4 Local Church Outreach Event Ideas

Looking for church outreach ideas to connect with your local community? Amazing! 

Events are a tried and tested method for building relationships with families in your area. However, coming up with fresh ideas can be challenging, whether you are an established church or a brand-new plant. Keep reading for some inspiration! 

Getting Started

Before you get stuck into the practicalities of an event, it is important to consider these two questions: 

1. What are we trying to achieve? 

2. How can we make this relevant to our context? 

Having clear answers to these questions will help you put together a plan that is more likely to result in good connections.

We’ve put together a list of ideas that are easy to tweak to best suit your context. Hopefully, they will help kickstart your creativity! Seeing the event through the lens of what you want the outcome to be will help you get the most of out of it and inform your next steps. 

1. Seasonal Events

People often see going to church as part of their seasonal celebrations. Easter and Christmas are natural times when people engage, so why not make the most of it? 

For a fun Christmas celebration, host a carol singalong! Invite local musicians, or even better, have members of your church lead. Provide cosy snacks and hot chocolate for a festive way to bring people together. People love a good old christmas singalong with a hot drink and mince pie! Consider how best to share the meaning of Christmas, this may be through a short talk, an interactive activity or just one-to-one conversations, depending on your context. We’ve seen people do awesome interactive ‘Christmas hunts’ using decorated boards with QR codes on them that tell people the Christmas story as they walk round. 

2. Use Food and Drink

Food is always a great way to bring people together, especially if it is free! Hosting a food-centered event can be as simple or as elaborate as you’d like, but the idea is to create a comfortable setting where people can connect, chat, and feel at home.

If the weather is nice, a community BBQ could be a hit. Keep the grill hot and arrange some games and activities for children and youth to make a proper summer party!

How about hosting a low-key coffee morning or pop-up café? Invite local parents, young professionals, and retirees to enjoy a cup of coffee and a relaxed chat. You might be surprised by who shows up to enjoy a conversation with someone new. 

3. Community Help 

Events that serve the community are a powerful way to live out your mission and practically share God’s love. 

Litter picking is a simple yet impactful option to show you care! Rally your congregation and head out to clean up a local park, beach, or neighbourhood. Make sure to contact your council if you anticipate collecting a large amount of rubbish, they will be able to help with disposal. 

Garden tidying is another way to serve local elderly people or those who may struggle to upkeep their outdoor space. Ask members of your church if they would like to help and organise a team. It’s rewarding work, and it often opens up the door for meaningful conversations and connections.

4. Sports Camp 

Our favourite way to reach local families and keep kids active? 

An American sports camp! 

Sports camps serve the community, keep young people engaged, and introduce families to your church in a way that’s both fun and practical. A camp allows kids to develop new skills, meet new friends, and build their confidence, all in a positive environment. At Breakout, we always start the day in prayer and create opportunities to share Jesus.

Arranging a sports camp can be more time-consuming and requires a confident team to lead the activities and keep the young people safe. If you’d love to run a sports camp but are unsure you have these resources, don’t panic, we are here to help! 

How Breakout Can Help 

Our American sports camps are fun-packed experiences designed for young people. We love partnering with churches in the UK and beyond to host these events. We bring everything you need - the team, the equipment, and the enthusiasm! All you have to do is secure the dates, a venue, and a few essentials like food. 

Running a camp in your church will create a perfect space for connecting with local families in meaningful ways. In order to serve local churches of all shapes and sizes, we keep everything free, we trust God to provide. 

Get In Touch 

Curious about running a sports camp? Let’s chat! We would love to partner with you to reach your local community. 

Get in touch with our director, James, today by emailing 

j.greene@breakoutministries.co.uk.