How big is the “front porch” of your ministry?

It’s another way of asking if your ministry creates space for students to belong — before they believe.

If the house, in this metaphor, represents the “inside” of your ministry — the place where believers go to be fed and nurtured spiritually — then the front porch represents an important place of gathering that is both inviting and inclusive.

And although we’d all like to believe that our ministries do, in fact, offer this… How do you know for sure?

I’d encourage you to ask your students.

I’d also challenge you to ask random students around campus.

In an age in which students are suspicious of “organized” religion, and also struggle to see its relevance during their college experience, we must be all the more intentional to have a spacious front porch if we hope to engage them.

This may entail a missions shift.

This may entail a redistribution of time and resources.

This may entail challenging our current students to understand the ministry — and their role within it — differently.

And I think this is the perfect time of year to consider this question.

As we move from our ministry “launch,” towards a more sustainable pace for the new year, we need to make sure that we don’t forget about those students who have not yet found us.

We can let our gaze face solely inward.

At least a part of our focus — ideally, a large part — must remain focused outward.

What do you think?

What kind of front porch does your ministry have?

What efforts have you made along these lines that have yielded good fruit?

What most challenges you about the front porch?