Reading: Chapter 11: Context

CONTEXT

Chapter 11

IDENTITY, NEIGHBOR, KINGDOM

How you position yourself within the context of your ministry will have an impact on the effectiveness of your ministry.

For this reason, the first phase of a transformational discipleship ministry is context. Context is about right beginnings in the areas of identity, positioning and role. It is about your relationship to youth, your neighbors and the Church. It is about answering the question “Who are you in relation to what you do and the people you seek to influence?” All of this requires intentionality, because if you are not intentional about defining yourself, others will do it for you.

Defining Purpose

Purpose is important to understanding identity. Leaders owe it to themselves and their constituents (youth, co-leaders, supporters, etc.) to establish a clear sense of purpose.

A well-defined understanding of purpose:

• fosters team unity in pursuit of shared goals
• helps clarify assumptions
• enables interested outsiders to respond with a strong “Yes, this is something I want to be part of!” or a strong “No, this is not for me.”
• reveals uniqueness, i.e., the specific role your mission plays in God’s larger kingdom agenda

Your ministry’s definition of purpose is best expressed in a mission statement. A mission statement includes three key elements: (1) your name, (2) your classification or identity label, and (3) your purpose (the reason you exist).

For example:

• “Freedom Sports (name) is a community sports program (identity label) that exists to build Christian character in urban youth through sports (purpose statement).”
• “Neighborhood Ministries (name) is a Christian youth development agency (identity) that exists to unleash the leadership potential of youth residing in northeast Denver (purpose).”

Mission statements should reflect true convictions—and a good one will be the outcome of careful and strenuous thought. Crafting a mission statement is hard work, but well worth the effort.

Once you define purpose, your purpose will define you.

In other words, once you have a strong mission statement in place, you will begin to ask questions such as “How does this activity fit with our purpose?” and “Will pursuing this idea advance the mission?” Any program addition or change being considered—activities, ideas, projects and even partnerships—will fall under the scrutiny of your mission statement. Knowing who you are guides you toward discovering what you must do.

Defining Program

Defining program should be more than listing a series of activities or events. For an informed understanding of program, definitions should include an explanation of both content and process.

Content lists the activities that make up your program. Process, however, gives meaning to those activities by explaining their sequence and outcome. Process will explain how activities fit together, the logic behind the progression, and, most important, the anticipated result(s).

For example, a weekly youth meeting might consist of four components (taken from a Youth for Christ model):

• Ice-breaker (a game or fun activity)
• Discovery (an activity designed to introduce the session’s topic)
• Discussion
• Talk-to (share biblical perspective)

Defining process involves explaining the purpose and desired outcome of each component:

Each component of the meeting has a purpose and a desired result. Defining process ties separate activities together into a logical sequence that leads to a primary result—in this case the rethinking of perspective. This fits with the focus of a transformational youth meeting: communicating the gospel in terms youth understand, and dealing with misconceptions of the Christian faith.

Defining Organization

I keep an arrow with me. Nota literal one, but a diagram shaped like an arrow. Written on it in small print are telling statements about our ministry. These statements fall into the following categories:

• Burden: problems we care deeply about; deficiencies in the sphere of reaching urban youth that evoke anger and make us weep
• Purpose: why we exist
• Objectives: areas of involvement necessary to fulfilling our purpose
• Milestones: accomplishments and achievements
• Ideas: possibilities for the future
• Roadblocks: top barriers to reaching our goals
• Resources: greatest resources available to help achieve our goals
• Goals: specific and doable targets acting as stair steps to fulfilling our mission

For years, I posted this huge “Masterplanning Arrow” on my office wall. Visitors who lingered in front of it caught a snapshot of Neighborhood’s organizational strategy: who we are, why we exist, where we have been, where we are going, and how we plan to get there.

This was the gift Masterplanning Group International gave to me: the basic tools I needed to think and act strategically and presidentially about developing a Christian organization. With their permission, I have shared this gift with hundreds of urban leaders whose leadership capacities were enhanced as a result.

Masterplanning is a tool I use to run my ministry. It continues to serve me well. There may be strategic planning tools more suitable for you. It is important to find one that will maximize your leadership capacity.

