Hi everyone. Sorry to leave you hanging for so long. I've been doing some traveling and will be preoccupied with meetings and conventions for most of the rest of the year. Don't know if I'll get to blog much here. But for now, check out some cool stuff that is going on here.
Thanks,
Koffijah
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
What did I learn?
The last couple days of CPM training were pretty intense as we had to draw up our own "Master Plan" based on CPM principles and present it to the whole group. So, I didn't blog the last couple days. But now we're finished. I presented my plan and had a very good response from those who listened. I hope they will pray for me and the work here in The Location.
What did I get from the training?
Besides a library of information and concepts to consider...
God really planned to have me here. There were about four major things that should have kept me from even attending in the first place. I can't go into all of them on here, but one of them was the fact that I had missed the deadline and all the slots were full. Still, one man in my agency kept praying and just a week before the training a spot opened up. I didn't really want to go at such a late date and so many responsibilities where I am at, but after talking with my wife we concluded that God must want me there. And now I can see way.
I have felt more like quitting the mission field in 2009 than I ever have since I came to work here nearly a decade ago. We have been hit with problem after problem after problem, and indeed were hit with yet another major problem just this past week. Yet, in the midst of all of this, God also did a miracle--our paperwork for an important enterprise here was approved last week after waiting for over three years. When I told some of our faithful supporters who had been praying for this for three years--they cried.
I feel that my heart has gotten off track in a lot of ways and this training helped me to get it back on track. I certainly have a much clearer focus on the mission that lies ahead. Along with that, I have regained a passion that I must have lost along the way. I have been pretty depressed at times feeling like I am not making any difference, that I'm wasting time, money and resources, and that I do not have what it takes to be an effective missionary. I have become stressed over too many things to do and little help to get it all done.
Mostly, I am convicted to pray, stay focused, believe that God WILL act and work through me, and obey him in everything. It is God who sustains us and empowers us.
What did I get from the training?
Besides a library of information and concepts to consider...
God really planned to have me here. There were about four major things that should have kept me from even attending in the first place. I can't go into all of them on here, but one of them was the fact that I had missed the deadline and all the slots were full. Still, one man in my agency kept praying and just a week before the training a spot opened up. I didn't really want to go at such a late date and so many responsibilities where I am at, but after talking with my wife we concluded that God must want me there. And now I can see way.
I have felt more like quitting the mission field in 2009 than I ever have since I came to work here nearly a decade ago. We have been hit with problem after problem after problem, and indeed were hit with yet another major problem just this past week. Yet, in the midst of all of this, God also did a miracle--our paperwork for an important enterprise here was approved last week after waiting for over three years. When I told some of our faithful supporters who had been praying for this for three years--they cried.
I feel that my heart has gotten off track in a lot of ways and this training helped me to get it back on track. I certainly have a much clearer focus on the mission that lies ahead. Along with that, I have regained a passion that I must have lost along the way. I have been pretty depressed at times feeling like I am not making any difference, that I'm wasting time, money and resources, and that I do not have what it takes to be an effective missionary. I have become stressed over too many things to do and little help to get it all done.
Mostly, I am convicted to pray, stay focused, believe that God WILL act and work through me, and obey him in everything. It is God who sustains us and empowers us.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Business and Missions
Four types of Business and Missions models:
Business As Missions—The business actually allows you to do ministry you couldn’t otherwise do. The business is successful and is a platform for successful ministry.
Business For Missions—The business helps to fund missions or gives you an entrance to do ministry, but the ministry doesn’t really flow out of the business.
Business as a Front For Missions—The business is not seriously undertaken to be active or profitable, but just provides a front in hostile locations to hide the work of ministry that you are actually focused on doing. The ministry has nothing to do with the business.
Business in Spite of Missions—The business is done well and may have some positive effects, but ministry is mostly left behind in order to focus on making the business work. (Missions as a Front For Business.)
I can live with one of the first two, but not with the last two.
Business As Missions—The business actually allows you to do ministry you couldn’t otherwise do. The business is successful and is a platform for successful ministry.
Business For Missions—The business helps to fund missions or gives you an entrance to do ministry, but the ministry doesn’t really flow out of the business.
Business as a Front For Missions—The business is not seriously undertaken to be active or profitable, but just provides a front in hostile locations to hide the work of ministry that you are actually focused on doing. The ministry has nothing to do with the business.
Business in Spite of Missions—The business is done well and may have some positive effects, but ministry is mostly left behind in order to focus on making the business work. (Missions as a Front For Business.)
I can live with one of the first two, but not with the last two.
CPM Video
This is the Baptist's video about CPMs (Church Planting Movements). It is a little cheesy, but communicates some of the ideas. The guy at the end is David Garrison who wrote the book Church Planting Movements. He is Baptist, so they tend to talk more about Baptist stuff in the book, but he is by no means a denominationalist. You certainly don't have to be Baptist to get a lot out of the book.
Monday, October 5, 2009
IYKDWYHBDYWKGWYHBG
IYKDWYHBDYWKGWYHBG
Do you know what this means? Here it is:
If You Keep Doing What You Have Been Doing You Will Keep Getting What You Have Been Getting.
Most of the time when we think about how we can reach people for Christ we say things like pray more, share our faith more, do more events. Rarely, however, do we actually increase our efforts. If we do, we do it for a while and then fall back to a status quo level of prayerful and evangelistic output.
One definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and expecting different results.
If we are not reaching our targeted people group by the ways we have been doing it up until now, then we need to do things in new ways.
Most people get rather defensive when you start to question methods and approaches to ministry. Why is that? Because we are invested in what we've been doing. If someone suggests that our method is not effective we feel a need to justify it in order to save face, legitmize our position, and justify the time and money we have put into our approach. We don't want to feel like we've wasted time. We really don't want to feel like we've wasted money people have given to us to do ministry the way we've told them we will do it.
But... What if, in all honesty, there ARE better ways to reach our people? What if God would have us change? Do we have the courage to change?
If we have an approach that we're not willing to sacrifice in order to see a Church Planting Movement, then we have the wrong approach. We must be committed to the the growth of God's kingdom, not to our "pet" approaches for growing it.
Do you know what this means? Here it is:
If You Keep Doing What You Have Been Doing You Will Keep Getting What You Have Been Getting.
Most of the time when we think about how we can reach people for Christ we say things like pray more, share our faith more, do more events. Rarely, however, do we actually increase our efforts. If we do, we do it for a while and then fall back to a status quo level of prayerful and evangelistic output.
One definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and expecting different results.
If we are not reaching our targeted people group by the ways we have been doing it up until now, then we need to do things in new ways.
Most people get rather defensive when you start to question methods and approaches to ministry. Why is that? Because we are invested in what we've been doing. If someone suggests that our method is not effective we feel a need to justify it in order to save face, legitmize our position, and justify the time and money we have put into our approach. We don't want to feel like we've wasted time. We really don't want to feel like we've wasted money people have given to us to do ministry the way we've told them we will do it.
But... What if, in all honesty, there ARE better ways to reach our people? What if God would have us change? Do we have the courage to change?
If we have an approach that we're not willing to sacrifice in order to see a Church Planting Movement, then we have the wrong approach. We must be committed to the the growth of God's kingdom, not to our "pet" approaches for growing it.
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