I pray tonight, for all those sorts and conditions of men to whom Jesus gave special thought and care;

For those lacking food or drink or raiment (clothing),
For the sick and all who are wasted by disease,
For the blind,
For the maimed and lame,
For lepers,
For prisoners,
For those oppressed by an injustice,
For the lost sheep of our human society,
For fallen women,
For all lonely strangers within our gates,
For the worried and anxious,
For those who are living faithful lives in obscurity,
For those who are fighting bravely in unpopular causes,
For all whoa re laboring diligently in Your vineyard.

Grant, O Father, that Your loving kindness in causing my own lines to fall in pleasant places may not make me less sensitive to the needs of others less privileged, but rather more incline me to lay their burdens upon my own heart. And if any adversity should befall myself, then let me not brood upon my own sorrows, as if I alone in the world were suffering, but rather let me busy myself in the compassionate service of all who need my help. Thus let the power of my Lord Christ be strong within me and His peace invade my spirit. Amen

Evening Prayer from A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie, 1949

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Despite the fact that missional language has been in use for at least thirty years, it is being applied today in such a wide variety of ways that it many times results in confusion. Some people view missional as the latest church growth strategy, or a better way of doing church evangelism. Others see missional as a means to mobilize church members to do missions more effectively. While still others believe missional is simply the latest Christian fad that will soon pass when the next trendy topic comes along.

I would argue that those who believe missional is merely an add-on to current church activities, or perhaps even a passing craze prevalent only among church leaders, have simply not fully grasped the magnitude of the missional conversation. While it may sound like hyperbole; the move towards missional involves no less than a complete and thorough recalibration of the form and function of the church of Jesus.

But if an accurate and faithful understanding of missional is that significant to the life of the church, then how are we to best define the word? I usually say I have a short answer and a long answer when defining missional. The short answer is that missional is simply the adjective form of the noun missionary. Therefore missional, like any other adjective, is used to modify or describe a noun. So when we use the phrase "missional church" we are simply saying that the church is a missionary entity. The church doesn't just send missionaries, but the church is he missionary.  

However in most cases that very brief definition isn't enough. To provide a more comprehensive way of understanding the word I will talk about core characteristics that should inform the way we understand the missional concept? I believe there are at least three major theological distinctions that help to undergird the missional conversation. Without such a foundation we run the risk of simply attaching the word “missional” onto everything the church is already doing, and therefore ignoring the necessary paradigmatic shift.

1. Missional Church is about the missionary nature of God and His Church.

Those in the missional movement recognize both God and the church are intrinsically and principally “missionary” in nature. God is a missionary God who sends a missionary church. In fact, a survey of the term “sending” in its various forms in Scripture reveals the missionary nature of the Triune God, as well as the very essence of the church. The redemptive activity of God, his relationship to the world, and his dealing with mankind is described in Scripture by the word “sending.” The word “sending” is the “sum and substance of God’s creativity and activity” (Georg F. Vicedom, The Mission of God, 9).

Scripture is replete with sending language that speaks to the missionary nature of a Triune God. God the Father sends the Son, and God the Father and the Son sends the Spirit, and God the Father and the Son and the Spirit sends the church. In the Gospel of John alone, nearly forty times we read about Jesus being sent – either from the evangelist or from Jesus’ own lips. In the final climatic sending passage in John’s Gospel, Jesus sees himself not only as one sent but also as one who is sending: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21). For a more exhaustive survey of the sending language in scripture go here.

It is important to make clear that the church is a vital part of the missional conversation. However, the church must not be seen as a "place where certain things happen." Or as most people in North America view the church, as a "vendor of religious goods and services." We can't even understand the church as an entity that simply sends missionaries; as admirable as sending and supporting missionary activity might be. Instead, we must recognize that the nature and esscence of the church is derived from the very nature of a sending, missionary God, which in turn compels it to be sent as a missionary people, both individually and collectively. The church is the called and sent people of God. The church is both a gathered and scattered people. The missional conversation should push the church out of it's inward focused, fortress mentality to being a people sent to participate in what God is already doing in the places we live, work and play.

2. Missional Church is about incarnational mission (versus attractional/extractional) in a post-Christendom context.

While the first theological distinction deals with the missionary nature of God and the "sentness" of the church, the second key concept has to do with how and where we are sent. 

Those with a missional perspective no longer see the church service as the primary connecting point for those outside the church. While there is nothing wrong with attracting people to participate in various meetings of the church, the missional church is more concerned about sending the people in the church out among the people of the world, rather than getting the people of the world in among the people of the church. Some have described this missional-attractional distinction as a challenge to “go and be” as opposed to “come and see.”

