Glocal Mission Strategy

The Least Reached

2011-02-12T13:31:00.003-04:00

It has been awhile since the last post. I am a new dad, we are settling into a new town, and we are involved in a lot of new activities. Its off to the races!

Often you hear various reasons why a North American church has absolutely no least reached focused activities.

“There is so much to do in our own back yard.”

“The financial cost is too great.”

“It is too dangerous.”

“It is irresponsible to fly in an airplane and contribute to carbon emissions.”

The fact remains that there are still millions of people who have never had the opportunity to choose Jesus because they do not even know about Him. No excuse measures up and the underlying concerns of each excuse are easily addressed.

“Do both. God can handle it.”

“Christians worldwide have over $12.3 Trillion USD in their combined pockets.”

“Danger is our middle name. We were never promised safety. Playing it safe should not be part of the Jesus follower paradigm.”

“Seriously?! If it bothers you that much, support forest lands and fly to the least reached.”

The least reached includes both unreached people groups (UPGs) and unengaged unreached people groups UUPGs). According to the Joshua project, unreached peoples have ”less than 2% Evangelical Christian and less than 5% Christian Adherents. “ Unengaged unreached people meet the unreached criteria and have no one even trying to reach them with the transformational love of Jesus. 95% of the least reached live in the 10/40 Window.

You can learn more about UPGs and UUPGs at Josuha Project. Learn more about UUPGs at Finishing the Task. Do something! Just start. Let God direct your efforts as you get moving. I think that the way God created the universe reflects how He works. “It takes less force to change the direction of a moving object then it does to get an object moving in the first place.” Take your first step at getting involved by signing up and becoming part of the mega-mission movement Call2All.

Worldview

2010-04-06T16:45:00.003-03:00

We all have a worldview. Each one is different. Some are similar because of culture and beliefs. Worldview is how we see the world around us.

Worldview is how we define:

RIGHT and WRONG

TRUTH and LIES

HATE and LOVE

BEAUTY and UGLINESS

Some say that worldview is the pair of glasses through which we see reality. If that is the case then I propose that a Biblical Worldview is taking off the glasses and seeing the world with 20/20 vision.

Developing a Biblical Worldview is a process. Its not magical.

I will be writing about developing a Biblical Worldview over the next few posts.

Epiphany Poem 2003

2010-03-09T12:04:00.002-04:00

Epiphanies

2010-03-09T11:55:00.004-04:00

Here are a few Holy Spirit epiphanies that have changed my life:

"We are blessed in order to be a blessing!"

"Its all about Jesus, not the lost."

"True failure is quitting. True success is obeying Jesus regardless the outcome."

"Sodalities and Modalities are equal expressions of the Church."

"The Engle Scale"

The Search Continues...

2009-10-30T12:43:00.003-03:00

It is frustrating. We are looking for a family as we try to find a local church to be a part of. We want a family that is active and doing something. Is there a family that has a pastor that wants to do what God wants. Is there a pastor who is honestly and earnestly searching to hear Jesus and do what He says? It seems like there are a lot of good ideas but not many God ideas.

I walk into places and can tell they are not interested in things outside of themselves. They are simply interested in getting people to come to them and then they will do something. Words mean nothing compared to actions. We look around. What are they advertising on the walls? What is in the bulletin? What are they talking about and how? What is missing?

We don't think our sites are set too high. A warm welcome is good but slotting us immediately into leading and helping is not good. I love Jesus already and feel this way. What about those who don't?

The Engle Scale

2009-10-02T11:42:00.013-03:00

This is one of those tools that has revolutionized how I think about missions, Church, and my responsibilities. Every Believer is a missionary and it starts at day 1. Its not about going to seminary or Bible School. It is about Jesus and Love.

So a guy named Engle made a scale. It goes from -10 to 0 to +10. A person at -10 has absolutely no knowledge or understanding of Jesus or that there is even a God who loves them. +10 is super Christian. 0 is the point of conversion/transformation.

