Creative outreach ideas

Connect with your community where they already are.

Through prayer and creativity, fresh outreach strategies can build discipleship in new, and sometimes unexpected, ways.

Be encouraged by congregations who are already engaging in innovative ministries, and find resources that will help you forge new relationships with your neighbors.

Attendees from the Fresh Expressions United Methodist National Gathering 2026 visited Beauty in a Canvass Tattoo and Art Gallery for an “immersion experience.” Tattoo parlors host some of the most popular Fresh Expressions, which is a Christian movement that looks to create faith communities in unorthodox settings. Photo by Jim Patterson, UM News

Conversation and community building in informal settings are methods of reaching people who aren’t interested in attending church on Sunday mornings.

Luke Edwards leads a fresh expression gathering at a local pub. Courtesy of Luke Edwards

Find out how fresh expressions offer a path forward in our changing religious landscape.

Explore even more ideas
Peruse these books, podcasts and more from United Methodists and partners who are learning to be more welcoming – outside of their church’s walls:

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