This is the third installment in a series about effective outreach strategies for the American church contributed by Ben Griffin, LINC's CEO

Have you noticed the trend?

The Christian church in America does not have a great reputation.

A 2020 Barna study found that only 25% of non-Christians in the US believe that the Christian church makes a positive impact in society. 18% percent believe that the Christian church has a negative impact on society. According to this study, nearly 57% of non-Christians in the US have a less than positive view of the Christian church.

Nearly 57% of non-Christians in the US have a less than positive view of the Christian church

Author Aaron Renn notes three distinct stages the US culture has gone through in its view toward the church.

He says it this way:

Within the story of American secularization, there have been three distinct stages:

• Positive World (Pre-1994): Society at large retains a mostly positive view of Christianity.
• Neutral World (1994–2014): Society takes a neutral stance toward Christianity.
• Negative World (2014–Present): Society has come to have a negative view of Christianity.

Source: https://www.firstthings.com/article/2022/02/the-three-worlds-of-evangelicalism

In short, we live in a world where the trends in American society are growing more and more negative in regards to the church. Society sees the church as irrelevant.

What the Church used to be known for:

The church’s reputation has never been about being popular.

Jesus does tell us that the church should have a reputation for “loving thy neighbor”.

The church once was and should be known for how we sacrificially love others.

This was the reputation of the first followers of Jesus. Christians in the first 300 years after Jesus’ resurrection were known for amazing acts of sacrificial love. They were not popular by the standards of modern culture but they were known for their love. There are multiple documented plagues in which Christians cared for the sick, even at the cost of their own health.

During the plague of Cyprian, where 5,000 people were dying a day, Dionysius (not a Christian) said this,

“Most of our brother-Christians showed unbounded loved and loyalty, never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another. Heedless of the danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ, and with them departed this life serenely happy; for they were infected by others with the disease, drawing on themselves the sickness of their neighbours and cheerfully accepting their pains.”

Isn’t that what the Gospel is all about, God’s sacrificial love for people. Shouldn’t sacrificial love be how the world knows us?

This is having a reputation for the Gospel.

Here is a new/old model to share to help restore the reputation of the church

This is and has been the missionary model for centuries. Many churches today are operating as if this model is only for the foreign mission field.  We, at LINC have found it to be very effective in engaging today’s diverse American cultural landscape.

Here is the missionary model:

If we were to start a new mission in Ghana, this is the model we would follow. First, identify local leaders. Then empower them to start ventures that serve people. Make a positive difference in people’s lives (really care). Then disciple those whom God is impacting to become the future empowered leaders.

This is also the model played out in America’s past. Remember the days when Christians were leading the way in opening hospitals, schools and so many other ventures that positively impacted the community.

Sacrificially serving the needs of people in our local communities is a critical component of modern day mission work.

Before Jesus spoke to the 5,000, he fed them. We are commanded in Scripture over and over again to love our neighbors.

At LINC, one of the ways that we see that played out through the work of highly localized nonprofits. Local, grassroots leaders who have a God-given dream to help those in the communities both socially and Spiritually.

Imagine a future where the Christian church in America is once again seen as a leading force in addressing our societies deepest needs.

A future where Christians are once again known for their Gospel-motivated love.

And remember, You. Are. The. Church.

How is God calling you to serve your neighbor?