Building Relational Bridges in Your Community

In this episode Ryan Dunn interviews Ken Willard about shifting church outreach from attractional marketing to relational, community-centered work. They explore the "fishing pond" approach, bridge events, prayer walking, and practical ways to welcome skeptical neighbors through hospitality and improved accessibility.

Listeners will learn how to listen to their communities, equip members to share personal stories of faith, and create small, sustainable steps that build long-term relationships and invite new people into the life of the church.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Context of Church Skepticism
04:43 Building Relationships for Evangelism
07:25 The Fishing Pond Model Explained
10:46 Shifting Church Communications
13:38 Listening to Community Needs
16:43 Common Mistakes in Church Outreach
20:31 Vision Casting and Church Growth
23:29 Bridge Events as Outreach Strategies
26:26 The Importance of Patience in Outreach
29:26 First Steps Towards Relational Outreach
32:27 Accessibility in Church Ministry

Ken Willard is the Director of Faith Communities Renewal for the West Virginia Conference of The United Methodist Church. He is the author of “Beacon of Hope: Your Guide to Reaching, Witnessing, and Welcoming New People”, as well as books on time management for ministry leaders and discipleship pathways and leadership pathways for churches.

Find episode notes, related episodes, and more resources for your digital ministry toolkit: www.resourceumc.org/mycom-podcast