his word and make disciples of all nations. It is vital, however, that we recall a parable that Jesus offers 10 chapters BEFORE that decree.
If you are still reading this blog, then you are likely familiar with the Parable of the Lost Sheep, found in Matthew 18: 10-14. Jesus asks that if a man with 100 sheep notices one is missing, will he not go after the one lost? Verse 13 is particularly telling, saying "And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.". I imagine many who are not familiar with God's Word or his love would be quite confused by this practice. Why in the world would someone leave 99 to go after 1?
Big Vision, Small Details
While our purpose of the blog today is to talk about HOW to go after the 1 sheep, I don't want to turn away from anyone with questions about WHY. If you are curious about this parable and what it's meaning is, I would highly encourage you to speak to your local Pastor. If you do not have one, please feel free to reach out to me directly at elevation2510@gmail.com, and I will be happy to talk with you myself.
As a Pastor myself, I often find myself and the leaders of our church constantly searching for ways to "reach our communities". We've turned to conferences, books, and recorded messages from renowned ministers for inspiration and guidance. Grand plans and great visions have been cast and set in motion with prayers of reaching the multitude in our communities. Sound familiar?
Recently my son, who has just accepted his first call to ministry, spoke to me and turned my plans for 2024 on their ears. "Dad, we have had a great 2023, but I want you to take a look at HOW we have seen our church grow", he started. He pointed out 3 or 4 major programs we undertook this year, and highlighted the successes. I smiled, not sure I was following his point. "We LOVE all of our new church members, but if you think back, it was Danny, Dustin, Keith, and Brylee that the church really embraced. Why?".
Reaching Out for the One Sheep
It didn't take long for me to see where he was going. He was naming the church members who we had really invested one on one time with as a church family. We had actively worked to find ways to bring them BACK into the fold. Steps were taken by a number of our leaders to help accommodate their return. And, just as Jesus explained in Matthew, their return brought great joy to our church.
I encouraged my son to share this observation at our next leadership meeting, and the flurry of conversation and ideas about how to reach out to other lost sheep created such an excitement that all of the other items on our agenda was lost. I spoke with our Outreach Director and explained that while we still would seek to reach all those in our community that we could, we were going to bring renewed focus to our new "wanderers" program.
One and Ninety Nine
So let's cut to the chase; we all know to go after the sheep. The bible, and Jesus, are quite clear on that. The question that remains is HOW? How to we direct our attention to the 1 while still serving and preparing the 99? With some research, I am sure there are 1000 great ideas out there. For today, here are the 5 steps that we took that played a direct roll in our regaining our lost sheep.
Counting On Memories
In talking with our Outreach, Small Group, and Children's Director's, I have long encouraged one specific target; create LASTING memories. Yes, I want them to introduce the love of God, yes I want to expose them to His Word, and yes I want to encourage them to attend ANY church regularly. But most importantly, I want to make sure that we create lasting memories.
So how to use this to reach your lost sheep? Easy; simply hold an anniversary service or reunion. If your church is near a yearly anniversary, planning and advertising for a specific NON-CHURCH event is the best starting point. We recently observed our 40th Anniversary, which was also the 25th Anniversary of our Christian Academy. Using the membership records we had, and then reaching out through Facebook and social media, we were able to re-establish communication with people we had long lost touch with.
The key was the celebration of memories. Our social media add's showed old pictures and photos. When we made contact with those sheep we had lost, we not only invited them, but we ask them to participate in sending in or bringing pictures or videos they may still have. Perhaps the most effective was the mention of a memory video, in which we encouraged those who could attend to spend a few moments recording video of their favorite moments.
Surrounded by old friends, sharing great memories, along with a simple meal and some fun entertainment resulted in 6 "lost sheep" couples returning to the service the next day. Now, several months later, 4 are back in regular attendance, and the other two are participating in small groups and showing up occasionally.
Children Are Our Future
In case you have not stumbled upon this yet, having events in which children are performing or participating will net immediate visits from various family members and friends. Children's choir is doing a special performance? You can expect that Grandma and Grandpa will be there, with smiles and cameras. Holding a special puppet show performance? Cousins and friends alike will show up to be a part.
