However long their history, the only churches that will have a future are those that embrace the call to figure out how to be (buzzword alert) missional—actively engaging with their communities in ways that bring hope, healing, and the love of Christ. This shift starts to happen when leaders and congregations ask the tough question: “If our church didn’t exist, would anyone notice?”
Who Would Cry?
Near here, a local library was threatened with closure. The community was in uproar, and the decision was reversed. Similarly, a local swimming baths and recreation centre were saved by people demanding it stay open. At the same time, a couple of local churches closed, and guess what? Nobody protested. Few really noticed, apart from those who used to go.
I’ve asked that question many times when helping other churches—and even sharper in focus and challenge: “If your church didn’t exist, who would cry?”
One church leader who invited me to coach his people on this told me quietly after the session as he drove me to the station, “If we shut, I wouldn’t even cry!”
Innovation Through Connection
At Ivy Church, this question led us to innovate with ministries like Ladybridge Connect—now a thriving hub of outreach and connection. Ivy partnered with two sports clubs to provide a vibrant sporting and community facility located in the heart of Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester. It’s now bursting with activities for the wellbeing of body, mind, and spirit!
The Ivy Café is our popular contemporary-style community café offering great food and fantastic coffee in a relaxed atmosphere, providing scenic views of the unique green space (maintained by the sports clubs). We also have a sensory room in the Brockbank Centre, and the Pavilion hosts fitness and dance classes, dog training sessions, and brilliant church services on Sundays!
Beyond Sunday
If you’re ready to see your church make an eternal impact, it’s time to think beyond Sunday gatherings. Thinking like a missionary where you live helps your church become the hands and feet of Jesus, right where you are. Here’s how:
1. Recognise the Opportunities God Has Placed Around You – Brilliantly Disguised As Needs
Every community has needs that hold opportunities to demonstrate God’s love in tangible ways. A high-impact church meets some of the deepest needs there. But we’re not just talking about serving people in need—it’s about truly loving them as individuals, which requires prayer, proximity, and permission to be inconvenienced.
Just the other night, a man in deep distress knocked on the door of my home. His vulnerability moved me deeply as he told me what he needed. I was humbled to realize that, out of everyone he knew, it was my door he knocked on when he felt he had nowhere to go. Jesus sent him my way.
The poor, the lost, the hurting, and the broken are not problems to be solved or burdens to be borne; they are gifts to us because they help us experience God’s grace afresh as we meet Jesus in their faces (Matthew 25:40).
2. Grow by Going & Doing, Not Just Gathering & Listening
As learning theories like Dale’s Cone of Experience show, retention skyrockets when people practice what they’ve learned. True discipleship is not a course we go on (though I’ve written a few that can help!). Real discipleship happens not as we sit and listen but when we go and do the work of the gospel.
In Luke 8, the disciples were still questioning who Jesus was. But by Luke 9, Peter confidently declares, “You are the Christ!” What changed? They’d gone out to do the business! Jesus sent them to proclaim the kingdom, heal the sick, and confront spiritual darkness. Experience is the best teacher.
3. Shift Society’s Perception of Christians
In Acts 2:42-47, a supernatural community was birthed. The early church’s clear communication of the gospel, together with signs and wonders, generosity, and compassion, won the favour of those outside their community all around the city. Their good deeds created goodwill, which opened hearts to the good news.
Missional churches don’t just invite people into their buildings; they bring Jesus’ love and message onto the streets and into homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces. Too many have written off the idea of being an ‘attractional church’ without seeing that being missional is very attractional in a world so desperate for hope, love, and meaning!
4. Make Your Church Accessible to All
Missional churches are accessible churches. This means creating spaces where the lonely, broken, and hopeless feel truly welcome—not as problems or projects but just as people. This was at the forefront of my mind when I wrote the original vision paper for Ladybridge Connect.
People can CONNECT and come as close as they wish as they’re invited to be part of the family. Offering practical programs, relevant resources, and open doors shows Jesus’ love in action. When leaders start to think this way, the Holy Spirit genius in God’s people is awakened and engaged, reaching more people in more ways than ever.
5. Share Stories of Transformation
Nothing inspires more than real stories of lives changed by God. We need to get much better at sharing the mind-blowing stories of God at work! Instead of just featuring buildings or worship bands on our website and social media, let’s highlight the faces and stories of those impacted by the ministry.
REMEMBER: Missional Is Attractional
Despite what some may say, missional and attractional are not opposites—they’re two sides of the same coin. When your church connects like this to the community, people will naturally be drawn to and join its mission. Compassionate actions build bridges of trust that make gospel invitations more compelling.
Of course, if we focus solely on gatherings, we create churchgoers. But when we centre our ministry on mission, we become fishers of men and women, building a movement of transformed people transforming the world around them in Jesus’ name.
I’m praying that our churches become known not just for what happens on Sundays but for the love, hope, and change we bring every day of the week, creating radical waves of God’s love in our communities—and beyond. Join me?