Jesus addressed the full scope of human needs during his earthly mission, and his church is now called to reflect this. Our holistic mission means joining God to bring the whole of life under the reign of King Jesus as we practice good works and proclaim the good news.1
Here’s an encouraging example of holistic mission by a church plant that is part of TIMES12. Moses Lee is the lead planting pastor of Rosebrook Presbyterian Church, Rockville, MD, who recently wrote,
“This past Sunday, I witnessed one of my favorite baptism stories in my ten years of being in ministry: This young woman started coming to our church 7 months ago as a homeless college student who had to flee her abusive home. She didn’t have a car, so she couldn’t work or return to college, so our elders decided to use our benevolence fund to buy her a used car with no strings attached and help her get back on her feet (she was not a member yet). Since then, she was able to qualify for a full scholarship at UMD and attend part-time with free housing. She also works full-time at another college’s admin office. She went from a struggling homeless woman to a thriving professional in 7 months. In her testimony, she shared how our commitment to living out what we preach was a big part of her turning to Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Deciding to buy her a car was perhaps one of the best decisions I ever made as a pastor, and I couldn’t be happier for her. So grateful to be used by the Lord like this!”
What a powerful example of God using a church’s practice of good works and proclaiming the good news to shine light into the darkness of people he loves (Mt 5:14-16; 2 Cor 4:3-6). I like how Dr. Timothy Keller instructed those who may be tempted to dichotomize the witness in word and deed not to do so when he wrote,
“Jesus calls his disciples to both gospel messaging (urging everyone to repent and believe the gospel) and gospel neighboring (sacrificially meeting the needs of those around them, whether they believe or not). The two concerns must always go together.” 2
What a joy it is for TIMES12 to partner with church planters who activate Christ’s body to love others through gospel-centered words and deeds. Moses Lee planted Rosebrook as part of our network a few years ago, and he wrote,
“Our church plant wouldn’t be where it is today without the support we’ve received from TIMES12. TIMES12 has provided phenomenal coaches and I’ve made friendships within the network. I couldn’t be more grateful for the time, energy, and financial support. I continue to recommend it to all my aspiring church planter friends in the area.”
Thank you for your generous giving to TIMES12! Your partnership enables us to walk alongside many church-planting pastors like Moses, who faithfully lead their churches to display and declare the gospel of Jesus Christ.
With gratitude,
Mark
Mark McGeever
Executive Director
TIMES12
times12.org
Worship gathering snapshot from Rosebrook Presbyterian Church
Moses Lee preaching
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1 Adapted from The Cape Town Confession of Faith – WE LOVE THE MISSION OF GOD, The Cape Town Commitment PDF (2010), 45-47. lausanne.org. Gen 1:26-31; 2:15; 3:15; Mt 4:23-25; 5:14-16; 22:36-40; 23:23; 24:14; 28:18-20; Lk 6:40; Acts 1:3; 2:29-36; 13:1-3; 14:21-23; 20:20-21, 33-35; 1 Cor 15:3-4, 20-26; 2 Cor 5:17-21; Gal 2:7-10; 6:10; Eph 1:9-10; 4:11-13; Col 1:19-20; Titus 2:11-14; Rev 21:1-4.
2 Keller, T. (2012), Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your Church, 322. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.