āWhat is a burrito?ā āTortilla with cheese, meat, and vegetables.ā āWell, then, what is a tostada?ā āTortilla with cheese, meat, and vegetables.ā āWell, then, what i-ā āLook, itās all the same XS@*!⦠Mexican food is great, but itĀ isĀ all the same, itās almost a conspiracy. Itās almost like they had a meeting 200 years ago in Mexico City, and one guy stood up, and he was like, āHey, the reason I got everyone here is pretty simple, I figured we could rename this one entree seven times, and sell it to the North Americans.ā
āComedian Jim Gaffigan
Try This! āÆ
For a current benchmark on where youāre at with each of the seven values of a Gospel Advancing Ministry, take/retake D2Sās Gospel Advancing Diagnostic Assessment.
The full length version of this stand-up comedy routine is absolutely hilarious! But youāre probably wondering what Mexican food has to do with Gospel Advancing Ministry.
Well, in the same way that a lot of Mexican food is made from the same basic ingredients, every Gospel Advancing Ministry has seven basic ingredients that can be mixed together in a variety of different ways. From these ingredients, some will make a ātacoā type youth ministry. Others will serve up a āburritoā or ātostadaā type ministry. But they all incorporate seven ingredientsāor values, if you willāas part of the recipe in some way and to one degree or another. As you mix these ingredients together in your own unique way with the gospel as the ākick,ā they create a dynamic, spicy dish.
Thatās one of the things we love about Gospel Advancing Ministry. You can do it in your own context, and creatively reflect your own tastes. Thereās no one ārightā recipe. You can freely experiment, borrow from otherās recipes, and creatively blend these seven basic ingredients together to reflect your own strategies, programs and resources for your unique setting.
What are these seven ingredients?
The Book of Acts: An Ingredients List for Gospel Advancement
The book of Acts drips with the relentless pursuit of the mission of Jesus! The explosive growth of the early church gives us clues and cues that can help us experience that same brand of spiritual and numeric growth in our ministries. If we want to learn how to grow our ministries, Acts, as well as the real world experiences of youth leaders on the front lines of ministry, point us toward seven critical ingredients for a Gospel Advancing Ministry:
- Intercessory prayer fuels it. āThey all joined together constantly in prayer….ā (Acts 1:14a).
- Relational evangelism drives it. āā¦When Priscilla and AquilaĀ heard him [Apollos], they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequatelyā (Acts 18:26b).
- Leaders fully embrace and model it. āWhen they saw the courage of Peter and JohnĀ and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men,Ā they were astonishedā¦ā (Acts 4:13a).
- A disciple multiplication strategy guides it. āBut the word of God continued to spread and flourishā (Acts 12:24).
- A bold vision focuses it. āBut you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earthā (Acts 1:8).
- Biblical outcomes measure it. [Barnabas] āsaw what the grace of God had doneā (Acts 11:23a).
- Ongoing programs reflect it. āSo the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, āIt would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tablesā¦We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the wordāā (Acts 6:2, 4).
So how do you create a context in which these seven values are part of your recipe? You focus on one or two of these values at a time, so that you donāt get overwhelmed! In next weekās Mobilize, weāll start unpacking ‘Value #1: Intercessory prayer fuels it’. Weāll begin exploring how to make prayer the engine of your ministry, and not the caboose.
Take/Retake the Gospel Advancing Diagnostic Assessment
But in the meantime, take (or retake) Dare 2 Shareās Gospel Advancing Diagnostic Assessmentāeither online or using the Gospel Advancing Ministry app. The diagnostic will give you a current benchmark on where youāre at with each of the seven values. If youāve never take the diagnostic before, it will provide a great starting snapshot of your ministryās current strengths and weaknesses. If youāve taken it before, retaking it will give you a snapshot of how much progress youāve made so far on your gospel advancing journey.
Advancing the gospel is about much, much more than simply getting your teenager sharing the gospel with their peers! These seven values are the essential building blocks God can use to form the foundation for Kingdom impact through you and your ministry.