In This Issue: A Job from God
- FEATURE: A Job from God
- SUBVERSIVE MOBILIZATION: A Little Bauble to Jog Your Memory
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FEATURE: A Job from God
My Two Jobs
Last night I told a Perspectives class in the hinterlands of western Pennsylvania that I count “getting to do work I love” to be one of God’s great gifts to me. I mean it. I’m happy to get to do what I do, and even though it makes me an outsider in many conversations, I find it hard to whine about my job.
I give roughly half of my time to Frontiers, a solid (but not fossilized) organization that invites Christians to share the blessings of Abraham with Muslims around the world. I speak. I write. I snoop around for wild-eyed radicals who will grab a few friends and move to some of the apparently most God-forsaken parts of the planet (thereby proving that they are not, indeed, God-forsaken).
The other half of my time goes to my local church, Commonway. We look around the church and think, “God’s given us a lot of cool stuff: people, money, skills, hope, and that weird American thing that says, ‘Hey, where’s a problem we can fix or a need we can meet?'” So I help the church wonder, “What might God want to do with us outside the walls of our meeting room? What purpose might God have for us in Muncie, the Midwest, or the Maghreb?”
Two Funny Categories
Though I struggle with the validity of the terms – the whole concept really – I admit: I’m in full-time ministry. (Well, technically “double half-time” ministry.) This role has some downsides: I make less money than most of my friends. More than almost everyone on the planet, but less than most of my friends. And most of the money that does come in does so because I asked someone if they believed in me enough to cough up some cash, a business model that on some days feels more precarious than the Greek economy.
But it’s also full of upsides: I get to think about God and his purposes a lot. I get to dream with people about what a loving God might want to do with their lives. And within our church culture, my role is considered pretty cool. I realize however that if I were presently courting a young woman for marriage (as opposed to loving life with the one I snagged 19 years ago), “cool” might not be the adjective her parents would use to describe the lack of stability and impecunious nature of my work. It would, however, likely be their attitude toward me!
What about you? Full-time ministry or secular occupation? Understanding that these terms are limited and perhaps wrong, they are still common vernacular and provide the basis for the discussion that follows below. So if you don’t mind, weigh in on this survey. It’s one question: Are you presently in secular work or full-time ministry? (If you don’t fit these categories or can’t force yourself to choose, no worries. Just keep reading.)
Domains of Society
I’ve been challenged recently to think about how most societies shake out into a number of different domains. Domains are main areas of professional or social similarity in which insiders have greater influence on one another than they do on outsiders and than outsiders have on them. A list of domains numbers from three to dozens. The size of the list is less important than understanding the strategic nature of looking at your city the way its inhabitants do.
For a good starting point, here’s a list developed by Darrow Miller which includes a very brief description of each domain as it impacts the kingdom of God:
MEDIA is where information is interpreted through the lens of good or evil.
GOVERNMENT is where evil is either restrained or endorsed, where people are protected or violated.
EDUCATION is where truths or lies about God and his creation are taught.
FAMILY is where either a blessing or a curse is passed on to successive generations.
RELIGION is where people worship God only or settle for a substitute and religious ritual.
SCIENCE is where we stand in awe of God in the discovery or distort the evidence.
BUSINESS is where people build for the glory of God or the glory of men; where resources are concentrated for the kingdom of God or captured for the powers of darkness.
Can you find yourself in one of those domains? Do you see where your job fits? Now ask yourself this question: Has God given me this job? If so, why?
1. So I can buy food for my kids and flowers for my wife.
2. So I can smell up my domain with the scent of Jesus.
Could it be God has placed you where he has so you can have a presence and make a difference in your domain? Who is better to invite your co-domainers into life with Christ than you? Further, who is more likely than you to give out relevant invitations to join in God’s purposes for the world?
Paul Watson says this:
“The professional clergy [me, and you, if you clicked “full-time ministry” above] are the worst people to figure out the needs of other domains. You can’t figure out how to reach domains for the people in those domains. Most clergy do not have enough experience in the world outside of church leadership to identify the felt needs of any domain of society. Even if you could, you wouldn’t be able to repeat the process for every domain without actually talking to believers within that domain.
