With the start of a New Year, it's the perfect time to think about innovative and creative approaches to ministry. If 2020 proved anything to us, it's that we need to create fresh strategies for reaching people for Christ, delving deeper into innovative discipleship programs and creating additional streams of income to bless your ministry.

I want to encourage both churches and ministries to consider implementing new goals. In today's blog, I'll share four ideas that will inspire something new for your church or ministry.

1. Start a Community Development Corporation. Churches and ministries that want to greatly impact their communities should look into establishing a Community Development Corporation, or CDC.

While slightly different from a religious non-profit, non-religious CDCs can work with local governments and other organizations that would otherwise not work with a religious organization.

CDCs are a separate corporation altogether from your church that is run by church members to reach the needs of your local community. CDCs can use governmental grants and other partnerships that ministries are not always able to work with.

CDCs solve one of the many problems of not receiving enough funding to positively impact local communities.

So, if your church has a burden for helping foster children but can't get the funding it needs solely through church benevolence, creating a CDC will help bridge the gap between the church and other local government officials and organizations.

2. Start a for-profit arm. Maybe the next move for your church or ministry is to start a for-profit arm.

Starting a business with an evangelical mindset is a great way to advance the kingdom. Not only does having a business allow your church to reach your local community in a new way, but it also helps fund your church!

For-profit arms are set up in such a way that the business operates as its own entity, but the church purchases shares of the company, thus making money from the dividends it receives. This is an excellent option if a church wants to have a place in the community outside of its church walls and not solely rely on tithes to continue functioning.

Some business ideas include:

— Thrift store.

— Bookstore.

— Publishing books and curriculum.

— Coffee shop.

— Restaurant.

— Bakery.

— Hotels and hospitality.

There are many business ideas that a church can incorporate. Pray and ask God for strategies and guidance on how your business can impact your community. You'll want to test your idea and make sure it is a viable business option within your area.

Start a church-owned business today!

3. Start an online ministry. This quarantine season has led to an even greater need for churches and ministries to have an effective online presence.

People are searching for answers, and we want the church to be present and available online to point people to Jesus.

Online ministry can look different to every church community. Some online ministries are purely based on prayer. Others have weekly Bible teachings or sermons. Others do not meet physically at all but host all meetings and interactions online. Other ministries will create online resources and conferences for easy access to equip the church at large.

Regardless of how you hold your online ministry, it must carry the same vision as what you would create in person. You want to make sure to treat it like any other ministry you would create, even if it is solely digital.

This is the first question I pose to you if you are considering this route: Who would you want to reach? If you plan to reach the younger generation, being online with an active presence is essential. If you want to reach young families, how can you provide a space for them online to encounter the love of God?

The second question I would pose is this: How are you going to make it happen?

One of the simplest answers is to create a website to house your online ministry.

One of the beauties of creating an online ministry is the ability to customize it to who you are trying to reach for God's kingdom. You can target specific groups of people and customize what you do to reach out to them. Being online also makes your ministry easily accessible. You can be just a Google search away from someone finding love and truth through the Gospel.

4. Establish your social media ministry. As a continuation of the previous section, one important aspect of having an online ministry is to have an active social media presence.

People are very connected to each other through social media. How much better would it be if the church was so easily accessible to people through the major social media platforms!

I would encourage you to treat your social media like another ministry or like another pulpit. Social media is a great place to engage people with humor, life questions, and truth. Many messages are spread through social media; let's add the heart and mission of God to those platforms as well.

With millions of active users online every day, the potential for impact is unlike any other time in history. If churches learn to utilize these platforms effectively, they will expand their reach to a whole new level.

Some of the most popular social media platforms are:

— Facebook.

— Twitter.

— Instagram.

— YouTube.

Once you have those established, there are so many ways you can impact people's lives for the better. Need a social media policy? Check out our Policies Suite.

If we can assist you in any way with a new idea God is placing on your heart, please call us at (877) 798-0612 or click the link below to schedule a call with a specialist.

For the original article, visit startchurch.com.

Reverend Christine Bové works on StartCHURCH's digital products team. Every day, she serves to create products to better the lives of pastors and ministry leaders. She also serves as a StartSITES creative specialist and serves on the tech support team. She is passionate about curating experiences to help pastors and ministry leaders, equipping them to serve their best and make their dreams come true.

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