By Pastor David Hansen, Director of Communication and Innovation

One of the tasks that LEAD asks congregations to undertake is to connect with their neighborhood in a meaningful way. Whether you are working with our Tune In Process or another method, this is a key step for every congregation that is seeking revitalization and a renewed ministry.

Inevitably at every seminar that LEAD is a part of, we get asked some variation on the same question: “What is our neighborhood?”

It is a real question – often rooted in the disconnect many congregations have with the people who live around them. Sometimes the neighborhood has changed, while the congregation hasn’t. Sometimes it feels like our community is too spread out to really talk about a neighborhood. And still other times we spend so much time focused on what happens inside our buildings that we don’t notice the people who live and work just outside our walls.

We have lots of techniques to help congregations answer this question.

But it always begins with the time that Jesus was asked the same question: “Who is my neighbor?”

In this month’s Toolbox, we invite you to spend some time with Jesus’ answer.