His Story: A Do Something Church
A 'Do Something' Church
By Miles McPherson
I think we would all agree that the conflict between our culture and the Christian church is growing hostile each day. But interestingly enough, it appears that non-believers don't have such a hatred for Jesus as they do His people.
So we began to think, what would happen if the church got back to doing the most basic of basic things that Jesus did?
Consequently, we have developed the Do Something Church® model.
A Do Something Church® is a church body that is committed to doing what Jesus did while in His body with the intent of establishing Pervasive Hope. Granted, Jesus did a lot of things while in His body and all churches are doing something similar to what He did. But a Do Something Church® goes beyond basic discipleship and focuses on four specific actions of Jesus that I think can revolutionize your church.
First, let me define Pervasive Hope. This means that for every way someone can be lost, we want to provide a practical way for them to be found in the very place they have ended up. I can tell you, this is hardly ever a sermon.
Let's get started:
1. COUNT: The Bible uses a number to measure something, on average, twice in every chapter and Jesus is no different. He measures the length of time He will be dead when He talks about being in the belly of the earth for three days. He also measures love when He explains that a man with 100 sheep left the 99 to search for one.
But in Luke 17:17-19, ten lepers come to Jesus for healing and only one returns to thank Him. Jesus knew how many lepers came to Him so the question we all need to know is how many lepers are in our communities. In other words, how many homeless people, prostitutes, kids in foster care and elderly in convalescent homes are there in the geographic area God has identified your church to reach? How many symptom centers are there in our communities?
Symptom centers are places in which these people can be found, such as convalescent homes, homeless shelters and strip clubs.
2. WALK: Jesus did not simply sit in the synagogue and wait for people to come to Him. He went to them. After you have counted and measured the symptom centers, you need to go to them. The presence of Spirit-filled believers has a spiritual impact on the spiritual climate of the symptom center. Whenever Jesus walked up to a demon possessed person, before He could say a word, the demon called to Him by name and begged for mercy. The demon knew who He was on a spiritual level.
The Rock Church has over 100 ministries that focus exclusively on our community, ministering to individuals in jails, strip clubs, skid row, convalescent home, foster homes, etc.
3. ASK: In Mark 10:49-51, blind Bart cried out to Jesus for help. Jesus asked a very simple question. He said, "What can I do for you?" Once you count to identify the problems and walk to be with the hurting in your community, the key is not to tell them what they need or start sharing the four spiritual laws. There is a much simpler and more powerful thing to do. Just ask how you can help.
4. LOVE: Respond to the answer to your offer to help with love. This simply means to respond in a God-honoring way and without fail, God will open doors of ministry that you cannot imagine.
In 2010, the Rock Church gave 228,000 hours of community service to the city of San Diego that saved the city over $4 million. We have been able to bless the city in ways we didn't even imagine.
Being a Do Something Church® isn't complex; it simply requires decision and action. Make the choice today to demonstrate God's love in practical ways that address the real needs of your community.
Miles McPherson is the Senior Pastor of the Rock Church and Academy in San Diego, California and the founder of Do Something World.
By Miles McPherson
I think we would all agree that the conflict between our culture and the Christian church is growing hostile each day. But interestingly enough, it appears that non-believers don't have such a hatred for Jesus as they do His people.
So we began to think, what would happen if the church got back to doing the most basic of basic things that Jesus did?
Consequently, we have developed the Do Something Church® model.
A Do Something Church® is a church body that is committed to doing what Jesus did while in His body with the intent of establishing Pervasive Hope. Granted, Jesus did a lot of things while in His body and all churches are doing something similar to what He did. But a Do Something Church® goes beyond basic discipleship and focuses on four specific actions of Jesus that I think can revolutionize your church.
First, let me define Pervasive Hope. This means that for every way someone can be lost, we want to provide a practical way for them to be found in the very place they have ended up. I can tell you, this is hardly ever a sermon.
Let's get started:
1. COUNT: The Bible uses a number to measure something, on average, twice in every chapter and Jesus is no different. He measures the length of time He will be dead when He talks about being in the belly of the earth for three days. He also measures love when He explains that a man with 100 sheep left the 99 to search for one.
But in Luke 17:17-19, ten lepers come to Jesus for healing and only one returns to thank Him. Jesus knew how many lepers came to Him so the question we all need to know is how many lepers are in our communities. In other words, how many homeless people, prostitutes, kids in foster care and elderly in convalescent homes are there in the geographic area God has identified your church to reach? How many symptom centers are there in our communities?
Symptom centers are places in which these people can be found, such as convalescent homes, homeless shelters and strip clubs.
2. WALK: Jesus did not simply sit in the synagogue and wait for people to come to Him. He went to them. After you have counted and measured the symptom centers, you need to go to them. The presence of Spirit-filled believers has a spiritual impact on the spiritual climate of the symptom center. Whenever Jesus walked up to a demon possessed person, before He could say a word, the demon called to Him by name and begged for mercy. The demon knew who He was on a spiritual level.
The Rock Church has over 100 ministries that focus exclusively on our community, ministering to individuals in jails, strip clubs, skid row, convalescent home, foster homes, etc.
3. ASK: In Mark 10:49-51, blind Bart cried out to Jesus for help. Jesus asked a very simple question. He said, "What can I do for you?" Once you count to identify the problems and walk to be with the hurting in your community, the key is not to tell them what they need or start sharing the four spiritual laws. There is a much simpler and more powerful thing to do. Just ask how you can help.
4. LOVE: Respond to the answer to your offer to help with love. This simply means to respond in a God-honoring way and without fail, God will open doors of ministry that you cannot imagine.
In 2010, the Rock Church gave 228,000 hours of community service to the city of San Diego that saved the city over $4 million. We have been able to bless the city in ways we didn't even imagine.
Being a Do Something Church® isn't complex; it simply requires decision and action. Make the choice today to demonstrate God's love in practical ways that address the real needs of your community.
Miles McPherson is the Senior Pastor of the Rock Church and Academy in San Diego, California and the founder of Do Something World.
Comments