Sw - Session 14

Putting God’s Vision Into Practice An Introduction to the Practice of Integral Mission

Session 14 Student Workbook

role play: church leaders’ monthly meeting1 Characters sit and talk among themselves. ey make enthusiastic comments and generally agree that the studies on the Integral Mission of the Church have been lifechanging, exciting, and powerful—opening their eyes to their calling and to the true mission of the church. After all characters have made positive comments and agreed together, then the characters begin the following dialogue. Chairman:

Well, we need to move on and start discussing the “real” business on our agenda.

Member:

Wait a minute! When do we start applying these things we’ve been learning about God’s Kingdom of Shalom and the Integral Mission of the Church?

Chairman:

Well, those were good classes, no doubt. But there are pressing needs on our church’s agenda that need attention right now. Maybe, at a later time, we can discuss to see if we can include a few ideas from these classes into what we do as a church. But for now, we need to talk urgently about what to do to fix the leaky roof in our church building.

Member:

But… what was the purpose of taking these classes if we’re not going to apply them? Shouldn’t we at least take some time to think about our priorities as a church in the light of God’s purposes for us, instead of going straight back to business as usual?

Chairman ignores the question and continues with the meeting agenda—but there is a knock at the door. A member goes to the door and has a conversation with someone outside. (Visitor cannot be seen.) e member asks the person to wait, then returns to the business meeting. Person Who Went to Door: It’s a poor person who needs some help. What shall we do? Chairman:

The Integral Mission of the Church

We have to attend to our business! Otherwise we’ll never get anything done. Even Jesus’ said that we will always have the poor with us. So tell him to come back at another time.



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discussion questions2 • What did you see in the role-play? What was the problem? • Is your church like this in any way? Do you perceive you could have a similar experience in your church after having taken these classes? • How easy is it to get distracted from doing the things of the Kingdom? What are some of the reasons? • How can you make sure that the training you just received doesn’t remain theory, but leads to practice? • In fact, what are some of the things that you benefited most from in this training? What new insights did you gain? In what ways did this course challenge you? What in particular – after having gone through this training – do you know you simply must put into practice?

putting god’s vision into action: the case of nueva suyapa “Nueva Suyapa is similar to any neighbourhood in the slums of any major city in the developing World. It is located just a few kilometres from the National University of Honduras and from the Basilica of the Virgin of Suyapa in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. However, it is generally isolated, neglected and forgotten by the local government. Nueva Suyapa was founded in the 1970s over the old garbage dump of the city by flood victims left homeless by Hurricane Fifi. Currently there are over 5000 families living in Nueva Suyapa. e majority of the houses have leaking roofs and dirty floors. ere is no sanitation system for wastewater, and families spend up to a third of their income on buying water because the city system only connects them to water once a month. ere are not enough schools for all the children, much less places for recreation. Many young people find a sense of belonging by joining gangs, some of which are the most dangerous in the city. Muggings, murders and other violent acts are the primary causes of death. Almost seventy percent of the households are headed by single mothers, who have a hard time finding jobs that would pay them enough to get out of extreme poverty. Many children from these homes spend their days on the streets, without access to education, health or security.”3

discussion questions • If you were a church in Nueva Suyapa that wanted to put God’s vision of Shalom into action… what would you do? How would you practically seek to respond to the dimensions of the need in the community? The Integral Mission of the Church



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• Reflecting on the things you learned by studying God’s Story with his world and his purposes for the church, what concrete actions would you suggest, your church should undertake?

group exercise: bringing it home Form a small group of four to six people with other members from your community/church. Together, write a description of the community where you live or where your church ministers. e description should list positive and negative observations. (Do not yet discuss solutions to problems.) Write your descriptions of your community onto a large paper, discuss the following questions with the members of your group, and then report your findings to the larger group.

group dialogue • After describing your community, how do you feel about it? Is it an easy or difficult place to bring about God’s intentions and advance his vision of Shalom? • What do you see as the greatest obstacle to God’s intentions being realized in your community? • Is it possible to overcome that obstacle?

