Leading God’s people into outward focused living requires leaders to create opportunities that transform people’s “want to’s” (produced by the Holy Spirit) into “how to’s.” My workshops are designed to inspire the desire and build the skills necessary for implementing outward focused living. However, I’ve found that very few Christ followers are moved to application unless their faith community provides a grace-filled, intentional, follow-through that emphasizes doable, authentic, sustainable, baby steps that help people grow in their confidence and competence. The following ideas are intended to provide you some food for thought as you engage in the challenge of transforming “innies” into “outies.” 

Things to Consider as You Begin the Journey Outward

 * Do not push people into action beyond the capacity of what their heart is ready for. In most cases if you do, they might participate on the outside, but on the inside they will resist the notion of this becoming part of their overall lifestyle.

* Never underestimate the aversion people have towards outward focused living. You must help them work through their issues. Their heart is the heart of the matter. When the heart is right, the feet will follow, if there is a well defined path that is practical and doable. If your people are not moving, it’s time to stop and find out what the heart issues are. The following represent the top 10 questions Christ followers ask me in my workshops. You must address these if you want to see your faith community move past their inward focused inclinations.

 1. How do you start authentic spiritual conversations without turning people off?

2. How do you reclaim missed opportunities to share the good news?

3. How do you overcome a fear of rejection and/or failure in evangelism?

4. How do you know when someone is ready?

5. How do you reach someone who doesn’t want to hear it?

6. How do you repair evangelistic bridges that have been burnt in the past?

7. Is it wrong to have an evangelical agenda in my relationships?

8. Who are we to declare to others that our God is better than their God?

9. I’m afraid they will ask me ?'s I won’t be able to answer; what do you do when this happens?

10. Evangelism is not my gift. Is everyone called to do it?

* Don’t teach it without doing it! Jesus trained people in the ministry, not for the ministry. In most cases long-time believers have had way to much teaching without any application. Nudge them out of the nest to create a hunger for more. Jesus modeled this when he sent out the 72 in Luke 10.

* Watch the language you use because it will shape the way your faith community looks at outreach. Anything that creates an “us vs. them” mentality, or an attitude of moral superiority is not helpful in connecting with not-yet Christians.

* Create a grace and truth filled learning environment where practitioners can share their successes and failures in their journey towards outward focused living. Find ways to champion the small victories people experience along the way.

* While doing outward focused things in community, always provide time for your people to express what’s been impressed on them by their experiences. Always conclude with a challenge to take what’s been learned corporately and apply it individually. If you do not, the tendency is for Christ followers to reduce outreach into an event rather than a lifestyle. Events are great for momentum, instruction, etc., but can easily leave people with the mindset that once it’s over they are done with this “outward focused” thing until the next event. You will have to slay this beast early, and often, if you want your people given to mission right where they work and live Monday thru Saturday.

* If you are feeling overwhelmed with the idea of leading your faith community into outward focused living and need a coach, click on "Coaching" in the submenu under "Resources" to find out how we can team up together.

Guiding Your People Across the "Us" / "Them" Divide

Leading people into a new way of acting and feeling usually requires a new way of thinking. It’s been said that you will always be what you have always been, if you always do what you have always done. If you have been involved in Christian leadership for very long, you are well aware that change happens very slowly in most faith communities. If you want to microwave the process of change, I would suggest focusing on one of the big ideas from "God Space" for three months at a time. However, I have a holy hunch that you would be much more satisfied with the results from a “slow and steady wins the race” kind of mindset. If you were to spend one year on each of the big ideas in "God Space", a greater percentage of your faith community would be apt to join you somewhere along the road in the outward focused journey.

Jesus told his disciples that He had many more things to share with them but they were not yet ready to receive them. Therefore, regardless of how you go about it, don’t move on until your people get the big idea. How will you know when they get it, you ask? Whenever they are consistently sharing stories, and raising questions from their own personal application of these ideas. To facilitate a laboratory for this learning process, some Christ followers will need encouragement to venture out beyond their "Christian ghetto"  by joining a new club, pursuing a hobby or beginning a recreational pursuit with other not-yet Christians.

Lasting transformation will not likely happen unless you are willing to die on the outwardly focused hill. Most faith communities have a strong under current of inward focused thinking which feels normal and comfortable. Poking at this is similar to stirring up a hornets nest. You had better be prepared to get stung a few times. Speaking from my own experience, if you have not come to a place of living for an audience of One, you might want to heed the words of Jesus found in Luke 14:26-30.