Light in the Darkness: Engaging the Unchurched through Community Involvement, Rev. Matt Vogt

Presentation Description

In an increasingly secular world, how do we establish relationships and build bridges with the unchurched in our communities? Where is the common ground for us—the Church—and the 21st-century unbeliever? Increasingly so, for many it is no longer children’s ministries or programs held on our church campus.

This workshop builds upon a vital outreach concept for us to grasp in our post-Christian nation. Churches need to be thinking less about “What do we need to do to get all those people out there into here (church)?” and more about “What do we need to do to get all these people in here (believers in the church) out there (into the world)?”

Jesus said, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). This workshop will talk about innovative ways to do just that. We will explore partnering with local (secular) non-profits and volunteering in the community as a means to express the love of Christ, as well as to expand our FRAN (friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors) network. We will discuss how to better develop relationships with the unchurched and unbelieving in the community and build bridges for the gospel. One beautiful aspect of this strategy is that any church can utilize it, regardless of size. This approach is just as applicable to the group of five as to the group of five hundred.

Speaker Bio

Rev. Matt Vogt

Pastor Matt Vogt has been blessed to serve in the mission field his entire ministry. Called to start a new church (Water of Life) in Las Vegas in 1997, Matt served there for over 20 years. His ministry in Las Vegas included daughtering a second congregation in northwest Las Vegas, training pastors for and assisting in starting both a Korean ministry and an African immigrant/refugee ministry, starting a preschool/kindergarten ministry, and founding a new world mission field in Liberia. Matt currently serves as a WELS Mission Counselor, working with five districts and around 70 mission fields/congregations. His wife, Kelli, and their two boys, Noah and Caleb, still call Las Vegas home.