{"id":2438,"date":"2011-09-14T01:05:58","date_gmt":"2011-09-14T07:05:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/?p=2438"},"modified":"2011-09-13T23:24:03","modified_gmt":"2011-09-14T05:24:03","slug":"missions-catalyst-09-14-11-practical-mobilization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/?p=2438","title":{"rendered":"Missions Catalyst 09.14.11 &#8211; Practical Mobilization"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>In This Issue: A Job from God<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>FEATURE: A Job from God<\/li>\n<li>SUBVERSIVE MOBILIZATION: A Little Bauble to Jog Your Memory<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!--more--><a href=\"http:\/\/www.missionscatalyst.org\">Missions Catalyst<\/a> is a free, weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry. Use it to fuel your prayers, find tips and opportunities, and stay in touch with how God is building his kingdom all over the world. Please forward it freely!<\/p>\n<h3>FEATURE: A Job from God<\/h3>\n<p>By <a href=\"..\/?page_id=610\" shape=\"rect\">Shane Bennett<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>My Two Jobs<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Last night I told a <em>Perspectives<\/em> class in the hinterlands of western Pennsylvania that I count &#8220;getting to do work I love&#8221; to be one of God&#8217;s great gifts to me. I mean it. I&#8217;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.<\/p>\n<p>I give roughly half of my time to <a href=\"http:\/\/frontiersusa.org\/\" shape=\"rect\">Frontiers<\/a>, 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 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.frontiersusa.org\/site\/PageNavigator\/about\/about_unengaged_south_asia\" shape=\"rect\">God-forsaken parts of the planet<\/a> (thereby proving that they are not, indeed, God-forsaken).<\/p>\n<p>The other half of my time goes to my local church, <a href=\"http:\/\/commonwaychurch.com\/\" shape=\"rect\">Commonway<\/a>. We look around the church and think, &#8220;God&#8217;s given us a lot of cool stuff: people, money, skills, hope, and that weird American thing that says, &#8216;Hey, where&#8217;s a problem we can fix or a need we can meet?'&#8221; So I help the church wonder, &#8220;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 <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Maghreb\" shape=\"rect\">the Maghreb<\/a>?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Two Funny Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Though I struggle with the validity of the terms &#8211; the whole concept really &#8211; I admit: I&#8217;m in full-time ministry. (Well, technically &#8220;double half-time&#8221; 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.<\/p>\n<p>But it&#8217;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), &#8220;cool&#8221; 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!<\/p>\n<p>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&#8217;t mind, weigh in on this survey. It&#8217;s one question: <a href=\"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/?p=2442\">Are you presently in secular work or full-time ministry?<\/a> (If you don&#8217;t fit these categories or can&#8217;t force yourself to choose, no worries. Just keep reading.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Domains of Society<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;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.<\/p>\n<p>For a good starting point, here&#8217;s a list developed by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.darrowmiller.com\/\" shape=\"rect\">Darrow Miller<\/a> which includes a very brief description of each domain as it impacts the kingdom of God:<\/p>\n<p>MEDIA is where information is interpreted through the lens of good or evil.<\/p>\n<p>GOVERNMENT is where evil is either restrained or endorsed, where people are protected or violated.<\/p>\n<p>EDUCATION is where truths or lies about God and his creation are taught.<\/p>\n<p>FAMILY is where either a blessing or a curse is passed on to successive generations.<\/p>\n<p>RELIGION is where people worship God only or settle for a substitute and religious ritual.<\/p>\n<p>SCIENCE is where we stand in awe of God in the discovery or distort the evidence.<\/p>\n<p>BUSINESS is where people build for the glory of God or the glory of men;\u00a0where resources are concentrated for the kingdom of God or captured for the powers of darkness.<\/p>\n<p>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?<\/p>\n<p>1. So I can buy food for my kids and flowers for my wife.<\/p>\n<p>2. So I can smell up my domain with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=2%20Corinthians%202.15-17&amp;version=NIV\" shape=\"rect\">the scent of Jesus<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>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&#8217;s purposes for the world?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.reachingtheonlinegeneration.com\/the-team\" shape=\"rect\">Paul Watson<\/a> says this:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The professional clergy [me, and you, if you clicked &#8220;full-time ministry&#8221; above] are the worst people to figure out the needs of other domains. You can&#8217;t figure out how to reach domains for the people in those domains.\u00a0Most clergy do not have enough experience in the world outside of church leadership to identify the felt needs of any domain of society.\u00a0Even if you could, you wouldn&#8217;t be able to repeat the process for every domain without actually talking to believers within that domain.