“The culture piece, that’s something that works 24/7. It works nonstop, and that’s really what you want in your large or small church.”
“I’m not opposed to outreach as an event, but I think that’s probably something that larger churches might have more success at because they’re able to have the kind of staff and have the kind of things that can pull off events.”
“I think in some ways when you begin to make that shift and go, okay, [outreach] is not just something we do on Sundays, it’s not just something we do, you know, in the fall and on the first of the year, it’s not just something we do for a week out of the year but it is something we can do every day—I think you’re able to actually equip your people.”
“As I introduce the BLESS practices, we talk about these as five everyday ways you can love your neighbor. And keep in mind, too, that we’re kind of saying, you know what? It’s God’s job to judge people. It’s the Holy Spirit‘s job to convict people. It’s your job to love your neighbor. And so how do we actually do that?”
“One of the most loving acts I think you can do for someone is to listen to them. And quite frankly I think Christians are often more known for our talking than our listening.”
“When you begin with prayer, you listen and eat with someone, they will tell you how to love them.”
“Once you get to those things and you’ve loved somebody, you’ve eaten with them, you’ve listened to them, you’ve prayed for them, then you get a chance to share your story of how Jesus has changed your life. And again, proclamation is important, but we would say maybe it doesn’t have to be first.”
“One of the key things early on, and again whether you’re a gifted evangelist or not, is for you just to do it yourself.”
“I think well-meaning church leaders, we teach on [evangelism] and then we wonder why nothing changes…My experience is that that’s not enough. There takes a certain level of leadership and going like, ‘Hey, I’m in this with you. I’m in the struggle with you.’”
“On the church side, I think a lot of folks are motivated. They do want to love their neighbor, but they don’t have the answer to how.”
“There’s a lot of insider language. And to be honest, I feel like the longer I’m a pastor, the more susceptible I am to that.”
“We have a high percentage of our people in small groups. And for us, once they get into a group, that’s the place where almost always people find their way back to God.”
“‘Evangelism’ has kind of become a bad word and it shouldn’t be, it absolutely shouldn’t be a bad word. But I have emphasized more and more, this is how you love your neighbor.”
Mentioned in the Show
2 Corinthians 5:20
Luke 19:1-10
Matthew 28
2 Peter 3:9
“BLESS: 5 Everyday Ways to Love Your Neighbor and Change the World” by Dave Ferguson and Jon Ferguson
The BLESS app
Community Christian Church
RightNowPastors+
Check out Dave’s website
Follow Dave on Facebook, Instagram and X/Twitter
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