Table of Contents

Bridge Events That Reach Secular People

By Steve Mills

The Mississippi River is a natural barrier dividing east from west. Pioneers moving west were forced to find a way across the big river. Rafts and canoes, boats and ferries provided the first avenues. Eventually, bridges were built, and the west became more accessible.

Bridges make travel easier. They make it possible for people to journey to otherwise inaccessible locations. God has placed the Church in the world to build bridges between people and himself, making it easier for the unsaved to move toward a personal relationship with Christ. This is the ministry of reconciliation.

A bridge is defined as an intentional direct encounter by an individual or church with a pre-Christian to become acquainted with him or her, understand needs, provide encouragement and assistance in the name of Jesus, and demonstrate the love and care of God.

Jesus was a Friend of sinners (Matthew 9:9--13). The lost sought Jesus. What was it about His life and ministry that attracted the sinner? It was His love. He loved them, and He ministered to their needs. Unfortunately, Christians and the church are sometimes not viewed as friends of sinners.

BUILDING BRIDGES TO SECULAR PEOPLE

The We Build People model uses five circles to demonstrate the commitment levels of people to whom we minister. Everyone associated directly or indirectly with the church is represented by one of these circles: Community (C-5), Crowd (C-4), Congregation (C-3), Committed (C-2), and Core (C-1).

An effective church encourages the spiritual development of its people by designing ministry strategies and building bridges to move people progressively toward the inner circle of commitment and increased spiritual growth.

The first bridge to be built is to the lost--the Community (C-5). This group includes those within the church's ministry area geographically or relationally. They are unchurched or occasional attendees (Christmas, Easter, weddings, funerals). This group includes those in the relational networks of members (friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors). They are preprospects the church has not yet identified them individually as prospects.

Many secular people are essentially ignorant of basic Christianity, and are skeptical of the church. (See the sidebar, Observations That Characterize the Unchurch" on page #.) Since secular people have a different perspective, the church must build bridges to where they live. Several types of bridges are effective in reaching secular people.

Characteristics of Secular People "Missionaries study the culture and habits of the people they plan to reach. It helps to know some characteristics of unchurched people before we try to reach them...."

TYPES OF BRIDGE EVENTS

1. Need-meeting Bridges
• Community service/outreach. These might include day care, meals-on-wheels, or any other avenues for community involvement.
• Outreach Bible studies. Studies that deal with real life issues and topics can interest the unsaved.
• Recovery support groups (divorce, grief, and addictions, et al.). Providing ministry to the unchurched who are dealing with life's struggles can attract prospects.
• Pastoral care ministries (funerals, weddings, hospital calls, counseling). Responding to crisis needs of the unchurched is an excellent opportunity to build bridges.
• Seminars and workshops. Felt-need seminars targeting the unchurched provide one of the best strategies for reaching secular people.
• Sequence evangelism seminars. These effective seminars are designed to address a felt need and provide opportunity for building a meaningful relationship and ultimately leading a person to a personal relationship with Christ. These seminars may be ordered from GPH. (To receive a free Sequence Evangelism Catalog, call 1-800-641-4310.)
• Seeker-sensitive services. Some churches use coffeehouses, Friday or Saturday night services, or a Sunday service specifically targeting the needs and issues of a particular group of people.
2. Recreational/Entertainment Bridges
• Church sports teams. Church teams provide opportunity to build relationships with sports enthusiasts. Stipulate that one third of the team must be unchurched to keep the focus on the ministry's real reason--evangelism.
• Art, drama, or music events. Design these events to attract specific groups to provide opportunities for contact and to create awareness of your church.
3. Seasonal/Inspirational Bridges
• Special events (Christmas, Easter, Fourth of July). Find a creative way to obtain the names and addresses of attendees. Contact those who indicated an interest in the church and its ministries.
• Parades. The message on your float can provide an opportunity to witness while heightening the awareness of your church in the community.
4. Community Service Bridges.
• Community activities. Involvement at fairs, festivals, and exhibits is a great way of identifying prospects.
• Special Programs. Possibilities include food or clothing distribution, unwed mothers home, and battered women's home. Recognition of emergency personnel, military veterans, or others for their accomplishments provides a positive presence in the community that helps to bring prospects.
5. Community Awareness Bridges
• New resident mailing list. Send new residents information about the church or provide a welcome basket with coupons, information about the community, and your church.
• New home purchase mailing list. Send new homeowners information about the church or provide a welcome basket with coupons.
• Business cards. Print business cards with the church's name, address, and schedule of services. Give the cards to members and encourage their distribution to friends and acquaintances.
• Door hangers. Give out door hangers with information about the church and special ministries. The Pentecostal Evangel evangelism edition and the Friendship magazine from the Office of Public Relations are excellent tools for this purpose.
• Telemarketing. Develop a short telephone survey to identify those not regularly attending a church and who might be searching for spiritual direction.
• Mailings for special events. A mass mailing for your special events will help the unchurched become aware of the church and its ministries.

