When I moved back to Maryland after living in South Carolina, I moved to a predominately white suburb. I landed there because I stayed in hotel near the city the prior Thanksgiving, and my GPS directed me through the town and by a new development. When I saw it, I purposed to live there when I returned home. I noticed right away there was a church across the street with a food pantry that assisted families every Friday. After residing in the new development for over a year, I noticed the demographic starting to shift. The residents looked more like me, African-American women with children. The development quickly became a pocket of African-American families in this historic, predominantly white community.
I’m certain the developers of this new complex didn’t think thoroughly about families because the children didn’t have anywhere to play. They played in the streets. As a widowed mother at the time, I immediately saw a need in the community. Since I recognized the church across the street, I knew there was a great opportunity for ministry. I emailed the pastor, introduced myself, and proposed a ministry partnership between the church and the development that would minister to single mothers and children. The pastor liked my idea, but let me know she was going to be transferred. She said she’d forward my information to the new pastor. Unfortunately, I never received an email, and the pandemic broke out stopping most in-person ministry endeavors.
I share this story because there is an abundance of opportunities for us to do ministry and reach people for God, if we know where to look and if we are open to go where the Holy Spirit leads. Neighborhoods and communities are changing all of the time. People from various backgrounds and social locations are becoming our neighbors. However, many of our churches still look the same. Our worship style is also the same – a monolith. God is always doing a new thing in our midst. Do we not perceive it? Do we want to perceive it?
MissionInsite is a tool that helps us recognize the changes happening around our churches and in our communities. MissionInsite uses Census reports and data from Experian so you can get to know your neighbors. You can run reports on your immediate location and surrounding community to assess your church’s community reach, forecast the upcoming changes in your community, and identify any areas of stress and tension in communities where new people are changing the landscape. MissionInsite is a great tool to help your church know if it is meeting the needs of your community. It takes the guesswork out of ministry and worship planning.
In John 21:1-8, the disciples went fishing. They fished all night, but caught nothing. When they returned at daybreak, Jesus asks them about their night fishing. He then tells them to “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some” (verse 6). When they do what Jesus tells them, they catch more fish than their boat can carry. We, too, are fishers – fishers of people. MissionInsite is a major tool in our toolbox so we don’t have to fish all night in vain.