In this episode of the HOPE25 podcast, hosts Christy Capper and Michael Calder discuss the essential steps for churches to engage in outreach during the HOPE25 initiative effectively. This is an episode to use in a small group or parish council planning session for Hope25. Listen to the episode and pause after each step to consider the discussion questions below.

1.       Establish a Working Group

·     Who should be in this group?

·     What kind of gifts and demographics would be helpful?

·     Who do you want to ask within your parish?

2.       Pray for Renewal

·     How can we encourage people in our parish to pray?

·     How can we incorporate prayers for Hope25 in our intercessions?

·     Is a special prayer meeting something that would work well for your parish?

3.       Discern who you’re trying to reach

·     Who are the people who may be on the fringes of our church?

·     Who are those that God is laying on our hearts to reach?

·     Who are the people around us in our local community?

4.       Building Relationships with those you’re trying to reach

·     Who has God already brought into our lives?

·     How can we build relationships with our community?

·     How can we practice hospitality as a church and as individuals?

5.       Refocus the welcoming lens of your church

·     How is the virtual front door of your church doing? Do you need to update your website?

·     Can visitors easily find their way into the church? Is parking and church entry straightforward, accessible and signposted?

·     Are your physical notice boards up to date and attractive to the eye?

·     Is your church clean and well cared for?

·     Do your welcomers need some training?

·     Is it easy to find the toilets if they are needed during the service?

·     Can people easily find morning tea (do they know it is on)?

·     Are there people at morning tea that visitors can easily talk to, or do people only talk to those they know?

·     How easily can a visitor break into groups and become part of the church?

6.       Invest in training for evangelism

·     Have a look through the training options on the Hope25 website. What might work for your parish?

·     If you don’t have much time, what conversations could you encourage or one-off discussions could you have to help people feel equipped?

7.       Practice Compelling Invitations

·     How do you feel about the idea that one in three Aussies would say yes to an invitation to church?

·     How can you encourage people to practice inviting people to church?

·     What would it look like for your church to become more invitational?

·     Can you make flyers for church events so that you have something to give to those you invite?

8.       Plan your event

·     Do any ideas from the How-to guides on the Hope25 website appeal to you for your parish context?

·     What type of thing might you be able to adapt for your context?

·     Use the How-to guides to help you think throughsome of the troubleshooting for planning events.