100 Creative Ministry Outreach Ideas for Every Size, Budget, and Neighborhood

We asked churches of all sizes from across the country to submit their best outreach ideas. Take a look at their suggestions—you may find a few (or more) new outreaches that your church can adopt.

100 Outreach Ideas to Connect With Your Community

OUTREACH IDEAS: START AT CHURCH 

1. Mobilize individuals to evangelize. Encourage people to pray for and share the gospel with just one person. Formalize it by having them write the name of their “one” on a wall or cross on your campus. Pair people up to pray for each other and hold each other accountable.
2. Create a walking labyrinth. You can make a walking labyrinth from a variety of materials, such as stone, grass or gravel. It generally is a winding path that makes its way in a circuitous way from the outside to the center. Whether simple or elaborate, a labyrinth provides a great opportunity for you to invite people onto your campus for some peace, quiet, solitude and a time to pray. 
3. Send direct mail. A basic postcard is still a great way to say hi to your neighbors, let them know you care and get your church’s name and info in their hands. Outreach Inc., the parent company of Outreach magazine, offers many options. Check out Outreach.com/Church-Postcards/.
4. Deliver treats to guests. Use the information provided on connection cards to have volunteers deliver cookies (pies or cupcakes work, too), no strings attached. 
5. Befriend a pastor of a different ethnicity. Build a relationship, learn from them and then commit to doing an upcoming event(s) together.
6. Make your space available. Local scout troops, sports teams, community education classes and other churches need a place to meet. Offer your campus or a part of it at no cost to organizations or ministries that need a venue. 
7. Take it on the road. Commit to doing your service at an outdoor location—like a local park—once or twice a year. There’s a good chance you’ll attract people not comfortable walking through church doors. 
8. Partner with an international church. Through Adventures in Missions’ Church-to-Church program (Adventures.org/ChurchToChurch), pair up with a congregation across the world. You may help plant another church, help with a specific project, offer financial and spiritual support, or all of the above.
9. Become a foster- and adoption-friendly church. Check out Project 1:27 (Project127.org), an organization helping churches and families foster and adopt kids in their own neighborhood.
   

OUTREACH IDEAS: GO IN THE COMMUNITY

10. Feed firefighters. Bring a grill-able dinner—burgers, steak, etc.—to your local fire department. Let them know in advance that you’re coming and that you’ll be grilling and serving them a meal simply to say thanks for the work they do. 
11. Wake up your bus drivers. Get up early to bring coffee to school bus drivers before they head out on their routes. 
12. Host a veterinary clinic. Work with Christian Veterinary Mission (CVM.org) to provide veterinary care in underserved areas. (See “Paws and Reflect” on Page 40.)
13. Hit downtown streets with coffee. Go early and choose a day that’s cold—you’ll be a crowd favorite among those on the go by passing out steaming cups of joe. 
14. Have a food truck fun day. Whether they serve barbecue, ice cream or tacos, food trucks will attract neighbors and give you a chance to introduce your church over good eats. 
15. Host a blood drive. Someone needs blood every two seconds. Give people a chance to make a difference and save lives in one shot. Learn more: RedCrossBlood.org
16. Organize a 5K. Designate a mapped-out 5K in your area, but also allow participants to run wherever they want to. Give people the option to do it virtually—you can still send out swag. Ask runners to post their times and pictures on social media. 
17. Host an outdoor movie night. Pick a family-friendly flick, then purchase the necessary movie license(s). Advertise on social media and throughout your community. Encourage members to bring lawn chairs and friends. Outreach Films (Outreach.com/films) offers licenses that allow you to view the film and use film artwork for promotion.
18. Serve as a “post office.” On your campus, set up mail lockers and/or boxes for people living on the streets. This provides them a safe place to store their mail, important documents and backpacks. 
19. Arrange swimming lessons. Provide transportation to bring children living in public or low-income housing to a nearby public pool. Have volunteers teach them how to swim. You provide all the necessary equipment (life jackets, foam boards, goggles), and give kids beach towels to keep. 
20. Give free fishing seminars. Partner with your state’s Department of Environmental Conservation or Department of Natural Resources to provide bait demonstrations, crafts, games and a spooling station to re-line fishing reels. Make it available to anglers of all ages.
21. Do a phone drive. Collect used phones, batteries and accessories. No More (NoMore.org/Hopeline) has partnered with Verizon to collect these items in any condition, from any provider. Donations are turned into financial support for victims of domestic violence. 
22. Host a bingo night. This is a great all-ages event for your youth ministry to take on. Consider giving prizes and using it as a fundraiser for a local nonprofit. 
23. Give gift cards to police for them to pass out. This improves police-community relations as well as the church’s relationship with the local police.
24. Distribute (free) tickets for big church events or services. Tickets help create demand. They also help manage the fire code. Eventbrite (Eventbrite.com) is an inexpensive and easy solution. Plus, having tickets drives decisions to attend.
25. Do the wash. Through LaundryLove.org, you can work with local laundromats to help wash the clothes of low-income or no-income people in your area—and build relationships in the process. 
26. Plant a community garden. Offer plots for free to refugee families, or plant and give away the harvest to those in need. Either way, you’ll connect with your community through fruits and vegetables.
27. Join the parade. Many communities have parades for holidays or local events. Sign up to participate. Design and decorate a float, walk in the parade, throw candy to participants or give away bottles of water.
28. Pick up trash. Divide volunteers into small groups and spread out across town with bags to pick up trash. Consider wearing T-shirts with your church’s name and logo to let your community know who you are and that you care for your neighborhood. 
29. Pay a debt. As a church, raise money to pay off someone’s debt—school lunch debts at nearby schools, medical debts for families or even fines at the local library. 
30. Establish a trained first-response team. This team can provide physical as well as emotional and spiritual help after a catastrophe in your area. 
31. Purchase gas for drivers. Give away gas cards at gas stations. Make sure the station knows what you are doing. 
32. Host a vehicle fair. Invite local law enforcement and community service providers to park a work vehicle in your lot for a couple hours one evening and invite families. Kids can take turns sitting in the vehicles and honking lots of horns.
33. Hit the trails with refreshments. Set up a tent along a popular hiking or biking path and pass out something to quench the thirst of those getting their exercise on. 
34. Give away bread. Partner with a local bakery or grocery store. Instead of them throwing away baked goods just past sell-by dates, offer to regularly pick up. Then deliver to homeless shelters or areas where many transients live.
    
35. Fund calling cards for troops. Collect gently used cell phones and give to CellPhonesForSoldiers.com, a nonprofit that recycles phones and uses the money to purchase prepaid international calling cards for service members overseas. 
36. Store medical equipment. From crutches to shower chairs, keep basic medical supplies on hand to loan out for free.
37. Host a job fair. Contact local businesses and ask for participation. Have tents and tables set up for interested businesses to share their information and applications. Advertise throughout your community. 
38. Make freezer meals. Come together in your church kitchen to make big batch meals that can be frozen. When pastors go on home visits to someone going through a hardship, they can take a meal with them.
39. Put on a pet show. Invite people to bring in their (well-behaved) pets for a casual pet show. Ask a local vet to talk about everything from grooming and vaccinations to how to approach new or stray dogs.
40. Give clothing to hospitals. Many patients are discharged in only scrubs because they don’t have clothes. Talk to your local hospital to see if you can provide clothes and shoes to those in need. 
41. Establish a blessing box. Much like free little libraries, build a blessing box for those in need. Keep it stocked with nonperishable food items, cleaning supplies and personal hygiene items. Make sure to research the best area to build it.