Outside In

Kevin Sturt's life was crumbling. After years of addiction to pornography and sex with prostitutes, the 47-year-old consultant was sitting in his living room, confronted by his wife, his children, and their spouses or significant others, forced to acknowledge his activities and certain he would lose his family as a result.

After the intervention, he was broken and ashamed, but he was also determined to fight his addictions. A few nights later, he attended the weekly meeting of Mercy Walk, the recovery ministry of NewSong Church in Irvine, California, which he had been attending for years before his crash occurred.

"I was shattered," he says. "But when I went to Mercy Walk and had my first taste of a Christ-based recovery program, I gained strength and hope from others who have been in the same situation. My journey of recovery started that night. I was allowed to cry and share without condemnation and with complete love and acceptance."

Hidden addictions and wounds are not often acknowledged.

Steve Rivera doesn't have a resume that most would consider fit for a pastor. Growing up in a household with an uncle who helped start Hell's Angels in Oakland, living with an abusive stepfather, his life turned to gangs, drugs, and crime, until he ended up in a Christian rehabilitation home. There he began to turn his life around, and in time, he was leading others who had emerged from similar situations.

"I had led a destructive life," he says. "I wanted to give back for all I had done in the past. I had a love for helping people from the same situations I'd been in."

His experiences turned out to be exactly what was needed at Evergreen Baptist Church-Los Angeles, which was trying to reach the marginalized. In January 2007, the church hired him as its community outreach pastor. Rivera is gratified to be a part of a congregation that pursues reconciliation, as difficult as that is.

"I've seen so much injustice done to people in what should be loving church environments due to their socioeconomics or the color of their skin," Rivera says. "Many churches have their own built-in demographics, where you won't see the disabled, the poor, the transgendered. This has always bothered me."

After midnight on a typical summer evening, you won't find pastor Larry Kim of Cambridge Community Fellowship Church (CCFC) asleep in bed. For Kim, ministry actually begins around that time, as he builds bridges to at-risk youth in the Central Square area of Cambridge, Massachusetts, home not only to world-class educational institutions such as Harvard and MIT and numerous high-tech companies, but also to a large population of low-income families and immigrants. CCFC is no stranger to the children of these families, having built relationships with them since its inception in 1996. Currently, "we know just about every single at-risk youth who lives in Central Square, a network of about 100 to 150 kids," says Kim.

Midnight outings to the International House of Pancakes with a group of gun-toting, gang-involved young people may not be everyone's idea of ministry, but reaching these youth requires a different approach from running a typical youth group. Kim and his fellow lay leaders at CCFC also visit those kids who are in the local jail, as well as going to court dates to demonstrate their support and love.

"Most of these kids have been abandoned by everyone else. They are hated and outcasts by the time they are 13 or 14," Kim says. "We let them know that there are people who will fight alongside them and who will show them God's love in a way they have never seen before."

NewSong, Evergreen, and CCFC are just three examples of congregations that are reaching out to people on the margins, whether the marginalization comes from addictions, abuse, socioeconomics, race, or any other factor.

"We are trying to revisit what it means to love God and love your neighbor. Those two commands are inseparable," says Dave Gibbons, lead pastor of NewSong. Two key ways churches are demonstrating God's love are through mercy and justice ministries in their local communities, and by creating recovery ministries to bring healing and support for those who need it.

Gibbons acknowledges the difficulty of such ministry. "It might not be easy to be around these people, but this should be a normal part of Christian life. Jesus is calling us to a mindset and a will to love, learn, and serve in any culture, even in the midst of discomfort."

Journey of justice

Discomfort is exactly what Gibbons was feeling in 2002 when his staff discovered that a homeless woman had taken refuge in a storage shed on the church's property. Before that, God's words about taking care of the poor had not become a priority for Gibbons. But when this situation confronted him, he realized God was trying to tell him something. "I started thinking, God wants me to deal with this. Now it's in our own backyard."

The pastoral staff spent time studying what the Bible said about justice, and reading books and visiting locations both inside and outside the U.S. that had undertaken justice ministries. Gibbons put together strategic plans for both himself and the church.

Today, justice-related ministries are a core part of NewSong's identity. They launched a sister congregation in Crenshaw, one of most dangerous neighborhoods of Los Angeles; conducted street ministry in LA's skid row area, and extended their reach abroad by launching NewSong Bangkok, a multi-site church in Thailand.

NewSong also plans to relocate from its current home in upper-middle-class Irvine to Santa Ana, the most economically distressed city in Orange County.