essential principles for community transformation: the nehemiah solution Missing two background pictures. He asks questions and listens (1:2-3) He weeps and mourns (1:4) He prays and fasts (1:4-11) He analyzes the situation and considers his resources (2:1-6) He makes strategic visits, engages in intentional networking and does a power analysis (2:7-10) He does research and assesses the situation for himself (2:11-16)

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He publicly identifies with the people (2:17) He publicly articulates and defines the problem (2:17) He then turns the problem into an issue (2:17) e people determine the solution and create their own strategy/plan of action (2:18 & chapter 3) e people carry out their actions (chapters 4-6) e people confront the opposing powers and defeat them (chapters 4 & 6) Nehemiah confronts the Jewish power elite in public and obtains their consent (chapter 5) e people complete their action (6:15)

reflection questions How is the health, well-being and effectiveness of the Church affected by our not taking seriously the Nehemiah model for ministry? It is not affected at all. Nehemiah’s model was good for his time, but has nothing to teach us today. If we were to follow Nehemiah’s model for ministry, we could potentially increase our effectiveness somewhat. But I don’t believe it will significantly affect the well-being of our church. We lose out on much by not taking Nehemiah’s model for ministry seriously. If we applied it more consistently, the Church would become a force for good in our communities. To what degree are Nehemiah’s strategy and his principles for ministry being practiced in our church?

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Not much. If we do something, we do it FOR the community instead of WITH it. Very little. We say we don’t have enough resources. We are applying these principles in our church. Are changes needed in our life and the life of our church? If so, what changes? We need to understand these principles. We understand and agree with these principles but need to put them into practice. We are on a good path and basically doing what Nehemiah did.

group discussion Discuss with other members of your group how Nehemiah’s principles could be applied by your church in the development of your communities. Write a specific, short plan to apply one principle that you could do within the next month.4

seed projects: loving your neighbor: real examples5 Introduction Most local churches in marginalized areas have a common problem. ey are poor. e members are poor. So are most of the people who live in the churches' communities. Often, their material poverty—and how they see themselves— confines their community outreach to sermons, door-todoor witnessing, street-corner evangelism, and Bible studies. When they are challenged with the idea that ministry goes beyond proclamation, their focus is on their weakness. eir responses are predictable: “How can we do anything to help others when we have so many needs ourselves?” “We are 'little people'—what can we do?” “Who will listen to us?” “e mission, the denomination, or the government have money—they are the ones who can improve our situation.” Seed projects are a way to help local churches break out of such selfdefeating thinking and plan and implement integral mission projects. Seed Projects are short, simple ministry activities. ey are done by a local church or small group, whose members sacrificially invest their own resources to start a project that demonstrates God’s love to people outside the church. Defined by biblical principles about seeds, they serve as the beginning, not the end result, of an ever-growing ministry. Key characteristics of seed projects include: • Covered in prayer • Motivated by God's intentions for Shalom

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• • • • • • • •

oughtfully planned Simple—small, uncomplicated, and completed in a short time Done with local resources Directed toward those outside the church ose who benefit also participate, as possible Spiritual impact where appropriate Evaluated by Kingdom standards Result: God is praised

Seed projects help local churches see and experience that they have more than spiritual Good News to offer their communities. Local church people can be catalysts and servants, bringing about positive physical, social, and spiritual change, even if they themselves are poor. e following pages give examples of projects carried out by poor congregations in several different countries. ey describe ministry projects implemented by urban barrio churches, materially poor rural congregations, and middle-class urban churches. ese churches did not exempt themselves from Jesus’ command to love their neighbors. eir examples show that all churches—even materially poor churches—can proclaim and demonstrate God's love, beginning with small-scale efforts. Not all projects listed, are not small, uncomplicated, or completed in a short time. Yet, they are included for several reasons: (1) ey demonstrate faithful, creative, and sacrificial witness. (2) Local churches that have already served their neighbors through seed projects are encouraged to undertake more complex ministry projects that address physical, spiritual, and social needs. Examples of these larger projects are also given. To carry out the larger ministry projects, local churches have obtained material and technical resources by networking with local governments or development agencies. ey have also networked with other local churches, gaining valuable insights, resources, and encouragement. Seed Projects in El Dique El Dique is an urban barrio community, created when hurricane refugees settled on the steep bank of a river. ere are now approximately 250 people in a local church. Church leaders have met together weekly to plan community outreach seed projects. Example: is church in El Dique knew of children in the community who could not afford to pay school fees. e church approached an international child-sponsorship agency to get school sponsorships, but the agency turned down the request. Church members decided to start a sponsorship program, themselves. ey designed it and invited church members to sign up to sponsor one child at 20 pesos per month (the

