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The Externally Focused Quest: Becoming the Best Church for the Community
The Externally Focused Becoming the Best Church for the Community is designed for church leaders who want to transform their churches to become less internally focused and more oriented to the world around them. The book includes clear guidelines on the changes congregations must adopt to become truly outwardly focused. This book is not about getting all churches to have an annual day of community service as a tactic, but changing the core of who they are and how they see themselves as a part of their community. The Externally Focused Quest outlines ten changes needed for church leaders to transform their churches and presents a highly practical approach that shows leaders how to become more externally focused without having to give up programs that serve members. This book reveals what it takes to make the major shift from internal to external focus and how that affects church leadership.
173 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 4, 2010
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June 2, 2015
Foreword:
...the impact of a church is not determined by who it wants to reach but by who it is willing to serve. Alan Hirsch
Introduction:
Believers are longing to do something besides take notes in a worship service. Thousands of churches are rediscovering the DNA of the gospel and are living the gospel outside the walls of the church.
If your church were to close its doors, would anyone in the community notice--would anyone in the community care?
"How can we be the best church in our community" How a church answers that question determines its entire approach to its members, staff, prayers, finances, time, technology and facilities. Becoming an externally focused church is not about becoming the best church in the community. The externally focused church asks, "How can we be the best church for our community?"
Nine big missional concepts (explored in the book): focus, purpose, scope, missions, partnering, evangelism, systems, creativity, and outcomes.
p. 4 ...we don't always want to get well. We want the pain or angst to stop, or we want good things to come, but the bottom line is that most of us don't really want to change.
p.6 The broad belweather categories futurists pay attention to are society, technology, economics, environment, and politics.
p. 8 (In response to accusations of European colonialization; quoting Niall Ferguson) the British Empire is responsible for the worldwide spread of the English language, banking, the common law, Protestantism, team sports, the limited state, representative government, and the idea of liberty.
p. 13 With 5 percent of the world's population, the United States have generated between 20 and 30 percent of the world output for 125 years
p. 15 It seems that in spite of a growing scientific consensus that human activity and fossil fuels are at least partly responsible for disappearing ice caps and rising sea levels, many Christians take a stand against such findings simply because the findings are supported by scientists (or movie stars or Democrats or some other group).
Maybe we need to get ahead of the culture on things God cares about--including stewardship of our planet.
p. 16 The perception that evangelicals embrace a particular political party is not entirely inaccurate...(citing a poll showing that 78% of white evangelicals voted for George W. Bush)
(Citing Sojourner's Jim Wallis) Endorsing political candidates is a fine thing, but ordaining them is not.
The danger of affiliating too closely with any political party is that we can no longer judge that party's actions by the values of the kingdom.
p.18 (Citing Phillip Jenkins "The Next Christendom") ...in the future, religion will be the most defining characteristic of people, taking precedence even over national identity. In a world of shifting political boundaries, people will identify with a religious faith more strongly than with the country they live in.
...half of the people who go to church attended churches in the top 10 percent of church size. Clearly, more than half of all churchgoers prefer large churches.
p. 19 Young evangelical Christians are giving a new face to Christianity. They are arguably more socially aware, more connected and more globally oriented than evangelicals of previous generations. They are more apt to rally around bringing help to hurting people, ending human trafficking, pursuing issues of justice, fighting AIDS, stopping genocide in Africa, and putting an end to global warming than they are to march against gay marriage or for prayer in school or in favor of posting the Ten Commandments.
p. 20 Thirty-five percent of evangelicals now say that the religious right does not reflect their views.
Religion is for people who are afraid to go to hell. And spirituality is for those of us who have been there and back. (Citing Bonnie Raitt at a concert in NYC)
p. 21 Although spiritual interest is high, people are looking for new places to find spiritual vitality and authenticity.
(Citing Ed Stetzer) "...a growing number of people are finding Christian discipleship and community in places other than their local churches. The study found that 24.5% of Americans now say their primary form of spiritual nourishment is meeting with a small group of 20 or less people every week."
(Citing Neil Cole in "Organic Church") defines church as "the presence of Jesus among his people, called out as a spiritual family to pursue his mission on this planet."
p. 22 (Citing David Smith) the real problem of the Christian mission in the modern west is not the absence of spiritual hunger in the postmodern generation but rather the church's failure to recognize the existence and significance of this quest on the part of thousands of people beyond its doors.
A collapse in the church culture certainly does not mean the collapse of the church.
(Speaking of Israel being carried into exile in Babylon) Everything they trusted in that had worked in the past no longer worked. In a liminal state, what used to seem true is true no longer, and what will be true in the future has not yet been fully revealed.
p.23 In liminal times, there is confusion because the path is unclear.
