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From: The Gospel Coalition Blog <w...@thegospelcoalition.org>
Date: Sat, Jan 11, 2014 at 7:27 AM
Subject: The Gospel Coalition Blog
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How to Start and Persevere with Inner-City Ministry Posted: 09 Jan 2014 10:01 PM PST Church plants and mercy ministries may be increasingly popular in inner-city contexts, but the difficulties overwhelm many well-meaning Christians. Churches with hopes of change but poverty of wisdom and experience can burn out or become disillusioned. So how can churches and mercy ministries persevere with joy and hope? I talked with Nathan Ivey, pastor of mercy ministry at Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, Kentucky, who have maintained a thriving ministry to the difficult neighborhood of Shelby Park for eight years. I asked Nathan to help pastors gain wisdom so they can minister with mercy and grace. * * * * * Sojourn Community Church has a pretty developed mercy ministry now, but how did you get started? What would you say to a church who may not have the resources to fulfill all their dreams but need to get started somewhere?
Early on we did a lot of listening. We started prayer walking and listening to God. We joined our neighborhood association, met business leaders, and interviewed government officials. We listened, and then we loved. We chose 30 needs we could address and commissioned our small groups into the neighborhood. We filled up hundreds of bags of trash, washed more cars and dogs than we can remember, cleaned gutters, raked leaves, and washed windows. The key was simple Word-and-deed ministry. We didn't have a budget, but we didn't need one. What we needed and what God provided was a desire to reach our neighborhood with the gospel. We've been faithful, and we've kept at it. Today, relationships that began eight years ago have led to conversions and ministries that now address basic needs, medical care, affordable housing, economic development, and leadership training. What kind of neighborhood do you reach? What are the challenges? Sojourn's largest campus is located in Shelby Park, one of Louisville's historic neighborhoods. It's got a rich history and beautiful 16-acre park. In recent decades, the average household income has fallen to less than $20,000 per year. Most houses are more than 100 years old, and many need repair; some have been abandoned. Jobs are scarce, along with quality education and alternative activities for children. It's both challenging and exciting; and we thank God for locating us in this place. What setbacks do leaders face that can cause discouragement, frustration, or the desire to quit? How do you overcome that discouragement and persevere?
Early on, we emphasized projects over people. I remember we all wanted to quit because it was so overwhelming. Thank God he humbled us and shifted our focus to raising up local leaders, who are the future of the church. We also aim for community participation, which is a foundational principle for long-term sustainable neighborhood change. I've found that true perseverance begins with remembering that God loves me. His grace is sufficient. Pleading for a fresh experience of God's grace is a regular rhythm, because I understand that those in the best position to show mercy are the ones who have received it. How does Sojourn train leaders to serve in difficult inner-city contexts? How would you encourage churches to begin training? We pray and work hard at providing timely, theologically rich, and contextualized training. Most training occurs as the church serves together. At our medical clinics, for example, we equip servants just one hour before they spend all day with families in medical need. Every year we are looking for college grads that will join the URBN Experience. It's a leadership program for graduates, mercy leaders, and church planters. These leaders spend a year on the ground living in homes restored by the church. They learn to relate to the poor and powerful alike, experience urban stressors, minister through Word and deed daily, and receive aggressive, rigorous training by proven church leaders. URBN chisels leaders unlike any classroom-only curriculum. If you are just starting out, prayer walk your neighborhood. Choose a book for study, but spend half your classroom time on the street applying what you read. We've been doing this for years and have met hundreds of people this way. How can pastors and churches assess the needs of their neighborhood? You don't want to guess the needs of your neighborhood; you can waste a lot of time that way. The best way is to personally go and ask. Here are five questions we asked when we first started.
How can pastors identify leaders to equip and appoint? How can I know my heart is prepared for such a task and then be able to see it in others? Above all things, I encourage pastors to restore the biblical office of deacon. Churches must pray for and train up men and women full of the Holy Spirit who will creatively address the needs of the poor in ways that deploy the various gifts of the body. You know your heart is on the right track when you realize that only Jesus' work on the cross can save your city and ultimately meet the needs of the poor. Find others who realize this, and your mercy ministry will take off. |
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4 Ways to Minister to Us 'Young Guns' Posted: 09 Jan 2014 10:01 PM PST If you care about the church, then you care about the future of the church. But today and tomorrow's leaders aren't always on the same page. In fact, many of our denominational and doctrinal conflicts are generationally related. To be sure, there are plenty of Pauls and Timothys out there working well together. Nevertheless, when an older man and younger man undergo conflict—an all-too-common occurrence—everyone pays for it.
The breakdown usually happens when one thinks he is the answer and the other is the problem. In reality, it's hardly that simple. Christians need to see brothers from all generations getting along and working together to think biblically about leading God's people. Many young guys have big hearts and legitimate ambition for the kingdom of God. The church of the future will be far better served if young men are guided and shepherded by more seasoned saints. Speaking as a young pastor, here are four ways older men can minister to us "young guns." 1. Listen.Listening is a sign of patience and interest, and when we don't see you listening, we're quick to write you off. Right or wrong, that's how men react to each other. If you see error in us, by all means reach out to us, but please listen before you speak. Patiently listen and patiently suggest your thoughts within the context of a relationship. Ask about the preachers we listen to and the books we read. Get to know us. Listen to our past and how we came to know Christ; this will guide you in helping us. If we come off as know-it-alls, then model humility for us. Offer constructive criticism by asking questions and gently helping us to see things another way. 2. Reflect on your earlier years.Remember the days when you were green? Who were the Pauls who patiently helped you? You didn't just roll out of bed at 19 as the man and minister you are today. Wisdom takes time. More than likely you followed the men who respected and cared for you the most, those who didn't simply talk to you like you were a kid who wanted to be the next Billy Graham. As young guys in ministry, we don't know what we don't know, and we'll continue not knowing it unless someone spends time correcting us. Using us as an example in a sermon, book, or conference doesn't count as helping the next generation of pastors. It just pushes us further away. Brothers, pursue the young guys with whom you don't easily see eye to eye for the health of the church and the integrity of the gospel. 3. Don't assume we have wrong motives.There are plenty of guys in ministry with whom I disagree about various things. It can be difficult not to assume bad motives. But often there's an understandable (even if misguided) reason why a person is doing what he's doing. For example, don't automatically assume every young guy just wants the spotlight. Most of the time he just needs to be taken to lunch and encouraged down the right path. One of the best mentors I've ever had rode motorcycles with me, ate lunch with me, and invited me into his home for healthy conversations. He gave me books, asked me questions, prayed for me, and loved me. In a word, he invested in me. 4. Pray for us.I suggest this one last because it's the hardest. Praying for others is hard—especially when we don't understand or agree with them. But the truth is nobody knows the ministry stresses we experience like you do, older pastors. So pray our idols would be destroyed and our hearts would be close to Christ. Ask God to protect us from the enemy and to guard us from bad doctrine. Pray our families wouldn't take a back seat to ministry, and pray our own hunger for God would always rise above our next sermon. |
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