THREE ELEMENTS OF BRIDGE EVENTS

Stages of Adoption "Following commitment is a time of uncertainty and ambiguity. Encouragement and reinforcement is needed to affirm them in their new life...."

Bridge events are only part of the outreach process. Every bridge event should include three elements: contact, connect, and follow-up.

The contact element is the point at which the church places one end of the bridge on the secular person's turf. This is any event that meets a particular need or makes tangible contact.

The connect element occurs as meaningful, caring relationships are established with secular people. This can be done during the initial or subsequent contact events.

The follow-up element is the point at which appropriate communication is made with the unchurched person to demonstrate care and to discern his or her spiritual receptivity. Determine the best way to bring this person to a personal relationship with Christ and the church. Give particular attention to those who have responded.

BRIDGE EVENTS AND THE CONVERSION PROCESS

Conversion tends to be a process for most people. In 1994, Dr. Elmer Towns reported that of 1,000 conversions made from a first-time hearing of the gospel, none were still active in church 1 year later.

Of 1,000 conversions made after hearing and rejecting the gospel at least three times, over 950 were still active in church 1 year later. Most of these heard the gospel three or more times through participation in an outreach Bible study, Sunday school class, or other small group. Apparently, rejection is necessary prior to acceptance. Generally, people who have not rejected have nothing to accept.

Research has found that people go through an adoption process before they adopt any new idea or lifestyle. Although a person may accept Christ as Savior during any stage of the process, these stages tend to be the norm. (For more information see: George G. Hunter, III, How To Reach Secular People (Nashville: Abingdon, 1992), pp. 76,77.)

The diagram to the right shows the stages of ministry and the bridges the church can build to secular people at each stage of the conversion process. It demonstrates how the church can intentionally initiate the process at each stage. The funnel shows the specific ministry and the order the church needs to take in its witnessing steps. Starting at the bottom by trying to evangelize first only leads secular people to become hardened toward the gospel. Starting at the top cultivates, through credible relationship and meaningful ministry, the soil of the heart to receive the gospel.

The church starts by building a bridge, demonstrating credible Christianity, and reaching out to pre-Christians. This helps bring individuals to an awareness of Christ.

As the church ministers to secular people's needs, they discover the relevance of Christ and Christianity. Relevance leads them to a growing interest in spiritual things. With their growing interest, the church responds by teaching through a credible lifestyle and then by interacting truth with biblical principles.

Pre-Christians then move to the trial stage where they begin to imagine and experiment with what it is like to be a Christian. The church's appropriate response during this stage is to include them in fellowship and meaningful relationships with other believers.

At the adoption stage, a clear presentation of the gospel leads pre-Christians to adopt Christ as their personal Savior and to express that commitment through water baptism and church membership. Following conversion, new converts often experience periods of doubt and uncertainty about their faith and new life in Christ. The church needs to nurture and encourage their newfound faith.

People are in need; they are suffering. Winning souls to Christ could well depend on how willing we are to build bridges and reach out to them.