The world we live and work in is radically different than the world we lived in just a decade ago. And it is safe to say that the world will be very different ten years from now than it is today. The implications are staggering. Programs and tactics that worked in the past won't necessarily be the ones that will be effective in the future.
The future will not be shaped by doing more or better or harder what we have done in the past.
...many of us have been content to do what we have always done.
p. 29 The operative words in the attractional model are "come to". In the attractional mode, we are asking people to substitute something they think is valuable and important for something we think is valuable and important.
p. 30 It is actually far easier, through regular influence, to get the church into the community than through sporadic contact try to get the community into the church.
p. 31 Why has much of the church withdrawn, either physically or psychologically, from the community that God has placed it in?
p. 34 ...this separation is a separation of values and life choices and not a separation of geography, since one cannot be salt, light, and leaven at a distance. These transformational agents work only when they actively mix with what needs to be changed.
p. 47 Every major resource God has given us--leaders to prepare us, the Word to equip us, the body to encourage us, spiritual gifts to enable us, and wealth to pay for things--all points us toward doing something in this world.
p. 50 participating in community ministry once a week or more tended to be associated with higher scores on measures of faith, participating in worship activities more frequently is not associated with higher scores on measures of faith.
p. 75 What is the kingdom? The kingdom of God is any place over which God has operative dominion...The kingdom is where the king is reigning.
p. 76 Church people think about how to get people into the church; Kingdom people think about how to get the church into the world. Church people worry that the world might change the church; Kingdom people work to see the church change the world. We sometimes forget that God designed the church to be a venue where God’s kingdom is realized and made visible in our communities. The church does not exist for itself. The church exists to proclaim and demonstrate that the kingdom is near.
p. 77 God would love to use the church first, but when the church isn't paying attention, he will raise up others who will do the work.
p. 78 God's kingdom work is accomplished by believers and unbelievers--often working side by side.
(Quoting James Boyce) Until we produce our own quality art, our hysterical denunciations of what is admittedly "artistic trash" will fall on deaf ears...If we have not paid our dues by years of making positive contributions to culture, we simply do not have the cultural clout to pontificate about cultural crises.
p. 97 (On partnering) We in the West started as pioneers, but over the years, we have deteriorated into patrons of projects.
p. 98 The rest of the world defines partnerships in terms of marriage--dating and courting--it's a relationship. We talk in terms of "transactional." They talk in terms of "communal."
(Quoting Bob Roberts) Realize that you are going to receive as much from getting to know them and experiencing them as you will give them. Don't forget, you're a pilgrim, not a missionary. A missionary goes and gives with an end-game in mind or a project to complete. A pilgrim simply gives and
receives on a journey.
p. 100 Externally focused churches, by definition, are churches that believe that the gospel is and has always been a message that is best expressed in both words of love and works of love. Good deeds verify the good news, and good news clarifies the good deeds.
p. 105 Younger people respond to being invited into a movement, not a program or a bureaucracy.
p. 111 Partnering and collaboration are not essential for becoming the best church in the community but absolutely essential if you want to be the best church for the community.
p. 114 Churches that are transforming their communities think in terms of sinking wells rather than building walls...Churches that are transforming communities don't divide over their differences but unite with other churches and community service organizations (faith-based or not) around their common love for the community.
p. 144 Wesley did not use small groups for personal Bible study. He felt they got all the Bible they needed to act on during the weekly gathering of the church.
The way we get people into the game is to infuse service and ministry to others into the life of every small group as Wesley did. Every small group that is started has regular engagement in ministry or service outside the church or the small group.
p. 145 The expectation is that every fourth or fifth meeting, the group forgoes chips and dip for serving in its compassion ministry.
p. 148 Serving with others you like being with is a greater motivator than spiritual gifts
(Quoting Matt Carter)
What if we didn't center our small groups around chips and dip, Bible study, and hanging out together and centered instead around a mission?
p. 149 When we aimed simply for community, we got neither community nor mission. When we aimed for mission, we got mission and community almost every single time
p. 150 Imagine what your church would be like and the impact you'd have on your community if every small group served and loved the city? What would it be like if every few weeks, instead of three hours of hospitality, snacks, Bible study, and prayer, the small group acted to meet the needs of something God cares about in the world. When small groups become missional, the church changes..the world changes.
p. 160 (On the ten lepers) We think Jesus knew all along that only one would make the God connection, and yet knowing that nine would go on their merry way didn't prevent Jesus from healing them. He healed them not because they would convert but because they were broken...we serve not to convert but because we have been converted. We serve not to make others Christian but because we are Christians. People are worthy recipients whether they become Christ followers or not. Evangelism is our ultimate motive, but it can never be our ulterior motive for serving.
