June 2007
Church Spotlight
Castro Valley Neighborhood Church : Castro Valley, CA
Castro Valley Neighborhood Church is one of the largest churches in the East Bay Area and has had a wonderful influence for Christ in the Bay Area in recent decades. They have a vision to reach the younger generation for Christ and are in the process of relaunching their men's ministry.
Prior to inviting Outdoor Connection to meet with them, they held about two men's events a year. When we met with their pastor to brainstorm ideas, he had two stipulations:
- The Men's Ministry couldn't tap their existing leaders -> we needed to help them identify and raise up new ones
- The Men's Ministry couldn't use their existing facilities -> their space was tapped and we needed to be creative
Our strategy of assessing their needs and current ministry environment before making recommendations was critical to formulating a plan with them. At their next event, they used our survey to help identify new volunteers and potential leaders. They found men willing to give from 3-60 hours/month to serve in men's ministry! And they caught the vision for being creative with the event venue when they saw the types of events OCM has had experience planning and executing. They are looking at golf outings and car clinics as ways to involve even more men in the life of the church and start serving.
They found the OCM resources easy to use - they know they don't need to reinvent the wheel - and they believe many of the elements OCM provides will resonate with the younger generation and help them reach out.
Lessons from Neighborhood Church:
- Use the stipulations your church staff may put on your ministry to men as an opportunity to be creative
- Survey the men to find more leaders and volunteers!
- Don't reinvent the wheel - leverage OCM's resources when planning your next event
Read the other articles in this issue:
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