Mission Based Communities
“We want to lower the bar of how church is done and raise the bar of what it means to be a disciple” -Neil Cole
Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
-Jesus (Mark 12:30-31)
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
-Ephesians 4:11-12
What are Mission Based Communities?
MBC’s are smaller groups of gathered members of Jacobs Well; mobilized for mission in various parts of the city. Jacob’s Well is a gathered and scattered community…that seeks to embody the ministry and mission of the gospel of Jesus where we meet as a large gathered community and where live as smaller scattered communities.
MBC’s are where we put into practice the message and life of the Gospel Mission.
This message is simply explained in Mark 12:30-31:
-Worship God -Love One Another -Serve The Community
What does it mean to be “Mobilized for Mission” ?
It means we value: A Head, Heart & Hands Mission (A holistic mission)
We believe in THE gospel, not a version of it. There is no “social gospel”…only the message of the Kingdom. That message calls for us to meet, love and serve people where they are at. We see the Lord’s table as a perfect expression of these gospel values. The bread and wine is food and it meets the human need for physical sustenance….but those elements also become a means of grace to the spirit through God’s Spirit, shared through man’s hands. God has perfectly expressed a spiritual and physical reality in the communion table. We do not separate what God has join together. The gospel of the Kingdom calls us to a mission that includes the whole person.
It means we focus our missional activity on a:
Neighborhood Mission & City Reaching Vision
Mission always starts with those closest to you and expands outward. Look for the person on your street before you go somewhere else (read Luke 10:25-37).
Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere–in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Are MBC’s just another small groups program?
No. MBC’s are a “Trellis strategy” (a limited ministry structure, for healthy and sustainable growth) that we are implementing to be faithful to the “Equipping of the saints for the work of ministry” mandate in Ephesians 4:11-12:
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
-Ephesians 4:11-12
MBC’s aim to gather together those who live in neighborhoods or specific regions of the city; so that everyone has “person and place” to work out the gospel in “word & deed”. Jacob’s Well has to equip it’s members to live into the mission of God in their own day to day lives, among the people they live around and with those they call friends and family.
How do you organize Mission Based Communities?
Jacob’s Well is organized for mission by neighborhoods/regions via a city map we have on the wall in our meeting room in East Central. You can also access this map on the Jacob’s Well website at www.jacobswellspokane.org, where you can see who lives in your area and where you can also place your own home on the map. Basically we try to say: “You’re zip code is your primary mission field”
What goes on in these Mission Based Communities?
We provide a simple monthly rhythm of mission, for each weekly gathering to follow.
-Service (first week)
Each group determines for themselves, where to serve in their own neighborhood or area. Anything is possible…just pray and serve.
-Worship (in-between first and last week)
Meet together for bible study, prayer and soul care.
-Fellowship event (last week)
Get together and do something fun. A great time to build relationships with one another and with those in the neighborhood you are welcoming into your Mission Based Community.
Who “leads” Mission Based Communities?
The MBC Care Structure is simple: They are overseen by our Elders, they are Deacon facilitated and they are Member led. This simple care structure provides equipping and empowerment of the body to practice shared leadership and responsibility.
