Organic Outreach works in the New Zealand Context

Riccarton Community Church and Organic Outreach 2019

As a church it is always easy to default to being inward looking. To combat this Riccarton Community Church went looking for something that would take our church forward in outreach and would not be just another evangelism programme or new evangelism technique. We were fortunate to discover the book “Organic Outreach for Churches” by Kevin Harney, Senior Pastor, Shoreline Church, California, and to attend a conference where he was presenting.

We also spent time with the leadership team at Lifezone Church in Tauranga and were impressed at how well the Organic Outreach principles work in a New Zealand context.

Organic Outreach provides a practical framework to equip churches to improve and enhance their outreach culture. Riccarton Community Church is 18 months into implementing the simple but challenging principles of Organic Outreach. We feel as though we are just starting our journey but have seen some gains already in changing our outreach culture and effectiveness.

 
We would recommend churches explore the principles of Organic Outreach to see if they might work in their context. Some of them are:

Six Levels of Influence
If we are to see the church become a powerful force for the gospel, it takes unleashing evangelistic passion, vision, and action at every level of our ministries. This principle explores how outreach passion can be transferred around your church.
 
30 Days Rule
It has been said that 'vision leaks' and in church, sadly, evangelism leaks first. To stay passionate about outreach, a fresh infusion is needed every month. A yearly emphasis is not enough, nor an occasional pep talk. We are in a spiritual battle – Eph 6:10-12. Every 30 days, every ministry of church needs to look closely at their plans for outreach. It’s about inspiration, accountability, training, and strategic planning. 
 
One Degree Rule
Every follower of Jesus has an outreach temperature – be it hot or cold or somewhere in the middle. This temperature impacts the way we live our lives and interact with those who are far from God.  It is our responsibility to increase our temperature on a regular basis.
 
Two Degree Rule
Vectoring our current church resources, time, care, energy, and love towards those in the community who are not yet followers of Jesus. It’s about identifying what we are already doing in church and extending it to spiritual seekers. Every ministry needs to have an outreach component.