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Please get this: Ministry is not the sole purview of highly trained clergy.\u00a0We can never train enough or pay enough professional ministers to reach every person in the world with the gospel!&#8221; (See <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reachingtheonlinegeneration.com\/2009\/02\/13\/understanding-domains-of-society-and-how-they-affect-online-church-planting\" shape=\"rect\">full article<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p>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&#8217;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 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nascar.com\/races\/cup\" shape=\"rect\">NASCAR<\/a> driver said, &#8220;Why don&#8217;t you stay in my house?&#8221; 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.)<\/p>\n<p>So what domains are represented by members of your church or network? Paul Watson suggests:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Make your own domains chart.\u00a0Fill in the names of people within your church in each domain.\u00a0Look at which domains you have represented in your church and which ones you don&#8217;t.\u00a0Also, take the ministries in your church and put them next to the domain they serve.\u00a0Where are the holes?\u00a0What do you need to do to fill those holes?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>As mobilizers, look over this chart and ask yourself, &#8220;What can I do to help people in a given domain connect to God&#8217;s purposes for the world?&#8221; 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 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.perspectives.org\/\" shape=\"rect\">Perspectives<\/a> and then lead fellow businessmen to Jesus, disciple them, and maybe encourage them to pursue markets in Muslim-majority countries?<\/p>\n<p>God has arranged our cities as he has to accomplish his purposes. We come closer to accomplishing ours when we recognize our domain &#8211; and what&#8217;s not our domain &#8211; and seek the fullness of God&#8217;s kingdom in it.<\/p>\n<p>What&#8217;s your domain? What&#8217;s the next step for you to mobilize it for God&#8217;s global purposes?<\/p>\n<h3>SUBVERSIVE MOBILIZATION: A Little Bauble to Jog Your Memory<\/h3>\n<p>From time to time I like to hand out flattened marbles (the technical term is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/s\/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_2_8?field-keywords=glass+gems&amp;url=search-alias%3Darts-crafts&amp;sprefix=glass+ge\">glass gems<\/a> to groups I\u2019m 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\u2019ll be reminded to pray for unreached peoples, thinking of them as gems.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m 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\u2019s light and can pass through an airport scanner without raising suspicion, bonus points!<\/p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; Your thoughts? Please comment below.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:shanebennett@takeitglobal.org\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" title=\"ShaneBennett\" src=\"..\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/ShaneBennett1-201x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"124\" height=\"184\" \/><\/a><a href=\"mailto:shanebennett@takeitglobal.org\" target=\"_blank\">Shane Bennett<\/a> has served in missions mobilization since 1987, much of his energy going to recruiting, training, and sending short-term teams. He\u2019s been on research teams in Bangkok, Bombay, and Turkey. He coauthored <a href=\"http:\/\/r20.rs6.net\/tn.jsp?llr=zaeaz4bab&amp;et=1104439231559&amp;s=0&amp;e=001JFwnltQYuyiHt6lM0XjZzUjW5YeT8DY3EuTsut0M7XjT_LltRp1EDaeDHgC-9vV0yc3IprbKAOo0U4fI50Wo776bejR1s9k1WXUFv3byNIQ8D10Y1wQgs0wAQKdS8xDAbkFs-0xcxpjEn6XR9yHuwA==\" target=\"_blank\">Exploring the Land<\/a>, a guide to researching unreached peoples, and has written numerous articles.<\/p>\n<p>Shane now works as a public speaker for <a href=\"http:\/\/r20.rs6.net\/tn.jsp?llr=zaeaz4bab&amp;et=1104439231559&amp;s=0&amp;e=001JFwnltQYuyiHt6lM0XjZzUjW5YeT8DY3EuTsut0M7XjT_LltRp1EDaeDHgC-9vV0yc3IprbKAOqFuy_XASOJW4fCx73EpAEJrrSU4Rt8gOc=\" target=\"new\">Frontiers<\/a> and is part-time missions pastor at <a href=\"http:\/\/commonwaychurch.com\/\">Commonway Church<\/a>. He and his wife, Ann, have five school-aged children. They live and work in Indiana.<\/p>\n<p><!-- AddToAny BEGIN --><br \/>\n<a class=\"a2a_dd\" href=\"http:\/\/www.addtoany.com\/share_save?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionscatalyst.net%2F%3Fp%3D2438&amp;linkname=\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/static.addtoany.com\/buttons\/share_save_171_16.png\" alt=\"Share\" width=\"171\" height=\"16\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\/\/ <![CDATA[\n var a2a_config = a2a_config || {}; a2a_config.linkurl = \"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/?p=2438\";\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/static.addtoany.com\/menu\/page.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- AddToAny END --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In This Issue: A Job from God FEATURE: A Job from God SUBVERSIVE MOBILIZATION: A Little Bauble to Jog Your Memory<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-practical-mobilization"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2438"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2441,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2438\/revisions\/2441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}