“Please get this: Ministry is not the sole purview of highly trained clergy. We can never train enough or pay enough professional ministers to reach every person in the world with the gospel!” (See full article.)
There are people in my network who are insiders in different domains from mine. Because of their insider status, they have access and influence that I don’t have and never will. For instance, my brother has built a career in the media domain; specifically, sports broadcasting. As a result of excelling in his domain, when he was looking for a place on the East Coast to celebrate his anniversary this year, a well-known NASCAR driver said, “Why don’t you stay in my house?” Sweet. Guess how many NASCAR drivers I know? Right: Zip. (If NASCAR means nothing to you, let me say these guys are the U.S. equivalent of global F1/cricket/rugby/football stars.)
So what domains are represented by members of your church or network? Paul Watson suggests:
“Make your own domains chart. Fill in the names of people within your church in each domain. Look at which domains you have represented in your church and which ones you don’t. Also, take the ministries in your church and put them next to the domain they serve. Where are the holes? What do you need to do to fill those holes?”
As mobilizers, look over this chart and ask yourself, “What can I do to help people in a given domain connect to God’s purposes for the world?” For instance, who do you know in the medical domain that might advocate with you among their peers to resource and launch a relief team to a crisis refugee or post-disaster situation? What businessmen do you know who might take Perspectives and then lead fellow businessmen to Jesus, disciple them, and maybe encourage them to pursue markets in Muslim-majority countries?
God has arranged our cities as he has to accomplish his purposes. We come closer to accomplishing ours when we recognize our domain – and what’s not our domain – and seek the fullness of God’s kingdom in it.
What’s your domain? What’s the next step for you to mobilize it for God’s global purposes?
SUBVERSIVE MOBILIZATION: A Little Bauble to Jog Your Memory
From time to time I like to hand out flattened marbles (the technical term is glass gems to groups I’m speaking to. I ask them to put them with their keys for a couple of weeks, so that every time they see or touch them they’ll be reminded to pray for unreached peoples, thinking of them as gems.
I’m wondering if you have an idea for something like that besides glass gems. The item needs to be portable and cheap to buy in bulk. If it’s light and can pass through an airport scanner without raising suspicion, bonus points!
>> Your thoughts? Please comment below.
Shane Bennett has served in missions mobilization since 1987, much of his energy going to recruiting, training, and sending short-term teams. He’s been on research teams in Bangkok, Bombay, and Turkey. He coauthored Exploring the Land, a guide to researching unreached peoples, and has written numerous articles.
Shane now works as a public speaker for Frontiers and is part-time missions pastor at Commonway Church. He and his wife, Ann, have five school-aged children. They live and work in Indiana.
Re: mobilizing within a domain – Last week I learned that a group of women in my home church who are nurses (and one veterinarian!) formed their own task force to ask: how can we use our nursing know-how to minister together? One of the first things they did was to set up a monthly “ask a nurse” thing at church, and also some kind of medical equipment swap. Not sure they are also looking externally – to how they, and the church, can serve the community and the world. But I suspect that’s on their minds too. They see dozens of directions they can go and haven’t focused down on just one or two things yet, but we’ll see what happens. They enjoy getting together and talking God and shop at the same time. I encouraged the nurse I met with to call their denom. headquarters to find out if they had any resources or models to share, and they are already planning to see what the other churches in their area are doing.
– Marti
A prayer card of a UPG. http://www.joshuaproject.net/prayer-cards.php
Card sets of all kinds of combinations (region, country, etc) can easily be downloaded, printed and cut out for every member of the class.
Good stuff. I like using Darrow’s domains. I’ve explored the concept of one’s personal parish. I start with the priesthood of every believer and then ask who they are to be a priest to–family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, fellow students, etc. It’s sort of a concentric circle approach. Then I encourage relational OKness (live at peace w/ everyone to the extent possible) along with the use of intentional intercession to introduce the power of God in others lives. That’s what priests do, right? When someone in our parish let’s us know they have a problem beyond our means to help, we ask: Would you like me to pray about that? If the answer is “yes,” they’ve just consented to a “God” intervention. You pray with the person if you can or for them when you can. You intercede as the Spirit moves you and let God do the rest. Next time you see the person, you ask if God showed up. That’s all there is to it until those around you ask you questions about how who you are and what you do spiritually really works. It’s so simple it works anywhere, even with people of other religions. What would happen if every one of the world’s 800 million professing followers of Jesus did that on a daily basis?
