If your church closed its doors tomorrow, would the hurting, poor or vulnerable in your city (and beyond) notice its absence? Are you confident your mission efforts are truly helping? Does your mission efforts continue beyond the mission trip? If you're not sure...I would welcome a conversation with you.
We don't have to put our lives on pause in order be missional. Life itself is already a mission field. Occasionally, we step away from our daily routine to give sole focus to a mission, but more often than not, a life on mission is about seeing God at work right where you are and joining him in that effort.
There are likely great organizations that are already meeting felt needs in your community. One of the best ways to make an impact is to simply discover an organization which aligns with what God is putting on your heart and joining in to make it better. It's not only a great way to make a difference in a specific area, but it introduces
There are likely great organizations that are already meeting felt needs in your community. One of the best ways to make an impact is to simply discover an organization which aligns with what God is putting on your heart and joining in to make it better. It's not only a great way to make a difference in a specific area, but it introduces you to other people whom you might not have known otherwise.
Many organizations have been serving in these areas with decades of experience which you likely do not have. Particular areas such as addressing homelessness, human trafficking or addressing extreme poverty have such a sharp learning curve that it makes sense to partner with an organization, which has many years of learned experience, and approaches a complex issue with wisdom that only comes from experience.
If there is a felt need that God has revealed to you or your church, and there is no organization in your area meeting the need effectively, then it may be time to be the catalyst to meet that felt need. Seek God and ask Him to open doors and bring the wisdom of others who have walked this road already. You would be surprised at how many leaders will invest the time to help you.
Most every missional effort I have encountered has been initiated by someone with a good heart. However, a good heart isn't enough. When starting or joining a mission, we should ask, "What is the end result of my help?" Will it bring hope or will it bring unintentional harm? I learned this many years ago when I was in Nicaragua. A group o
Most every missional effort I have encountered has been initiated by someone with a good heart. However, a good heart isn't enough. When starting or joining a mission, we should ask, "What is the end result of my help?" Will it bring hope or will it bring unintentional harm? I learned this many years ago when I was in Nicaragua. A group of my friends tried to give a family money to rebuild their roof. A leader in the area saw us pooling our money together and said, "Look around you. Everyone needs a new roof. Please put that money back in your pocket. Instead help us figure out how to empower this community to help each other." That conversation opened my eyes to look at missional efforts with the greater goal of empowerment and freedom. Do our gifts and efforts empower those we serve and help release them from poverty or do they make them dependent upon us? The best missions strive to release a person from their bondage.
That is not to say there are not times to rebuild a roof, provide a meal or give someone a one-time helping hand. It is simply a call to invite God to give us wisdom and insight into if we are helping or hurting.