Gospel Presence in Everyday Living - A Midwestern Perspective
Ryan Kozey | Saturation Church Planting - North America
The Lord has been good to us over the past year here in the Heartland. With the help of my good friend in the ministry, Jim Murphy (Mount Ayr, Iowa), God has given us the opportunity to grow and expand friendships in more than 20 locations in the Midwest. Youngstown, OH; Athens, OH; Detroit, MI; Bowling Green, OH; Mount Ayr, IA; Red Falls, MN; are just a few of the cities where God has allowed for us to expand our partnership and reach in the Midwest.
One thing that I truly love in all of this - Buffalo plays a part in the story. It has been over 15 years since I first encountered the idea of saturating an entire geography with the gospel while participating in a series of meetings hosted by The Chapel. I then had the privilege of working for The Chapel during a 10- year period, before relocating to the Midwest. One of the key principles that I took with me from my time in Western New York was the belief that, if we are actually going to reach every man, woman, and child with the gospel, it would take the mobilization of all of God’s people to see that happen.
The work that continues to happen in Western New York is starting to take place in other geographies throughout the country. The Chapel, and members of the Church of Western New York, have continued to be a place of great encouragement and support for us in the Midwest. As that has continued, we have added churches to our partnership base in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota. As we go, we continue to guide discussions with partner churches, talking to them about the need to mobilize everyday followers of Christ to be a source of gospel presence and gospel proclamation. The task is not small. The good news is that we are starting to see some meaningful progress in some particular places. As we journey forward, here are a few things we have learned:
Everyday people have influence- Family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors, the common touch points that people have, are incredibly important to the Church itself living a regular life on mission. When people start to realize their influence in their daily living, the idea of saturation is not so overwhelming.
Simplicity is a key ingredient- Historically, event driven activities have been a central theme for how people think about missionally engaging those in their circle of influence. However, what people have begun to see is that events don’t have to be central to being a source of gospel presence. Set up a meal. Go out to a game. Handle yourself at work in a way that begs the question, “What’s different about you?” All these things demand no event. They simply require a framework of understanding that each opportunity we have is a point of gospel presence. We will never be perfect, but these daily interactions help us to readily see that repeated opportunities for the gospel are right in front of us with those in our circle of influence.
God can do great things with both- As everyday people (like you and me) begin to see daily interactions as a point of regular gospel presence, proclamation, and points through which we live in the hope of gospel transformation AND as we see how simple it can be (not requiring a large event or gathering per se), the reality of a life on mission is more achievable than we may have ever imagined. It is right in front of us as opportunity lives all around us.
Thank you for helping us. Thank you for leading with humility and with a willingness to try things relating to the mobilization of all of God’s people. We labor toward a similar end here in the Midwest. A life on mission is possible in everyday living and in simple ways. God does great things with both.
Saturation Church Planting- North America seeks to see that every man, woman, and child have repeated opportunities to hear, see, and respond to the gospel message of Jesus Christ. God has allowed us to have a meaningful presence of activity, currently in the Northeast, Southeast and Midwest of the United States as well as in a few parts of Central America. We ask for prayer in our ability to grow relationships in other locations in the United States