____________

-10 0 +10

I cannot convert or transform someone. That is Jesus' business completely. It is not my responsibility or anything. If I am hanging out with someone who doesn't know Jesus, if I can help them go from -9 to -6 then that is a good day. If I am interacting with someone who knows Jesus, then my actions should help them move from +2 to +3. If I do this then it is a good day. Some people move along quickly some do not. Keep people moving. Love Jesus. Love people. Change the world

What is Church?

2009-09-11T10:36:00.000-03:00

Every group of Believers that get together is (a) church.

Church is not a building. It is not an organization. It is not a name or a denomination. It is people! It is the fellowship of all believers, it is the Body of Christ with Jesus at the head. All of us other Christ following human beings are the bits and pieces of the Body. Every group of Christ followers that get together are the Church. When a bunch of hands get together or a bunch of feet of all ages, or different parts that get together on a sunday morning, wednesday night and/or Friday lunch. Whatever label you slap on “youht group” bible study “sunday morning worship” Bible Study, Addiction Overcomers. You are the Church… you are a church and have a responsibility for reaching out.

If everyone at the same building is a church and they all belong to a certain larger church expression which belongs to global one church that loves and follows jesus of which He is the head. Reverse it and how small do you get? You get to the two or three gathered together in His name. Doesn’t matter what the flavour and focus whether common past or present or age or interest gather in jesus name is a church. “Gathered in His name” if everything we do is supposed to be worship and done unto the Lord then if believers are getting together they are gathered in His name.

Seriously, Where does church begin and end? Who gets to make the call? I would say it begins with two or three who are gathered in Jesus’ name and goes to all who gather in jesus’ name across the planet. I think that there are too many exclusive units of “not church.” Look at it globally. There are some regions in some countries that only have a handful of believers and they may only get together every 6 months and that is in total secrecy but who dares say they are not a church? What kind of hubris do you have to say they are not church? So what about the group of ladies that get together to pray and do a Bible stud once a week? Aren’t they church? I just think you need to be careful about hard and fast exclusive definitions of what church is and isn’t.

What pride must someone have to say that is church and that is not church! Leave it at where 2 or 3 or more gathered in His name—that is church.

So what is the responsibility of each of these bits that get together? Is that responsibility greater then practice? Whether the practice is reading the Bible and figuring it out or learning more about Jesus for my age group/interest group? If we do not get out into the field to actually do what we are practicing for then… at the very least we are not very loving. At the worst, we really don’t think Jesus is worth it—by our deeds if not by our lips.

Another Blog on what is church:

2009-09-08T14:53:00.000-03:00

Check out a great blog on Church Health.

Church Search

2009-09-08T12:03:00.002-03:00

It seems that a lot of us 20 to 30 are in the same boat. We are looking for a church home. Many of us have moved and we are no longer find ourselves in the towns we grew up in. We have changed life circumstances. We may even have two home churches, one for each of us. For these and many other reasons, we are looking for a new home, a new family. We have pretty short but significant list that we are looking for right away; not crazy, loves Jesus, loves people, loves us, “unity on the big things, liberty in the small things, love in all things” to paraphrase the Moravians.

I think it is okay to have a few homes. My parents home is home, my in-laws home is home, my home is home, my uncle’s home is home. Friends we lived with for a few years is home. Certain big cities are home. So why can’t it be the same with church? Why do local churches seem to get so jealous? Seriously, they are like a crazy girlfriend sometimes. I am not dating the church, the church is my family ;) Sure, I know there is the whole church hopping trend and then a bad pendulum swing overcorrecting that from some pastor types. This is a legitimate concern. People that never stay long enough to be family because they really don’t want the mutual vulnerability and candor of family, for whatever reason. So how easy is it to be family in the church? Do you have to go to Sunday morning and then to a few more meetings during the week?

Does this local expression of the one Body of Christ reach out and love its neighbours (both local and global ones)? If the church is not doing anything and not really interested in changing, I am really not interested in being part of it. As a matter of fact, going to these places makes me angry and makes me sick to my stomach. Especially if they talk about reaching out but there is no actual reaching out to others. Having a “Field of Dreams” if you build it they will come mentality is a false assumption. The “Field of Dreams” appears to become all about filling up your week with church meetings. When do you have time to reach out when you have so many church meetings? Meetings without actual “in the world” opportunity are pointless.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating the trend of not going to church or in just getting together with an online community. That is no where near enough. I understand that people do this because of hurt or disagreement or whatever. This is not healthy. The fact is that, like any family, you can’t be active with other believers and not get kicked in the teeth. The ones you are most open with can hurt you the deepest but that is no reason to avoid intimacy.

