burb missionary

This evening our family went to visit our church's new location. We're in a school right now and are going to lease 6,700 sq ft of a strip mall. I've always had a missionary mindset. I dig the whole PDC thing...Find a target group and strategize how to reach them for Christ.

According to a friend that looked at planting a church in my area, the population here is about 80% unchurched. Kind of mind boggling since there seems to be a zillion churches in North Atlanta. The zip codes that we impact have an average age of 33 and they have 2.3 kids. The bulk of people end up in the 18-45 year old range. So what does that mean if I'm going to be a burb missionary?

For starters, we have to do church for the next generation. We have to offer culture things that they perceive as adding value to their lives like positive life change, good music, coffee, community, and a safe place for their kids. Some churches do pretty well at making that happen. The only problem is, per capita the number of churches that do it great are pretty scarce. I can name couple of church plants in our area that are doing better than most, but for the most part I would say churches are missing the target.

What do I think it will take to be a burb missionary?

1) Create a space that has visual continuity with current culture. When people walk into where you meet do whatever you can to give them a vibe that says, "These people know what important to me." For The Journey that means they'll walk into a Starbuck's like atmosphere with a full service coffee bar. Just beyond that will be an eye catching kid's ministry check-in that any Discovery Point would be willing to put in their lobby. When they walk into the auditorium they'll probably feel more like they're in a club or an oversized and unfreaking-believable home theatre. Did I mention that it would seat less than 200? I didn't think so. A driving force in that number was finances. Another driving force is that we want to...

2) Engage people. I watched U2's video they made to kick off their How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb project. Instead of a huge media blitz, they hopped on a flatbed trailer and drove around NYC playing their music. Along their route, they engaged the public. They shared their pizza with a fan. They let some guy sit in and play drums for an entire song. They let a guy make his debut singing. They did a free concert under the Brooklyn bridge. Marketing genius you say? Maybe. I call it fresh, exciting, and an astute analysis of what our culture wants...to be engaged. For The Journey that means engaging the seeker. Let them see us worship. Take risks and engage people. Jesus did.

3) Talk about things that matter to people. Talk radio understands culture. They talk about things people are interested in. So does TV. So does the film industry. So should the church. Whether it's expository or topical teaching, just make sure you apply the truth of Scripture to meet people's needs and overcome their fears. Honestly and clearly engaging people with God's word is what my worship arts pastor calls innertainment. It's all about offering the life-changing Gospel in an interesting but clear way.

More on being a burb missionary as I take this from theory to reality.