While looking for ways to blast a message to the community about a new church revitalization effort, I stumbled across a site that caught me up short.

The site talks about the end of outreach, but introduces the concept of “withreach.” Withreach is a response to a perception that outreach/evangelism is all “information push” – meaning we give the message we think the other person wants or needs to hear, but don’t stop and listen to their concerns first. Without listening, we sometimes will run past the one key objection that might be easily overcome.

We think of the church as a body. The Apostle Paul taught us that there are many parts to the fully functioning congregation, but the site says that the church is seen by unchurched people as a mouth instead of an ear, a hand or a heart.

“Listening is the only way we can find out what (the Holy Spirit) is doing there, what He wants us to cooperate with. Through incarnational listening the agent of transformation is also transformed. Creative opportunities for the Kingdom abound in community conversations and one-on-one listening times.”

It is the job of the pastor, as chief teacher and encourager of the congregation, is to train the congregation to talk with the unchurched, not at them. Not until you begin this “incarnational listening” will you be heard when they are ready to receive the Gospel message. We have to be engaged in what matters to them before they will hear what matters to us.

If you want to learn more about Withreach, visit their website.