Mission Scotland - Fit for Mission?

Being involved in leading the Fit for Mission Steering Group over the last few months has really challenged me about the need for us to make some major, significant changes if we are to fulfil the mission I believe God still has for us.

 

We tend to be a “good news” organisation but this is a time when we need to face the brutal facts – and the reality is they don’t make pleasant reading. If we are to be truly “Fit for Mission” we need to be willing to take the radical decisions which are needed. We need to be leaner, faster and truly focused on our mission and not our bureaucracy.

 

The question is where does our mission really stand in our priorities? I thought that one person who sent me input and suggestions put what we need to do better than I could. He said that we need to:

           

            Regain our Perspective that our God is an all powerful God

            Reignite our Passion for our mission

            Rediscover our Purpose for which God raised up the Army

 

I think he hit the nail on the head do you?

Togetherness: with the Holy Spirit, with each other.

The whole pre-concept of Mission Scotland was that together we could achieve more, more saints grown, more souls saved, more of suffering humanity served in more ways.

There's pretty good evidence emerging that this is starting to happen.

More soldiers are being made, more spiritual and practical activities are being engaged in. 

Working together the three Scottish SA Divisions have identified areas of co-working and so have done so.

The are also areas where we maintain independent working - but share information and resources.

The understanding of the culture we work within is really important and this understanding is a crucial part of moving forward. The culture is what we need to invade is every nook and cranny, not working with the culture but in the culture so that, together with the Holy Spirit, God's plan can be worked out for the nation of Scotland through our part of the body of Christ.

A Sleeping Bag Gospel

In our cell group recently we have been using material which challenges us to identify our ‘frontline’ - to look at the people and opportunities God puts in front of us every day to show Jesus & to be Jesus to those we come in contact with. It is a great privilege to work for the Salvation Army at Aberdeen Citadel and I thank God for the ‘frontline’ he has given me, to be around our busy building where people come through the door for many different reasons. This is the place where we meet people where they are at and can start to build relationship with them. Some will come to share a coffee with their friends in our community café, others will be alone and are happy for one of our volunteers to sit & chat with them, possibly the only personal contact they may have that day. It might be Peter, just released from prison and who has been sleeping on the street – he doesn’t want a roof over his head but his shoes have holes and his socks are soaking wet, so we can meet his immediate need and give him dry socks & a new pair of shoes. And a nice clean sleeping bag makes him the happiest man around!
I thank God for the opportunities to make a difference in the little things of life - a smile or a laugh together, a kind word & a listening ear or even a clean pair of socks!

Personal Perspective

I work in Corps, and firmly support direction Mission Scotland is outlining for us.

We should be making disciples – which includes equipping and supporting our people in their weekday lives. Youth and children’s work is critical. And our discipleship should be expressing itself in serving our communities and making the Gospel real in practical ways: Jesus gave some pretty clear direction on this in Matthew 25:34-40.

The Corps Mission Development Plan is a great tool for helping us understand how to pursue the mission in our local setting. Recently I have been involved in preparing some of these plans. Being a great believer in efficiency and re-use, I wondered if Mission Scotland had generated anything we could use in these documents. The answer was “not really”: although it is helpful to be given ideas on headings and priorities, our local response to the mission has to be locally owned, not fed from above.

With God's guidance, we have to work out the way forward, in our own situations – both in the corporate efforts of the fellowship, and also “out there” in the day-to-day lives of Salvationists. So lets all pray for God’s guidance, and work out His mission where he has placed us.