Being a Missionary in Your Neighborhood

Bryan Harms coaches churches in cross-cultural effectiveness among least-reached peoples. He offers an outline of how he intentionally pursues various levels of involvement in order to be a missionary in his own backyard:

• Contact
• Connect
• Courtship
• Commitment
• Congregating
• Coaching

I like this reminder:

Connection occurs over time as trust is built and our new friends discover that we are open, authentic, caring human beings. If we are willing to share out of our humanness and human frailty, then the Light contained in these imperfect vessels of clay will shine through our cracks, inspiring hope.

It is not a bad idea to include another Christian brother or sister at this stage of the relationship. Adding another voice and Christian relationship will give more credibility to our message as we go along—as well, at a later stage, as providing a stronger base for nurture and disciple-making.

In addition to what Harms has written, I would be more explicit (in the courtship step) about engaging our friends in looking at what the Bible has to say about Jesus.

Andy Wildsmith on Being Missional

Last Sunday Andy Wildsmith challenged us on how to be more missional as a church (Andy teaches at Moffat School of the Bible in Kenya). His main emphases:

1. Get back to basics, namely love God and love others.
2. Realize what it means to be a marginalized church: We are sent into the world (John 17:15-18).
   
3. Do something to penetrate your world (the church is a training ground).
   

The Journey Has Begun

A couple of weeks ago, I informed the church whom I have the joy of pastoring that I will be pursuing a change in roles at the church, with a view to planting a new church in the Windsor area. Here's what we're envisioning for the new plant:

1. We are a missional community. We use the word “missional” because we are pursuing a “go and seek” model for ministry rather than a “come and see” model. Rather than develop programs to attract people, we are equipping and encouraging believers to be Jesus’ servants in their everyday relationships and activities (cf. Ephesians 4:11-12).

2. We are a prayer-intensive community. The world is blind to the glory of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4). Furthermore, we believe that in Canada today there is an increasing resistance toward a biblical worldview. Only God can change this condition. So we call upon him to change us, first of all, so that others can see Jesus in us. Then we ask for opportunities to show Jesus to others. And we pray for people to be responsive to Christ’s love.

3. We are a house church-based community. The early church had both large gatherings and meetings in house churches (cf. Acts 2:46). This was likely just a matter of convenience. Nonetheless, we feel house churches (of 15-40 people) provide an excellent environment for helping one another to follow Christ. We are a network or association of house churches functioning under a common leadership structure.

4. We are a discipleship-oriented community. Through cell groups, mentoring, and leadership training, we want to develop maturing servants of Jesus Christ.

5. We are a global church-planting community. We see ourselves as a small part of the world missions movement, with a concern for the least-reached regions of the world. This includes - but is by no means limited to - giving a significant portion of our financial gifts to send and support missionaries [75%-90% of givings going to local and global missions].

Just Stop and Think

Check out the Just Stop and Think website. Watch the 15-minute film. Send your friends there. Link to it on your blog or website.

Jesus on Record

Gary Carter, a friend of mine, has written a book and posted the first draft on-line for feedback and critique. It's a look at some of the quotes of Jesus from the Gospel of Mark and is geared to communicating the truth of Jesus to people who may not have considered who he is. You can read it here (.pdf format).

Canada Announces Matching Funds for Earthquake Relief

The Canadian government announced:

Under the South Asia Earthquake Matching Fund, the Government of Canada will match — dollar-for-dollar — all donations by individual Canadians to registered charitable organizations for relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction in the region. The matched funds will be placed in a pool, and Canadian development organizations can submit proposals for relief and reconstruction to this pool.

We should be glad our government is doing its part in the disaster relief efforts. And I hope nobody takes this the wrong way in light of the sadness of this tragedy. But a caption from an editorial comic caught my eye and made me think; it's a guy saying to Paul Martin, Prime Minister of Canada:

"WOW!! YOU MEAN FOR EVERY ONE OF MY DOLLARS I DONATE, YOU'LL DONATE ONE OF MY DOLLARS??"

Having said that, please still give!

Speaking the Language of Our Friends

If we are to effectively communicate, we need to learn the language of the people. Many have made the point that this is true whether it's a missionary going to another country or Christians in North America trying to reach our neighbors and friends. Greg Koukl at STR offers one insight into effective communication. In Reinventing How We Talk About God, he writes:

Let me suggest a simple adjustment. Since there is often a difference between what we say and what they hear, don't give others the chance to misunderstand. Let's be more specific and exact in our language. Instead of using emotive "faith" language, use the language of truth.

Don't talk about your beliefs, talk about your convictions, about what you've been convinced of. Don't talk about faith, talk about truth. Don't talk about values, talk about what you understand the moral facts to be.

The question "Do you take the Bible literally?" is also loaded. A simple "yes" could be misleading, so I answer in a way that makes my own meaning clear: "I think the Bible accurately records what actually happened." No ambiguity here.

I've actually encouraged Christians to ban words like "faith" and "belief" from their vocabulary. These words no longer communicate what we intend them to and so our effectiveness as ambassadors is dilluted.

It's not that faith isn't valuable. It's vital. But "faith" language is often misunderstood as a "leap," a blind, desperate lunge into the darkness or a personal sentiment. It sounds too much like religious wishful thinking.

Less Is Better?

House Church Chronicles has an article by Allan Karr on spending More Time with Fewer People. He writes:

All of my adult ministry life, I have been focused on “church growth” with the strategy being that if we connect with large numbers of people in church or in a seminary class that we will make more disciples. In my experience, that hasn’t been the case. Many of our churches are full of people who have been passive listeners of sermons for years and are still not missional leaders in their everyday lives. I am discovering that we make a greater impact in the kingdom of God by spending more time with fewer people.