(Quoting John Stott)
the gospel lacks visibility if we merely preach it, and lacks credibility if we who preach it are interested only in souls and have no concern about the welfare of people's bodies, situations and communities...Love has no need to justify itself. It merely expresses itself in service wherever it sees need.
p. 161 How do mercy and empowerment connect to evangelism? Here's how we make the connection. We say "Good deeds create goodwill, and goodwill is a wonderful platform for good conversations about the good news."
Said by a school principal who asked them to start a church in his building: We notice that every time you people show up, good things happen, and we just want more good things to happen on a more regular basis.
p. 175 Ninety-one percent of people attending highly innovative churches strongly agree their church "has a clear mission and purpose" and see themselves as "a positive force for good in our community."
p. 176 (Quoting Warren Bird)
"Churches that welcome innovation tend to embrace creativity, ingenuity, and divergent ways of thinking inside the box. They have a willingness to change their practice in order to improve performance.
p. 203 What if at the end of the year, everyone in your faith community had a story to tell of how he or she changed the world? For this to happen, the church would need to provide regular opportunities for people to engage the world in such a way that the world would be different because of their action. Wouldn't that be something?
...the impact of a church is not determined by who it wants to reach but by who it is willing to serve. Alan Hirsch
Introduction:
Believers are longing to do something besides take notes in a worship service. Thousands of churches are rediscovering the DNA of the gospel and are living the gospel outside the walls of the church.
If your church were to close its doors, would anyone in the community notice--would anyone in the community care?
"How can we be the best church in our community" How a church answers that question determines its entire approach to its members, staff, prayers, finances, time, technology and facilities. Becoming an externally focused church is not about becoming the best church in the community. The externally focused church asks, "How can we be the best church for our community?"
Nine big missional concepts (explored in the book): focus, purpose, scope, missions, partnering, evangelism, systems, creativity, and outcomes.
p. 4 ...we don't always want to get well. We want the pain or angst to stop, or we want good things to come, but the bottom line is that most of us don't really want to change.
p.6 The broad belweather categories futurists pay attention to are society, technology, economics, environment, and politics.
p. 8 (In response to accusations of European colonialization; quoting Niall Ferguson) the British Empire is responsible for the worldwide spread of the English language, banking, the common law, Protestantism, team sports, the limited state, representative government, and the idea of liberty.
p. 13 With 5 percent of the world's population, the United States have generated between 20 and 30 percent of the world output for 125 years
p. 15 It seems that in spite of a growing scientific consensus that human activity and fossil fuels are at least partly responsible for disappearing ice caps and rising sea levels, many Christians take a stand against such findings simply because the findings are supported by scientists (or movie stars or Democrats or some other group).
Maybe we need to get ahead of the culture on things God cares about--including stewardship of our planet.
p. 16 The perception that evangelicals embrace a particular political party is not entirely inaccurate...(citing a poll showing that 78% of white evangelicals voted for George W. Bush)
(Citing Sojourner's Jim Wallis) Endorsing political candidates is a fine thing, but ordaining them is not.
The danger of affiliating too closely with any political party is that we can no longer judge that party's actions by the values of the kingdom.
p.18 (Citing Phillip Jenkins "The Next Christendom") ...in the future, religion will be the most defining characteristic of people, taking precedence even over national identity. In a world of shifting political boundaries, people will identify with a religious faith more strongly than with the country they live in.
...half of the people who go to church attended churches in the top 10 percent of church size. Clearly, more than half of all churchgoers prefer large churches.
p. 19 Young evangelical Christians are giving a new face to Christianity. They are arguably more socially aware, more connected and more globally oriented than evangelicals of previous generations. They are more apt to rally around bringing help to hurting people, ending human trafficking, pursuing issues of justice, fighting AIDS, stopping genocide in Africa, and putting an end to global warming than they are to march against gay marriage or for prayer in school or in favor of posting the Ten Commandments.
p. 20 Thirty-five percent of evangelicals now say that the religious right does not reflect their views.
Religion is for people who are afraid to go to hell. And spirituality is for those of us who have been there and back. (Citing Bonnie Raitt at a concert in NYC)
p. 21 Although spiritual interest is high, people are looking for new places to find spiritual vitality and authenticity.
(Citing Ed Stetzer) "...a growing number of people are finding Christian discipleship and community in places other than their local churches. The study found that 24.5% of Americans now say their primary form of spiritual nourishment is meeting with a small group of 20 or less people every week."