I am looking for evidence of love and a transformed life. “They will know you are my disciples by the love you have for one another.” I am on of the “they” looking for other disciples to walk with. I am not looking for perfection. I am just looking for people who are doing something or at least really willing to start doing something. It’s like this, if you only practice hockey skills and do drills and skate but never, in 10 years of practice, actually play a real game against another team then what’s the point?

Or as previously stated

“Being built up is not an end in itself. If I had an apple tree that grew in my yard and I took care of it so it would grow well and big and tall but it never produced apples then I would conclude there is something very wrong.”

So what is the point of the local church and the whole Church?

The Hurting and Broken Believer

2009-07-04T14:33:00.001-03:00

Yesterday I went to the funeral of a friend. I met him when he was 9. He died of a drug overdose when he was 21. That was a week ago. He loved/loves Jesus. I have no doubts about that.

My old roommate, now a pastor, once talked about church and the broken. His grandfather had a stroke and lost the use of his left arm. The thing is, though that arm was not working properly he did not just amputate it. He had hopes that through physical therapy and massage that it would work again. He took extra special care of that arm. He passed away recently at a ripe old age and having never seen his left arm really return to health. He still had hope and he still had his arm.

Kirby knew that about himself. He would cry out and be sorry about this double life he was leading. He didn’t want it. He was a broken person who loved Jesus and felt loved by Him and wanted everyone to know that love for themselves. Kirby knew that it wasn’t how good he was but how much Jesus loves him that makes the difference.

We are a body. How do we treat each other? How do we let love rule as my friend Kirby would say? Love God with all that you are and love your neighbour as yourself.

Mourning with hope. That is where I am right now. Shock and sadness. This was definitely not God’s will for Kirby but an act of Kirby’s free will and the fallen planet we live on. Our Father can and will transform this awful thing so that good fruit will come from it. I know Kirby will be in heaven. I mourn now. It is not bleak mourning but hopeful. It hurts. Many of us are hurting and particularly his family.

At his packed funeral, all of Kirby’s family and friends heard about the loving Jesus who never abandons, who hung around with sinners and other condemned by the religious establishment of the day. They heard about Kirby’s tattoo that simply says “Jesus Saves” in big letters along his midsection. Some folks may have thought the service too ‘Christian’ but, the thing is, Kirby always wanted all of his friends to go to church and hear about Jesus. Kirby’s heart’s desire was honoured at his funeral.

I love and miss you.

Why Church?

2009-05-06T10:48:00.003-03:00

What is church? Why bother going? What does that even mean to "go to church?" The question implies that we belong because we go to a location. Should we not belong because we are connected socially, emotionally, and spiritually to other Christ followers regardless of whether we meet in a location regularly?

Now, don’t get me wrong, it is absolutely healthy and necessary to be part of a local group of Christ followers. It is the why and the how that we need to chew on for ourselves. I am advocating for gathering of believers not their abolishments. Without going into the content of an earlier blog (see archives), we are supposed to be part of the Body and if we ever say “we don’t need you” it is a symptom of deeper sickness.

There are all kinds of church. Believers who meet in a cathedral, coffee shop, bar, hotel room, or living room all feel part of a church. Its not about three fast songs, two slow, offering, and a sermon. Or song 146 in hymnal followed by keeniling and praying and then communion with a wonderful homily. Or sitting in a coffee shop sharing and loving and laughing. Or about a team in Yemen secretely talking to people about Jesus. Its about all these meetings and more. What hubris/pride must you have to say one thing is church and one thing is not. If believers are getting together and loving each other and building one another up then that is church.