The attractional model, which has dominated the church in the West for the past several decades, seeks to reach out to the culture and draw people into the church. However, this approach only works when there are no significant cultural barriers to overcome when making the required move from outside to inside the church. “And as Western culture has become increasingly post-Christian, the attractional model has lost its effectiveness. The West looks more like a cross-cultural missionary context in which attractional church models are self-defeating. Furthermore, the process of extracting people from the culture and assimilating them into the church diminishes their ability to speak to those outside.” (Alan Hirsch, Defining Missional, Christianity Today)

On the other hand, missional churches see their primary function as one of actively moving into a community to embody and enflesh the word, deed, and life of Jesus into every nook and cranny. Alan Hirsch speaks of the “missional-incarnational impulse,” where the word “missional” expresses the sending nature of the church, while “incarnational” represents the “embedding” of the gospel into a local context. In other words, “missional” speaks to our direction – we are sent; while being “incarnational” is more about how we go, and whatwe do as we go. Eugene Peterson’s “incarnational” rendering of John 1:14 in the Message paraphrase illustrates this well when it states, “The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.”

3. Missional Church is about actively participating in the missio Dei, or mission of God.

Many times we wrongly assume that the primary activity of God is in the church, rather than recognizing that God’s primary activity is in the world, and the church is God’s instrument sent into the world to participate in His redemptive mission.

This key distinction clarifies the difference between a church with a missions program and a missional church. A church with a missions program usually sees missions as one activity alongside many other equally important programs of the church. A missional church, on the other hand, focuses all of its activities around its participation in God’s agenda for the world. God’s mission must form and inform everything we do. All activities of the church must be catalyzed by and organized around the missio Dei. We have to ask how might the programs and activities of the church look different if they were each informed by the missio Dei?

As the sent, missionary people of God, the missional church understands its fundamental purpose as being rooted in God’s mission to restore and heal creation and to call people into a reconciled relationship with Himself. It is God’s mission that calls the church into existence. In other words, we can no longer see the church as the starting point when thinking about mission. Instead, the church must be seen as the result of God’s mission. In the words of South African missiologist David Bosch: “It is not the church which undertakes mission; it is the missio Dei which constitutes the church.” Or stated in a slightly different manner; “it is not so much that God has a mission for his church in the world, but that God has a church for his mission in the world” (Christopher Wright 2006, 62).

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Blauw, Johannes.
The Missionary Nature of the Church: A Survey of the Biblical Theology of Mission
New York: McGraw-Hill, 1962.

Bosch, David J.
Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission
Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis, 1991.

Brafman, Ori and Rod A. Beckstrom.
The Starfish and the Spider
Portfolio Trade, 2008.

Brisco, Brad and Lance Ford.
Missional Essentials
The House Studio, 2012.

Cole, Neil.
Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2005.

Cole, Neil.
Organic Leadership
Baker Books, 2010.

Dubose, Francis.
God Who Sends: A Fresh Quest for Biblical Mission
Nashville: Broadman, 1983.

Fitch, David.
The Great Giveaway: Reclaiming the Mission of the Church from Big Business, Parachurch Organizations, Psychotherapy, Consumer Capitalism, and Other Modern Maladies
Baker Books, 2005.

Frost, Michael and Alan Hirsch.
The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st Century Church
Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 2003.

Frost, Michael and Alan Hirsch.
ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church
Hendrickson Press, 2008.

Frost, Michael.
Exiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Culture
Hendrickson, 2006.

Frost, Michael.
The Road to Missional
Baker, 2011.

Guder, Darrell
Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998.

Guder, Darrell
The Incarnation and the Church’s Witness
Wipf & Stock, 2005.

Guder, Darrell
The Continuing Conversion of the Church
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000.

Helland, Roger and Len Hjalmarson.
Missional Spirituality
InterVarsity Press, 2011.

Halter, Hugh and Matt Smay.
The Tangible Kingdom
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008.

Halter, Hugh and Matt Smay.
And: The Gathered and Scattered Church
Zondervan, 2010.

Hauerwas, Stanley.
After Christendom? How the Church Is to Behave If Freedom, Justice, and a Christian Nation Are Bad Ideas
Nashville: Abingdon, 1991.

Hill, Graham.
Salt, Light and a City: Introducing Missional Ecclesiology
Cascade Books, 2012.

Hirsch, Alan.
The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church
Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2006.

Hirsch, Alan and Deb.
Untamed
Baker Books, 2010.

Hirsch, Alan and Lance Ford.
Right Here, Right Now
Baker Books, 2011.

