A few weeks ago I informed our Board of Directors that I would be getting away for a few days to prayerfully consider the future of The Brook Ministries. My need for this time was prompted by the feeling of being a bit scattered and spread out as a ministry. Questions surfaced in my mind as to whether or not we were investing our time and resources in the right projects.
With their support, I got away and spent time with God, my Bible, music, and a pen and notebook. It was a great experience.
The Results
Coming out of my time alone, I had several discoveries:
- The core of our ministry (pastoral training) is right on track! However, looking forward we will continue to go deeper with fewer pastors, rather than spread ourselves thin with hundreds more. Our model for this is the Lord Jesus himself. Better to go deep than wide for maximum impact.
- Our experiment with church development (construction and resource projects) has been a success, and has resulted in measurable church growth for the ministries we have helped. We will need to carefully evaluate how we select projects, but we will be continuing to invest in churches and orphanages.
- The Lord is pushing us into a new ministry area that focuses on spiritual formation in short-term mission teams. In other words, how do we maximize the spiritual impact of being on-mission for those lay-missionaries who are visiting here for a week? I’m excited about the possibilities, and will be doing more research to discover how we can invest more in those of you who come down to serve with us.
Grecia
The project at Iglesia Bíblica Unción con Gloria was advanced last week through the hard work of the Matrix Ministries team. Eleven short-term missionaries mixed and poured concrete, installed a drainage ditch, built steps and an altar in the church sanctuary. It was a privilege to work alongside them. I’ve not been that tired in a long time!
Pastor Oscar is an amazing man of great faith. The work he is doing is among some of the poorest of Costa Rica, including many immigrant farmers from Nicaragua. I believe this church will be a transformative force in that part of Costa Rica.