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monthly school fee). One church member volunteered to sponsor one child. Two others joined together to sponsor one child at $10 pesos each. Four others had more limited resources and jointly sponsored one child. Example: e church looked for non-Christian older widows in the community who lived alone and needed help. ey believed that this was one way to respond to the Bible's command to care for widows and others who cannot care for themselves. ey offered to help five widows with their housework. e offer was received, and the widows were amazed that people who had no relationship to them were willing to help them. Each woman has since placed her faith in Christ. Example: Church leaders learned of five church members who had material needs. Members who had the needed resources or skills were networked with those with the needs. he networking provided one person with a much-needed pair of shoes, another person received dental work, and a third member's wall and latrine were repaired. Example: Church leaders decided they needed more people to counsel their members about spiritual and psychological problems. ey contacted a local agency that provides training for lay counselors, and a team of church members was trained. Example: Church leaders found a woman who is known to be a good manager of her household budget. ey invited her to give a seminar about managing a household with very limited income. All the community was invited. Many people from the church and the community came for this teaching. Example: Church leaders discerned a need in the church and the community for teachings on family relationships. ey contacted a local person with a background in family counseling and planned a seminar on husband-wife and parent-child relationships. Advertisements were posted throughout the community. Church members, as well as a number of people from the community not associated with the church, attended the seminar. Church leaders also used the opportunity to share their faith and explain their interest in serving the community. Seed Projects in Mt. Sinai Mt. Sinai is an urban barrio church located on the edge of a large metropolitan area, but isolated from the city by a deep ravine. Church membership is about fifty. is small church had a building made of rough wood planks, a leaky tin roof, and a dirt floor. Example: e church and community had no electricity. e pastor began to research what would be needed to get the city power company to

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bring electricity into the community. He learned that $20,000 would be needed, so he and members of the church talked with other community residents and offered to work together to raise the necessary funds. ey organized a plan in which the nearly one-hundred families of the community gave a few quetzales every week. Eventually, the community raised $10,000. rough field trips and requests to businesses and development agencies, they obtained pledges for the balance of the needed funds. ey now have electricity. e pastor reported that, before the electricity project, the community viewed the church as separate from the community. After this project, the community saw the church as an important part of it. People from the community came to hear what motivated the church people to begin the electrification project. Example: Because of the success of the electricity program, the church participated with the community to plan to connect their community directly to the capital city, located across a deep ravine. Without the connection, the people had to take a several-kilometer detour. Example: e church members wanted a permanent building for worship, religious education, and a training center for the community. ey planned that the building would be used all week, day and night, to help the people of their community. ey began raising money through food baskets. Each week, members bring a portion of food: a cup of rice or beans, some butter, or vegetables. e basket is sold and the proceeds used for the future land and building. Each week the church is raising about $7.00. is small congregation is similar to many of the other barrio churches. Before understanding God’s vision of Shalom for their world, they had little hope of doing anything in their community, other than holding services for worship, preaching, and teaching. Now, after the success of a seed project that met a major need in the community, their vision and plans have greatly expanded. Whatever the future holds, their credibility, witness, and effectiveness have been enhanced in the eyes of the community. Seed Projects in La Verdad La Verdad is a barrio church in a large city. e church building is made of wooden planks, a tin roof, and a dirt floor. Church membership is about eighty people. Example: When this church was first challenged to accept God’s challenge to advance his vision of Shalom in their community by loving and serving their neighbors and sharing what they had, their response was