"Churches are sometimes known for talking but not engaging," Gibbons says. "The church does ministry from afar but doesn't live in it. But Jesus was about going into the culture."

When we asked churches such as NewSong what they have learned as they reach out to the marginalized, whether in their own congregation or in local and global communities, they identified a number of lessons:

Take an incarnational approach

In his classic book Empowering the Poor (World Vision, 1991), Robert Linthicum, president of Partners in Urban Transformation, outlines three approaches that churches can take with their relationship to a particular local community, becoming (1) the church in the city, which occurs when the bricks-and-mortar of the church resides in the city, but there is no particular attachment or identification otherwise with the community, or (2) the church to the city, where a local congregation determines that it will service certain needs within the community, such as creating a youth program for local children.

These two approaches tend to be the most common.

The third approach is for a church to be with the community, "incarnating itself" in that community. "It becomes partners with the community in addressing that community's need," writes Linthicum. "That means the church allows the people of the community to instruct it as it identifies with the people … [and] joins with the people in dealing with the issues." The difference is subtle but profound; the result is that those who live within the particular community take responsibility, supported by churches and organizations that partner with them.

For NewSong, this means that in while working with a particular neighborhood, they do not seek to control what is happening. The church takes time to listen and get to know the community first, and they support the local efforts already in place.

"We always try to partner with existing churches and ministries," says Michelle Tam, NewSong's pastor of justice, advocacy, and compassion. "We want to work with someone indigenous to the area who is also an expert at what they're doing."

Such congregations take care to avoid entering into community with a paternalistic attitude.

"The church often comes in with a conquistador mentality, like a white knight to save the community, when we need to understand that Jesus is already there, has been there, and we would be arrogant to think we're the only ones bringing Jesus to them," Gibbons says. "We need to come in as a servant, as opposed to assuming we know more than the people in the local community do."

Serve more than spiritual needs

Well-intentioned churches can err in ministering to the marginalized by focusing exclusively on conversion and without paying attention to people's needs in other areas as well. CCFC's Kim remembers when this was his perspective. "In the past, the focus was solely evangelism—let's get people into heaven. But now I realize that God is actually working here and now, and there is hope for people right now, not just when they get to heaven."

"In the biblical perspective, persons are both material and spiritual beings," writes Ron Sider, president of Evangelicals for Social Action, in The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience (Baker, 2005). "That is why Jesus' gospel brings healing not just for souls but also for bodies. That is why the Scriptures constantly teach that God hates societies that oppress the poor and fail to provide opportunities for all to enjoy an abundant sufficiency of material goods. That is why the early church's dramatic economic sharing went hand in hand with its evangelistic proclamation."

Churches are discovering that the two processes are separate. Charles Butler, pastor of shepherding and men's ministry at Moody Church in Chicago, encourages churches "not to browbeat people or prostitute their needs, such as saying 'We'll feed you if you pray.' Jesus did not do that. He fed people because they were hungry; he showed them compassion and love while still being salt and light."

When the goal is a holistic approach, the results may not be apparent for years or even decades. At CCFC, for example, one reason the church has been able to influence so many at-risk youth in Cambridge is due to the foundation leaders laid more than ten years ago in getting to know children in the neighborhood when they were young.

"I was able to help one of the 21-year-olds who has been in jail recently because of the work done 11 years ago when he was attending our church's Vacation Bible School," Kim says. This kind of ministry is a long commitment. "It can be discouraging if you are looking for short-term results, but the fruits of what people were doing in 1996 showed up 11 years later."

Help those with hurts, habits, hang-ups

Although churches sometimes equate ministering to those on the margins with reaching the poor, the reality is that numerous needs may exist within their own core congregation in the form of hidden addictions and wounds, which are not often addressed or acknowledged. Recovery ministries allow churches to minister to those who may view themselves as outsiders in the church.

For NewSong's Kevin Sturt, discovering that he was not alone in his struggle with sexual addiction was a critical step toward following Christ. At his first Mercy Walk meeting, he not only felt acceptance and love from those around him, but he also gained strength from those who had struggled with the similar issues.

"The biggest tactic of the enemy is to tell us we're alone," Sturt says. "Going to Mercy Walk breaks that lie, and when that lie is shattered, so much hope emerges."

Three years later, Sturt has maintained a life of sobriety from his past addictions and now serves as a lay leader with NewSong's recovery ministry.

