Why bother engaging our community?

Last week I wrote about this phenomenon: we all live a series of mini or micro-cultures. I argued that because we exist in both the church mini-culture and other mini-cultures then these relationships are given by God to help us connect Christian culture with our other cultures. I also called us to think about who else from our church culture lives in the mini-cultures we inhabit and to think about how we can work together to reach people.

This leaves us with a problem. Geographically, very few of the ‘parishes’ in which we live operate as a mini-culture.

In fact, some mini-cultures are much bigger than our parish boundaries. For example people committed to jousting will travel from all over Sydney to enjoy their pastime with others.

It is a fact that the mini-cultures we inhabit often have nothing to do with the geography of our parish. If our neighbours’ ‘mini-cultures’ don’t fit our parish boundaries, why bother engaging our community? Why should we bother trying to make contact with our neighbours and connect, even if this is one of the main activities of Connect 09?

At a sociological level, the reason to be concerned for the residents our parish is that someone has to be. It is fine to think in terms of mini-cultures. But no matter how many mini-cultures we engage with, there will still be others with whom we have not made contact.

A simple and effective way to make contact with our parish is by doorknocking, which also is an important part of Connect 09.

There are many more, but here are five reasons for doorknocking.

1. God is at work. God chooses to use people prayerfully presenting the Lord Jesus of the Bible to people. As we make contact and give a portion of the Scriptures to people, God will be at work bringing about his purposes.

2. Having to move out of our familiar territory of church into the familiar territory of others at their front door will move us out of our cloister mentality. It is so easy and so common to think that if we just run high quality programs people will come to us. This is not often the case, and doorknocking will help us in changing our thinking.

3. Research has shown that residents on whose doors we knock are not unhappy to have us do this. The unhappiness arises when they think we are trying to sell them something or won't let them finish the contact.

4. We do it together. I think we should doorknock in pairs. This helps us both get over our nerves, steels us for ministry and builds relationships.

5. It works. A friend who went into a parish hostile to the gospel set about doorknocking the whole parish over five years. He says that nearly 10 percent of the people he met doorknocking ended up becoming Christians. I notice in conducting Moore College Missions that the most effective long term result in people being contacted and coming to faith occurs through initial door knocking!

Excuse the pun, but door knocking opens doors to begin relationship with the people of our parishes. It is making contact. Once we have made contact, the more difficult work of connection has to begin.