TWO THINGS TO PURSUE

In Part 1, I shared about the process on how we came up with our Unified Ministry Direction statement.  This is also our revised Vision Statement:

“ We envision loving communities and laborers living out and proclaiming the Gospel of God’s Kingdom, leading to the transformation of hearts and lives, families, and nations, from one generation to another.”

There are two things that we Navigators wants to pursue as we join God in advancing the Gospel and His Kingdom.  These are written in our Calling and in our Unified Ministry Direction.

1. Loving community
2. Laborers

I. LOVING COMMUNITY

DEVELOPMENT, FORMS AND LEADERSHIP OF A LOVING COMMUNITY

Stage 1:  Small Biblical Community (SBC),

Looking at our ministry in different areas,  they are usually started by one or more persons we call as mobile pioneers, they are usually full-time staffwith alumni living in an area (town or city). They will start a small Bible Study Group and meeting regularly. We call this small group as  Small Biblical Community or SBC, compose of 3 to 15 people.

Keywords: Mobile Pioneers, local alumni, Small Biblical Community (SBC)

Stage 2:  Entity Loving Community (ELC)

The the first SBC is usually formed within a certain entity, like campus, working people, community etc.. The mobile pioneers  will journey with each of the members of the SBC until they become our local laborers who will play different roles in the ministry according to their gifts. But those who have gift and skills of facilitating group Bible discussion usually will lead other SBC’s, these type of local laborers can be assigned as our Nav Associates or remain as simple laymen.

Soon there will more SBC’s within the first  entity (say: Campus). And later, they  will start to open SBC’s on another entity (like Young Professionals), then to married couples (Community). Later, there will be several local ministry entities in the area. We will call each of these entities as Entity Loving Community (ELC)

KeyWords: Local Laborers, Nav Associates (NA), laymen, Entity Loving Community (ELC)

Stage 3:   Permanent Loving Community (PLC)

These growing number of SBC’s and ELC’s in a ministry area (towns or cities or similar setting like UP Diliman), collectively we will call it Permanent Loving Community (PLC).

While the number of SBC’s and ELC’s are growing , we are at the same time developing and empowering  local leaders who  will lead the team of laborers running the ELC’s and the PLC of the ministry area. These local Leaders can be assigned as our Associate Staff or remain as a simplelaymen. The mobile pioneers is now ready to turn over the leadership to local leaders.

Keywords: Local Leaders, Associate Staff (AS), Permanent Loving Community (PLC)

Stage 4: The Sending Community

At this stage, the mobile pioneers (staff) turned over the leadership to the local leaders permanently residing in the area. he can now leave and pioneer another area tagging along with him some laborers.

The PLC  is now ready to send out laborers as pioneers to another area locally or overseas.

The role of the of the mobile pioneers will now become a  mobile alongsider,  visiting the local leaders and laborers in these established PLC’s to encourage, coach, equip the leaders some more.  They help to maintain the focus of building more loving communities and raising more laborers.

Keywords: Mobile Alongsider,  local and overseas missionaries

BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF A  LOVING COMMUNITY

There are four basic characteristics of a Growing Loving Community as stated in our Vision Statement. These should be present in our three forms of Loving community, the Small Biblical Community (SBC), Entity Loving Community (ELC) and Permanent Loving Community (PLC).

1.  Transformational – “...transformation of hearts and lives, families, and nations…“,

Each member of these loving communities should experience spiritual transformation and are growing into Christ likeness.

2.  Communal – “We envisioned loving community...”

The members of these loving communities are loving, caring and serving one another. We see to it that all the basic needs of each members are meet. The community thinks of ways how the effect of sin that resulted to the cursing of the ground will be lessen. So, important for the community to think together how to help one another.

3.  Missional – “...proclaiming the Gospel of God’s Kingdom..”

Each of these communities are thinking on how the kingdom of God will advance in their network of relationships, first of all to their families, their friends, neighbors and relatives.

4.  Generational – …Laborers …from one generation to another“.

This is our calling and should be doing within our loving communities…

II. GENERATIONAL LABORERS

Multiplying Laborers are being raised with in the loving community from one generation to another.   The leaders and mobile alongsiders are focusing on each one in their journey towards becoming a laborer. As a good shepherd entrusted by Jesus with His flock we will look at them one by one and see where are they in their journey towards becoming a laborer.

Evangelizing – telling our non-believing members of our families, friends and neighbors and relatives about Jesus, Establishing them in their faith and Equipping them to do good works and participate in advancing His Kingdom. Then Engaging all laborers to life-long laboring each one playing their role according to their gifts, talents and resources the Lord entrusted to them.

This is our calling as Navigators – We advance the Gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom into the nations through spiritual generations of Laborers. Laborers whom the Lord can send, to live and tell people to follow Jesus among the lost.

COMMON MINISTRY FOCUS

Presently we have five groups of Ministry Entities.  During the staff gathering we have agreed that we will have the same focus across our different ministry entities.

The focus of these different ministry entities will be the same:

1.  Building loving communities
2. Raising up laborers

In our ministry among students in the Campuses, among our ministries in the market places, our ministries among the different types of community, among our ministries in churches and among our ministries in missions both local and overseas. We will focus our PRAYERS, EFFORTS, ENERGIES and RESOURCES on those two things.

SIX REGIONAL GROUPINGS

We have divided the Philippines into six regional groups. Each group compose of 3 to 4 political regions and the are lead by OVERSEERS. The political regions will be led by Regional Coordinators (RC). Not all political regions have a Regional coordinators at present. One of the job of an Overseer is to develop young leaders to become regional Coordinators in the different political region.