The most effective event we held this year? A "Children's Church Carnival", held on a Saturday just after school ended for the year. We had a number of church families hold "booths" with things like face painting and fun games. But the big winner? We did a fundraiser through Easter and was able to purchase two bouncy houses for the kids in attendance to play on. For less than $900, we now own two easy to set up inflatables that are used regularly for many church events.
So how did this reach our lost sheep? Easy; simple direct advertising those who we had lost with children, offering them free tickets for their kids. Again, we had a number of families and their kids show up and were introduced to our church culture. Two families returned the following Sunday, and have become a regular part of our service again. Why? Their kids demanded it!
Children Really ARE our Future
Why would kids demand to return the next day? Well, to see the puppet show, of course! Tied in through the aforementioned carnival were a number of appearances from our regular church puppets who talked about the exciting show that would be held on Sunday. Along with a few additional carnival games, and then a picnic lunch following service, the kids had a reason to return and create those initial memories!
Using a simple puppet stand our Children's Ministry delivered a very simple word about how Jesus loves all the children, and then invited them to return for more puppet shows every month. Coupled with regular arts and crafts, Sunday School snacks, and new friends; the kids demanded to return. The parents slowly but surely found their way back home, with many of them taking active roles in the very same Childrens Church department.
Love, Grow, Serve, Go
To truly reach out to the lost sheep, it takes the right approach from the congregation. While the Pastors and Leaders can certainly play a major role, it is the church as a whole that needs to be ready to tend to the returning sheep. We have adopted the Love, Grow, Serve, Go approach to our adult classes and training.
Love: To truly understand the love of God, you need to understand his love for people. This is a great starting point for new members. It allows them to understand that God IS Love, and that his love is for all people. It also helps introduce ways to show God YOUR love; regular church attendance, giving, and joining small groups or Dream Team activities is where we encourage people to start.
Grow: To grow in the Lord is to take the next step, and begin to put your faith to action. Beginning to fulfill roles in the church, becoming more active in areas of interest, and gaining a better biblical background are key steps here. The main point? The kingdom of God is bigger than each of us; it requires us to think of the person parked next to us, or that we pass in the aisle at the grocery store. Our faith begins to GROW.
Serve: This step often tries to come quickly, so we make sure that people have truly begun to GROW before we allow them to SERVE too much. But Serve is just as it sounds; begin to serve his kingdom. Begin to serve THEIR church. Every church has 1000 of things that can be done, and simply not enough people to use it. We allow people to find and use their spiritual gifting and help them find ways to serve the Lord and his church.
Go: Go change the world! Take the building burdens and ministry within you and go affect others. This is where our lost sheep come in. Those who are ready to GO are comfortable to reach out, to invite and find small groups, and to spend time with those they are looking to return. How do you change the world? With one sheep at a time!
Small Groups for Small Steps
I've mentioned small groups several times, but if you are not familiar with them, allow me to expound. We have four 8 week small group cycles. Small groups cover ANYTHING! We have video game small groups where people get together online once a week to play games. We have bible study small groups, we have distinguished gentlemen breakfast small groups; you name it!
A small group is a gathering of 8-10 individuals, meeting once a week doing something they LOVE. Bowling, fishing, cooking...anything! As members of our GO team work with small group leaders, they will find areas in which our lost sheep have interests, and they simply make it easy for them to join.
A small group does NOT have to regularly attend church. This is a starting point, an open door. And running just 8 weeks, it does not overtax or burden the small group leader OR the members of the group. And at the conclusion, a big celebration event is held at the church in which an open invite for the next cycles small groups to be discussed is held. Very often, you will find that a lost sheep will begin to make their way home through small groups. The pressure is less, the fear is removed, and they are able to find their way on their own terms.
The Sheep Are Waiting
It is certainly possible that NONE of these ideas are helpful. Or perhaps they ALL are helpful. Really, I just hope that some inspiration is provided to remember those lost sheep. Many of them have wandered away and don't realize HOW it happened, and HOW FAR they have wandered from the Lord. Remember them, pray for them, and reach out for them. They are STILL part of the flock!
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