Loving Your Community: Stephen Viars
FamilyLife Today®
FamilyLife Podcast Network
4.6 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 23 October 2023
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
When it comes to loving their communities, churches can get a bad rap for saying no until they have to say yes. But three decades as a pastor have made author Stephen Viars reconsider: Their church longs to move into indispensable roles that wrap arms around the entire community. Grab ideas to live in can't-miss ways in your own zipcode.
It's, “Go love your neighbor where they are right now. Go find a need and then just see how you can meet that need together, wherever they are.” Then, often, they're going to ask, “Why do you love me like that?” In fact, we want our neighbors to constantly have reason to ask; “Why did you do that for us?” “Well, because we love you.” -- Stephen Viars
Show Notes and Resources
Connect with Stephen's church ministry at www.faithlafayette.org and stay connected at biblicalcounselingcoalition.org
And grab his book, Loving Your Community: Proven Practices for Community-Based Outreach Ministry
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, before we dive into today's episode, we have some exciting news. |
| 0:05.0 | Do you even know what it is? Yes. What is it? |
| 0:07.5 | We have an exclusive Art of Marriage preview event on November 1st. |
| 0:13.4 | Yeah, that means there's a new art of marriage coming out |
| 0:16.1 | and you get to see videos, some of the teaching, |
| 0:19.4 | you get an insider look at this remake of our flagship The Art of Marriage and it's going to |
| 0:25.2 | literally change your life and the families and your neighborhood. |
| 0:28.4 | You can sign up in the show notes or on family life.com |
| 0:33.6 | coming soon. |
| 0:34.6 | Hope you'll join us. |
| 0:39.6 | So what would you say the best thing a church could be known for in a community? |
| 0:44.2 | And by the way, you know, as I think about this, I think a family. |
| 0:47.3 | A church or a family could be known for in their local community. |
| 0:51.4 | The first thing that comes to my mind, |
| 0:52.9 | which would probably come to everyone's mind. |
| 0:55.0 | preaching, of course. |
| 0:55.8 | And no, I wasn't thinking of that. |
| 0:57.9 | I was thinking of loving people. |
| 1:00.6 | Oh, why would you say that today? Well, I mean, isn't that what we should be known for, the way we love each other? |
| 1:06.0 | Yeah, and the real question, do you think that's what most churches or families are known for. Welcome to Family Life Today, |
| 1:19.0 | where we want to help you pursue the relationships that matter most. |
| 1:22.0 | I'm Shelby Abbott and your hosts are |
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