Ministry in Your Local Community
You have a heart for people close to you (family, friends, neighbors) and an opportunity to incorporate ministry into your everyday life among them. How can you do this? To-do lists can be time tyrants, and bringing conversations about Christ into these relationships can be intimidating. Here are some ideas and resources to help clear the hurdles and have a fruitful ministry:
Family
- Parents have unique opportunities to minister to their children and to one another. Cru’s FamilyLife ministry is dedicated to building godly marriages and families, and their growing archive of helpful articles can equip you to build this steady foundation.
- Sharing Christ with non-Christian family members isn’t easy. Cru staff member Randy Newman wrote a book designed to help. This article offers some “Cliffs Notes.”
Friends and Neighbors
- Children can open natural relational doors with neighbors, but you don’t have to have children to build relationships with those living around you. A Block party is a great way to meet people, have fun and build a foundation for neighborhood community. Learn more about this and other good neighboring ideas here.
- Start bringing faith into your conversations with these ideas: the SomeTime Outreach Strategy, “5 Tips for Making God an Everyday Conversation”.
- FamilyLife has some great small group resources that could help you lovingly share Christ and invest in your friends’ marriages.
Local Schools
- If you have teenagers, or even know teenagers, Cru High School has opportunities to get involved reaching middle and high school students for Christ. You could help bring the gospel to a school Cru hasn’t yet been able to reach!
- College students: Being involved with Cru or similar campus ministries gives you a place to grow and be equipped to share Christ. Find a local community on your campus.
Workplace
- You can start a spiritual discussion group at lunch or after work. You could also try gathering with other Christians in the office to study Scripture and collaborate in how you can share Christ with your co-workers. The article “How to incorporate your faith at work” is a great starting point for motivation and resources.
- Find a community of Christian business people in your area. Some recommended ones are LeaderImpact, The Christian Business Network, and CBMC International.
- Read “A Theology of Work” to consider how God desires to use your work to glorify Him and build His kingdom.
Wondering if another type of ministry suits you better? Check out these other ways to serve:
