We Care Ministry in
Action in Ireland.
The Mission of MFM-IRELAND, WE
C.A.R.E. MINISTRY
More than ever before,
there is a need for personal care to members and their families. Throughout the
Body of Christ there is an unparalleled epidemic of ministerial drop-out,
"burn-out," domestic pressures, temptation and other personal
problems.
A service entitled "C.A.R.E. - Compassion, Affirmation,
Restoration, and Encouragement," was established as an immediate point
of contact to help credentialed MFM-IRELAND members and their families.
Through this service,
additional referrals and resources will be available, offering this most vital
and valuable help in times of concern.
Three action points you
can expect from C.A.R.E. are: Consultation - opportunity to talk through to the core of the
problem; Assessment - Identification of the
problem and the development of a plan of action to deal with it; Referral - if necessary, a
capable and concerned care-giver will be recommended to you.
We Know How It Feels...
There are times when
ministers and their families hesitate to ask for assistance, because they feel
their lives are trapped inside a "fish bowl," where every personal
action is on display for all to see. That's why C.A.R.E. has committed itself
to the importance and priority of strict confidentiality within legal and
ethical guidelines. Being able to share your pressures and problems without
fear is vital to the healing process. It is also the reason we are here!
C.A.R.E. is limited to
matters which are relational, sexual, financial, and emotional or of a
spiritual nature which are producing personal problems and building stress
within the home environment.
Beyond the scope of
C.A.R.E. are questions relating to the MFM-IRELAND denomination, general church
complaints, personal training, or skill acquisition subjects, legal or medical
advice.
This Service is Provided
for:
§
Credentialed
MFM-IRELAND members and their families.
§
Spouses of MFM-IRELAND
Ministers
§
Children of
MFM-IRELAND Ministers
§
Irish
nation
§
Our telephone
number can be called anytime between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. You will talk with a qualified
counsellor who will offer practical pastoral help.
On occasion, there may
be a need for consultation beyond what is practical for discussion over the
phone. C.A.R.E. has access to a network of MFM-IRELAND counsellors & pastors across
the nation. If our outside service is needed, some cost should be expected. Our
desire is to see that individuals needing additional consultation are put in
touch with trustworthy care-givers near their home.
Act 2005 was an initiative within the Ireland during the year 2005
to stimulate about 20 church-based projects, such as Working with Refugees,
Debt Counselling, the Homeless. This resulted in a
number of guides being written to share best practice in these areas.
One result of Act 2005 has been the production of a number of
'Act 2005 Introductory Guides'. This series aims to help Irish churches to
consider some of the key issues involved when engaging in various areas of
social concern. Each outlines the need, suggests options for involvement, and
then offers some possible steps to action.
A list of
contacts or resources are included for those who
may wish to pursue things further:
Our Mission
MFM is a
worldwide family of churches together on a mission, currently approaching over 500 churches
worldwide. With a passionate commitment to build the church according to New
Testament principles, we believe that the most effective form of evangelism is
worked out from strong local churches. Churches where each member participates,
the gifts of the Spirit are outworked, where there is joy in caring one for the
other, where there is a desire to make a difference in society and to reach
those in need. We aim to achieve this by restoring the church, making
disciples, training leaders, planting churches and reaching the nations.
Restoring the Church
The so-called 'Charismatic Renewal', which began in the 1960s,
transformed many people's experience of God. People from many diverse backgrounds
were baptised in the Holy Spirit and found themselves speaking in tongues and
prophesying. They longed to express their newfound love for God with fresh
enthusiasm and intimacy in worship.
This new wine required a new wineskin. Many existing church structures
could not contain this new life and so radical changes were needed, changes
that would entail a work of restoration.
Rebuild the ruins
Restoration
is a biblical principle. Throughout scripture we read of God's dealings with
his people to restore them to himself, both individually, and corporately. The
book of Nehemiah graphically illustrates this process. Jerusalem, which had been
glorious in Solomon's day with its temple filled with God's glory, had fallen
into decline. It was time to return to rebuild the ruins of the city and the
house of God.
Similarly, in the New Testament, the early church in Jerusalem was flooded with God's
presence and the new temple, made up of living stones, was being built
together. Tragically, over the centuries the church has suffered decline and
confusion. There have been waves of recovery, including such major
breakthroughs as the 16th century Reformation, with its recovery of
justification by faith. Believer's baptism and the Pentecostal Awakening
of the last century have also been restored.
The Body of Christ
God's
ultimate purpose is that the church should become a 'mature man' (Eph. 4:13), a body with all it's members functioning. In
Ephesians 4 Paul describes how God has purposed for this to be accomplished through
the gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and
teachers.
Our desire is to see churches that are built on New Testament principles
through receiving these Ephesians 4 ministries, where the word of God is
honoured, and there is openness to the work of the Holy Spirit. We
believe in a restored church and embrace Haggai's promise that 'The latter
glory of this house will be greater than the former.' (Hag 2:9).
Making Disciples
Jesus calls us to 'go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching
them to obey everything he has commanded' (Matt. 28:19-20). Our response to
this great commission must therefore be reflected at the very heart of church
life.
Churches work this out in a number of ways, often through small
groups, whose aim is to grow through reaching out to unbelievers. Having
believed, people need to be baptised in water and in the Holy Spirit, in order
to live by the power of the Spirit.
Maturity in Christ
Making disciples also means bringing individuals to maturity in Christ in
order that each one can fulfil God's plan for their lives. Our desire
is that believers enjoy the grace of God, understanding that salvation is a
gift that cannot be earned.
We want people to know that God has forgiven and accepted them solely because
of what Jesus has done for them on the cross. People who are certain of eternal
life, getting to know Jesus better every day, experiencing His guidance, living
for His glory, enjoying their involvement in His church and keen to reach out
to others with the good news of the Gospel.
Training Leaders.
Jesus wants His church to function effectively, so leadership is a top
priority. God-given leadership provides security, motivation and direction.
Leaders who know that they are genuinely anointed, called and loved by God
bring peace and security to a local church.
Ephesians 4 ministries
Paul
tells us that when Jesus ascended He 'gave gifts to men' (Eph. 4:8). The
leadership gifts are people: apostles, prophets, evangelists and
pastor/teachers (Eph. 4:11) and their function is
to 'prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may
be built up' (Eph. 4:12). These gifts,
described in Ephesians 4, are given by God to stand alongside and assist local
church leaders in fulfilling their commission to present every believer mature
in Christ.
Within the MFM family we recognise these gifts as vital for fulfilling
our mission. We are working with teams of gifted men serving existing churches
as well as emerging church plants. Whilst these teams are predominantly working
with churches in their locality, they are not only geographical but also built
upon relationships. As a result some of these teams are also serving nations
other than their own.
Strong foundations
Working alongside those involved day to day in church leadership, they are
pioneering into new areas and helping churches fulfil their calling. In this
way they help to ensure churches are started on strong foundations and that all
the ministries identified in Ephesians 4 are playing their part in helping to
make these churches strong.
Training new leaders and seeing these gifts multiplied forms a central
part of our mission in order to equip the body of Christ.
Church
Planting
We believe the most effective way of
evangelising a new area is to plant a church. The Gospel not only needs to be
proclaimed, but also to be demonstrated in tangible ways, and the best way is
through Christians living out the Gospel together in a locality.
In this way new communities are
established, often in places that have not seen authentic Christianity
outworked through the church.
Different methods
Philip, the
evangelist, gathered a community in Samaria and the apostle Paul founded
churches in many towns. He recognized leaders weren't the only people involved
in church planting. The scattered, persecuted believers went everywhere
preaching the gospel. Even the influential Antioch church was started by
believers that the book of Acts does not name.
There are many different ways that may result in a church being planted.
However, whatever the method, we believe that Ephesians 4 Teams are central to
help plant churches, ensuring that they are established on apostolic and
prophetic foundations. Whether in major cities and towns, or
small rural communities, we long to help evangelise the nations through
planting churches across the world.
Reaching the Nations.
In Acts 1:8 we are told that Jesus promised his disciples that they
would receive power from the Holy Spirit to be his witnesses not only in Jerusalem, but also in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth. The call to be Jesus' witnesses is local, regional, national and
international. In his revelation John saw a great multitude from every
nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne of God. (Rev.
7:9). We take these promises seriously.
Nations on our doorstep
Churches
often find that the nations are right at their doorstep, with many cities of
the world being host to people from across the nations. Our passion is to build
churches representative of such communities. But there is also a passion to
fulfil the great commission to go to the nations and restore and start other
churches, which will also reflect New Testament church life.
MFM is working in many nations starting new churches as well as
establishing relationships with existing churches that share the same heart and
vision. Ephesians 4 Teams are pioneering into these new situations and helping
churches fulfil their calling in God. Alongside these pioneering activities MFM
is also committed to helping churches serve the poor and needy. Thus, as a
family of churches on a mission together, we are seeking to reach the nations
of the world.
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