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“We are so poor, we cannot do that.” eir pastor told them, “You may not have much food, but you can share a small amount of sugar, rice, soap, or something else with those who have less than you.” In response to what they believed God was telling them, the members brought small amounts of food during the week and put them into a common basket at the church. Each week, the church gave the food basket to a very poor, local non-Christian family. e families served had an opportunity to see an expression of the love of Christ. Example: e members of this church implemented the idea of tithing, or giving ten percent of, their time and skills for seed project ministry in the community. Seed Projects in Los Minas Los Minas is an urban barrio community built on the side of a cliff. e barrio was quickly settled by people who lost their homes during Hurricane David in the late 1970s. Before the influence of the Kingdom of God through the Los Minas church, the community had a reputation for theft and violence. Seed projects in the community greatly improved the community and strengthened the credibility of the church and its message. A local church in Los Minas has about forty members. Example: Church members began to think of ways to demonstrate their concern for the people of the community. ey chose to help sick or otherwise needy neighbors with housework. Non-Christian families were offered help, and they gladly accepted. Example: ere are no vehicle roads in the community, only sidewalks. Garbage collects, rots, and creates serious sanitation and health problems in the narrow spaces between houses. On several occasions, the church has organized a garbage clean-up campaign. Members of the church go through the community with buckets, plastic bags, and rakes. ey bring the garbage to the top of the cliff, where city trucks can haul it away. As the church members work in this activity, they share their faith. eir neighbors are willing to listen to the message because it is clear that the members of the church identify with the problems of the community. Example: e community had little or no organized social activities for young people, so the church organized two baseball teams. e time they spend with the young people also gives church members a good opportunity to share their faith. Seed Project in Los Mameyes Los Mameyes is a barrio on the edge of a large metropolitan area. e local church there has fifty members.

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Example: is church identified five families in the community whose homemakers were too sick to do housework. Church members helped them clean their homes, wash and iron their clothes, and clean their yards. Most of these families have since become followers of Jesus. Seed Projects in La Cieñega La Cieñega is a large, crowded urban barrio built on a swamp on the edge of a wide river that runs through a large city. It had no public sanitation; no public schools; high unemployment; and many other spiritual, social and economic problems. ree local churches in La Cieñega cooperated in community ministry. ere are between thirty and sixty people in each of the congregations. Example: e churches initiated three preschools. ey rented empty homes for the school buildings and staffed them with members of their churches. e government was impressed and offered to assist by providing government-paid staff. By networking, the churches found food and nutritional supplements for the children from international development agencies. ey held meetings for the parents to talk about parental care. e parents were so impressed with the schools that they supported them by paying fees, and the preschools became selfsupporting. Example: e three churches started a literacy program for adults. By networking, they discovered an agency that would train their literate members to teach nonliterate adults. Six church members attended the training sessions and started six literacy programs in the community. Example: One of the churches initiated a vocational training program for young men in the community, teaching carpentry and cabinet-making skills. e teacher was a church member with carpentry skills, who volunteered his time and knowledge. Example: e churches joined together and organized the community to build a small bridge across a bad place in one of the main roads, where vehicles often got stuck during the rainy season. From the concept of networking and field trips learned from a Christian development organization, they asked local businesses for building materials for the bridge. ey were pleasantly surprised that the businesses cooperated. People from the churches and the community volunteered their labor to build the bridge. With the success of this seed project, the churches were encouraged to address the same problem in other places in the community. A total of five, small concrete bridges were built—all with local resources. Example: One spiritual seed project was the public showing of an evangelistic tool, Jesus Film. As a result, many people indicated their interest in following Jesus.