We are to gather as a community. We are supposed to be individuals who work and cooperate together. We are family. It is beyond getting fed and belonging (self centered but valid reasons). We can “get fed” other ways. Mutual building each other up is a main part but it doesn't end there. Being built up is not an end in itself. If I had an apple tree that grew in my yard and I took care of it so it would grow well and big and tall but it never produced apples then I would conclude there is something very wrong.

There needs to be an outward focus of the believers gathering because that is a theme through the whole Bible. Abraham was blessed in order to be a blessing to others. Jesus came to seek and save the lost and commanded the disciples (all believers) to do the same by going into all the world to preach the gospel.

The Church is a body. We are Worshipping God and want more people to worship God. Why? Because, as Zinzendorf said "Christ is worthy of the reward of His suffering" which are the souls of all humanity.

If we gather together yet do not have any component of loving our neighbour (whether down the street or in extreme poverty in India) then are we not just an obnoxious noise? Seriously, here are some ideas: Bible study could travel together to some least reached area of the world to teach new believers about the Bible; College Groups can do English corners at their local campuses; Crown Financial studies can travel to South East asia to help with micro-loans so that women don’t feel they have to sell themselves into prostitution; Sunday Schools can have a vacation bible school that is community friendly; band together with other groups to build an orphanage for AIDS orphans.

Look and Act Outward

2009-04-12T15:34:00.000-03:00

In the next few blogs I’m going to explore a couple of theses. They are first, every group of believers that get together is “church.” Second is “missions is the mandate of every group of believers that gathers together. That is to say, that whatever group you call yourself, wether Bible Study, Youth Group, Prayer Group, or sunday School, an integral part of the vision of that gathering needs to be some type of outward mission focus. The bigger the group the bigger the project or the more groups together the greater the vision and greater the action.

I understand that I tend to talk circularly. I make several points and tell stories all as I surround a main point getting ever closer until I reach that point. Straight lines are for chumps.

There are a few Bible verses key in these thoughts:

where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them (Matt 18:20); All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18); If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal (1 Cor 13:1); Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.'All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."(Matt 22: 37-40); Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (matt 28: 19-20)

If every group of believers that gets together has an outward vision then we begin to love our neighbours. We are only truly able to love our neighbours because we love Jesus with everything and He transforms our hearts. This is The Great Reconciliation! If, as groups os believers, all we do is look inward then, generally through this habitual looking inward, we begin to only see ourselves. Focus on ourselves. We see our needs, our wrongs, our rights, us, we, me, I. We look out to God not in to God. We are not God. Believe me, you may be scoffing at this leap but looking inward is a slippery slope that leads to us being gods--whether explicitly or implicitly the result is the same. We are the gods. This is where a lot o humanist ideas come in, or that whole secret stuff on Oprah or things like that. Okay i am straying from the topic...

What is church? I guess that is a question that needs to be answered. We need to grapple with this. I’m with Ralph Winter when he says that both the local church and the traveling church are Church (check it out). Church is all about Jesus. He is the center, the head, the bridegroom. Church is about loving God with everything and loving our neighbour. Its not about us. we people that happen to go into a certain building on a sunday morning are not the focus.

I am not sure exactly what church is supposed to be all the time. I think it is all hands and feet and heart and eyes and all of us together but different. We are bound together by love and all have Jesus at the center and want more people to love Him. Love is the watchword. I don't think we are to build a church like a field of dreams. We are not to build it and simply expect people to come. We are supposed to go out. Jesus told the guys to not just stay in Jerusalem but to also go out into all the world. I guess it's like this, if there is no going out then it shows a true lack of love, a lack of love for Jesus and lack of love for our global neighbours. Then those church buildings are just all white noise, clanging symbols...

Church with a Capital "C"

2009-03-17T18:06:00.000-03:00

When did “The Church” become like “Big Oil?” You know what I mean. We say things like, “I wish ‘The Church’ would get its act together and get on with the Jesus stuff,” and “‘the Church’ needs to feed the hungry and help the poor,” or “‘The Church’ is not doing what it is supposed to.” We have turned taken the term “the Church” and put it on the same level as “big oil.” Are they both big faceless corporations bent on keeping the status quo? In the eyes of we railers against the bs bastion, it is now “the Church,” the monolith that does nothing, the corporation of christian culture, the mega marketed st*rbucks Mega-Church.

