Note: part of a series started April 22nd.
At this point, we have a new church, a focus on raising up leaders from the harvest and the organizing principle of a network of leaders. Great. But what are we actually doing?
The fourth question my coach asked me was, “How can your church get involved in missional, incarnational ministry?” Many churches pick a project and serve together. But—as I’ve found firsthand—it’s hard to get everyone passionate about the same issue. I didn’t feel right about mandating a project, but I also didn’t want us to stall out over what to do. So I decided we didn’t all have to agree; we could do different things.
We mobilized people individually as they felt the calling of God toward a particular direction of ministry, then we encouraged them to take one or two other people along with them. In some cases we’ve started our own service projects or ministries, but generally we’ve found it easier to partner with organizations that are already doing it: neighborhood schools, the Salvation Army, local recovery homes. With this approach, we usually have three or four different projects going at any given time, giving us the advantage of keeping our eyes open to see where God might be at work.
Every context is different. How can you get involved in missional incarnational ministry? Who in your area is already doing it that you might be able to partner with? Where are your people feeling called?