Week 2 in the Southern Cone of Brazil
We spent 11 days in Brazil doing ministry training events in three different cities (Port Alegre, Florianópolis, and Criciúma). We held two Catalyst Community #1 (Developing Leaders) events, led a denominational pastor training event, and trained the broader leadership teams of two strategic partner churches.
8 Denominations Together in One Room (Florianópolis)
In John 17, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed for unity in the Church.
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
John 17:20-23
Why? It is because that unity would serve as an apologetic for the church. Throughout history, at times, we have worked in opposition to that prayer. We have become better at highlighting our differences than our shared beliefs. One of the primary objectives of Catalyst Community is to create “community” among church teams in a city or region. As we get to know one another, build relationships, and focus on our common mission, we are drawn together by something that surpasses our differences. It’s a desire to see God do something amazing in our country. It’s like a primal reminder of our original purpose, and it draws us to one another.
You have heard of the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. We call this John 17 objective the Great Collaboration. It isn’t always easy. Sometimes the walls we’ve built over the years are tall and strong, but when we start to break them down, God does something amazing. When we place the priority of growing God’s Kingdom over the priority of building our own castles (churches or denominations) He honors it. He empowers it! He blesses it! So we push hard for it, we cast vision for it, and we challenge leaders to overcome their differences. Together they can accomplish more for the Kingdom of God together than they can alone.
It never ceases to amaze me when pastors start to get it, when they realize the mission to grow God’s Kingdom surpasses all else. We aren’t there to destroy denominations, on the contrary, we want to maintain denominational affiliations, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of fulfilling God’s calling. We do however issue an invitation to be a part of something bigger, a network of pastors from the area who can help one another accomplish more, in spite of our denominational differences. We can work together in a network while maintaining our own denominational identity. It’s not an “either/or” it’s a “both/and”.
Thank You!
I’m continually reminded how lucky we are to do what we do. This ministry model, the Catalyst System, works! It’s powerful! We, together, you and me, catalyze movements of multiplying churches. We do so by aligning with God’s plan, and teaching God’s heart and methods, and He honors it, and He blesses it. It isn’t because we are special or skilled in any particular way, it is His power at work in and through us that brings the results.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.
Ephesians 3:20
We thank you for the part you play and we give God all the glory for what he accomplishes through us as partners working together in this ministry.
