[featured_image]Welcome to Day 18 as you Take the Missional Challenge!
Take the Missional Challenge is a 31 Day experience designed to help align believers with Jesus’ mission. Each day’s post includes missional concepts and activities. For more information – click here.
“We cannot really love what we do not know well.”
~ Wolfgang Simson, Houses that Change the World
To reach your community with the love of Christ, you have to know your community! Knowing your neighbors allow you to love them better. Knowing your community allows you to love it better. (Check out Eugene Cho’s thoughts on know and love your city)
As you live on mission with Jesus, it’s critical to submerse yourself deeply into the context where you are called to serve. The best way to do this is to ask questions and be a student of your community. Here are some great questions to consider:
- What is unique about our community?
- What institutions are important?
- What local events and/or festivals are celebrated?
- What types of people are moving into our community?
- What is different about our area compared to the surrounding area?
- What are the major social needs?
- What are people’s hopes, aspirations, fears and problems?
- What tensions/pressure points do people face?
The best way to discover answers to questions like these is to hang-out with people and enjoy them, while at the same time asking questions to help you learn the pulse of your community. You can conduct “informal interviews” through conversations – or schedule more formal interviews with community leaders.
Make observations. Listen. Learn. Love your city.
DAY 18 ACTION STEP: Draw a Picture – Write a Profile
- Outline the body of a Man, Woman or Child on paper (any size)
- Using your creativity, include the unique demographic/sociological and ethnographic/anthropological characteristics of those who live in your community
- Also include:
- Interests and free time activities
- Values, beliefs, hopes and dreams
- Common careers and jobs
- Personal and community interests
- What they worship
- Now write a one paragraph description of those you are called to serve (your mission field)
Day 18 Missional Challenge: Knowing your community allows you to love it better. Take steps to discover what’s unique about the community in which you’ve been sent to live the gospel.
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