Innie or Outie? The Externally-Focused Church

Are you an "innie" or an "outie?"  I'm not talking about your navel, though it is sort of related.  Instead, I am referring to a life-or-death "posture of the heart" for churches and church people.  When it comes to matters of faith, is your heart "internally-focused?"  Or "externally-focused?" 

An internal focus looks initially in at the life of the church or believer, even when thinking about reaching out.  Is the doctrine right?  Do we have the programs that people want?  Is our process up to speed and our structure in good shape?  Internally focused believers want to move forward in their life of faith enough to be able to then minister effectively.  Internally focused churches believe that if they have the right programs and ministries, people will come. What comes in my experience, is usually other internally focused church people looking for a stronger/better/truer church to focus internally on.  Fortunately, unchurched people can be swept in as well.

By contrast, externally focused believers and churches are looking beyond themselves.  They look for where God is at work in the world and wondering how they fit into that work.  As they reach out, they do whatever internal organizing, training or building is necessary to implement the outreach.  Invariably, they discover significant personal growth and discipleship in the process of extending God's love beyond the walls of the church and their relationships.  It's the well-known paradox: "No one learns more from the lesson than the teacher who prepares it."

This "posture of the heart" is far more than a set of programs or behaviors that can be implemented for renewal and outreach.  It takes people who are willing to look deeper, who can ask about their motivations, and then seek the Father for a new heart - a heart that shares His demonstrated passion and preference for people yet to respond to the Grace of the Gospel and return home.

Let me give you some examples from ordinary church life - from parts of our own worship service and life together.  We know when they arrive in our Order of Service perhaps, and we can think of what we do at those times.  Let me suggest different "postures of the heart" that may be playing out beneath our behaviors, so we can see whether we are "innies" or "outies."

Greet One Another – It's a great moment to break out and say hello to people around us.

• Internally focused extroverts want to see their friends, and will cross the room to deliver a handshake or a hug.
• Internally focused introverts can hardly wait until it’s over.  The rush of people and crowd makes it harder to connect with their friends.
• Externally focused people look for someone new, and in a safe, appropriate way extend a welcome to them, even offering conversation or directions to children's ministry or the hospitality table.  They will talk and pray with their friends later on after Missional Community or on the phone as they commute later in the week.

Sing and worship – Certainly, the Scripture teaches us to sing our praises to God, but different people do this in different ways, and with different impact.

• Internally focused expressives love this moment as they get to sing out and be moved by the words and energy of corporate singing.
• Internally focused non-musical folks can’t wait to be done.  They like the words, but get nervous about their voice and are looking forward to the teaching.
• Externally focused people may sing strongly or weakly, but they direct their energy to expressing praise to God.  It's a time to move past their own encouragement or nervousness, to set the eyes of their heart of the Father of Grace and to express thanks and honor to Him.

Children's Ministry - We take seriously the joy and responsibility of nurturing authentic faith in our children, but the "posture of our heart" can see this in different ways

• Internally focused people want to make sure we have adequate facilities, good curriculum, equipped teachers and volunteers so that our children can grow in their faith and have a good experience with church.
• Externally focused people want to make sure we have adequate facilities, good curriculum, equipped teachers and volunteers so that our children can grow in their faith by reaching out to their friends and seeing the Father use them in His redeeming work.  Our kids grow in true discipleship not so much as they add knowledge or receive love from others, as when they join God in His love for their friends and friends' families.

Evangelism Budget - Jesus Himself said that "where your treasure is, there will your heart be."

• Internally focused people want to see if there is enough money in the budget line item for missions, outreach or evangelism to express our adequately support for these important efforts through the Missions Committee.
• Externally focused people realize that every ministry of the church should be seeing where God is at work in the the things we do to better connect with people outside our walls, introduce them to Jesus and then help them put down deep roots of relationship with God, His Word and His people. Mission and outreach are not a line item or activity for "that group."  Everything we do is connected to the Great Commission given to us and led by Jesus, our True and Perfect Older Brother who left His Father's home to rescue us - and now others - from the pig-sty or from the hard-hearted, self-righteousness of our own efforts.

As you can see, this is more than a matter of programs and behaviors.  It will take some prayer, some listening to the voice of the Spirit, perhaps some repentance, a few laughs at our tendency to get side-tracked and a good deal of creativity, faith and risk.  But the Father can change our "innie" hearts to Gospel "outies!"