"All men struggle with addiction to some degree," he says, "even if it's just looking at lingerie ads in the Sunday paper, and they can only get over those addictions by being with God and other men. You can't get through it alone."

Mercy Walk is a weekly meeting for anyone struggling with a "hurt, habit, or hang-up," a phrase originating from Saddleback Church's Celebrate Recovery ministry. Those who attend eat a meal together and worship together, with a time of teaching or a testimony included. A key component of the evening is the open sharing time, in which the group splits up depending on size and everyone is given three to five minutes to speak without interruption about their particular struggle. The sharing time is kept confidential and anonymous.

The safe haven it provides is critical, Sturt says, because "for most addictions or hurts, if you talk about the triggering action that's causing it, it stays in the dark, and it tends to grow. Once you bring it into the light, the power the enemy has is taken away."

Those who have been a part of Mercy Walk describe the experience as being invaluable and say that their own progression of healing subsequently touches other people's lives.

"I had been struggling with abandonment and rape survivor's guilt for several years," says Laural Armster, a student at Long Beach State. "Today Mercy Walk is an integral part of my life, as the people I met there have become my family. Because of this family, I have come far enough down the road of healing that I want to offer the same healing to others."

The pastoral staff keeps the Mercy Walk ministry visible in the church to de-marginalize it and raise awareness about it for the larger congregation. Gibbons says, "We try to normalize what happens at Mercy Walk, as opposed to just referring to it as one of our ministries. We all have our addictions and problems. We often tell people that we are church for the misfit and the marginalized. We are trying to create a culture here that welcomes people who think of themselves as outsiders."

Counting the cost

Ministering to those on the margins is not without cost. Challenges come from both within and outside the congregation. Sometimes churches are able to bring people from the margins into participating and serving in the life of the church (such as in the cases of Sturt and Armster above), but not always.

At CCFC, for example, the at-risk youth they have befriended will occasionally come for the weekly youth meetings, but they rarely appear for a Sunday morning service or interact with other members of the congregation outside the pastors and lay leaders they already know. CCFC leaders, however, do not necessarily view this as a ministry failure.

Founding pastor Soong-Chan Rah, in Growing Healthy Asian American Churches (IVP, 2006), describes how his understanding of the church has changed: "I used to see church as a place where fun people gathered and the worship service was a neat presentation. … Now church is … a gathering of a dozen senior citizens and their caregivers, a hospital room where a distressed mother and child have no one to turn to but their church family … a kid like Jimmy, whose lips form the most absurd curses for a nine-year-old boy, but whose eyes speak of a sincere desire to be loved."

Leaders who minister to those on the margins recognize that the shape and feel of their efforts might be quite different from what has traditionally been described as church ministry. And they are comfortable with taking church's love and service to where the needs and opportunities are rather than necessarily bringing the needy into their bricks-and-mortar building.

"We call ourselves 'the church without walls,'" says Gibbons.

Another challenge occurs when existing members of a congregation do not understand or fully accept a church's vision to minister to the margins.

At Evergreen, as a result of ministry with young people in their local community (a largely Hispanic, lower income neighborhood in the Los Angeles area), its youth group grew significantly, but those who began attending were quite different from what this congregation was used to.

"Some of the kids from the neighborhood would be drunk, or possess drugs, and then parents began to pull their kids from the youth group. They felt we were bringing an element into the church that they didn't want their kids to be near," Rivera says. "We told the parents, 'You are naïve if you think your kids are only seeing this at youth group. This is an opportunity for them to grow and to experience living out their Christianity. Nothing will bring them closer to God than serving and seeing the hurt in other people and bringing them to Jesus.'"

Helping parents with the changing demographics of the church is an ongoing process. It takes time for a congregation to own the vision in the same way as the pastoral staff and lay leaders.

"To construct a diverse but redemptive community, we have to be extremely patient," says Ken Fong, senior pastor of Evergreen. "People are at different levels of readiness, and this will always be the case."

Gibbons's expectations are measured for how many members will completely support the church's commitment to reach those on the margins.

"Ten to thirty percent of our congregation might be actively involved," he says. "Most people buy into the concept, as they see that it is biblically rooted. But they aren't willing to give up comfort, protection, and safety, or the pursuit of their own material goals. Most aren't willing to sacrifice their lives."

And yes, ministry to those on the margins can demand that level of sacrifice. Moody Church's Butler recounts that at their church plant in Cabrini Green, a public housing development in Chicago, the pastor did 15 funerals in one recent summer alone.