Shane: Your writing flows so well. As busy as I am, I can’t not read it!
Two thoughts about my “domain”—full-time and a half ministry:
I friend said this. (I only wish I had thought it up): If retirement is stopping doing what you don’t like doing and beginning to do what you like to do, I “retired” 40 years ago!
My “coined” statement when someone asks me when I am going to retire is: Yes, I do re-tire every few years. My favorite tire is Michelin! I don’t know why they ask me that. I’m only 73!
A third thought:
This morning a lady called to order ten copies of our book, SERVING AS SENDERS. Her “testimony”: Many years ago my husband and I were wanting a call to go to the mission field. It never came. (We’ll ignore the theology of that statement.) She continues. Five years ago, our missions pastor taught through your book. It revolutionized our lives. Of course, every missionary needs a team of senders. The Bible says so.* We are now as deeply involved in missions as anyone on the field. (*She was referring to Romans 10:13-15)
I took that word of encouragement all the way to the bank! That is gold!
For several years I’ve used Japanese 5-yen coins, which have a hole in the center, to pass out as prayer reminders. A person can gain the whole world materially and still be missing Christ at the center!
I’ve used poker chips that say ‘All In’ as physical reminders to pray and give them to participants in mission trips… or little 3A batteries which remind people to pray to the Power Source..
When I’m speaking, I ask the people to set their alarms on their watches or cell phones for 10:02am. Every time it goes off, I think of Luke 10:2 that is Jesus’ command to his disciples to pray the Lord of the harvest to send workers. That is an audible reminder that not only causes me to pause to turn off my watch alarm but anyone else in the room who may be wondering why my alarm is going off in the middle of our conversation. We pray for God to send workers from the countries where I have lived and from my current country and from my house, church, and city. So far I have people praying at 10:02 in the morning in 10 time zones!! May there one day be a 24 hour petition for God to send workers across the street and around the world!! (this idea came from Frank Hutton with ISI.)
Karen: Passing out prayer cards is a good idea. Thanks for bringing that up.
We have given out small globe key chains, very cheap from oriental trading as prayer reminders.
Jonathan, How cool. I want to hang out with your for awhile. Thanks for sharing your approach. I’m imagining 800 million people following your example. It might knock the earth off it’s axis just a bit! Thanks.
Neal: Great thoughts. Thanks for sharing the kind encouragement. I’m with you on the retirement issue. You’ve got a good 20 years left! It will be fun to see how God uses you during the next two decades!
Nancy: Cool. Thanks for passing this idea along. I was thinking about you today as I drove past World Gospel Mission. Keep up the good work.
Don, the “all in” poker chips and AAA batteries are great ideas. Thanks for taking the time to write and share them with all of us.
Tim: I love the 10.02 prayer idea. I was passing that along for awhile, but got away from it. Thanks for the reminder.
Phyllis: Thanks for the globe key chain idea. I think that could come in handy.
We’re collecting 5 rupee coins in India where we work to take home and give out as prayer reminders. As you know, devout Muslims pray 5 times per day asking God to lead them on “the straight path” that is pleasing to God. We want Christians to lend their “amen” to those prayers.
Clark: Thanks. I like the idea of 5 rupee coins and the connection to 5 daily prayers. Good for you guys.
Similarly to others here, I collected 100 Rupiah coins from Indonesia – they have a picture of a Madurese bull racer on them, and the Madurese are one of Indonesia’s Unreached Peoples. The coins are worth less than 1 cent each, so it’s not expensive to collect them!
Stan: Great idea. Can you go to a bank and buy a bunch of them or do you just hang on to the ones that come your way in daily life?
Phenomenal article! Great truths with easy but overwhelming challenges.
Yep! I will keep on encouraging potential missionaries, prayer warriors, and supporters. And, yes, I will keep telling eveyone at Perspectives here in Spokane that they need to subscribe! I was slow to read this one due to my schedule, but it is an absolute must read that keeps me on track.
Carey: Thanks so much for the encouragement and for spreading the Missions Catalyst word around. I appreciate it.