The Mega-Church sounds like a Power Rangers villain. Sure, everyone wants to slag the mega-church. How can a gathering of over a thousand people be church?How can it be community? How can you connect? Its not what the early church did. I’ve travelled a bit and have attended a prominent mega-church for a time. I am sure you know it. The pastor was relieved from duty for visiting a male prostitute and purchasing meth. Then almost a year later an angry young man shot and killed two sisters there. He shot a few more people before being shot by an armed church security guard (this is a whole other issue). He killed himself when he realized it was over. I cried. I prayed. I felt for these people that are my family, including that poor guy with the gun. The mega-church isn’t perfect but people everywhere are imperfect.

Three things to think about, first, there are only a little over 1200 mega-churches in the USA and less in Canada. That means that the percentage of churches that are “mega” is pretty low. Second, you can find more people with similar interestes in the larger pool that is a big church. You may very well be able to belong and connect to the smaller circle within the big circle of the mega-church. Third, the early church had gatherings in the thousands. As inferred in Acts 2:41 and 4:4. Or when Jesus fed the 5000 in Matt 14 and Mark 6 or 4000 in Matthew 15 and Mark 8. So don’t gripe about going back to the good old days. Unless you want to get eaten by lions or nailed to a cross. The world has changed and moved on in history and it is okay for “The Church” to have grown and changed. Also, it is okay to want the smaller community of believers to hang out with. It takes all kinds.

I am looking for a church that has a community that I can connect with so that I can do something that affects the world around Me. Oh wait. Am I being too self-centered? Ask not what your church can do for you but what you can do for your church! Yeah, I don’t like that either but there is something there. What else have I forgotten in the Church equation… oh yeah, Jesus.

The Church exists to glorify Jesus. I don’t know a non-churchy way to say that. Some people call it “showing off Jesus.” I mean it is all about light. Our actions are to bring light to Him. His light on the whole planet to all people especially to those who have no light at all (the places that have no church or believers). We are not supposed to be alone in it. We are supposed to work together. All of us are called bride and body and brothers and sisters. That means we are supposed to be connected.

Sure, sometimes I get really sick and tired of hanging out with Christians every Sunday morning. Sometime I just head to Timmy’s with the rest of the heathens. The thing is I have this hope deep down that “The Church” will become all it is supposed to be. “The Church” can be Jesus’ agent on the planet that can end poverty and hunger. “The Church” can stop human trafficking. “The Church” can live out the love and light of Jesus to all the world in every group of people—whether insiders or outsiders. I try and do those things and I am “the Church” so “the Church” is part of those things—though not the whole “the Church.”

Don’t leave “the Church!” If you leave then you will no longer be an agent of change there. Also, it may show that we (Jesus followers) don’t love each other when we bail just because we don’t really like something. Many people work jobs they hate, are part of families that are dysfunctional, and yet remain connected.

I guess it comes down to you’ve got to love Jesus, got to love “the Church,” hell, you even got to love “Big Oil.” Here’s to figuring out how to do that together.

Short term missions is good.

2009-03-10T10:33:00.000-03:00

I have been on 6 short term missions trips; helped set up 6 more; have 10 to 20 friends that are either currently longterm in the field or have been (and I miss them all). Added together, the time overseas is more then a year. I live for it and would like to live in one of these countries. Right now, it is not what I am to do. I’m to stay in North America and encourage people to see, feel, act—to love. Today, I am thinking that short term is anything less then 2 years.

To begin this blog, I want to first put a few things on the table: all believers are part of one Body (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12); believers are to love one another and that shows our true colours (John 13:35); there is a chain of mission that is important—there are people that send and people that go and we are all important (Romans 10: 14-17). Here it is, short term missions is about connection, vision, and experience (i think all of these are part of love).

First, the short term effort needs to be connected into long term vision. With long term workers on the ground. The Body needs connection. Where are treasure is there our hearts go also. Its in the Bible and quoted in the final Harry Potter book. The Body needs to be connected to other pieces of the Body and to the people who don’t know Jesus through money, time, mind, and prayer.

