Six Ways Churches Can Better Interact with Their Communities

1. Open a Food Pantry

With the difficult financial times we are facing on a national and global scale, buying food, along with bills for rent/mortgage, utilities, and insurance, has become a new challenge for many. Many families have also had to make the hard choices of determining how many meals to have and who must go hungry in order for other members of the family to be fed.

2. Offer Support Groups for Grief, Divorce, Addiction, and Other Needs

Enduring the worst of life’s struggles alone is an unbelievable feat, so why allow others in your community to go through these trials alone? Starting support groups in your church for those navigating the grief journey, overcoming addiction, and/or who are dealing with divorce is a great way to spread the message of Christ’s hope in dark times.

3. Offer Activities and Bible Studies for Singles

It’s no secret that there are more single people in the world today than ever before, either by choice or because they just haven’t met the one God has for them. Unfortunately, in several churches today, singles ministry is more focused toward college and young singles up to age thirty, not taking into consideration that there are older singles who need fellowship and ministry too.

4. Connect with Organizations That Help the Homeless, Those with Special Needs, or Low Income Individuals

One of the best ways to reach the needs of those in the community is to connect with organizations that provide aid. Whether it is helping out at a soup kitchen or doing arts and crafts at a home for children or adults with special needs, there are several organizations that would greatly benefit from a church’s support.

5. Provide Bible Study Bus Services or Other Means to Bring the Bible to Children

This opportunity might require research on the church’s part to determine what is and isn’t allowed regarding teaching the Bible at school. One church in California has a bus service that parks outside of certain schools (those that allow them to be there) to provide Bible study for children for one hour inside the bus.

6. Hold Prayer Gatherings, Worship Nights, and Other Activities Outside Church

This leads to the final suggestion for helping churches interact with their communities, and it is one of the most important. This is where we take the church out into the community, reminding them of who God is and who He could be in their lives through events like prayer gatherings, worship nights, and even fundraisers.

Go and Make Disciples

It can be easy for churches to become comfortable with the same routine and the same faces celebrating God in their church buildings. But Jesus reminds us there is a hurting world out there who need to know about Him before His return.