I’m wresting with the idea of inward vs outward focus as presented in revitalization books.
When I read Acts and the Epistles, I see the service of the Church as inward focused and the gospel as the outward focus. Jesus didn’t separate the two, as he sent out his disciples to preach the kingdom of God and heal (Luke 9:1-2). Jesus taught the people about the kingdom of God, healed them, and gave them food to eat (Luke 9:10-17). When people came to Jesus only for food, he rebuked them (John 6:26).
Our modern revitalization strategies push for an outward focused service orientation. The experts tell us to survey the community to discover the needs and fill one. Community service is meant to be the opposite of the attractional church model, but it may be just a repacking of it. Instead of “come to our church to be entertained and served,” it is, “we will come to your neighborhood to entertain and serve.”
If our congregations actually reflect the demographic of the larger community wouldn’t the physical needs of the Christians generally be the same as the non-Christians? Why did the church in Jerusalem have a good reputation with all the people (Acts 2:47)? Perhaps because they saw how the kingdom was lived out in the church (Acts 2:45-46), meeting the same needs of food, shelter, and community that was needed outside the Christian community. Why did (some of) the church push for the end of slavery and voting rights for all? We were trying to live out those kingdom principles in the Church first.
Sometimes the local church does not look like the surrounding community. It may be monoethnic, single or few generations, of a different culture, or socio-economic or educational level. That congregation needs to stop being an island and build some bridges. And there may always be some community bridges we need to build. But for the church that is a valid cross section of their community, the community needs are among them. Thus, as long as they do not limit their healing and kingdom mindedness to their in-group only, might inward and outward focus overlap?