Second, people need their worldviews expanded. Believers need a bigger vision. Believers need to ask and be able to find out what is Jesus’ vision (purpose, direction, transformation) for this land? for my homeland? for myself? for the team we go with? What is really happening right now? The time needs to be vision rich. A friend once told me “If you can do the dream yourself, it is too small.” Proverbs says without vision, people perish. Short term missions is about life!

Third, people need to get God’s heart for the people we work with. This is what experiencing something is all about. Taste, smell, listen, see, FEEL what other peoples’ lives are like. It will break your heart if you let it. Heartbreak is truly a good and deep thing. Don’t run or harden your hearts from the pain. I don’t believe our Father hardens His heart against the pain of humanity. Jesus took it all on for all time. Could we not let some of it penetrate our hearts for certain people for the brief period of our lives here on earth. Short term missions creates long term heartbreak. This is not easy but it is good.

I know there are some poo-pooers out there. Old school long term didn’t/doesn’t want “novices” to come over and mess everything up. They don’t want to babysit. This is a very bad attitude to have and perpetuate. We should want to work with and be part of the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Some of the issues can be solved by preparation, training. facilitation, and debrief. Issues can be solved by matching the type of team to the location and the work. I would suggest these longterm workers need to get over past hurts (forgiveness and reconciliation), get over themselves, and re-align with God’s heart.

How do people get better unless they practice? Unless they have a teacher the will help them? How do they get a heart unless they see, taste, feel and love the people and the long term woker? Opening your life and heart may result in hurt but it is worth it and it is Jesus’ example. Some may say it is worth the risk. Risk is not the right paradigm to look at the world as a Believer. What is the Jesus example and the Jesus command? Is it truly risky if we are following Him irregardless the human outcome of getting hurt or falling on our face?

I have heard that the money for a team to go should be sent over without the people. This view assumes that money makes a transformational difference (this is a humanist/economist worldview and not a Biblical one). People that love and act like Jesus make a bigger difference then a few thousand dollars. Then of course there are (if you are Canadian or American) legal and accountability reasons for not doing this with money.

I have also heard “why go someplace else, there is so much to do here?” My answer is we have a Both/and God. We can travel to places where there are few to no Believers and be a blessing and do things here in our own backyard. It has been my experience that people that go away are more likely to jump on board with things here at home. In other words, there are 52 weeks in a year. Take 3 for short term work and you have 49 at home. Or there are 12 months in a year. Take 6 for short term work. That leaves the exact same amount for here at home where there are tones (comparatively) of believers.

The current growth trend of short term missions is good. May it get better. Actually getting out and doing something is pretty radical. It changes the participants. More will go longer and longer term. Peoples’ hearts stay in a place that they have sown into with time, talent, and treasure. Accept that it will be messy and move on. Trust God with the details of His commandments do not ever stop someone from going!

Ultimately, the thing is Jesus told us to do it. So do it.

To whom it may concern,

2009-03-07T15:35:00.000-04:00

I am writing this blog for the purposes of encouraging and teaching. It is primarily aimed at Believers and Followers of Jesus. Let's face it, there will also be some ranting going on. I read a lot. I watch movies and TV. I would rather watch a good hard R film then ever watch High School Musical or any other POS that goes on the big screen that is more money then art. I like beer and pipe tobacco. I definitely love my brothers and sisters in the Body, but like all family, we do have difficulties. Above all I love Jesus and endeavour to follow Him and be in Him and do all things through Him.

Fact 1. God is amazing and all powerful. He made the universe. Let's not argue about how He did it (over what appears to be Billions of years or in six days) we will simply say He did it.
Fact 2. God is intimate and personal. The creator of the universe wants to spend time with us.
Fact 3. Humans are finite and personal. People suck. People who love Jesus suck. We just happen to love Jesus too and hopefully suck less and less every day we walk with Him.
Fact 4. This seems to be a hard one for people. Truth is constant and knowable.
Fact 5. Humans are responsible and actions have repercussions/ripples/consequences.

Well, that is a good start.