Hirsch, Alan and Dave Ferguson.
On The Verge
Zondervan, 2011.

Hirsch, Alan and Michael Frost.
The Faith of Leap
Baker, 2011.

Hirsch, Alan and Tim Catchim.
The Permanent Revolution
Jossey-Bass, 2012.

Hunsberger, George, and Craig Van Gelder.
The Church Between Gospel and Culture: The Emerging Mission in North America
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996.

McNeal, Reggie.
Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003.

McNeal, Reggie.
Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009.

Newbigin, Lesslie.
Foolishness to the Greeks: The Gospel and Western Culture
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986.

Newbigin, Lesslie.
The Gospel in a Pluralistic Society
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989.

Oldenburg, Ray.
The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of the Community
Marlowe & Company, 1999.

Pohl, Christine D.
Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999.

Roxburgh, Alan J.
The Sky is Falling: Leaders Lost in Transition
Eagle, Idaho: ACI Publishing, 2005.

Roxburgh, Alan.
Misisonal: Joining God in the Neighborhood
Baker, 2011.

Roxburgh, Alan and Scott Boren.
Introducing the Missional Church
Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2009.

Roxburgh, Alan J. & Fred Romanuk.
The Missional Leader: Equipping Your Church to Reach a Changing World
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2006.

Stetzer, Ed and David Putman.
Breaking the Missional Code
Broadman & Holman, 2006.

Swanson, Eric and Sam Williams.
To Transform a City: Whole Church, Whole Gospel, Whole City
Zondervan, 2010.

Van Gelder, Craig.
Confident Witness – Changing World: Rediscovering the Gospel in North America
Eerdmans, 1999.

Van Gelder, Craig.
The Ministry of the Missional Church: A Community Led by the Spirit
Baker, 2007.

Van Gelder, Craig.
Missional Church in Perspective
Baker, 2011.

Woodward, J.R.
Cultivating a Missional Culture
Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2012.

Wright, Christopher J.H.
The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative
Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006.

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This is a book that will jar you out of your "Christian rut" and give you new eyes for looking at everything. It’s a quick, inspiring, and entertaining read.

In addition, if you get the book between May 1^st to May 7^th, you will also get 25 free gifts from 15 different authors including Leonard Sweet, Jeff Goins, Andrew Farley, Steve McVey, DeVern Fromke, Pete Briscoe, Frank Viola himself, and many others.

Over 47 Christian leaders have recommended the book including John Ortberg, Greg Boyd, David Fitch, Leonard Sweet, Jack Hayford, Mary DeMuth, Mark Batterson, Jon Acuff, Anne Miller, Craig Keener, Pete Wilson, Todd Hunter, Jenni Catron, and many others.

The premise of the book is simple: when Jesus was on the earth, He was rejected everywhere He went . . . from Bethlehem, to Nazareth, to Jerusalem. The only exception was the little village of Bethany.

The curtain opens with Lazarus, who is now ready to die, telling the incomparable story of Jesus’ interactions with him, Martha, and Mary. God’s Favorite Place on Earth blends drama, devotion, biblical narrative, and first-century history to create a riveting book that you’ll find difficult to put down. Within each narrative, the common struggles Christians face are addressed and answered.

Go to GodsFavoritePlace.com to claim your 25 gifts, read a Sampler of the book, and watch the video trailer.

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Exodus 22:21
“You must not mistreat or oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.”

Exodus 22:22-23
“Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to me. I will certainly hear their cry.”

Exodus 23:3
“And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor.”

Exodus 23:6
“In a lawsuit, you must not deny justice to the poor.”

Exodus 23:11
“. . . but let the land be renewed and lie uncultivated during the seventh year. Then let the poor among you harvest whatever grows on its own. Leave the rest for wild animals to eat. The same applies to your vineyards and olive groves.”

Exodus 30:15
“When this offering is given to the Lord to purify your lives, making you right with him, the rich must not give more than the specified amount, and the poor must not give less.”

Leviticus 19:10
“It is the same with your grape crop—do not strip every last bunch of grapes from the vines, and do not pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. Leave them for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the Lord your God.”

Leviticus 23:22
“When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. Leave it for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the Lord your God.”

Leviticus 25:35
“If one of your fellow Israelites falls into poverty and cannot support himself, support him as you would a foreigner or a temporary resident and allow him to live with you.”

Deuteronomy 15:7
“But if there are any poor Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them.”

Deuteronomy 15:10
“Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.”

Deuteronomy 15:11
“There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.”

Deuteronomy 24:14
“Never take advantage of poor and destitute laborers, whether they are fellow Israelites or foreigners living in your towns.”

