Page 1 of 6 pages 1 2 3 > Last »
Mission-Driven
by Matthew Waller Many churches transitioning to a mission-driven mindset do not see themselves as less missionary-focused. Just the opposite: “We’re all missionaries,” Steve Akin, minister of missions at First Baptist Church Athens, Texas, said about his fellow church members. “Missions is part of the DNA of our church. We want to be involved personally.” The church now supports local… Read More
Moving from Missionary-Centered to Mission-Driven
byJohn Kless Glenside Bible Church, Pastor Glenside, PA We’ve historically been involved in missions, and as in most churches, that has meant that we’ve supported missionaries. In… Read More
Global Church Ministry Assessment
Click here for the Global Ministry Assessment.pdf Read More
Disaster Response Resources
AlertNet Extremely valuable website of Reuters Foundation alerting humanitarians to emergencies. Find the latest news, humanitarian headlines, weekly quiz, plus subscribe to emails and alerts. Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) Disaster Response Christ in Action offers two-day Faith Based First Responders… Read More
Case Study
Hudson Community Chapel in suburban Cleveland, OH Phyliss Hammerstrom Like most churches, Hudson Community Chapel in suburban Cleveland, OH had fielded a number of short-term medical and construction teams to various places. We believed that natural disasters and human conflicts opened doors for the gospel and provided a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate God’s love. We had some basic skills in place, but we had never proactively prepared. A flood ravaged our town in July of 2003 claiming two lives and leaving other victims homeless, but it didn’t occur to us until much later that we… Read More
Lessons Learned
Be connected to an approved agency Elmbrook Church, Brookfield, WI “Don’t head for a disaster location and expect to be allowed on site unless you are connected to an approved agency,” Mary Ann Lee warns from experience. When Katrina hit, Elmbrook was blessed with a close tie to an on-site missionary who provided an entrée to a local church. In other domestic situations, Samaritan’s Purse has been their point of entry; abroad, they worked under the auspices of a mission agency. In a more local disaster, they discovered that the Red Cross was inundated with more volunteers than they could use.… Read More
Get Started
Developing a multi-level rapid response preparedness in your church is an exciting opportunity but it also may seem like an overwhelming task. Here are some ways to get started, even with limited volunteers and funds. 1. Evaluate how rapid response ministry fits into your church’s priorities and how it matches your congregation’s DNA. Where do you already have expertise, passion, and connections? Your geographic location (for instance, are you in a region often impacted by tornadoes?), ministry history (did your church respond to Katrina so that there are people God touched by involvement on a team that served in hurricane relief?),… Read More