Mission Evangelization as a Strategy for Congregational RedevelopmentRevitalization

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"Mission Evangelization as a Strategy
forCongregational Redevelopment/Revitalization"

• Dr. Larry Rankin Director of Mission Outreach
  and Dr. Roger Swanson, Former Director Operation
  Evangelization
• Florida Conference, United Methodist Church

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Mission - Evangelization

• Then Jesus went about all the cities and
  villages, teaching in their synagogues, and
  proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and
  curing every disease and every sickness.

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Mission - Evangelization

• When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for
  them, because they were harassed and helpless,
  like sheep without a shepherd

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Mission - Evangelization

• Then he said to his disciples, The harvest is
  plentiful, but the laborers are few therefore
  ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers
  into his harvest. Matthew 935-38 (NRSV)

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Mission - Evangelization

• Since Jesus Christ, Christianity has been
  unapologetically evangelical and missionary.
• The Mission Dei the self-revelation and
  missionary initiative of the Triune God.

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Mission - Evangelization

• . In Africa the number of Christian adherents
  has increased from near 9 million in 1900 to near
  350 million currently with a projection of
  reaching 700 million by 2025, in spite of
  political, social, and economic instability.
• Membership in the Methodist Church in Cuba, has
  more than tripled in the last 15 years.

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Mission - Evangelization

• The exception to this growth has been among the
  so-called main line denominations in the
  western world of Europe and North America.
• Florida, for instance, 7 out of every ten persons
  are unchurched
• Two-thirds to four-fifths of all congregations in
  the state founded before 1960 are either on a
  plateau in size or are shrinking in numbers.
• Many congregations seem content with the status
  quo

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Mission - Evangelization

• A theological relativism in some main-line
  circles that lays no claim to the absolute
  uniqueness of Gods revelation in Jesus Christ,
  thus undermining the gospel imperative to reach
  out to lost people.
• Such a theology would question whether there are,
  in fact, any people who are lost?

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Misson - Evangelization

• Significaint factor the calcification of the
  Christendom model of being the church, which
  was prevalent in the late 19th century through
  the middle of the 20th Century.
• Model of the church as a religious institution,
  rather than an evangelical and missionary
  enterprise rooted in the apostolic witness and
  centered in the person of Jesus Christ.

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Mission - Evangelization

• Christendom congregations-- served by
  professional ministry and are engaged in
  programming limited to ministering to members
  rather than in mission to a lost world.
• Such an inward focus has failed to take seriously
  the rise of secularism and its challenge to the
  church.

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Mission - Evangelization

• Such congregations characterized by silo
  thinking, treating Christian faith as isolated
  interest areas (evangelism, mission, spiritual
  formation, education, social action)
• Rather than Gods reaching out with hope,
  hospitality and healing to an alienated world.

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Mission - Evangelization

• The time has come, for judgment to begin with
  the household of God (I Peter 417).
• New and established congregations have moved from
  a Christendom model to a Missionary model of
  being the church in the world.
• They have a vision to serve, not each other, but
  the community in which they are located

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Mission - Evangelization

• This vision to serve reaches out beyond their
  local communities to embrace needy people around
  the world.
• Led by spiritual leaders who see their primary
  role as equipping the laity for the work of
  ministry
• The calling of every baptized Christian
• To discover their calling and to pursue the
  skills and gifts needed to fulfill their
  ministry.

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Mission - Evangelization

• Missionary churches, are churches for unchurched
  people
• Such congregations are committed not to adding
  members only but to making disciples.
• Intentional about making disciples that moves
  people of all generations to grow from a seeker
  to a mature Christian disciple.

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Mission - Evangelization

• To move toward a strategy of mission
  evangelization that stresses the holistic
  perspective of the Gospel and the Great
  Commission
• The vision that drives this strategy includes the
  five movements of the evangelical/missionary
  congregation.

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Mission - Evangelization

• The Proclamation of the Good News
• The Delivery of the Good News
• The Acts of the Good News
• The Transforming Power of the Good News
• The Apostolic Motivation of the Good News

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Mission - Evangelization

• 1. The Proclamation of the Good News
• Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to
  Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and
  saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom
  of God has come near repent, and believe in the
  good news.
• Mark 114-15 (NRSV)
• John, the Baptist, his kin (Luke 136-42) is
  arrested.
• As Jesus announces his mission

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Mission - Evangelization

• The Four Parts of the Gospel
• The time is fulfilled,
• and the kingdom of God has come near
• repent,
• and believe the good news.

