Minister discovers mission field in his own neighborhood

RICHARDSON—John Wills serves as executive pastor of The Heights Baptist Church in Richardson, and for the first time in his ministerial career, he works regular hours.

As the church’s chief operating officer, mentor to staff and pastoral confidant, he could work through the night and never get all his work done. But Wills goes home at the end of business so he not only can spend the evening with his wife, but also with his neighbors.

“The office work can wait until tomorrow,” he said. He sees his neighborhood as a mission field needing his attention. “It’s calling my name.”

Wills notes his attitude toward sharing his faith changed five years ago after he read Radical Reformission by Mark Driscoll.

“I’ve always felt like evangelism was our responsibility,” Wills said, but he never saw himself as the type who would share his faith every day. For years, he stayed so busy at church, ministry in the community had no place in his life.

But Wills became stirred—even “haunted,” in his words—by a statement by the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:14: “The love of Christ compels us.”

Wills knew he needed to take action. For two years, Wills implemented relationship-style evangelism.

John Wills and his family offer a party on the patio for their neighbors.

“I already have a strike against me because I’m a preacher,” he noted. Neighbors still wondered how they should behave around him. And Wills recognized relational evangelism demands long-term investments of time and effort. But he also knew Jesus spent time with all kinds of people—devoting much of his attention to people who did not know God. And Wills wanted to follow Christ's example.

He began to view ministry in his neighborhood with intentionality. Neighbors learned that when his door was open, anyone was welcome to stop by unannounced. He and his wife, Kelly, host a “party on the patio’ each Friday. Families bring their children to play, while adults visit.

Wills interacts with neighbors from varied backgrounds. Some believe they have to work their way to heaven. Others are reluctant to give up old habits or lifestyles. He’s sat in on interventions for people struggling with unhealthy dependencies.

John Wills and some of his neighbors celebrate a birthday dinner.

As Wills builds relationships, he looks for the appropriate time to present the gospel. By showing love and spending time, he earns the right to talk about Jesus.

“I’m going to live the story, then I’m going to tell my story, then I’m going to tell his story,” he said.

Usually, he noted, the time comes when neighbors face either a crisis or an opportunity.

“You have to be sensitive to the things of God and walk through doors when he opens them,” he said.

Although Wills talks about relationship evangelism, he considers other styles relevant and useful. Regardless of style, Wills emphasizes, the gospel cannot be cheap. While talking about God’s love, Christians must talk about God’s justice.

“You have a choice. Either you die for your sins or Jesus does,” he said.

Neighbors hang out in the Wills family garage.

As Wills worked on his personal neighborhood ministry, he started to challenge members of The Heights to do the same. The church’s Engage ministry challenges members to do ministry within their circle of influence. Engage started by challenging families at The Heights to become involved in some kind of relationship-based ministry. The next phase asks people to move one of those relationships into conversations about Jesus, opening doors to share the gospel.

“Pockets of people have really embraced it. Other people are going ‘It’s nice for you but not for me,’” Wills acknowledged. While some remain under the impression that the staff gets paid to do the evangelism, some put forth effort but struggle for results, he added. Even so, church members have launched more than 30 neighborhood ministries in recent months.

Pastor Gary Singleton often challenges The Heights Baptist Church with a question: “If this church left, would anyone know we’re gone?”

Wills accepted the challenge to make sure in his neighborhood, his absence would be noted in the lives of people who need to draw closer to Christ.

Eric Davis is a member of The Heights Baptist Church in Richardson. He will graduate in December from Dallas Theological Seminary with masters’ degrees in Christian education and media/communication.