Allen and I (this is Matt) have been talking a bit lately about evangelism and outreach, and as we've done that, a couple distinct views of outreach have materialized; and there's likely a view that merges them both. What I mean is that it seems that when one says something about outreach, folks will invariably have different ideas in their head in regards to what that (outreach or evangelism) actually means. Allow me to elaborate a bit more.

For some (and in the interest of full disclosure, I don't fall into this group necessarily), outreach is something that ought to be fully programmed and implemented in an organized fashion by the local church. Generally speaking, this group would advocate things like door-to-door evangelism and the like. To evangelize, within this framework, often involves meeting someone, and within minutes presenting the gospel, only to minutes later be moving on to someone or somewhere else.

For others (again in the interest of full disclosure, I would more closely align myself with this view), outreach is something that is, or at least ought to be, more organic in nature. It involves being very intentional about every context within which the Lord has placed you. That means that your favorite coffee shop, restaurants you frequent, your dorm (if a student), your apartment complex, your neighborhood, your gym, etc--all of these are specific areas into which a sovereign God has placed you. In this view, evangelism is far more relational in nature, often coming about as you invest in people's lives, show them the gospel, talk about Christ, and so on. Whereas the former view might be described as flashing a Polaroid of Christ in front of someone and then pulling it back and moving on, this position would seem to be more akin to your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and whoever else being exposed to an ongoing narrative about the gospel. As you invest in them, love them, and serve them, they'll be continually introduced and reintroduced to Christ and His gospel.

It does seem like this can be a cultural thing within a church as well. For some churches, a lack of a door-to-door program is a sign of serious problem, and the presence of one might mean that all is well as far as evangelistic efforts are concerned. For others, the mindset is in place that evangelism is not relegated to organized programs, but rather is just an outgrowth of being the church in your community.

There's certainly much more that could be said to flesh out the two positions, and again, there's certainly middle ground between the two, but this should be enough to get the conversation started. I'm interested in you guys' take. Thoughts?