Podcast Episode #385
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Dean Inserra joins us today to explain how City Church Tallahassee has used community events and organization to connect church members to the community.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
- Don’t equip members just to have more Bible knowledge. Equip them to be missionaries in their hometown.
- For far too long, the missionary label has just been for those who go overseas.
- Christian maturity means following Jesus into the world.
- “I’m not interested in an discipleship model that’s not going to equip people to clearly articulate the gospel.”
- “People aren’t going to invite someone to their church when they secretly aren’t excited about going to themselves.”
The five ways we cover to connect to the community are:
- Emphasize the importance of an outwardly focused DNA
- Guests come on the arm of a friend
- Don’t duplicate within
- Raise up from within
- View your church as a launching pad
About Dean Inserra
Dean Inserra is the Lead Pastor of City Church, a church he started in his hometown of Tallahassee, Florida in 2007. Dean has a passion to reach his hometown for Christ through the local church and to see healthy churches planted across the South and the nation. Dean is married to his wife Krissie and they have three children, Tommy, Ty, and Sally Ashlyn. He loves baseball, Starbucks, the New England Patriots, and the indoors.
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Feedback
If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free copy of Who Moved My Pulpit?
I did it! I discovered your podcast on Sept. 28th along with Revitalize and Replant. I just finished ALL the Rainer on Leadership podcasts. To be fair, I drive a truck at night so I probably have more time to listen than most. Love the podcast. Can’t help but wonder if I’d still be pastoriing one of the churches I left too early if I had known of this valuable resource. I refer to myself as a churchless pastor. I am an ordained AND pastor awaiting God’s call after a “tent-making” hiatus. We were forced out of the last church in August of 2013 which had provided us a personage. Watching my wife sin as she realized we wouldn’t have a home for the holidays was something I asked God to never allow me to experience again. Got my CDL and finally bought her a house. We now find ourselves in Oklahoma in an association with 49 churches and a significant number of them in need of revitalization. Meeting regularly with the director of missions looking for the best fit. In the meantime, devouring the podcasts and preparing for the next phase of ministry. Prayers are with you and this awesome and needed ministry! Question: must I be a pastor to enroll in church answers?
Tim –
Thank you so much for your kind words. Wow! All those podcasts. We would love to have you at Church Answers. Contact Jana@ChurchAnswers.com and she will get you signed up.
My wife sobbed not sinned. Stupid autocorrect.
People aren’t going to invite someone to their church when they secretly aren’t excited about going there themselves.”
There are exceptions to many rules/points. I love my church but am not crazy about going to the worship service. Love the pastors, love the staff, love the mission and vision statements.
Love the people and friends I’ve met through the church. I’ve sat through 60 years of services; now a days when I sit down in church, I tend to go to sleep.
Still the young people love it. I’m always looking for people to invite. I’ll even go with them if they prefer. Leadership is diligent not only in seeing souls saved but leading/directing lives to become more like Jesus; who they were meant to be in Christ.
So I take exception to that statement, I just as soon not go to service there, but I know God is moving in peoples lives, many are coming to and growing in Christ.
Thanks for this excellent podcast Thom. My heart resonated with all that Dean spoke of. The challenge to not duplicate from within is a significant one, even here in the UK where I minister. There is a mentality in the church that says that we as church should be running all of the clubs and interest groups, sport, toddlers, community choirs etc or else we are not having an impact. To see your people as missionaries in the clubs and groups run by those outside the church is both empowering to your people and releasing to the church as it can streamline its corporate focus into doing a few things excellently.
Thanks again Thom and Dean