(Citing Neil Cole in "Organic Church") defines church as "the presence of Jesus among his people, called out as a spiritual family to pursue his mission on this planet."
p. 22 (Citing David Smith) the real problem of the Christian mission in the modern west is not the absence of spiritual hunger in the postmodern generation but rather the church's failure to recognize the existence and significance of this quest on the part of thousands of people beyond its doors.
A collapse in the church culture certainly does not mean the collapse of the church.
(Speaking of Israel being carried into exile in Babylon) Everything they trusted in that had worked in the past no longer worked. In a liminal state, what used to seem true is true no longer, and what will be true in the future has not yet been fully revealed.
p.23 In liminal times, there is confusion because the path is unclear.
The world we live and work in is radically different than the world we lived in just a decade ago. And it is safe to say that the world will be very different ten years from now than it is today. The implications are staggering. Programs and tactics that worked in the past won't necessarily be the ones that will be effective in the future.
The future will not be shaped by doing more or better or harder what we have done in the past.
...many of us have been content to do what we have always done.
p. 29 The operative words in the attractional model are "come to". In the attractional mode, we are asking people to substitute something they think is valuable and important for something we think is valuable and important.
p. 30 It is actually far easier, through regular influence, to get the church into the community than through sporadic contact try to get the community into the church.
p. 31 Why has much of the church withdrawn, either physically or psychologically, from the community that God has placed it in?
p. 34 ...this separation is a separation of values and life choices and not a separation of geography, since one cannot be salt, light, and leaven at a distance. These transformational agents work only when they actively mix with what needs to be changed.
p. 47 Every major resource God has given us--leaders to prepare us, the Word to equip us, the body to encourage us, spiritual gifts to enable us, and wealth to pay for things--all points us toward doing something in this world.
p. 50 participating in community ministry once a week or more tended to be associated with higher scores on measures of faith, participating in worship activities more frequently is not associated with higher scores on measures of faith.
p. 75 What is the kingdom? The kingdom of God is any place over which God has operative dominion...The kingdom is where the king is reigning.
p. 76 Church people think about how to get people into the church; Kingdom people think about how to get the church into the world. Church people worry that the world might change the church; Kingdom people work to see the church change the world. We sometimes forget that God designed the church to be a venue where God’s kingdom is realized and made visible in our communities. The church does not exist for itself. The church exists to proclaim and demonstrate that the kingdom is near.
p. 77 God would love to use the church first, but when the church isn't paying attention, he will raise up others who will do the work.
p. 78 God's kingdom work is accomplished by believers and unbelievers--often working side by side.
(Quoting James Boyce) Until we produce our own quality art, our hysterical denunciations of what is admittedly "artistic trash" will fall on deaf ears...If we have not paid our dues by years of making positive contributions to culture, we simply do not have the cultural clout to pontificate about cultural crises.
p. 97 (On partnering) We in the West started as pioneers, but over the years, we have deteriorated into patrons of projects.
p. 98 The rest of the world defines partnerships in terms of marriage--dating and courting--it's a relationship. We talk in terms of "transactional." They talk in terms of "communal."
(Quoting Bob Roberts) Realize that you are going to receive as much from getting to know them and experiencing them as you will give them. Don't forget, you're a pilgrim, not a missionary. A missionary goes and gives with an end-game in mind or a project to complete. A pilgrim simply gives and
receives on a journey.
p. 100 Externally focused churches, by definition, are churches that believe that the gospel is and has always been a message that is best expressed in both words of love and works of love. Good deeds verify the good news, and good news clarifies the good deeds.
p. 105 Younger people respond to being invited into a movement, not a program or a bureaucracy.
p. 111 Partnering and collaboration are not essential for becoming the best church in the community but absolutely essential if you want to be the best church for the community.
p. 114 Churches that are transforming their communities think in terms of sinking wells rather than building walls...Churches that are transforming communities don't divide over their differences but unite with other churches and community service organizations (faith-based or not) around their common love for the community.
p. 144 Wesley did not use small groups for personal Bible study. He felt they got all the Bible they needed to act on during the weekly gathering of the church.
