Wake up pastors and Meet people in the Community

Six months into his first pastorate, I asked  Kimunge who was a young minister what was the biggest surprise he had found. “The administrative load,” he said. “I don’t have time to get out and meet people in the community.” He laughed and said, “I feel called to sales but spend all my time in management.”

Every pastor knows the problem. Between sermon studies, staff leadership, office responsibilities, weddings and funerals, outside speaking opportunities, hospital and nursing home visits, and denominational duties, the poor minister can feel overwhelmed. Finding time for his family can be a challenge; finding time to relate to his neighbors and bear a witness for Christ in the community can almost be impossible.

This becomes a burdensome contradiction for many pastors. They are preaching the Great Commission to their members while practicing it only from the pulpit and never personally.

We’ve all heard the line that “if you don’t plan your schedule, others will plan it for you.” That’s a cliché because it’s true. Likewise, no matter how busy a pastor is, he will usually make time to do the things he values most. Whether or not that’s a cliché, it’s definitely the truth.

 I know two pastors who are strong on personal evangelism. These pastors may have insights worth sharing.

Pastor Wambua said that, “Witnessing opportunities for the pastor is just like good sermon illustrations. They’re all around; you just have to pay attention.” He also added that, “One thing I do is sit at the same booth in the restaurant. In time, I’ve gotten to know the waitress, and she’s told others that I’m a pastor, and the word gets around. Now, every time I go, some employee comes over to my table with a question or a prayer request. I have actually become the unofficial chaplain for that restaurant.”

Dr. Rev. Ngingo said, “But sometimes you need to be more intentional. Create a situation where you will have opportunities to share your faith.” He also added, “I encourage my pastor-friends to become the chaplain – I’m talking officially – for some business. Maybe one of your deacons owns the company. They’ll give you a name tag and you can walk around the place and meet people, hand out your cards, learn their names, and in time they’ll begin to trust you and will open up to you. You’ll have more witnessing opportunities in an hour than most pastors get in a month.”

My mind was still stuck on pastor wambua’s suggestion to “pay attention.” I thought of how I had led my neighbors, the Kahiros, to Christ. It may have been intentional on the part of the Lord, but it was almost accidental to me. I was definitely not paying attention. Most mornings, I walk on the levee beside the Thiba River just before the sun comes up. It’s a half mile from my house to the river, then I walk a mile down and back, for a total of three miles. Most of our neighbors are still inside at that hour, but Munene and Njoki were frequently sitting on their porch drinking tea. We would say “jambo” to one another but not much more. One morning they called out, “We missed you last week.” I said, “I was in Nairobi all week.”

On my return from the river, Munene said, “Does your work take you out of town a lot?” Now, up to this point, we had never met and did not even know each other’s names. But I walked up to the porch and introduced myself. “I’m the pastor of the New Pentecostal Jesus Cerebration Church,” I said. Njoki mentioned something about belonging to the same denomination and we chatted, then I left.

A morning or two later, as I passed their house and we waved, Munene said, “What time are your services?” I turned aside and told them all they needed to know about visiting our church. The next Sunday they were in the services with their adult daughter Nyawira, and soon became regular worshipers.