Community

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

100 creative ministry outreach ideas that will work in your church — from community events and compassion ministries to online engagement and family outreach.

Morningside Bible Church: Biker Sunday

“We’re trying to establish relationships. We think that if [bikers returning to our church] didn’t happen this year, then maybe they’ll come back next year, feel more comfortable, and then come out for something else.” —Motorcycle enthusiast Duane Kraayenbrink

Pantano Christian Church: A Change of Life

Making people feel welcome is everyone’s job. Pantano sees a wide diversity in the congregation across nearly every demographic: ethnicity, race, socioeconomic, etc.

Bible Training Behind Bars

Sugar Creek conducts Wednesday night worship services at the unit and offers a Malachi Dads program designed to help incarcerated fathers learn how to be effective parents.

Sharing Jesus in Wartime

BSC is a small congregation comprised mostly of first-generation immigrants from such Slavic countries as Belarus, Russia, Moldova, Armenia and Ukraine. The church had been doing missions work in Ukraine for decades.

Dinner With Special Friends

Manley Baptist Church now has a robust special needs ministry called Special Friends, and offers three Sunday school classes for those people with special needs—one for children, one for adults and a third for parents of children with special needs.

Keep Hope Rolling

The Cars Ministry at Princeton Alliance began 26 years ago after church members heard about financially strapped single parents who were without transportation, says Toni Campbell, the church’s benevolence director.

A Welcoming Place

Besides Sunday services, the center also provides a weekday program for young adults featuring recreational and leisure classes.

A Place of Rest

“We want them to come here to rest for a bit before they have to start making decisions that will impact their lives,” says Slade, who hopes that other area churches will follow suit.

When Catastrophe Strikes

“We don’t have an official program with a bunch of volunteers, but we do our best to unite multiple churches and nonprofits in any kind of disaster or critical incident,” Isbell says.

Bread Breakers

Coblentz named the church’s new effort the Bread Breakers Ministry. Volunteers started out making around 50 sandwiches a week, but they quickly broke their own record.