In his new book, Whole Church, Mel Lawrenz of Elmbrook Church (Brookfield, WI) discusses how a church can practically apply God’s grace, salvation, and people’s personal lives, in church community, in local community, and globally.

I had the opportunity to ask Mel the following question:
What are the best ways a church can keep itself and protect itself from withdrawing inwardly rather than seeking to engage its local community?

I think community engagement is one of the great movements of God through the church today. All over the country churches are re-discovering the joy of getting outside the walls of the church, serving in the local community, and glorifying God in it. There are 350 practical ideas for cohesion in Whole Church, some of which are about community engagement.

But I think the real focus is here: congregations will get moving out into the community when they are given imagination and inspiration. In other words, rather than form a church program where people can plug into the community, we should scour our congregations, discovering the examples of where the people are already doing it, and then tell the stories with power and conviction. Tell the story of the woman who is tutoring at the local rescue mission, the coffee-shop owner who uses his place for a Sunday-night college group, the young adult group that volunteers at a nursing home once a month. Find such stories, and dozens others, and tell them.

Challenge the congregation to look around their own communities, to use their own imaginations, to give something a try. But tell them NOT to wait for specific marching orders from the top.

For more excerpts of Mel’s wisdom check out Leadership Network’s blog tour.