Churches can be both attractional and missional, Eric Swanson, co-author of The Externally Focused Church, emphasized to participants at a recent EKG-U junket learning session.

Referring to Matthew 22:2-5, Swanson told attendees that the King is inviting everyone to the banquet and still not all will attend.

“We tell people what we have on the menu—children’s programs, men’s ministries—but still people do not come,” said Swanson.

Swanson mused that Jesus was the most attractive figure in all of history, yet the church at times can be incredibly repulsive.  Individuals today can be drawn to Jesus, but turned away by the church. 

Swanson proposed healthy churches are both attractional and missional.  Attractional churches invite people to “come to” and missional churches invited people to “go out.”

“Churches can be both,” he offered.

Drawing on 25 years of experience with Campus Crusade, the popular author stressed the importance of community involvement and engagement for churches.  He sited a lunch with a community service coordinator from whom he requested a list of all organizations that could benefit from extra volunteers.  Swanson questioned the first organization listed, an animal rehabilitation clinic, as not really in the realm of attraction to most churches.  A lay-leader attending the lunch piped up and mentioned the organization fit exactly into her desires and skill set. 

“Finding what most makes us come alive in serving Christ is not just for people in ‘full time Christian service.’  It is for everyone in our churches,” commented Swanson.

Swanson encouraged those attending to think in terms of a congregation of 500 people serving 500 others in the community and at any given moment a pastor could point to an individual and ask them about their service outside of the church.

“We want people [in the community] to think ‘I don’t go to church, but if I did, I would want to go to one like yours,’” he said.

Serving others not only meets the needs of the community, but also gives Christians a sense of purpose through their serving.  Siting the popularity of the bestselling The Purpose Driven Life, Swanson suggested that people long for a sense of purpose in which they know their life counts for something.  He proposed changing the popular evangelistic question.

“Instead of asking someone, ‘If you were to die tonight….,’ what we should be asking is ‘What if you were to live for 70 more years, would you have a purpose big enough to carry you?’”

EKG-U is an interactive network learning network which includes on-line learning, access to learning junkets and career and personal assessments. 

For more information on EKG-U log on to www.scbaptist.org or call 1-800-723-7242.