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Mission - Evangelization

• 2. The Delivery of the Good News
• And Jesus came and said to them, All authority
  in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go
  therefore and make disciples of all nations,
  baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
  the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them
  to obey everything that I have commanded you. And
  remember, I am with you always, to the end of the
  age. Matthew 2818-20 (NRSV)

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Mission - Evangelization

• Apostolic Authority
• Go Make Disciples
• To All Nations
• Baptizing them
• Teaching them
• I am with you Always

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Mission - Evangelization

• 3. The Acts of the Good News
• Moving Belief to Faith and to Action
• The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he
  has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
  He has sent me to proclaim release to the
  captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to
  let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year
  of the Lords favor. (Isaiah 61 1-2a Luke
  418-19)

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Mission - Evangelization

• We serve a scandalous Savior When they heard
  this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage.
  They got up, drove him out of the town, and led
  him to the brow of the hill on which their town
  was built, so that they might hurl him off the
  cliff. But he passed through the midst of them
  and went on his way (Luke 428-30).

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Mission - Evangelization

• Christians Recycle Rubbish
• We have become like the rubbish of the world,
  the dregs of all things, to this very day. (1
  Cor. 413).
• We are fools for the sake of Christ (1 Cor.
  410).

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Mission Evangelization

• 4. The Transforming Power of the Good News
• I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters,
  by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as
  a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,
  which is your spiritual worship. Do not be
  conformed to this world, but be transformed by
  the renewing of your minds, so that you may
  discern what is the will of Godwhat is good and
  acceptable and perfect Romans 121-2.

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Mission - Evangelization

• Conform to the Trends of this World
• Transform- Metamorphose
• Wesleys Works of Piety
• Works of Mercy

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Mission - Evangelization

• 5. The Apostolic Motivation for the Good
• News-- when Holy Spirit Birthed the
• Church
• They devoted themselves to the apostles
  teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread
  and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because
  many wonders and signs were being done by the
  apostles

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Mission - Evangelization

• All who believed were together and had all things
  in common they would sell their possessions and
  goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any
  had need. Day by day, as they spent much time
  together in the temple, they broke bread at home
  and ate their food with glad and generous hearts,
  praising God and having the goodwill of all the
  people

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Mission - Evangelization

• And day by day the Lord added to
• their number those who were being
• saved (Acts 242-47).
• Organization of the Apostolic Church

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Mission - Evangelization

• A. Regardless of the size and the location of
  local churches, house churches and missions, the
  Church can provide a consistent message and
  practice of the Gospel, that is, offering Jesus
  Christ to persons and accept to His saving grace.
• B. Every faith community's main objective is to
  "seek and save those who are lost" and all their
  activities are focused on this mission.

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Mission - Evangelization

• C. Faith communities have nearly 100
  participation of all their members with each one
  having a role in the life of the church as it
  fits her or his gifts and graces.
• D. The leadership of the laity is primary, while
  the role of the pastor is that of mentor,
  shepherd of the sheep, and proclaimer of the
  vision of the church.

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Mission - Evangelization

• E. Organizing and maintaining small group
  ministries in the form of house cells and
  missions is a primary activity of the mother
  church. Every local chartered church has a
  number of house cells and missions. House cells
  will always be connected with the mother church.
  Missions are intended to grow and be chartered as
  churches.
• F. In the Methodist Church in Cuba, missions
  become churches when they have 12 baptized
  members and are able to provide a minimum salary
  and housing for an appointed pastor.

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Mission - Evangelization

• G.. The Methodist Church in Cuba recognizes a
  baptized
• Christian as a member when he/she has
  completed the
• following criteria. At the moment of
  conversion, the new
• person declares her/his intent to be a
  Christian, and
• he/she is enrolled into a first discipleship
  class. She/he
• is required to participate for three months.
  The class is
• in charge of the laity of the local church,
  with supervision
• by the pastor. The new Christian must show
  evidences
• of her or his commitment by over a 90
  attendance
• record, and his or her expression in their
  action and
• word by giving her or his Christian
  testimony.

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Mission - Evangelizaion

• Worship and Evidences of the Presence and Power
  of the Holy Spirit
• We ARE in the Apostolic Age
• When the best missionary opportunities are ahead
  of us