What is Your Mission Field?
What is your mission field?
A mission field is a location, community, or context where someone is sent to carry out a special assignment, often a religious one like evangelism, to meet a specific need or bring aid, support, and healing to others. It's pretty simple right. Right? Maybe not? Is it some far off land where we can go in and reach into a different culture? Or maybe it's the next town over that needs support for the homeless? What about that one neighbor? When people hear the term missionary we often envision sending some away, out into the world. Maybe we need to look closer or rewrite our definition.
The location can be anywhere. My location is my school bus, camps, the race track, even within my own family's houses. The community is anyone in that location. Do I believe I am sent to be the light of Christ and show God’s love and truth in those contexts? 100%, there is no doubt in my mind. I may not be going to a foreign country, but I don't need to. To be a missionary doesn't have to be far away. My best friend is a missionary and he lives in Salem year round. His missionary work is with youth and adults through and about video games. I honestly believe he's the most interesting missionary I've ever met. He is on the front lines pioneering a ministry that didn't exist 10 years ago. All this to say that our mission field is all around us. It is the community we live in, the people we see. That is who we should be engaging with in outreach.
What does outreach look like?
Outreach is different in every single church and is different for each person. I am a member of City's Edge Community Church, where we are different and that is good. Throughout the 5 years of my membership, I’ve participated in several different forms of outreach. It all started with the simple cup of coffee and grew to the chaotic planning of “Mayhem.” Coffee, one of the seven sacraments, is a social time to build connection, at coffee shops. This is not the “fellowship” hour but time from our everyday lives. Our pastor frequents several coffee shops, he engages with each barista, starts up conversations with the interesting customers. Whether it is a simple hello, a friendly smile or their demeanor, something sticks out and he engages. That is a simple example of outreach. Outreach does not have to be big and flashy but often the humble, quiet and constant forms are the loudest and most fruitful. It’s the frequent presence that creates community and opportunity. The young adults have taken after our pastor and also take time to have “coffee” with people. It doesn’t have to be coffee, it could be a bar, a sporting event, or even the PTA meeting. Even that odd hobby you have can create a mission field. It’s all about engaging with others where they are comfortable, then inviting them to where you're comfortable. This spark and style of ministry is the base for City’s Edge and how our coming generations are beginning to engage with the world around them. Most of their outreach happens during our most chaotic time of year.
From the most basic form of ministry to our most outgoing. That is May-hem! May-hem is the most chaotic time for leadership in our church. Starting as a time to allow our pastor a break, during the month of May, it gives people the opportunity to step up and engage in new ways. It starts in April with surveys, asking the church what is something they would like to participate in that is not their normal role. We gather around after church the last Sunday of April and discuss what we want the following month to look like. We come up with themes for each week, decide who will share their testimony or give a message, what food we will have, the band members, and which teachers are on rotation. We even change who does slides and announcements. Everything is a bit chaotic and no one knows exactly what to expect. We do things with excellence but not perfection, embracing the chaos and allowing our community to thrive. All of this actually allows people more comfort in inviting others to church, especially when it comes to testimonies. Those are the greatest parts of mayhem. People invite their friends and family allowing just a glimpse of the community we have. This creates a month full of testimonies, outreach, events, gatherings, and of course food.
Besides the chaotic Sundays we also have lots of events. There have been game nights, movie nights, DnD groups, painting groups, even a pinewood derby. All of these events are led by people who simply invite others to join them. They are not huge events but mostly a small group of friends blending together with a small group of our church. I don't think I can emphasize enough how outreach is just having fun and inviting others along the way. I come from a youth ministry background and after every event the leaders would gather together and go through our checklist, “Did everyone live, Did everyone have fun, Did everyone learn about Jesus and know they are loved.” When it comes to outreach that's the same thing, but don't stress it. If you are stressed and not having fun, it'll be hard to allow others to have fun. Therefore relax, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” We can't change anything by worrying, but engage with Him through others, loving as He loves us, rejoicing as He rejoices with us.
