Author and leadership consultant Reggie McNeal mixes humor effectively with his ground-breaking presentations to drive home a point: today, Christians must reach the world on its turf.

"We're fooling around doing church and (non-members) are not coming," McNeal said at a conference last year. "We don't expect them to become like us. We reach them in their culture."

During his session, he gave two examples of congregations doing just that:

Churches on mission

McNeal calls such stances "missional," where churches adopt a missionary mindset to reach their communities, just as missionaries embrace culture overseas.

I've come across signs of this that lead me to believe this approach is filtering across the country. Take June's New Mexico Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, where the presiding bishop challenged people to get outside their buildings.

"What does the Lord require of us?" asked Bishop Max Whitfield. "Love God, love the neighbor, make disciples…These are not multiple-choice expectations of faithfulness and effectiveness. Jesus expects all three."

What's encouraging is to see practical examples. For example, in late March historic Scofield Memorial Church—named for former Pastor C.I. Scofield, author of the famous study Bible—in Dallas canceled Palm Sunday services so members could do community projects.

Among them were tutoring high school students preparing for standardized state tests, building handicap ramps for seniors, helping a crisis pregnancy center, and the culmination of a month-long food drive.

Associate Pastor Neil Curran says 75 percent of its average Sunday attendance of 500 participated in some way. While no one it helped has joined, about a dozen families who liked Scofield's pro-active approach are now attending.

Echoing McNeal, Curran says, "We're becoming more missional. We built some bridges in the community and it invigorated our own congregation. It got them to thinking outward."

The net result is the church hopes of these kinds of activities on a consistent basis. This summer it has been holding a day camp where African refugees' children can learn more about American culture. More members plan to tutor pupils in the future.

"As St. Francis said, ‘Preach Christ and when necessary, use words,'" Curran notes.

Helping the needy

More recently I learned about two elementary-age girls in south central Kentucky who are spearheading a new ministry to collect used—but still wearable—shoes for needy students.

The Southern Baptists call their effort "Sole to Soul." They hope when school starts in early August, few will lack a basic necessity. For a spiritual witness, each pair of shoes will have an information card about the ministry and the plan of salvation.

While the Kentucky Baptist Convention (KBC) hasn't lent any financial support to this endeavor, this spring it gave a $500 grant to a woman from the same church to help her start a mentoring program for young people.

"We're trying to encourage churches to think of ways they can reach their communities," says Eric Allen, director of KBC's mission service and ministries. "If we're serious about sharing Christ, we have to get out in the community."

Or, as McNeal puts it, "Why did Jesus go to the well? In a water-toting culture, where do people hang out?"