Churches focus so much of their attention on Sunday services. And that makes sense. After all, as 35-year ministry veteran Dino Rizzo says, the Sabbath day is when the church’s congregation comes together to worship, pray, and absorb the message of Jesus from leaders of the church.
But what many people don’t realize is that pastors and church leaders do a lot of work on the days leading up to Sunday service. And yet, for pastors, it can be easy to feel as though you’re not making as much impact on those days as you are on Sunday.
“When you don’t know what to do, be like Jesus,” says Dino Rizzo.
Jesus always served and impacted his community, no matter the day. And churches can, too. Below are some practical ways churches can impact the community throughout the week.
Special Deliveries
Churches can make a huge impact on people’s lives leading up to big holidays, says Dino Rizzo. For instance, not every family is fortunate enough to be able to provide their children with lavish gifts on Christmas or Easter. But a church community can help.
Members of the congregation can come together for those in need to donate money, goods, and their time. Once the goods are assembled in the form of special care kits, members can then deliver these kits directly to people’s homes.
Last year, Purpose Church ran an Easter delivery drive where members dropped off surprise Egg Hunts in the front yards of members. They also delivered Easter care kits to families with children who have special needs.
Help with the Bills
Many members of church communities struggle to pay their bills. Necessities have become challenging to afford in the last few years, which has caused many disruptions—and a ton of stress—for families who in the past may not have experienced these struggles.
Churches can respond by helping these families pay the bills. Whether that means help with utility bills, rent, mortgages, or other everyday needs, every little bit counts.
“People often don’t want it to be known that they are struggling financially,” says Dino Rizzo. “Churches can make a huge impact on their lives by providing this monetary assistance while keeping their identity anonymous.”
In addition to direct financial help, churches can connect members to various debt forgiveness and assistance programs. These programs can improve their financial position.
Spread Kindness
Serving and giving back doesn’t have to just come in the form of physical or monetary goods. Even simple acts of kindness can make an enormous impact in one’s life.
“A lot of ‘giving back’ focuses on providing people with goods, resources, and money,” says Dino Rizzo. “But sometimes the biggest impact can be in making someone smile—or simply spending time with them.”
For instance, churches can volunteer at local senior citizen centers or schools, doing crafts with the kids or playing board games with the seniors. Time is often one of the most valuable things that church members can give when trying to make an impact in the local community.
Best of all, these simple ways of assisting your community can be done any day of the week!
About Dino Rizzo
Dino Rizzo, a 35-year ministry veteran, co-founded Healing Place Church with his wife, DeLynn, where he served as senior pastor for two decades. Through his passion for inspiring believers to serve their communities, Dino Rizzo also founded Servolution.
In addition, Dino Rizzo is the Executive Director of the Association of Related Churches (ARC), where he oversees the planting of over 1,000 churches worldwide. He is also on the Senior Leadership Team at Church of the Highlands and is the author of Serve Your City: How to Do It and Why It Matters.
Erik Jackson has been a senior editor at Health News Tribune for three years. Fluent in French and proficient in Spanish and Arabic, he focuses on diseases and conditions and the newest trends in medicine.
