Be Strategic About Outreach

As the year wraps up, it’s time to review your outreach strategy for 2026—or develop one if you haven’t already. We need to remember that we are engaged in a spiritual war. Even though we know who ultimately wins, we are still called to engage in the daily battles, including introducing Jesus to those who desperately need to know Him. History is filled with examples of people who entered battles without a strategy and paid the price. This underscores the necessity of advance planning. Whether you approach outreach as an individual believer, as a family, or as a pastor leading a congregation, you will be far more likely to see meaningful results if you have a plan with measurable goals and objectives.

For your church, the start of a new year is a great moment to reemphasize to all ministry leaders that each of them is responsible for building outreach training and opportunities into their area of ministry. It is also a good time to remind the church on Sunday that outreach is for everyone who calls themselves a Christian. Consider having the entire congregation take the Spiritual Markers Assessment on our website. If you contact us (info@OrganicOutreach.org), we will provide a single web link for your church to use. This will allow us to create an aggregate report showing the strengths and weaknesses across the Seven Markers of Spiritual Maturity. It will also give your church members a chance to partner with your leadership in developing personal plans for growth in the areas where they have the most opportunity to mature. These aggregate results can then guide preaching, teaching, Bible studies, and small group topics. As we grow in spiritual maturity, we become more like Jesus in every aspect of who He is (except, of course, His deity). And as we become more like Him, people experience more of Him through us. For individuals or families, take the assessment and invite your church leadership to help you create plans for spiritual growth in the coming year.

As you’re developing these plans for growth, don’t forget to make use of the Outreach Influence Team (OIT) resources available on your dashboard (login or subscribe above). These tools provide practical agendas, training pathways, and discussion guides designed to help you and your leaders move from intention to action throughout the year. If your church hasn’t activated an OIT yet, this is the perfect time to start. These resources will give structure and momentum to your outreach efforts in 2026.

Once you’ve assessed and begun developing plans to strengthen your church, family, and personal foundation for outreach, it’s time to set measurable goals and map out a strategy for the year. Personal outreach is rooted in relationships. Take stock of your current relationships with non-Christians. If you don’t have any, that becomes your first goal—go make new friends. Identify intentional ways to engage relationally so that deeper conversations, including spiritual ones, can emerge naturally. Put some events or gatherings on the calendar.

As a family, strategize how your home can become a “neighborhood emergency room”—a place people can turn for physical and emotional support. Make sure your neighbors have your contact information. Check in monthly. Offer to pray with them.

For your whole church, identify your footprint in the community. Ask: If our church disappeared today, would anyone in the community notice? If the answer is no—or hardly—begin prioritizing community groups to engage with. Set up a meeting with a local school principal and make sure they know the resources your church can offer to families and staff. Suggest a monthly lunch to keep a finger on the pulse of the school. Get onto the agenda at a City Council meeting and, when you reach the microphone, offer the same introduction you gave the principal. Let them know you simply want the council to be aware of the asset they have in your church. Ask if you can pray for them and for the city right then. Every community has numerous groups like these. Choose where to begin (or continue), set measurable goals, and execute your plan.

Develop your strategies now, and give yourself a strong running start into 2026.