Reaching Out and Building Up

Reaching Out and Building Up

Reach Out

We want to grow in reaching out because of Christ’s great love for us.

  • Encourage – We must remember the missional call of Jesus Christ for us to move outward with the gospel.  Reminders, encouragement, prayer, application in sermons, conversations – all of these can help build and create a more robust culture of outreach at PHPC with a growing commitment to evangelism and missions.
  • Worship – It may seem counter-intuitive, but one way we can reach out is through vibrant, excellent, accessible worship.  This doesn’t mean we are “seeker-sensitive” or that we sacrifice any of our convictions about corporate worship.  It does mean we want to be clear about what we are doing and why.  When possible we can avoid insider language, expecting newcomers who are looking and learning about the faith.  We can preach and lead in a way that is simple, powerful, and engaging. 
  • Train – Provide periodic training for the PHPC family in evangelism and missions.  This should not be limited to specialized evangelism training, but could be broadened to equip people in reaching their neighbors through hospitality and other service.  This outreach and mission training could also be integrated into our small group ministry.
  • Practice – Sometimes the best way to learn how to do something is just by doing it.  Prayer walks in our community, inviting neighbors to church wide events like a pig pickin, a fall festival, and VBS with the goal of outreach and mission could be some places to start.
  • Life – Life is hard.  We need each other.  Fellowship is important and essential in the Christian life.  Small groups, Bible Studies, prayer meetings, church socials, retreats, and service projects are all opportunities for the PHPC church family to “do life together,” growing and sharing in fellowship while inviting others into our fellowship.
  • Witness – They will know we are Christians by our love.  Sometimes our expression and demonstration of Christian fellowship and love is evangelistic – a powerful witness to the Gospel.
  • Engage – Moving toward an integrated plan for reaching out to our community in service and mission, utilizing and encouraging the gifts of the people at PHPC in local missions.  These could include partnering with local churches in community outreach, redoubling our efforts to serve Rudolph Gordon, looking for concrete ways to help with Miracle Hill or the Women’s Outreach Center.  We also need to continue to promote and encourage work in international missions through mission reports, prayer times, engagement with the missionaries, and short term mission trips.
  • Plant – Planting churches is one of the best ways to reach non-Christians, energize the people of God in missional living, and promote and support local and international missions.  Our hope is that one day, PHPC can be part of planting a Christ centered – Gospel focused church for God’s glory!

Build Up

We want to be built up – growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.  There are several ways we hope to cultivate this growth.

  • Worship – Help people grow as they experience the Living God through public and private worship.
  • Educate – We want every part of our church’s life to be rooted and grounded in Scripture.  This should include Christian education through children’s ministry to adult classes to women’s and men’s bible studies to retreats and seminars.  A huge part of growing in grace is being rooted and grounded in The Word.
  • Accountable and Accessible – Promote community that encourages accountability and accessibility between pastors, leaders, and parishioners.
  • Assimilation – People often feel warmly welcomed when they visit PHPC.  We want to provide avenues for fellowship and service for folks to connect more deeply with our church family.
  • Opportunities – Give people freedom to grow and use their gifts through prayer, teaching, service, training, confession of sin, and mission.
  • Resources – Provide tools for the people of God to continue to grow.  This could include book and website recommendations, providing scripture reading guides, and offering seminars and classes on specific topics.
  • Train – Hold periodic Sunday school classes, seminars, and small groups about relevant topics to help equip the people of God to think biblically about the world, life, and culture.