Missional Thoughts
I went mountain biking yesterday with a couple of buddies from church. We ran into this guy out at the park that we had talked to previously for a few minutes. This guy and his son go riding quite a bit. He came up and said hi and we talked for a few minutes. He asked if he could ride with us sometime. He mentioned how he has a hard time finding guys to go riding with. Numbers were exchanged and I’m sure he will be riding with us soon.
It doesn’t seem like much, but I took some thoughts away from the experience. I hope you take away some things from this as well.
1) Consistancy opens doors. If we only went out once a month, we may have never ran into this guy and his son. Many community outreaches fail because of this. When people see you more than once, it builds familiarity. How many of you like when get the same cashier at the grocery store (granted if she friendly)? There are people who will wait in a longer line to deal with the same person. People get comfortable with you, and that in turn lowers defenses to allow opportunities to share your faith. Consistancy will win more hearts than a fancy outreach.
2) People want to belong to something. We have to provide something that someone feels like they can be a part of. Whether it be guys out mountain biking, a ladies get-together, or having people over to watch a football game, people want to belong to something. They want to be where people know their name. It’s a fact that people like to hear their name. Common interests will draw those who have an interest. Find something that you like to do and invite someone into “your world”. You never know what kind of impact you may have in a person’s life.
3) Missional Living Isn’t Rocket Science. There is more books about being missional out in Christian bookstores and websites than ever. Don’t let it scare you. It’s not complicated. It can start with something as simple as some guys going mountain biking. What do you like to do? Find a way to bring others in and share a piece of your life with them.
Hope these experiences and observations inspire you to step out and become more missional minded.
Kevin
