2-3 minute read time

Years ago, one church decided they wanted to get outside of their walls and involved in their community. They decided to send members of the church to knock on doors and meet people within the nearby community. After marking out a 15-block radius and dividing the streets up among its members, the people went out and greeted others and introduced themselves as the community church. What they learned was fascinating. They heard wonderful stories of how people knew about the church and appreciated it. Interestingly, they also learned how many people had no idea it even existed. One woman who had lived in the area for decades said she had never noticed it. Their church was four stories tall and covered two lots! It was the tallest building on the block and a neighbor didn’t even know about it. How does that happen?

The answer isn’t simple or one-dimensional. Sometimes visibility matters. When we cleaned up the trees outside of our campus and put a large sign out front, people in our community began to know Church on the Hill existed more than ever. Previously, the trees and lack of signage made it difficult to tell what the building was used for. Yet, visibility was not the issue for this large church. It was that their community impact wasn’t what they thought it was.

In Mark’s Gospel, he shares a powerful story of two disciples of Jesus who are jockeying to attain a position of power and authority with Jesus in heaven. When the other disciples hear about this, they are upset. Jesus brings everyone together to set the record straight. “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant…for even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk. 10:42-45).

Jesus outlines that those with power and authority in the world use it for their own benefit. However, the followers of Jesus are meant to use their power and authority for the benefit of other people. We are to become servants. Perhaps, the church is most visible and noticeable in the community not when there’s a large building or big signs, but instead when the church goes out into the world, follows Jesus, and takes the role of the servant.

One Connect Group at our church is doing that very thing. They have decided to serve together twice each month at the North Gwinnett Co-op. After praying and doing a devotional together, they help with whatever the Co-op needs that week, whether its organizing donations or serving food. They embody the servant teaching of Jesus in a way that impacts the community.

The good things that happen in a Sunday service are never intended to stay in the room. The teachings of Jesus and God’s work in our lives are always intended to shape us and bless others. What we get to do, little by little as we serve those around us in our community, is spread the good news of Jesus, and the ripple effect of what God does in us as a community in worship begins to be felt throughout Gwinnett County. More and more, people can get to know about our church, not because they drove by it on the highway, but because they saw our people in action, living out the teachings of Jesus as we follow Him.

 If you have a personal story or you know of someone whose actions are spreading the good news of Jesus in our community, we would love to hear more. Share your story by sending an e-mail to and a member of our staff will be in contact.

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