Reaching People Not Attracted to Traditional Churches

As a teenager, I came to place my faith in Christ as part of a non-traditional United Methodist Church, Ginghamsburg Church in Tipp City, Ohio. Ginghamsburg grew quickly, with a tradition of reaching out to people who were looking for something different in a church. I did not always attend church growing up, and yet, as I have come to be active in the church, I see what a positive difference a church can make in someone's life. My older brother almost never attends church, and I know many people like him who will most likely never be attracted to a traditional, established church.

As I have been surveying people in Yakima, I have talked to many people who are not part of a church, but who claim to have a sincere faith in Christ. Often, they share with me that they would like to be part of a church that is different. They share stories of negative experiences with particular churches and not agreeing with certain church positions. A more common response is from people who state that they have experienced the church as not being friendly or being 'judgmental.' My hope is to start a church where people feel that they have heavy input into the decision process, that the church speaks for common people's values, and that the church is known as accepting and friendly.

Reaching a Younger Generations

My first full-time job in ministry was to be an associate pastor in a relatively large church. With hundreds of people in worship every week and no established youth ministry, I made it my task to form a youth ministry program. I left that church ten years ago, but I continue to maintain relationships with some of the teenagers that I worked with who are now young adults. As they share their stories with me, I often hear them share how difficult it is to find a church where they feel comfortable.

Before being appointed to plant a new church, I worked as a pastor in the Yakima area. It was a concern to me as a pastor of a traditional church to see so few young adults active in the church. I was concerned that my particular church was not doing a very good job at welcoming young people into the church. As I gained more exposure to Yakima and the local churches, it has seemed to me, however, that most of our churches struggle to reach young adults and youth. I hope in starting a new church to create a culture in which young people feel accepted and valued. I also hope to form a church where young people can actively develop faith in Christ.

Serving the Yakima Community in Tangible Ways

I am appointed to start the Greenway Church by the United Methodist Church. The United Methodist denomination is similar to many mainline Protestant denominations, but we have traditionally seen our emphasis as seeking to practically live out the Christian life. John Wesley, the founder of our church, said that his goal was 'to spread scriptural holiness across the land.' By holiness, he meant practically living out the Christian life in acts of piety and in specific acts of service to others.

Many new churches across the country are getting their start by conducting "servant evangelism" projects. Servant Evangelism is simply doing something nice for others as a means of sharing your faith in Christ. As part of my Methodist tradition, I strongly believe in serving others, but not merely as a means of evangelism, but as a way to practically bring a foretaste of the kingdom of God to earth. I hope in starting a new church to find practical ways to make Yakima a better community. Already, in just our few months of existence, the Greenway Church as been active in volunteering at the Greenway, in local schools, at the humane society, and at the sheriff's office. When we conducted our initial neighborhood canvass, we washed car windows as a way of serving the community. I hope that we will continue to find tangible ways to make our community stronger.