Deuteronomy 27:19
“Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow.”

1 Samuel 2:8
“He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, placing them in seats of honor.”

Job 20:10
“His children must make amends to the poor; his own hands must give back his wealth.”

Job 22:8-10
“You probably think the land belongs to the powerful and only the privileged have a right to it! You must have sent widows away empty-handed and crushed the hopes of orphans. That is why you are surrounded by traps and tremble from sudden fears.”

Job 29:11-13
“All who heard me praised me. All who saw me spoke well of me. For I assisted the poor in their need and the orphans who required help. I helped those without hope, and they blessed me. And I caused the widows’ hearts to sing for joy.”

Job 30:25
“Have I not wept for those in trouble? has not my soul grieved for the poor?”

Job 31:16-23
“Have I refused to help the poor, or crushed the hopes of widows? Have I been stingy with my food and refused to share it with orphans? No, from childhood I have cared for orphans like a father, and all my life I have cared for widows. Whenever I saw the homeless without clothes and the needy with nothing to wear, did they not praise me for providing wool clothing to keep them warm? If I raised my hand against an orphan, knowing the judges would take my side, then let my shoulder be wrenched out of place! Let my arm be torn from its socket! That would be better than facing God’s judgment. For if the majesty of God opposes me, what hope is there?”

Psalm 12:5
“I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.”

Psalm 72:4
“Help him to defend the poor, to rescue the children of the needy, and to crush their oppressors.”

Psalm 72:12
“He will rescue the poor when they cry to him; he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them.”

Psalm 82:3
“Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.”

Psalm 82:4
“Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people.”

Psalm 113:7-8
“He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people.”

Psalm 140:12
“I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.”

Psalm 146:9
“The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.”

Proverbs 14:31
“He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.”

Proverbs 19:17
“If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—and he will repay you!”

Proverbs 21:13
“If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.”

Proverbs 22:22
“Don’t rob the poor just because you can, or exploit the needy in court.”

Proverbs 29:7
“The godly care about the rights of the poor; the wicked don’t care at all.”

Proverbs 29:13
“The poor and the oppressor have this in common—the Lord gives sight to the eyes of both.”

Proverbs 29:14
“If a king judges the poor fairly, his throne will last forever.”

Isaiah 1:17
“Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.”

Isaiah 11:4
“He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited.The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.”

Isaiah 25:4
“But you are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress. You are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat.”

Isaiah 32:7
“The scoundrel’s methods are wicked; he makes up evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just.”

Isaiah 58:6-7
“No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.”

Isaiah 61:1
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.”

Jeremiah 5:28
“They are fat and sleek, and there is no limit to their wicked deeds. They refuse to provide justice to orphans and deny the rights of the poor.”

Ezekiel 16:49
“Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door.”

Ezekiel 22:29
“The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the alien, denying them justice.”

Amos 2:6
“This is what the Lord says: ‘The people of Israel have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They sell honorable people for silver and poor people for a pair of sandals.’”

Amos 5:11-12
“You trample the poor, stealing their grain through taxes and unfair rent. Therefore, though you build beautiful stone houses, you will never live in them. Though you plant lush vineyards, you will never drink wine from them. For I know the vast number of your sins and the depth of your rebellions. You oppress good people by taking bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.”

Zechariah 7:10
“Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other.”

Matthew 5:3
“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”

Matthew 6:2-3
“When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3 But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”

Matthew 19:21
“Jesus told him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’”

Luke 3:11
“John replied, ‘If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.’”

Luke 4:18
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free.”

Luke 14:13
“Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.”

Luke 14:21
“The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’”

Luke 18:22
“When Jesus heard his answer, he said, ‘There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’”

Luke 19:8
“Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!’”

Acts 9:36
“There was a believer in Joppa named Tabitha. She was always doing kind things for others and helping the poor.”

Acts 10:31
“He told me, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been noticed by God!’”

Romans 15:26
“For you see, the believers in Macedonia and Achaia have eagerly taken up an offering for the poor among the believers in Jerusalem.”

2 Corinthians 9:9
“As the Scriptures say, ‘They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.’”

Galatians 2:10
“Their only suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor, which I have always been eager to do.”

James 1:27
“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”

James 2:5
“Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?”

Jesus, many are still waiting for justice in our land – but disappointments are all they find. People are tried and executed, hired and fired, ignored and dismissed without equality and justice. Complete a good work among us: bring your perfect justice to our lives. Amen.

