Strategic Mission: You don’t know

Working out what’s really going on

After commitment and prayer, the next most important aspect of strategic mission is the realisation that you don’t know.

Too often Christians think we do know.. we come in with answers before understanding the questions.

The world is changing rapidly, and every person is unique, so the more you are confident you have answers the more dangerous you probably are.As Paul comes to Athens he lets himself wander around and be affected by what he sees:

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. (Acts 17:16-17)

I love that he was “greatly distressed” by what he saw. For him faith wasn’t an intellectual exercise, it was about real people in real time and space – and he cared about those people.

Because he did the work of walking around, he was able to use their own symbols to communicate the gospel to them:

²²Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. ²³For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. (Acts 17:22-23)

The next step of strategic mission is research.

What I mean by research is probably not the image you have in mind when you hear the word.

What I mean is the ongoing effort to listen and learn, both the real needs and the real resources of the people or place you are called to.

It is about getting to know people and letting them get to know you. If you are doing this aspect of strategic mission, you will be building a network of people who care.

Oliver Cromwell was successful because he never fought a battle the same way.  He would pray and then go and look at the battle ground and plan his strategy on the basis of what he saw and what he heard saying.

That is our job too with changing the world.  No matter how much you care about the task you feel called to, God cares more.

By praying and then looking at the truth of the situation as clearly as possibly, you are inviting all the resources of the Godhead into your challenge, and laying the groundwork for the creativity that will be necessary in your unique situation.

There are three main questions to be answered if you are going to transform a community:

What are the needs in this community?

What are the resources in this community (both people and physical)?

What are the dreams God is laying on the hearts of people in this community?