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Two illustrations of the credibility earned by the churches because they demonstrated the Gospel: (1) Community leaders have asked the pastors and leaders of the churches to officially represent the community on several occasions. One time, when it was rumored that the president wanted to tear down the community to build a tourist port, community leaders asked for their representation to the national government. Before the churches began their outreach ministries, people didn't think the churches cared about the problems that mattered to the community. (2) Two young Communist leaders in the community came to one of the three pastors and said, “We didn't know that Christians cared about people, but we see that you do. So do we. We want to know if we can work with you.” Seed Projects in Carapita Carapita is a church in an urban barrio of the capital city. ere are approximately one hundred members in the church. Example: is church went to a neighboring community to work on the main sidewalk and its lighting system. e lighting system was not functioning, and the sidewalk was full of garbage and weeds. e church organized fifty of its members and worked from nine o'clock in the morning until two in the afternoon, collecting garbage and pulling weeks. Several members who had the needed skills repaired the lighting system. Christian music was playing, and Christian tracts were distributed. e people of the community were impressed, and some came to help. Others brought juice and cookies to the workers. Example: A government social worker met with the church and invited the young people to help clean up—and then plant trees—in a mountainous area near the local hospital. Twelve young people joined others from the community, the hospital staff, and the local public school in this two-day project. e government provided the tools and seedlings. Organizers of the event publicly expressed gratitude to God and to the local church. ey said it was the first time they had seen a Christian group participate in this kind of activity. Example: A local public school badly needed repairs on the toilets, the electrical system, and a sewage ditch. ey had money for materials, but not enough to hire laborers for the repairs. About twenty-five people from the church joined an equal number of community people to do the repairs on a Saturday. Women from the church and community prepared sandwiches and drinks for the workers. School authorities and teachers publicly gave thanks to God and invited the church to do other activities with their students, such as movies and conferences.

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Example: A local public school invited the church to give drug prevention lectures to ten- to thirteen-year-old students on four successive Friday afternoons. e use of drugs is a major problem in the barrios of this city. e students responded positively to the lectures and the vision of having a better life by following God's plan, instead of seeking pleasure in drugs. e students and teachers asked that the church come back with more lectures and Christian films. Seed Project in Fonfrede Fonfrede is a rural community. ere are approximately one hundred members in the church. Example: One Sunday morning, a group of foreigners unexpectedly visited the morning service. ey arrived with a big truck and machinery and announced that they were going to dig a well the next morning. ere was great excitement because water was a tremendous need in Fonfrede. ere were no wells; people got their water from a polluted river. Some of the people of the community had to walk three kilometers to the river, and sometimes it was dry. e next morning, excitement was high. e entire community had heard that there would finally be water in Fonfrede. e foreigners started their well-drilling machinery but found that the entire valley was filled with river stones too large for their equipment to handle. ey couldn't drill any wells. Disappointment and discouragement were very evident. Facilitators from a Christian development organization encouraged the church leadership to explore what they could do on their own to meet the need for water. ey made a field trip to a development organization that owned intermediate-technology equipment, which could be used to dig wells by hand. At first, the idea of successfully reaching water with a hand-dug well was not well received. e people thought that the water level was too deep. If hand-dug wells were possible, they reasoned, why hadn't they been dug before? However, because of the heightened interest in water, the church leadership decided to try. ey rented the one-by-one meter collapsible steel cylinder and winch. ey moved it to Fonfrede and began to dig for water at the back of the church property. Water was struck at forty-five feet. Predictably, the celebration great. Nonchurch members, however, were not pleased. ey thought that church members would hoard the water. On the contrary, the church invited the community to share in God's blessings of their successful well. Soon, representatives from nearby parts of the rural community began to ask church leaders if they would help dig wells in other parts of the community. e church responded positively. In little more than a year,