The way we get people into the game is to infuse service and ministry to others into the life of every small group as Wesley did. Every small group that is started has regular engagement in ministry or service outside the church or the small group.
p. 145 The expectation is that every fourth or fifth meeting, the group forgoes chips and dip for serving in its compassion ministry.
p. 148 Serving with others you like being with is a greater motivator than spiritual gifts
(Quoting Matt Carter)
What if we didn't center our small groups around chips and dip, Bible study, and hanging out together and centered instead around a mission?
p. 149 When we aimed simply for community, we got neither community nor mission. When we aimed for mission, we got mission and community almost every single time
p. 150 Imagine what your church would be like and the impact you'd have on your community if every small group served and loved the city? What would it be like if every few weeks, instead of three hours of hospitality, snacks, Bible study, and prayer, the small group acted to meet the needs of something God cares about in the world. When small groups become missional, the church changes..the world changes.
p. 160 (On the ten lepers) We think Jesus knew all along that only one would make the God connection, and yet knowing that nine would go on their merry way didn't prevent Jesus from healing them. He healed them not because they would convert but because they were broken...we serve not to convert but because we have been converted. We serve not to make others Christian but because we are Christians. People are worthy recipients whether they become Christ followers or not. Evangelism is our ultimate motive, but it can never be our ulterior motive for serving.
(Quoting John Stott)
the gospel lacks visibility if we merely preach it, and lacks credibility if we who preach it are interested only in souls and have no concern about the welfare of people's bodies, situations and communities...Love has no need to justify itself. It merely expresses itself in service wherever it sees need.
p. 161 How do mercy and empowerment connect to evangelism? Here's how we make the connection. We say "Good deeds create goodwill, and goodwill is a wonderful platform for good conversations about the good news."
Said by a school principal who asked them to start a church in his building: We notice that every time you people show up, good things happen, and we just want more good things to happen on a more regular basis.
p. 175 Ninety-one percent of people attending highly innovative churches strongly agree their church "has a clear mission and purpose" and see themselves as "a positive force for good in our community."
p. 176 (Quoting Warren Bird)
"Churches that welcome innovation tend to embrace creativity, ingenuity, and divergent ways of thinking inside the box. They have a willingness to change their practice in order to improve performance.
p. 203 What if at the end of the year, everyone in your faith community had a story to tell of how he or she changed the world? For this to happen, the church would need to provide regular opportunities for people to engage the world in such a way that the world would be different because of their action. Wouldn't that be something?
June 13, 2020
The church must continue to look for ways to engage the community. This is a helpful work to get us thinking about ministering in hands on ways in the community. However I would like to hear more about people coming to Christ and growing as disciples. At times I felt like this emphasized too much about only building bridges. However this is certainly a weakness for me, so a good challenge.
July 21, 2012
I found this to be a very engaging and practical resource to help me think creatively and proactively about what an externally-focused church can look like and how to move in that direction. The nine missional concepts were accessible yet inspiring, and the leadership challenge at the end of each chapters asked provocative questions that can help congregations really see how these concepts can apply to their own situations. While I found this book to be extremely helpful, and I will continue to refer to it in my ministry, I noticed two glaring weaknesses: one is that the churches Swanson and Rusaw work with (and used in their interviews for this book) all seem to be of one type (conservative and fairly large – at times I found myself wondering how smaller churches could truly pull off some of the initiatives that were being suggested); and secondly, the fact that in 216 pages, only two women were quoted (in the midst of many many quotes from church leaders), and neither of them were church pastors, was disappointing to me. I feel like the writers for this movement speak a lot about moving beyond the church walls, but they don’t seem to move much beyond their own theological walls.
June 8, 2012
A pretty good introduction to the idea of the "missional church" with plenty of practical ideas and success stories. At times a little repetitive and employs more business language than I'm comfortable with, but has lots of memorable quotes, great ideas, and relevant questions that a congregation can ask.
November 13, 2015
Not much new here. Reggie McNeil's Missional Renaissance is a better choice. Lots of anecdotes but all drawn from mega-churches which can leave those of us in more "traditionally-sized" congregations wondering about transferability. On the other hand, an easy read with some thought-provoking questions for leaders at the end of each chapter.
October 27, 2016
Somewhat helpful. Some good points about being outward focused and intentionally looking for creative ways to serve and benefit the community. However, almost all the examples were from large mega-churches and not all the helpful for smaller churches. However, we can all be encouraged to be more outward focused.
March 16, 2011
wonderful book about being the best church FOR the community not focusing on the desire to be the best church IN the community. Powerful illustrations and true stories that will inspire and move you to action ... action that will truly transform the world.
September 28, 2016
This book is a practical guide for helping congregational leaders think about engaging outreach ministries. While the churches referenced in the book are large-sized congregations, the concepts can be carried to smaller-sized faith communities.
February 22, 2013
So far, thankful for efforts made by Eric Swanson to travel to all these parts of US and now globally to make a difference for His Kingdom!
April 21, 2011
Highly inspirational! Read it and discover the joy of ministry!
February 17, 2013
Chapter 7 on was an amazing book. Great for thinking about how to be the beat church for your community.
July 17, 2014
I am reading this book for a pastors round table in my community. It was okay.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews