Promotion of Christ through the arts: movie nights, concerts (from more frequent Nights of Worship, rock, pop, hip-hop, poetry slam, battle of the bands), and visual arts (we frequently have wonderful art, but maybe more deliberate gallery type areas of the church). Dare I even suggest a “Buckhead Church Has Talent” night?

Check out Ecclesia in Houston (www.ecclesiahouston.org) and go to Where We Meet: Our Arts Center as an example.

To reach the people nobody else is reaching, you’re probably going to have to leave the church building and the church programming out of it, because that’s what everyone else is using.

All I know to suggest is to use the church programming and events to challenge and disciple people and train them so that they can join God in what he is doing. So much of our involvement in what God is up to has to come from the leading of the Holy Spirit, so we have to learn as people and as a church how to follow that, how to engage in conversations with people, how to apologize for bad experiences with the church, how to love well. None of that happens outside of relationship with Jesus, which is why I say disciple people and grow people in whatever ways it takes so that they are ready to do the “reaching” the other 5 or 6 days a week.

The developing relationship with the Atlanta Public School System is a great example of Faith in Action! The Body of Christ impacting and engaging our community by meeting relevant needs so we may “gain the respect of outsiders.” This goes back to Andy’s message about creating an influence in culture as a Moral Authority.

One-on-one mentoring/discipling of seekers/new believers. I know the Starting Point environment addresses this, but people only participate in Starting Point for a couple of months. We need something modeled on the relationship Paul had with Timothy where a mature believer pours his life into the next generation. I know we have mature followers of Jesus at Buckhead who would be willing to do this and we certainly have seekers/new believers among us who would like to develop a relationship with someone who so obviously has something (genuine relationship w/God) that they want!

Jake is on to something, and I don’t think it should be limited to just mentoring seekers/new believers. There are a lot of “experienced” believers who need this as well. For example, a new husband that is a believer, but would just like to spend time with a “successful” husband to gain wisdom; new mothers mentored by an empty nest mother, etc. This would go along way to address the community ideas mentioned in other posts.

Nice call, Jake.

To add to TG’s comments Sports/Athletics – with BC been so close proximity to the start of the Ptree Road Race, we should organize a 5k race sometime in late may or early June that would help train the runners in their training for the Peachtree Road Race.

As the title says what a “Great Quote”… and a great vision for any ministry to focus on. I think the obvious question that needs to asked along side of this is “who is not being reached that we have the oppurtunity to reach”. As Akash has pointed out, all of these ideas are great ways to reach people but they are being done and the people that they are focused on are the same people that most ministries (churches) focus on.

I am curious how we define ‘people no one else is reaching’? This is the first step to defining a ministry that reaches them.

To answer my own question, I would say the crowd that first pops into my heart are those that have been COMPLETELY turned off to God because that truly don’t know the love HE has for them. It’s a small group (but then I think that those who are not being reached are a smaller crowd as a whole when you compare it to those that already have a ministry focused to them) many of whom call themselves ‘atheist’ or ‘agnostic’ but just becuase they have given up on God doesn’t mean we should give up on them.

How can we reach these folks. How can we even get them to open their hearts to God let alone enter a building or event that is totally God focused?

BC along with other Northpoint churches definitely sets the bar in creating irresistible environments that attract folks to check out what a relationship with Christ is all about, whereas they wouldn’t consider more traditional church environs.
Something that must also exist is having irresistible witnesses to accompany the irresistible environments. Are we embodying that transcending joy and peace which makes a jaded postmodern American or newly arrived immigrant both similarly remark, “man, what do they have that I don’t and how can I get some of that?” Are our relationships with each other a true reflection of our relationship with God? Are we seeking accountability for those areas we struggle in while extending the kind of grace desperately needed in a tremendously sinful and broken world that is a genuine replication of Christ?
As just one example: Being a church that has a majority of singles, what kind of witness or evidence can we embody in ourselves (with the help of the Holy Spirit :-) and in our conduct with each other that would make a typical American, college-educated, unwed cohabiting couple who may be happy as larks reconsider how they are living to honor God in their relationship and wait until marriage?

A unique ministry I participated in last year was one that goes to sci-fi and fantasy conventions like DragonCon on Labor Day weekend: http://www.fansforchrist.org. At DragonCon, you will find people living openly and proudly in sin, but they need to be reached no less and God loves them no less than any other group in our society. Ironically the Fans For Christ table was set up across from the Skeptics Society in a hotel lobby, and both groups respected the other for being there. Though few in number, people came up to the table to thank us for recognizing that Christians are among the attendees at such an event and for reaching out to that demographic. Talking about reaching people no one else is reaching! Fans for Christ even had a small Sunday morning worship service at one of the convention hotels and I brought my non-Christian cousin to it, who I accidentally ran into at the Con and hardly ever sets foot in a church.

There is a great church a few blocks down the street from Buckhead Church that already has a successful sports ministry. I am even sure our church is larger in numbers than theres and they are probably 50 times older than us. So I don’t think that is the answer. Besides that, Andy said I while back that our churches mission is not to create another sports league. He’d rather have us out in the secular sports leagues living as a example of Christ.

I like what someone said about defining who we should be reaching? Is the the low income people in our community? Or the high end wealthy people a few blocks away? I think we need more guidance from our church’s staff on who our church is designed to reach. Then I think we can brainstorm on how we are going to reach them. My first idea is to goto them. Hard enough to get them to our church. I think going to them is the first step.

I’m so encouraged to see all these comments.
As we have sat in a circle the last few weeks and asked ourselves this same question, we have come up with lots of the same answers.
I am REALLY excited that we are taking a step “outside of the walls” of Buckhead Church starting September.
We are going to be announcing a new project that we are starting at the August 14th Night of Worship.
You will want to be there for this exciting announcement.
Thanks for your dreams church.

carlos

Carlos, it’s not nice to tease us like that ;)

As for Luke’s question, I think the answer can be found in the Great Commission: “all nations”.

Jeff, when you say the church will be different in 10 years, do you mean Buckhead church or the way we do church in general? I’d like to think church in general could change in the next 10 years but we’ve been doing it the same for the last few hundred (with a little change in emphasis on liturgy). Some think we’re due for a change (Phyllis Tickle had an interesting talk on this at Mars Hill recently). It’d be cool if we could get back to the first century church, but I think there are a lot of cultural push backs to that mostly because “community” is defined a lot different these days.

Akash, yes to your question. Both Buckhead and the Church at large. I think there are so many positive things happening with the Church both domestically and internationally that will lead us to an even stronger place when 2018 rolls around. The key is to be more in love with our Savior and His message than in our methodology of spreading that message.

Wow, I’m sure I’m going to sound uncharacteristically fundamentalist with this comment but I feel like it needs to be said nonetheless.

There have been many churches that have become “relevant” and “seeker-friendly” over the past 10-15 years. Ironically, while these churches have broken away from the norm (i.e. traditional churches) they have become alot like each other. Perhaps, the intent was never to become unique — that’s not relevant to this discuss anyway. What is relevant is what has happened to some of those churches as they have transitioned to becoming “relevant”. That something is a trade-off of emphasis on bible-teaching with relevance and seeker-friendly environments.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that NPCC/BC/BBCC has become heretical or lost their focus on bible-teaching. Andy does a great job on Sunday morning explaing the Word and small groups and Starting Point serve their purpose. What I’m getting at is that I feel that their is a need for environments that focus on deeper biblical understanding. I realize that theo-practicy (spelling?) is being offered and that NPCC is experimenting with potential small group models that would lend itself to address this issue. My only point (as round-about as it may be) is that Buckhead Church needs an environment for those looking to take the next step in their understanding (and consequent obedience) of Christianity — and specifically the Bible — while in a group setting.

Call it the “Back Porch” if you like. :) That’s where all the serious conversations happened when I grew up.

Brian- like you, I would miss the gathering together for worship and connection. Plus, as a small group leader I feel like I get the connection of a “house church” while at the same time experiencing the thrill of worshipping together in a larger context. But then again, that’s just me. Sounds like you and I are on the same page. At the same time, I love how the Church can express itself in different ways and methodologies. Yet another reason why church should never be boring!

I have just a few thoughts to share.

I assume the event name, “722″ will be retired. After all, it’s a reference to 2 Samuel 7:22, which reflected the focus of the original team to bring Atlanta (Christian) singles together to corporately bring praise and glory to God. Well, now that the focus is shifting to reaching lost singles in Buckhead, a new verse / title needs to be identified which reflects this change. And it must be a title that would not make a non-believing attendee sense that they are a target.

By the way – I’m all for the shift in focus. Both are legitimate focuses and it seems Sunday service environments keep both in mind. Yet I think it appropriate for the new “722″ to focus on creating an environment where lost singles would feel especially welcomed and comfortable – so that in time, they might accept the invite to a Sunday service. To this end, I think there is little need to speak of what Christians need, but rather how do we attract non-Christian singles to the event – whether it be in the church building or not.

One suggestion in this regard: Make the event very interactive. Once prime objective for singles is to meet that special someone – and not especially for marriage (so no “how to be ready for marriage” type messages, which might needlessly scare them off). What singles want is an opportunity to catch the eye of someone that interests them and you can’t do that sitting in rows, watching some sort of performance. It has to be some sort of environment where you are regularly instructed to turn to those around you and interact in some way. It gives individuals an opportunity to be known and that is what most singles, like myself, what – IMO. This may almost sound like Fusion, but Fusion is sort of geared toward insiders.

In general, we need to focus in on the felt needs of the lost singles we are trying to reach. This is a difficult task since the spectrum is widening as time goes on. We have young professionals who don’t yet feel that something is missing in their life and resent people who imply that they should. Those that are feeling it. Many divorced people, like myself, that have different life issues than their younger counterparts – yet still have that basic need to connect in a meaningful way with someone special.

Jeff — Thanks for the follow-up. From speaking with John Hambrick a few weeks back it definitely seems that the Groups team is thinking outside the box to come up with new and relevant ways for people to connect with others and grow spiritually.

To clarify my prior comment, I think Buckhead Church is headed in the right direction to put resources into the hands of leaders. I suppose my larger concern is in regard a seeming “lack” (I use that term loosely) of structured teaching. Again, this goes back entirely to a difference of opinion in methodology. Call it personal preference if you like. To be quite honest though, I hope my personal preferences NEVER get in the way of what God has in store for anyone — especially HIS church.

I have always been frustrated by the propensity of mainstream churches, many like the ones where I have pastored, who cater to those “who could pay us back” (Luke 14:12) instead of reaching out to the disenfranchised, mentally ill, poor, maligned, imprisoned.
I think the answer to your question and to our calling is easy. We need to open our eyes where we live, work , and worship. We need to divert our efforts away from building “successful” churches where Jesus wouldn’t come (except to kick over tables).