No, I don't believe in outreach ... and I never have. A few years ago outreach became a popular term ... it came blazing into the Church and before we knew it there were outreaches everywhere. It's still a popular activity ... It's still a popular term!
Back then it sounded so new, so good and so healthy and so out, rather than In!
It seems to me today's Church has always been an outreach Church; that is, the Church reaches out to bring people intoThe building, into the service, into the Believers activities.
"A bring 'em in Church" to teach them a "GO YE" Gospel? This is a paradox at best.
While outreach isn't altogether bad, it isn't altogether what the Lord's Church is all about.
Admittedly I'm using "outreach" in its literal sense; the act of reaching out from where we are to bring people to us; if that's what outreach is, the Church has been doing that for years. What's new about outreach?
As to myself, I'm more of a go-out person than a reach-out person.
Healthier by far is GOING to the need and minister, rather than ask the needy to come to you and be ministered to.
Healthier by far is taking the Gospel to those in darkness rather than pulling a few from their dark world into the light of our nice Church building to hear our preacher present the Gospel.
Be it the Gospel, or ministry ... the Church's calling is to SPREAD OUT rather than reach out. GO YE!
