“A great number of people heard of all that He was doing and came …”. (Mark 3:8)
This is a good reminder of how “a great crowd” comes in the Lord’s work. We do not have to plan some “innovative” outreach activities; people come when when they hear the great things that Jesus is doing.
Church leaders are not responsible to plan a bunch of “stuff” but rather to seek the Lord and His power. When God is at work, lives are touched and changed. When word gets around about what He is doing, people will throng to the place, as they did here in Mark.
The problem many ministers and churches have today is that they are seeking to employ human “growth strategies” instead of seeking the Lord Himself, and what only HE can do.
We needn’t devote ourselves to fabricating creative “outreach plans.” That time is better spent seeking God’s blessing instead. He can do more in 5 minutes than we can plan and do all year!
shawnethomas 
Yes He can do more in 5 minutes than we can do in our lifetime. Better cling to him and accept to be his tool. Humans have profaned the holy by trying to suit their fleshy desires.
Sounds like you are 5 point Calvinist. God has called us to go and tell the Good News. Just excuse not to witness and be obedient.
I think you misunderstand me. First, I am not a 5-point Calvinist (go back to my blog and read my Lord’s Supper message from last night, points II & III. I believe that Jesus died for us all, and that we are each responsible to make a personal decision regarding Him). Second, I do believe that we are commanded to go and share the gospel; I trust that nothing in this post implied that we are not. What I was addressing was the often-bizarre “schemes” that people come up with in the name of outreach, which usually attract and promote worldliness, when what we really need is to call on the Lord for His power to be manifested among us. When He is working in our midst, people will be drawn to us, and we will indeed be bold witnesses as well (Acts 4:31). May God grant this to happen in your church, in mine, and all across our spiritually needy land.
Programs come and go, and often people wane in their interest and enthusiasm. Evangelism starts in the individual believer’s heart with a desire and discipline to be a witness for Christ. Witnessing is not a one night a week event or as long as a human program lasts, but a daily lifestyle that is taught, encouraged, nurtured, and exemplified by pastoral leadership. Moreover, it rests on the Holy Spirit’s empowerment of the believer who is sensitive and obedient to the command of our Lord to witness. In humble and loving response to brother Hall, such is the witness and leadership of Pastor Thomas. He is a man filled with the Spirit and love for the lost, and that attitude exudes to his congregation as they witness by their talk and by their walk, and invite others to come into the biblical fellowship of a viable and growing assembly of believers, pointing others to the Source of life, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.