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fifteen wells were dug by hand, one more than eighty feet. (We can speculate that, if the foreigners had been successful digging a well by machine, there might be only one well in Fonfrede today.) rough this expression of concern for the community, the church gained so much credibility that, when the church invited the community to come to hear the message of God's love, it was filled with community people. ey were curious to know more about the God and the people who had provided water. Seed Projects in Chapernas ere are approximately forty members in a very poor church in the small rural town of Chapernas. Traditionally, the people in Chapernas have felt very powerless. In previous politically troubled times, they have been victimized by opposing political groups. Example: e young people of the church decided to try to demonstrate their concern for the people of their community. ey had never done anything like this before. ey decided to work on four houses which had been flooded during winter rains. Two were homes of community people not associated with the church, and two were church members' homes. e young people dug diversion ditches around all four houses. e community took notice, commenting that "crazy Christians" were helping people not even connected to their church. Further, they were helping without asking for anything in return. Example: e church members began taking collections from their own meager supplies of food. ey started to share the food with people in the community who had less than they did. Several of the people who received this expression of neighborly love decided to follow Jesus. Example: Because of the initiative he saw in his church members, the pastor decided to try to improve his family's housing. He said the poverty of his living situation had been a “giant in his life” for many years, but he didn't see how he could provide better housing for his family because he earned a very meager salary. e pastor, his wife, and several children— including one married son and his family—all lived in a two-room house. e walls were made of poles and the floor of dirt. ere was no caulking between the poles, so the home was open to weather, insects, and people who wanted to look inside. With the help of the young people from the church, the pastor began to carry stones from a nearby creek and put them in a pile near his house. Week after week, the pile grew. Eventually, there were enough stones to build a foundation. en, the pastor bought one or two cement blocks each week. A visitor became interested and promised to buy two cement

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blocks for every one that the pastor bought. A year later, there were enough blocks to put up walls. Today there is a cement block house where the pole house stood, an example for the entire community that, with vision and encouragement, people can make a difference in their living situations. Example: e road into Chapernas had many deep holes that filled with water and mud during the rainy season. e deep holes made it difficult for vehicles to travel in and out of the community. e members of the church led a campaign to fill the holes with rocks and dirt. When they started their seed project, a man with a tractor decided to help them. As a result, the two-kilometer road into the community is much better. Seed Projects in Santiago e following example is from a church in a large urban area. Church members are middle-class, and many members are professionals. e church has approximately 2,500 members. Example: Immediately after a Bible study on the topic of “A Christian Response to Human Need,” the pastor called the church to repent. He realized that the church had not been responding to the physical needs in the community—especially to the needs of the poor—as it should. In response, many of the members of the church, including professionals, committed two hours per week to volunteer in their area of vocational skill. e church set up a program to coordinate and schedule the hours and skills with community needs. If the services are not directly needed, then the members contribute financially what they earn in two hours, and those funds are used for community outreach. Example: One woman who cleans homes for a living was assigned to clean the home of a sick man who was not related to the church. He was astonished that someone who didn't know him would care enough to come and clean his home. He asked her why. She told him it was because of Jesus' love for him. As a result of her labor of love, he opened his life to faith in Christ. Example: Some of the women in the church started a sewing class for local women. ere were 150 women who took classes to learn how to sew clothes for their families, as well as to produce extra income. Example: e members of the church regularly go through their unused prescription drugs and bring them to the church. Doctors in the church classify them, and they are used in a medical clinic outreach program. Seed Projects in La Alameda

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e following examples are from a middle-class church in La Alameda, an area at the center of a large metropolitan area. e church has 150 members. Example: e pastor challenged each member to fast one meal a week and bring the funds not spent on food to the church to share with needy people in the surrounding barrios. Example: Major soccer games are on Sunday and conflict with church. Drinking, gambling, and foul language are associated with the games, and those who play soccer are seldom found in church. Church leaders knew that many young men would like to play the sport, but lacked opportunity. e church sponsored a soccer league which quickly grew to eighteen teams and offered its building as a meeting place for the league's leaders. Church members demonstrated their concern for the young people and shared their faith during practices and games. Example: Several doctors and medical students in the church organized a clinic in the church. ey also began several clinics in neighboring barrios, to meet physical and spiritual needs of the people who live there. Other Examples: e pastor related other examples of seed project ministries which the church had done: • Held a child-care class for mothers • Painted speed bumps to make them more visible to drivers • Ministered to approximately twenty alcoholics in a nearby community where the church has an outreach • Filled potholes on a street • Collected clothes for needy children • Placed garbage barrels in the community (with Scripture verses painted on the side) • Constructed concrete stairs on a steep, heavily traveled path • Formed a cooperative group for affordable dental care • Offered door-to-door service by dentists who were church members • Distributed bed sheets to prisoners • Collected and distributed school supplies for children whose fathers were in jail • Distributed vitamins • Gave preventive health seminars • Requested service of a city truck to carry away community garbage Other Examples and Ideas for Seed Projects Here are a few more ideas for seed projects:

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1. Church members survey the community for widows without means of support. e church then offers to be an adoptive family, providing physical and emotional support. Individuals are available to cook, provide food, clean house, care for children. 2. e church starts its own child sponsorship program. Church leadership identifies a needy community child who cannot afford school. After determining the financial need, they match the child with sufficient members of the church who pledge the support needed for that child to attend school for one year. 3. e women of the church do an informal survey of items needed by people from the community—clothing, food, cookware, etc. e pastor tactfully announces the needs in church and gives members an opportunity to volunteer to meet the needs. 4. e church starts a soccer team and invites other local teams to play. Someone begins the games with prayer, thanking God for His concern for healthy bodies and good human relationships. e visiting team is invited to stay for refreshments and fellowship. 5. A survey is taken of skills available within the church, such as carpentry or sewing. Members sign up to volunteer their skills for a given period of time. e church coordinates skills and time resources with community needs. 6. Church members set aside one handful per day of a staple food (rice, beans, flour). At the end of the week, or when the container is full, it is taken to a more needy neighbor or brought to church to be distributed as an expression of Jesus' love. 7. Church members who can read volunteer to attend a local literacy program to learn to teach others to read. ey return and offer reading classes for the community. 8. Church leaders meet with community leaders to explore how church members can contribute to community projects. 9. e church organizes a community-wide garbage clean-up project. e project begins with a mini-drama for the community, illustrating God's concern for health and sanitation and showing the relationship between garbage and disease. 10. e church holds seminars on issues of interest and invites the community. Guest speakers may be invited, and members seek to build relationships with outsiders. Sample subjects: “How to Be a Good Husband,” “How to Be a Good Wife,” “How to Shop and Cook for Good Health,” “Boy-Girl Relationships,” “Sexually Transmitted Diseases.” Conclusion As we have seen through these case studies, numerous ministry activities reflect God's concern for the needy. Such activities can easily be undertaken by the poor and their churches.

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Imagine the “salt and light” effect there would be in our world if every local church were known to act in these ways. is was the same kind of impression made by the early churches in the communities in which they ministered. May your church provide the same reflection of God's love and desire to bring biblical Shalom to your community!

if jesus were mayor: how would your community change? Introduction e Bible clearly says: “Where there is no vision the people perish.” A church without a vision does little more than maintain the status quo. It has little chance of making an impact for the Kingdom of God in its community. But a church with a vision has an opportunity for earthly and eternal significance.6 ere are many visions that seek to capture a church’s heart. Some uphold the vision of a praying church. Others call churches to the vision of supernatural healing. Still others insist that churches should embrace a vision of evangelizing, or worshiping, or fellowshipping. While all of these visions are important, they all fall short of God’s overriding vision. Churches shouldn’t just accept any vision – but God’s vision for the people and the universe he created and loves. Jesus taught us to pray to our Father: “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” God wants his will done on earth – now – as it is in heaven. Knowing that, let’s ask ourselves the following question; a question which may help us better understand God’s overriding vision and our own mission within it. So let’s imagine: “What would Jesus do if he were Mayor?”7 What would Jesus do if he were Mayor? • What would he do about street children and the homeless? • What would he do about alcoholism, drug abuse, and other addictions? • How would he strengthen families? • How would he promote safe drinking water, adequate housing and food, health services, garbage and sewer systems, and decent roads? • What would he do about fair wages and adequate employment? • What would he do about unwanted children and care for the sick and elderly? • What would he do to bring beauty – clean streets, trees, flowers, and public parks? • What changes would he make in the education of children and adults? • What new public policy decisions would he institute? • How would he help people evaluate problems and make just decisions? • What would he do to change the way local government works? • What would he do about rampant corruption and bribery?