Defining Values

Values drive actions. They answer the question “Why?”—a defining element of identity. They are our assumptions—the things we believe to be true—about the ministry.

T. J. Watson Jr., former chairman of the board of IBM, offered these thoughts about the importance of organizational values:

It is IBM’s credo that any organization, in order to survive and to achieve success, must have a sound set of beliefs on which it bases all its policies and actions.

But more important than having a set of beliefs is faithful adherence to those beliefs. If any organization is to meet the challenges of a changing world, it must be prepared to change everything about itself, except those beliefs, as it moves through its present to its future.

Let me reiterate. The basic philosophy, the very spirit and drive of an organization, has far more to do with its relative achievements than do technical or economic resources, organizational structure, innovation, and timing.¹

In the early years of its existence, Neighborhood Ministries created two statements that conveyed our unique set of values. We call these our “Core Values” and “Unifying Principles.”

Core Values

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

Created in the image of the living God, all people possess intrinsic value, purpose and meaning. One’s purpose is ful- ly realized only through a salvific encounter and ongoing relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. In such relationship, God leads and empowers people to be all they were meant to be.

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31).

The overflowing love of God that brought about creation is the same love that motivates and shapes ministry. We come into relationship with people, particularly the poor, as an overflow of the love of God toward them and us. We love oth- ers as God has loved us, and within that context invite others to become as we are: friends and servants of the living God.

“Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me com- mended me, because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist them” (Job 29:11-12).

It is around the felt needs of this segment of northeast Den- ver’s residential poor that Neighborhood Ministries shapes its programs and strategies.

This core value keeps Neighborhood anchored to an in- dispensable mark of Christian character and credibility. In the face of gentrification, Neighborhood models this dimension of Christ-centered living to its new neighbors. Neighborhood follows the strategy of Jesus, who, as I have often heard John Perkins say, “ministered to the rich on His way to the poor.”

This value also impacts the makeup of Neighborhood’s leadership team. Leadership birthed from the at-risk pop- ulation, especially those raised up through Neighborhood Ministries, will intentionally play prominent roles in the lead- ership of the ministry.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14).

“Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies”(Philippians 4:9, THE MESSAGE).

The Incarnation is both miracle and model: God’s method of salvation models how we are to reach others. Jesus—the Word—became flesh and dwelt among us. The apostle Paul adopted this model as he spent extended time in communities (see Acts 19:8-10; 20:31)—and invited people to imitate him as he did Christ (see 1 Corinthians 11:1).

This model demands character worthy of imitation. The pursuit of Christian maturity must be a priority for those serving with Neighborhood Ministries. Staff must strive to dwell in the community and among people in ways that allow for the examination and imitation of their lives. This also means, ideally, making the community home—the place where staff raise their families and love their neighbors.

Unifying Principles

Our motivation for ministry shall flow first and foremost out of a desire to see God glorified. As ambassadors for Christ, our love and commitment to the poor shall reflect the concern and love of God our Father. We care because He cares, and our desire shall be that His love manifest itself through us before a watching world.

We shall affirm—in thought, speech and behavior—the reality that man was created by God in the image of God. Bearing God’s image, all people—children, adults, neighbors, friends, even enemies—are to be highly regarded and treated with dignity. As co-workers, we shall affirm one another in love, and love our neighbor as ourselves. In the realm of human relations, our actions shall be governed, not by partiality or prejudice, but by that divine mercy and love which alone breaks down racial, social, economic, national and other barriers.

As stewards of God’s resources, we shall handle all money matters with integrity. We shall perform our ministry duties in a manner worthy of people’s financial support. We shall diligently maintain biblical and ethical standards in all matters pertaining to support raising, financial administration and fiscal accountability.

Because God has made us co-laborers with Him, and has called and empowered us to serve the poor, we shall continually measure our ministry performance—both personal and corporate—against the standard of faithfulness and excellence. We shall faithfully carry out all duties related to our mission, and strive for excellence in everything we do.

The “walls” of our neighborhood—those structures that provide health and safety and positive growth for a community—have been torn down (see Nehemiah 1:3). Our vision is to see our community restored, and to witness community residents, empowered by God, making a lasting difference in the quality of life in their neighborhood. All ministry efforts shall contribute to this greater purpose, to the glory of God.