Karr also makes the following point about why we gather: "The purpose of our gatherings together as the body of Christ is to get us edified, encouraged, and equipped to go back into the community." What he implies but I think needs to be said is that we go back into the community with mission. Many of us go back into our communities only to accept whatever life throws our way, rather than going intentionally.

The Critical Issue in Abortion

Will Andries writes an interesting article for LifeCanada News on what he calls "the hidden message in cigarette package photos." He's talking about the Health Canada ads that warn about the dangers of smoking. One such ad is concerned for the health of the baby (yes, they use the word baby, not fetus) in the mother's womb:

Cigarettes Hurt Babies
I can't copy the picture, but the ad shows a pregnant woman with a cigarette in her hand and this caption beside her: "Tobacco use during pregnancy reduces the growth of babies during pregnancy. These smaller babies may not catch up in growth after birth, and the risks of infant illness, disability, and death are increased."

Andries writes:

Imbedded in the warning label is a foundational human right: the right to clean air and a safe environment free from the toxins of cigarette smoke.... The warning label extends that same right to 'babies during pregnancy.'

Now I have no doubt that this won't make the government change its policies on abortion. But it does drive at the heart of the abortion issue: What is in the mother's womb? Is the unborn child a human being? For helpful material, see the websites of:

• Stand to Reason
• Life Training Institute
• Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform (who use graphic pictures to depict the visual reality of abortion).

Earthquake Relief

Just received this email from a missionary concerning the devastating earthquake on the Pakistan-India border:

We have decided to coordinate our relief efforts through TEAM mission which has an extensive medical ministry in that area. Their hospital in Qalandarabad (situated between Abbotabad and Mansera and presently providing the only O.R. facilities in that region) and a sister hospital in Gari Habibullah lie in the midst of some of the most hard-hit areas in the country.

FEBInternational is putting together an appeal for donations which will be channelled through their relief arm, FAIR. We will channel these funds to TEAM's relief work in the north. Americans wanting to contribute can do so through WorldVenture, our sister mission in the States. The contact info for these two organizations are given below. Donations should be marked as "Pakistan Earthquake Relief."

Funds contributed will be used for immediate relief as well as for long-term rehabilitation.

FEBInternational, 679 Southgate Dr., Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 4S2.

WorldVenture, 1501 W. Mineral Ave., Littleton, CO 80120-5612.

Hockey Is Back!

This is totally unrelated to the intent of this blog but hockey's back, so ...

GO HABS!

Update: Link to the Canadiens official site.

Christian Indifference to Gambling

John H. Redekop asks the question, "Why Are Christians So Indifferent to Gambling?" He notes that The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada has spelled out a clear and solidly Christian stance in its public submission to government, Gambling: A Bad Bet (note: pdf format). In EFC's paper it has these "Recommendations for Christians in Society":

Gambling is insidious because it can destroy relationships in families, because of the high levels of participation among the poor and the young, and because of the rapidly increasing dependence on gambling revenues by governments. The EFC therefore encourages the Christian community in Canada to speak prophetically against gambling. More specifically, EFC recommends that its constituents use their “offices” in the various social institutions in which they function to:

• ask churches and parachurch agencies to provide to their members biblical teaching that exposes the materialistic and idolatrous impulse at the heart of the gambling addiction of society, and to provide practical suggestions for counteracting the pervasive influence of materialism;

• provide through community groups and schools information that describes the damaging and distorting effects of gambling on many individuals and institutions;

• encourage local action in communities, sports groups, and volunteer agencies to combat gambling, while setting up or supporting agencies that minister compassionately to people addicted or otherwise injured by the blight of gambling;

• encourage schools, community and other associations either to refuse or to exercise discretion in receiving revenues generated by gambling;

• encourage businesses to provide goods and services that promote genuine human fulfilment and make fruitful use of God-given resources for the needs of all; and

• serve as an example for how games involving aspects of randomness can be redeemed as opportunities for joy in our families, friends, and communities.

On Being Incarnational

Mark van Steenwyk shares six "incarnational" practices for (missional) churches. These are written for church planters:

Practice 1: Move (i.e. move into the neighborhood that you want to minister in) and Observe

Practice 2: “Intentional Friend-Making”

Practice 3: Gather in 3rd Places (i.e. places where people hang out) and Homes

Practice 4: Mobilize Discipleship (i.e. find ways of training people while they serve)

Practice 5: Volunteering in existing social service organizations (instead of starting new programs)

Practice 6: Limit Your Attractiveness: "The attractional approach and the incarnational approach aren’t two complementary approaches: they are two different foundations for doing church. Incarnational churches start with the assumption that they must go to where people are at. Attractional churches may do some incarnational things, but they are ultimately trying to bring people in. You can not have a church effectively built upon both approaches."

To find out more on these practices, read the full article. (HT: House Church Blog). My concern: I wonder if the failure of the church is in being in the community and making friends, or if it is in taking the next step of revealing Jesus to our friends.

Christians and the Internet

Glenda Mathes writes an article about how Christians can use the Internet effectively, especially to clearly articulate our hope in Christ. She has some good guidelines for how we should participate in forums (which apply to leaving comments on blogs, as well). Here's a sample of what's in the article:

Christians participating in public forums need to season their writing with salt. We need to write effective, well-constructed arguments that earn a reading. We need to think about the nuances of what we write. Is there a potential for misunderstanding?

We must be polite. We ought to imagine ourselves sitting across the table from the person we address. We ought to avoid direct or indirect personal attacks. Think about the possible ramifications of posts that mention specific persons. Imagine how you would feel if you were being discussed on a public forum.

We must remember that we are not anonymous before God. He sees everything we write. He knows our hearts. He knows if we are following our own agenda or His.