Proximity Podcast
Proximity is a podcast from Mission Church, a new church serving the northwest region of Minneapolis/St. Paul. It is here that we address the relational, situational, cultural, and spiritual implications through real-life interactions. Each of us experiences moments that require us to step up, forward, back, and out, but how do you discern the best response? We step into a dangerous middle, holding these tensions in love, full of grace and truth.
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Proximity Podcast
The Lost Art of Reaching - Scott Nelson
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In this episode of Proximity, we sit down with Scott Nelson from the Northwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church to talk about The Lost Art of Reaching. Scott has spent years walking alongside churches of every size and style—rural, urban, suburban, multiethnic, and multi-generational—and brings a front-row perspective to how ministry is changing in today’s culture. Together, we explore what it really means to “reach” people in a post-Christian world, where traditional models of church engagement no longer connect the way they once did.
Scott shares how reaching others begins with listening well, loving deeply, and living with a missionary mindset in our own neighborhoods. We discuss how the Evangelical Covenant Church’s B.L.E.S.S. framework—begin with prayer, listen, eat, serve, and share—offers a simple yet powerful way to embody the gospel through everyday relationships. Scott also highlights stories of churches that are finding creative ways to meet people where they are, breaking down barriers between sacred and secular spaces.
This episode reminds us that reaching isn’t about programs or platforms—it’s about presence. It’s the patient, Spirit-led work of showing up, building trust, and letting God open doors of influence and conversation. The Lost Art of Reaching challenges us to rediscover evangelism not as a task to complete but as a lifestyle to live—one that reflects Jesus’ compassion, humility, and hope in every interaction.
Interviewee: Scott Nelson
Scott Nelson is the Associate Superintendent of the Northwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church, helping pastors, leaders, and churches to actively engage the mission of God, especially in church planting and leadership development. He has a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Seminary, where he did a national research project on pastoral support, which became a book titled Supply Lines. Scott has spoken across the country and planted a church in Modesto, CA (which later planted a church) with his wife Hannah and five kids. He loves the outdoors, photography, and good food with great friends.
www.northwestconference.org
www.amazon.com/Supply-Lines-Supporting-Relationship-Planter/dp/B0C5S7Q4NC
www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf
covchurch.org/make-and-deepen-disciples/intentional-evangelism/bless-resources/