In 2010, when Jimmy returned to Denver to continue the ministry he had started in Dallas, Neighborhood Ministries handed its youth and staff over to him. So Neighborhood Ministries as a local youth program is no more. But throughout the time we were a local agency, these statements were posted in our reception area. As with the Masterplanning Arrow, they served as lenses through which visitors could better understand our ministry. They answered the underlying question, “Why?”

The Context of Neighbor

We have devoted significant attention to neighboring and the importance of positioning yourself as a neighbor in the community you serve. But let’s step back for a moment to ask, What makes a person a neighbor? Locale? Accessibility? Proximity? What do neighbors have in common? Do children attend the same schools? Do people shop at the same stores, or hang out at local coffee shops and restaurants? Are neighbors equally impacted by the dangers associated with drug and gang activity? Do they face the same forms of institutional neglect and infrastructure deterioration? Neighbors share these things and more. The position from which to exert the maximum influence in the lives of young people is as a neighbor—a fellow member of the community. To establish yourself as a neighbor:

• Move. If you have not already done so, make the neighborhood your home.
• Get to know your neighbors. Be accessible enough for them to know you.
• Hang out. Frequent local coffee shops, basketball courts, community centers and other youth hot-spots.
• Listen. Ask questions and pay attention to what people say about their felt needs, pressing issues and concerns. See the community from a resident’s perspective.
• Be a good host. Start a rap-session-type Bible study. Form a neighborhood youth group.

It doesn’t happen overnight, but as you become more fully a member of the local community, you will see your credibility with youth increase, and you will have ever greater opportunities to nurture them as disciples.

The Context of Kingdom

A distinction that is sometimes made between the manager and the leader is that the manager knows how to climb mountains, while the leader knows which mountain to climb and why. Details are important, but leaders see the big picture.

The biggest picture this side of heaven is the kingdom of God. What is your relationship to the biggest picture—the kingdom of God—as it exists in the world through Christ’s Body, the Church?

The Church’s Relation to You: Partner, Supporter and Encourager

Any mission aligned to God’s purpose will attract the attention of others in the Body of Christ who share a burden for that purpose. That is why it is important to let others know who you are and what you are doing—to be enriched by their partnership and garner their support.

Ministry requires the prayers and financial support of God’s people. But something else is needed as well.

At the beginning of my journey, I met a ministry leader who was quitting. For two years, he had attempted to do what I was intending to do. He was angry and discouraged; I could “see” his emotional scars. At the end of our conversation, I realized that something else was needed in order to survive the challenges of urban ministry: encouragement. I needed people outside the ministry to know what I was experiencing—and to encourage me to persevere in the work.

Urban workers need friends who not only pray and give financially, but who also reach out and touch us with encouragement. We need friends who remind us that we’re not alone.

Your Relation to the Church: Point Person, Storyteller

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2a).

As a Christian—especially a Christian leader—you are in great company. “A great cloud of witnesses” surrounds you. Not only do they surround you, but you have also become one of them. Who you are and what you do—in your neighborhood and among the marginalized, the “least of these”—is part of history (His Story), the meta-narrative of the kingdom of God on earth. This context defines your role.

Point Person. You are the point person for a mini-movement of God. You embody the spirit of your ministry: its burden, values and goals. But you are not the totality of your ministry. Everyone on the Hebrews 11 witness list had a supporting cast. They represented something bigger than themselves. You also represent something bigger, just like the witnesses of old.

Storyteller. As you (and, if you have one, your staff) carry out the ministry, one of your most important tasks is to watch for God. “Where is God in all this?” you must constantly ask. You know what He has done (creation, divine imprints) and what He wants to do (salvation, discipleship, animation of potential). So you watch for God’s activity in the lives of young people. You take note of comments, questions and responses. You keep an eye out for “aha!” moments. Then you share them—appropriately, without betraying confidences— with friends and supporters. Provide those who pray, give and encourage a window into God’s activity within the ministry.

Identity. . . Neighbor. . . Kingdom. A focus on these three elements will position you for maximum effectiveness and future credibility as you pursue the creation of a transformational discipleship ministry.

Note

1. Bobb Biehl, Leading with Confidence (Nashville, TN: Aylen Publishing, 2005), p. 36.