50 exciting & effective church outreach ideas

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As followers of Jesus, we are responsible for spreading the gospel into the world. One way of doing that is through church outreach ideas that serve, support, and encourage your local community. When your church plays an active role in the community, you’ll have more opportunities to invite people to church and to share the gospel with them. 

Considering how Jesus conducted his ministry, it’s easy to see that he served people. He tended to their spiritual needs by teaching. However, Jesus didn’t neglect their physical needs. He fed the five thousand and healed the sick.

Let's take a look at 50 fresh and effective ways your church members can rally together to be the hands and feet of Christ in your community. 

50 church outreach ideas to help you serve & share the love of Christ

General community church outreach ideas

1. Community beautification projects: Which areas in your neighborhood or city could use extra attention? Talk with local community leaders and ask which areas they’d like your church members to clean up and improve. Many churches have served by revitalizing local parks or school playgrounds. Create yard signs to raise awareness while you’re working. Include your church’s name and logo on each sign. Provide t-shirts for your volunteers with the church’s name and logo.
2. Community garden: Attract people to the church with a community garden on the church property. Invite neighbors to participate in planting and harvesting. Ask a church member knowledgeable about gardening to teach those interested how to plant and maintain their gardens.
3. Neighborhood cleanup: Gather a team of volunteers to clean up local streets, alleys, or public spaces. Provide trash bags, gloves, shovels, and refreshments for volunteers as they work. Consider making this a regular church community outreach and doing a neighborhood cleanup monthly (a different neighborhood each time).
4. Business leaders’ prayer breakfast: Business owners and entrepreneurs are innovative and community-focused. Invite these leaders for breakfast at a local restaurant. Lead them in prayer, provide a short message, and allow plenty of time for fellowship and networking. 
5. Free health screenings: Coordinate with local nonprofits that provide medical care or ask local healthcare professionals to volunteer their time. Offer free physical or mental health checkups or screenings for those in need. Try to offer this church outreach monthly or quarterly, depending on the availability of healthcare workers.
6. Local art exhibitions: Let local artists showcase their work in your church or a community space. Invite business owners who curate artwork for their companies to sell or display. An art show allows others to find hidden talent in the community and helps artists sell their work.
7. Community library: You may have seen neighbors with a small lending library box outside their homes. Ask a handyman in the church to build a library lending box, then place it outside the church. Fill it with gospel-friendly books for children and adults alike (or with other things like canned goods.) Encourage church members to donate gently used books to put in your library.
8. Thrift store or clothing bank: Someone looking for a job might have difficulty dressing appropriately for an interview. Others may need household items but can’t afford much. Serve these individuals with a thrift store or clothing bank for those in need.
9. Community choir: Start a community choir open to all interested singers. Ask a musician to lead the choir and consider performing in community events or at nursing homes and school programs.
10. Local history talks: Does your community have some interesting historical locations? Invite local historians to share insights about the community’s history at a children’s event, VBS, or other church outreach.
11. Prayer walks: You probably have some prayer warriors in your congregation. Invite them to do prayer walks through the neighborhood, praying for residents’ spiritual and physical well-being.
12. Youth programs: Many kids and teens need better adult role models. Establish youth clubs or mentoring programs to engage with young people. 
13. Tutoring: Consider how your church could establish or support a tutoring program. Ask the congregation for volunteers to tutor kids in math, reading, and other core subjects. Provide a meeting place for tutors and students at the church or the school. Talk with local school leaders about the subjects kids need help with and possibly identify children who need tutoring.

Holiday church outreach ideas

14. Easter egg hunt: Organize a community Easter egg hunt in a local park or at the church. Invite families to your Easter church services.
15. Fourth of July party: Invite local food truck owners to set up in the church parking lot for a Fourth of July picnic. Provide music (whether live or over loudspeakers), games for kids, and a fireworks display (following local ordinances, of course).
16. Thanksgiving dinner: Help needy families by conducting a food drive as a church outreach. Ask church members to provide the canned and boxed goods for Thanksgiving. Work with local non-profits, food banks, and grocery stores to source the turkeys and other components. Then, either host a community Thanksgiving dinner at the church or provide the groceries to those who want to make their meal at home.
17. Christmas caroling: Gather up your musically talented church members and go caroling in the neighborhood or at local nursing homes.
18. Christmas gift wrapping: Offer free gift-wrapping services to ease the holiday stress for shoppers. Some stores may let your volunteers set up tables inside the store. Otherwise, invite people to bring their gifts to the church or other central location for free wrapping.
19. New Year’s Eve party: Host a family-friendly way to ring in the new year as a church community outreach. Use the church gym or other large area to set up games and food. 

Spring church outreach ideas

20. Spring cleaning day: Have you noticed a yard in the neighborhood that’s overgrown or littered with junk? Do any church members know of an elderly or disabled individual who could use some spring cleaning help? Invite volunteers to sign up to help neighbors with spring cleaning tasks or yard work.
21. Gardening workshops: Host gardening workshops to help community members start their spring gardens. Invite local greenhouse owners or gardening experts to share their expertise and promote their businesses.
22. Mother’s Day celebration: Moms don’t get a day off, but maybe you can give them a few hours to relax. Host a Mother’s Day brunch or dinner. Provide free childcare, serve a nice meal, work with local businesses to give free or discounted rates in their stores, and share an encouraging word with those in attendance.
23. Concert in the park: Live music is a great church outreach that brings the community together. Your worship band could provide some of the music. You could also coordinate with local musicians to allow them to share their talents (make sure you pay them at least a nominal fee).  

