Our inner-city church in Indianapolis offered many ministries to the poor: a soup kitchen, a sports ministry, free Thanksgiving turkey dinners. A back-to-school program gave out shoes, coats, and book bags.
We were proud of our reputation as “the church that stayed” instead of fleeing to the suburbs. Nevertheless, something was wrong. None of our outreach programs was leading people to faith in Jesus Christ. Residents we touched were not entering into the life of the church. We remained an enclave for affluent, educated whites.
What was wrong? While wrestling with this question, I happened to read Luke 5, the story of Simon Peter, who spent all night fishing without catching any fish. As he sat frustrated on shore, Christ told him, “Put out into deeper water and let down your nets.” I was struck by our church’s similar situation. Where was the “deeper water” we needed to go? I identified four places.
1. Deeper relationships
Many of our outreach ministries were impersonal, treating people like clients rather than friends. For 12 years, for instance, we operated our soup kitchen as a take-out window. People lined up for bowls of soup but couldn’t enter the building. The doors were locked. What message did that send?
So we unlocked the doors and invited people to eat inside the church. Some of our members began coming each day to sit and eat lunch with the guests. Before long, some of the neighborhood residents were helping out in the soup kitchen. One of our key volunteers, a retired professor of social work, told me: “All my life I taught classes about the poor. Now, they’re my friends!”
2. Deeper invitations
Jesus calls us to fish, not to be ichthyologists. We weren’t catching any fish.
For years our church had a recreation ministry where children learned to play football, basketball, and baseball. But we didn’t try to share the gospel in a deliberate way. A leader of the community told me: “My son grew up playing sports at your church. He wanted to join the church, but no one ever invited him.” If the goal is leading people to Christ and transformation, we’d missed it.
So we made changes. Leaders of the program committed themselves to evangelism and discipleship. We took a group of neighborhood kids to a summer camp run by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes where some made commitments to Christ. We prepared devotional materials for teams to use before practice. We began offering a midweek “huddle” time to disciple youngsters who had become Christians.
3. Deeper investments
It is not a bad thing to hand out Christmas baskets, but lifting people out of poverty requires deeper investment. Studying our neighborhood, we realized the greatest need was for education: many children near our church were illiterate. Unable to read or write, they soon dropped out of school and were lost to the street culture. Giving them book bags wasn’t enough; they needed a school that would equip and protect them.
After much planning, we purchased an abandoned school building, and in 1998 the Oaks Academy opened its doors with 53 students. Enrollment has since grown to more than 220, with a student body racially and economically mixed. In recent years, the church has also started a medical clinic and Christian legal clinic, both requiring generous investments of money and talent.
4. Deeper faith
Our greatest need is for deeper faith—to believe what God wants to do. After the miraculous catch of fish, Peter fell before Jesus and exclaimed, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” Peter was overwhelmed by Christ’s power and presence.
As our church ventured into deeper waters, we witnessed that same power and presence. For the first time in our 150-year history, a significant number of African Americans began attending. Our staff—previously all white—became multiracial. Some of our members opened a Christian coffee shop in the neighborhood, and soon the Unleavened Bread Café became a gathering place for all sorts of people, from the district attorney to drug dealers. God exceeded our dreams.
Yes, before sailing into deeper waters, you need to count the cost. You’ll exceed your comfort zone. We exposed deep undercurrents of fear, pride, and prejudice. Would we become a “black” church? Could we afford these new ministries? Would starting a Christian school hurt the public school system?
We faced resistance. And after five years, I resigned due to the persistent conflict. But I’m pleased with what we did. Moving into deeper water led to transformation for our church and for the neighborhood.
—Peter Larson is now pastor of Lebanon (Ohio) Presbyterian Church.
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