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Careful, this book is dangerous. It rips the band aid off a festering wound exposing much that is wrong with the Church in America then applies the salve of Jesus' kingdom paradigm. Many leaders in Christendom will not like this book and will prefer that you do not read it, that's why you should read it. ~ Neil Cole

There is an elephant in the middle of the room of the American church…the destructive obsession with business models of leadership that have displaced the ways of Jesus…keeping the church from being the transformative force it was intended to be. In UnLeader, Lance calls it for what it is and offers a clear way out of the insanity. ~ Brad Brisco

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We will be offering 14 main sessions, over 30 breakout sessions, and significant times to network and connect with all the presenters. Further details are available on the Sentralized website here. Mark your calendar and plan on joining us in KC this September!

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A few years ago our family moved to a new part of town to plant a church. We were convinced that God placed us in our new home, on our new street, in our new neighborhood, for the purpose of meeting and getting to know our new neighbors. But how do you begin to build relationships with those whom you have never met? The primary key is that you must be intentional. New relationships seldom happen by chance. Instead you must find ways to “rub shoulders” with your neighbors. While your neighborhood situation may be quite different from the one we experienced here are some simple ways we began building relationships with our neighbors.

1. Pray for Your Neighbors.
Someone has said, “We need to talk to God about people, then talk to people about God.” If you have a neighborhood directory use it to identify the names of each family member in your building, on your street or cul-de-sac. Make a list that will help you pray for each family that you seek to build a relationship with. This list will help you move from simply hoping to connect with some nameless neighbor in the future, to specific action aimed at building a new relationship.

2. Be Outside.
After dinner take a walk in your neighborhood with an eye for meeting people. Play with your kids in the front yard instead of the backyard. Some of the best opportunities for our family to meet our neighbors came from playing baseball and Frisbee in our cul-de-sac. Playing ball in the front yard many times acted as a magnate for kids in the neighborhood and inevitably parents would follow.

3. Organize a Garage Sale.
Have a garage sale at your house and ask your neighbors if they have anything they would like to sell. We found in many cases neighbors not only brought over items to sell, but they would spend time “working” the sale and creating the opportunity to begin some brand new relationships and deepen existing ones.

4. Invite People for Dessert.
One of the best ways to get to know your neighbors is to have them over for dinner. However, we have found that inviting people over for dessert is less work and many times less threatening from their perspective. Dessert is less formal and requires a much smaller time commitment.

5. Have a Cookout.
Everybody loves to eat, and few people will turn down the chance to cookout on the grill and sample others people’s favorite dishes. Some of the best-attended get-togethers that we have hosted have been backyard (or front yard) cookouts. On one occasion we had the chance to have one of the local TV stations do their weather from our backyard. We used the opportunity to have a neighborhood cookout and everyone came to meet the weatherman and to be on TV.

6. Ask for Advice.
Everyone has differing talents and areas of expertise. One way of getting to know our neighbors better is to ask for advice in a person’s area of expertise. Having moved from a condominium where the grounds were always cared for, I had many opportunities to ask the more handy men in our neighborhood for advice. Advice on how to operate the sprinkler system, to over-seeding the lawn, to fixing a frozen air conditioning unit.

7. Join a Community Cause.
Find out if your neighborhood has a Home Owners Association. If so, join in on neighborhood workdays, or find an associational committee on which you can be a part. Find out if there is a neighborhood directory, if not, offer to put one together for those on your street.

8. Have an Open House.
One of our first connecting efforts after moving into our new house was to host a “dessert party.” We hand delivered special invitations to more than 180 homes in our housing addition. We simply invited people to a “come and go” dessert party where we had a dozen different kinds of desserts for people to sample. We also found that most people are very open to attending a party around the Christmas season. Take advantage of special times in the year to invite the neighborhood over for food and fun.

9. Watch for Special Needs.
Be on the lookout for special needs. Offer to baby sit or perhaps pet sit. Help to maintain yard work while neighbors are on vacation. Not long after moving in we noticed one of our neighbors preparing to paint their house. We spent part of the day helping them paint and that evening they had us over for pizza and we had the opportunity to discuss spiritual issues.

10. Start a Home Bible Study/Discussion Group.
The most significant and rewarding step to getting to know your neighbors is to discuss spiritual issues with them. After spending several months taking every opportunity to build relationships with those around us we invited our neighborhood to a new “discussion group” that we started in our home one night a week.

Jesus explicitly told us to love our neighbors and that begins by getting to know them. Recognize that there is a cost to building relationships with people around you. It will complicate your life, it will cost you money, and it will certainly cost you your most valuable resource, time. But I hope we will also recognize that the benefits of investing in the lives of others and of being a part of what God is doing in the world, and your neighborhood, far exceeds any personal inconvenience we might experience in the process.

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