"But you can't run away from a situation just because it has risks. Danger is a part of life, and you take precautions as best you can, but the commitment is to be ambassadors for Christ."

When CCFC's Kim began connecting with the gang-banging, gun-wielding Central Square youth, he was afraid.

"But I had to just go for it and say, 'I'm ready to die for this. If I'm not willing to put myself in harm's way, I shouldn't do it,'" he says. What he discovered is that despite the violent pasts and tendencies of these youth, "they have a built-in respect for clergy and pastors. It's the hip-hop culture—they fear nothing, but they do fear God. They are curious about religion, about God, about life after death, and they have a spiritual side to them."

After Kim began building relationships, others from the church joined him. Now six people are on the team working directly with these youth. When one person can break past their fear and show the way, it helps others do the same.

Where to begin?

The first step to such ministry is the strategy Jesus articulated in the Great Commission: first identify needs in "Jerusalem" (your own congregation), then "Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth." Look to your neighborhood and beyond for needs you're aware of, whether that means starting a recovery ministry or community-based transformation.

Gibbons recommends a simple strategy: "Ask God to show you who are the most marginalized in your community. That is probably where he wants you to go. And then it's just about asking the question, 'How can we serve you?' Then do it. If someone is hungry, feed them. If someone needs resources, find a way to provide them."

But to be effective, such ministry must begin with long-term commitment in mind.

"If you launch out but you don't have a plan, you'll just fizzle out," says Evergreen's Rivera. "Once you go into a community, you have to be there for the long haul. If they see people who just come once in a while and only put in so much, that is how they will view Christ."

Helen Lee is a lay leader at Parkwood Community Church in Lombard, Illinois, and co-editor of Growing Healthy Asian-American Churches (IVP, 2006).

***

A Warmer Welcome

One winter morning a man from the streets entered our church office to ask, "Do you all know where a warming center is around here?"

Our church, a two-year-old plant at the time, is in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago, and the two women working in the office said, "No. In fact, we don't even know what a warming center is. What is it?"

The man explained the concept: homeless shelters are open at night, but not during the day. A warming center is a safe place folks can stay warm and maybe get something to eat during the day.

After checking around, the women learned that our area did not have a warming center, but after further research they brought the idea to the church's leadership team, suggesting New Community could open its own center for a few hours each day.

Today, nearly four years later, Warming Center continues to be a place where homeless people can come for practical necessities: a restroom, food, some clothing items, a safe place to rest, and access to telephones to keep in contact with family (one of the largest bills in the center is the phone bill).

Further, the center serves as a stable location for regular guests who need a mailing address for potential jobs.

Even though our center isn't open 24/7, the hours it is open offer friendly hospitality. It has also spurred on new ministry ideas at New Community, for example, a legal clinic to serve people who cannot afford lawyer's fees. We continue to seek ways the people of our church can embody the mission of Christ: "Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" (Isa. 58:7).

Everybody passes people on the margins, be they homeless men, single moms, immigrants, or distressed couples. If the objective is to represent Christ to those on the margins, every church can do that.

To play your part

Each church has a unique contribution to make, but God also uses other churches and organizations in your area. Contact them. Let them know what you're doing and learn how you can complement each other's efforts. Your church's ministry is one key element in an entire network of organizations in your area. When you can't meet a need, point people to the resources that are available elsewhere.

1. Don't reinvent the wheel. We didn't need to start a homeless shelter. The need in our area was for a warming center during the day. Your church may find another critical area, a different margin, to address. Find a ministry opportunity that isn't being met in your community.
2. Enlist prayer partners. Ask some people you trust to join you in praying about the ministry opportunities before you. Praying allows the Holy Spirit to reveal God's plan and your next steps.
3. Let other like-minded agencies use your space. This allows you to develop relationships, work with other organizations, and encourages your membership to see your church's mission extending beyond the walls of the building.
4. Use students to build your volunteer base. Don't work alone, and don't encourage your members to work alone either. Partner with schools (high schools, colleges, or seminaries) to involve youth and young adults in your ministry. Those partnerships may even develop into new ministries like mentoring for students on academic probation or parenting classes for teenage mothers.
5. Keep your community informed. Attend open houses for Christian counseling centers. Connect with other pastors, political leaders, and business owners about your church and its goals. Keep a brochure that explains what you all are doing or planning to do.

—Michael Washington is a pastor at New Community Covenant Church in Chicago, Illinois.

Copyright © 2007 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.