Outreach is a little bit like bull-riding

Outreach in a home mission congregation can be like riding a bull. Every second is precious when riding a bull. You want to hold on until the 8-second mark for maximum impact on your score. However, with an animal that unpredictable, you never truly know when the ride will end.

So it is with outreach. Every opportunity to meet new people is precious. Every second of conversation with a prospect is important, and you want it to last as long as possible for maximum impact in building a relationship. Most importantly, every opportunity is precious as you share Jesus and grow that relationship. Who knows when the encounter could end because, after all, life is unpredictable.

Opportunities for outreach are also unpredictable at times. It was the summer of 2024 and I received a phone call from a group representing a traveling rodeo that was coming to Ladysmith in July 2025. They inquired about the use of the parking lot of Our Redeemer for their rodeo. It was as if it were meant to be! We had just enlarged the parking lot, put in a big new playset, and made the property more accessible and inviting to the public.

This was great! The rodeo group wanted to pay us rent for the use of our parking lot and encouraged us to use the property to welcome their patrons. Even better, we were given the opportunity to connect with up to two thousand people. But the best part? It would be an opportunity to share Jesus.

Remember that the bull is unpredictable. As plans were being made with the playset and bounce house, free waters and even, just maybe, horse-drawn wagon rides on the church property, the bull started bucking. Two weeks before the event, the rodeo group decided the property next to the church wouldn’t be suitable, and they moved the rodeo down the road.

However, the Lord opens doors for outreach in unexpected ways. A local community group was going to be serving food for the event. They asked if we could help them. They needed help. It was the only group serving food for two thousand people. The ride was back on, and what a ride it was! Twelve members of Our Redeemer and I, all wearing our blue Our Redeemer Lutheran—Ladysmith shirts, worked nonstop in almost 100-degree heat and let the light of Christ shine.

This group of Christians made a maximum impact as they worked and served and did whatever was asked of them to help at the rodeo. Some also made maximum impact by sharing Jesus that day with those they interacted with. Standing next to the fryer waiting for the French fries to cook allows some downtime for evangelism. The very next day at 8 a.m. worship, two people from the community group the day before were in our church wanting to hear more about Jesus.

That’s outreach in our communities today. It’s like riding a bull, unpredictable. But we have the assurance that when things don’t go as expected or we feel like we have failed, the Lord opens another gate. We pray that we are always prepared for another opportunity to give an answer for the hope that we have in Jesus. It is our joy to do what our Savior has called us to do—share the gospel!

Written by Christian Christenson, home missionary at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Ladysmith, Wis.