Summer church outreach ideas

24. Vacation Bible School (VBS): Run a VBS program for children during the summer break. Promote it on local radio stations, on social media, and distribute flyers around the community.
25. Summer camps: Help parents who need help with childcare over the summer by providing day camps for children with various activities like sports, arts, and crafts.
26. Picnic in the park: Arrange a community picnic in a local park with games and food. Ensure you have a cleanup team ready to stay after everyone leaves to ensure you leave the park in better shape than you found it.
27. Outdoor movie nights: Host outdoor movie nights on pleasant summer evenings. Ensure you get the appropriate licensing or permission to show a movie.
28. Sports leagues: Start a church sports league or sponsor local clubs to build connections with athletes and families. Another option is to host an informal sports-related opportunity each week at the church. Volleyball, soccer, and basketball are a few options that require minimal setup.

Fall church outreach ideas

29. Harvest festival: Organize a harvest festival with pumpkin carving or decorating, caramel apples, hay bale mazes, face painting, and fall-themed activities.
30. Back-to-school drive: An excellent church community outreach involves helping kids as they get back to school. Work with local schools to gather their supply lists by grade. Ask the congregation to donate supplies (or the money to purchase them in bulk). Host a community school supply giveaway at the church. Invite families to come and “shop” for their kids’ school supplies. Have fun games and prizes for the kids and encourage their parents as they receive their school supplies. Include invitations to church with each bag of supplies.
31. Fall fitness challenge: Encourage community members to stay active with a fall fitness challenge. Invite a local gym owner to share health and fitness tips or to conduct a class.
32. Pumpkin patch: You might live in an area without a pumpkin patch nearby. If so, give the community that pumpkin patch experience at the church. Give attendees apple cider, hot chocolate, donuts, and other fun fall treats. Set up a few hay bales and pumpkins for cute fall photo backdrops. 
33. Trunk or treat: Ask church members to decorate their car trunks with fun fall decorations and fill them with candy. Use this as a church community outreach and invite the community to bring their children for a safe and non-scary time to get candy and play games.

Winter church outreach ideas

34. Toy drive: Another popular church outreach is to host a toy drive around Christmas. Work with local nonprofits to identify families in need or invite church members to nominate a family. Ask your congregation to adopt a family and donate the items on their list to give to them for Christmas.
35. Soup kitchen: Bless a local soup kitchen with volunteers from your church to serve during the holiday season. Related church program ideas include starting a soup kitchen or organizing food drives to support a food pantry or soup kitchen in the area.
36. Winter clothing drive: Ask the congregation to donate warm clothing items such as hats, coats, gloves, and scarves for the homeless and those in need. Include information about the church with each item when you deliver it or when someone comes to the church to receive those items.
37. New Year’s resolutions: Most people make New Year’s resolutions, but very few follow through. Offer support and accountability to those who want help keeping their resolutions. This church outreach could involve weekly meetings at the church, inviting local gyms or health experts to offer a class, accountants to provide financial management training, and more.

Family church outreach ideas

38. Storytime: Host a weekly event for children at the local library or community center. Your children’s pastor or other church leader could read books and coordinate a game or craft that goes along with the book.
39. Family game nights: Another church outreach idea involves inviting families to the church for board games, video games, and fun activities. Give families a fun, safe place to play together. Provide snacks and share information about church programs during the event.
40. Single-parent support groups: Create support groups for parents to share experiences and advice. Ask older moms to attend as mentors and encouragers for newer moms. Provide childcare during these meetings to give the parents a break and allow them to focus on a time of fellowship.
41. Senior outreach: Visit nursing homes or retirement communities to spend time with and support elderly residents. Give kids a chance to make cards or color pictures, then deliver them when your team visits a nursing home. Take a worship team member to play piano or guitar and lead them in worship with a few beloved hymns.
42. Babysitting nights: Give parents a break and a chance for a date night by watching their kids for a few hours. Have fun games for the kids, read Bible stories, and do a few crafts. Parents will appreciate that their children had a fun, safe place for the evening and that they had a chance to reconnect.

Educational church outreach ideas

43. Financial health classes: Help the community with one of life’s significant stressors—money. Provide courses that cover budgeting, paying off debt, saving, various banking and investing options, and more.
44. Cooking classes: Basic cooking skills don’t always get passed down from generation to generation. Help people learn to cook healthy meals and save money by cooking at home. Invite a chef or a few church members known for their home-cooked meals to teach basic kitchen skills. Share recipes on the church website or in an email newsletter to those interested.
45. Language classes: Offer free language classes for immigrants and non-English speakers.
46. Fitness classes: Offer free or low-cost fitness classes such as Zumba or pilates at the church. 

Workshop community outreach ideas

47. Skill-sharing workshops: Host workshops where community members can share their skills and hobbies. These workshops could include woodworking, sewing, cooking, gardening, and more.
48. Career workshops: Support individuals as they look for work with resume writing, interview prep, and job-search assistance.
49. Music & talent workshops: Organize talent workshops and host open mic nights to showcase local talent. Make sure all the talent you invite is family-friendly and spread the word that attendees can enjoy free or low-cost entertainment.
50. Practical workshops: Sometimes, people need to develop some basic skills. Help bridge that gap and provide a chance to establish relationships with people by offering free workshops. Topics could include budgeting, parenting, marriage tips, cooking, meal planning, and home maintenance. 

Remember your “why” for doing church outreach

When you make a concerted effort to reach out to your community, you’ll encounter people who may be hesitant to visit on a Sunday. A church outreach should be a chance to develop relationships with community members that will lead to them coming to church one day. Take these opportunities to be the hands and feet of Christ in your neighborhood.

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