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• Would his teachings be televised? Would he hold “town meetings” where his agenda and Kingdom principles would be set forth? • What would he do about crime and civil unrest? What guidelines would he use for police and community relations? • What changes would he make in the courts and judicial system? In the prison systems? • What would he do about the gap between the rich and the poor? • How would the “little people” be treated in the community? How would the powerful people feel about him? • What would he do about single moms and disintegrated families? • How would he seek to address migration abroad? • What regulations would he establish for business? • What would he do about depression, loneliness, and mental illness? • How would he deal with pornography, sexual immorality, and prostitution? • What would he do about family violence and sexual abuse? • How would he improve social relationships among the citizens? • What would he do about recreation and entertainment? • What role would the church play in the community? • How would he encourage unity among churches and civic organizations? • What would he do about other religions? • Would his teachings and actions put his life in jeopardy? • How would the community be changed to reflect the municipal administration’s priorities? Ground Rules Before our speculations go off course, here are some ground rules to imagine his governance in ways that are compatible with the realities of Jesus and the present world: • Jesus’ mayoral actions would match the character of God and fall in line with God’s vision of Shalom. • Jesus would not establish a theocracy or a government ruled by the church. History is replete with examples of how this experiment didn’t work. • Individuals would have free choice. • Jesus would not create a welfare state. For example, his government would not instantly provide free housing for everyone. He would not instantly and miraculously make everything perfect for all of the citizens. As he did throughout God’s Story, he would involve the citizens in healing the brokenness around them.8 • Indeed, Jesus would do what we discovered that God has done throughout world history. He would look for a people willing to stand in the gap and advance his vision of Shalom. And when he found them, he would give them his Spirit and power and be present with them in this undertaking.

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group activity Now we are ready to engage these questions: “If Jesus were Mayor of your municipality, how would your community change, based on what we studied today?” “What would happen if Jesus’ character, values, laws and teachings were the governing basis for our communities?9 Let’s pretend that Jesus really is Mayor. He has assembled his “task force”. We – the local church – are on it, and he wants us to carry out his agenda. “How?” we wonder. He reminds us about the Nehemiah strategy and the concept of seed projects, namely that seeds work in small, sacrificial ways. We nod in agreement. en he assigns different groups of us to develop action plans to address specific issues in our community.10 • Choose two or three questions from the list above, and discuss them together with other members of your group, remembering the Nehemiah model for ministry as well as the concept of seed projects. • Discuss with other members of your group how Nehemiah’s principles and the concept of seed projects could be applied by your churches to address these specific issues. • Write a specific, short plan of action of how you would go about addressing one of these issues, taking Nehemiah’s model of ministry as well as the concept of seed projects into account. • If there is time, make your own list of what you think Jesus would do if he were Mayor of your municipality. • Have someone from your group share your insights and findings to the larger group.

application journal:

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endnotes 1

Adapted from e Harvest Foundation, Leadership Development Training Program Level 1, ird Printing, 10-9 2 Adapted from e Harvest Foundation, Leadership Development Training Program Level 1, ird Printing, 10-1 3 Adapted from Tearfund, On Solid Ground (Cimientos) – Facilitator’s Guide, 8 4 Adapted from e Harvest Foundation, Leadership Development Training Program Level 1, ird Printing, 14-4 5 e Harvest Foundation, Leadership Development Training Program Level II, ird Printing, 19-1 to 19-13 6 Bob Moffit, If Jesus Were Mayor, 10 7 Based largely on Bob Moffit, If Jesus Were Mayor, 10-12 8 Bob Moffit, If Jesus Were Mayor, 12 9 Bob Moffit, If Jesus Were Mayor, 12 10 Bob Moffitt, If Jesus Were Mayor, 275

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