SUNDAY nights used to be straightforward enough: song sandwich – rows facing front – twenty minute preach – a happy enough knees-up, but hard for new people to understand and get involved with.

The final straw came when a few of us brought some new friends to the meeting. We sat behind the rows of people facing away from us singing songs the visitors didn’t know. It was simply impossible to do anything with them. Conversation was impossible. Sure, the gospel was expressed but there was little opportunity for our friends to ask their questions. It was all too tightly “packaged”. Something was wrong.

The solution was simple but radical: we needed to change our “mindset” and acknowledge that these times were not just for us to enjoy for ourselves. Deconstruct any barriers stopping the newest among us meeting Jesus. Get out of our comfort zones. Be outgoing on the streets. Invite new people in. Make conversation possible. Connect.

So now we have café style Sunday nights: the Solid Rock Café. The rows have become tables around which people hook up: all are welcome. Bite-sized gospel and words of testimony pepper the evening. Intercessors support the work as teams lead evangelism on the streets. There’s opportunity to pray and to “talk spiritual”

The result: we have more new people around on Sunday nights. They’re finding Jesus. We have baptisms. We have a church that is turning outwards.