Mission & Vision
Our mission:
To love God, love people and make disciples.
Our vision:
To bring wholeness to the world through healthy biblical communities of holy people multiplying disciples, leaders, groups and churches.
Urban Ministry
Video: George King, the church as a body, not a building:
George is pastor of The Foundry in Escondido, California. He spends time talking about how his church has had to make a huge mental shift from thinking about their congregation in terms of the facility they use to thinking of it in terms of the people who make it up.
Featured ministry – My Brother’s Keeper:
My Brother’s Keeper of Genesee County cares for hundreds of homeless men who might otherwise weather a dangerous night alone. Exhausted, many homeless men spend so much time worrying about the basics of survival that they can’t find a way out of their own homelessness.
Learn more at mbkgenesee.org.
Challenge question: How can you and your church enter into Jesus’ passion for the city?
Multicultural Churches that Reach the Poor and Disenfranchised
Samuel Lopez, view people as made in the image of God:
Samuel Lopez is the Pastor of Minneapolis First Free Methodist Church and, though his church is mostly white, has a passion to reach all members of the community, including the large Hispanic population. He talks about how to view ministry in a racially diverse area.
Featured ministry – Lansing Central Free Methodist Church:
The city of Lansing, Mich., brings in approximately 500 refugee families every year from troubled spots around our world. Part of LCFMC’s ministry is to provide transitional help for these families. Because of this ministry, the congregation is filled with people from many different cultures.
Learn more at centralfreemethodist.org.
Challenge question: How can you and your church identify any “not us people” that you’re willing to let God send you to?
Discipleship and Service
Patrick McNeal, being ready for people to change:
McNeal has had a lot of chances to disciple and serve the people he ministers to. He talks about how God is the one who changes hearts, but we have to be ready to invest in people when He does.
Featured ministry – Austin New Church
Austin New Church has developed a culture of consistently discipling and serving the community around them. Pastor Brandon Hatmaker writes the following in his new book, Barefoot Church:
My hope is that God would open our eyes more and more to the needs of our community. And that we would see it as the church’s responsibility to lead the charge.
Learn more at austinnewchurch.com.
Challenge questions: Are your discipleship efforts practical? What can you do to make them more down to earth?
