ASSISTING CHURCH PLANTING AMONG
MULTI-ETHNIC COMMUNITIES
THROUGH THE STRENGTHENING OF MARRIAGES & FAMILIES
(Many thanks to Sue H. for the use of her wonderful drawing above!)
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Intro
A Potential Vision to Consider
More info on MMI
Notes on Recent Gathering of Local Ethnic Ministry LeadersAble to Attend Initial Exploration Meeting
MMI Mission Statement
A Bit about Dennis - MMI CDN Director
What does MMI do?
Course Content
Who Can Take the MMI course?
Some Potential Networking/Partnering Steps Forward
Lower Mainland Ethnic Ministries Network
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In spring, 2002, a dear Christian Sudanese friend in New Westminster shared with me how very difficult it is to keep their marriages together in the Sudanese community - not only because of all of the many additional stresses of having migrated to Canada as refugees over the past few years, including major financial challenges and having to take low-paying jobs even though they have had high positions in their country; including many spiritual and materialistic struggles when they're faced with so much after having had such a different lifestyle, etc., but also because the male/female, husband/wife roles are so different in our culture compared to what they're used to.
It is tearing and/or threatening to tear many of them apart, including many of the Christian marriages/families - which she was mainly referring to.
My friend asked whether there were any ministries in the region which helped to lay some sound biblical foundations for marriages and which would be able to assist those coming from various cultures...marriage ministries which could take into consideration their difficult schedules and their low income and cultural uniquenesses...a ministry which had some cross-cultural experience, etc.
Although I know that growing numbers of very good marriage ministries exist, the only one I was more intimately connected with and which has a lot of experience with working with people of different cultures is MARRIAGE MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL.
A POTENTIAL VISION TO CONSIDER
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It seems God is in the on-going process of raising up many varied ministries in this region - who are networking together - because of the purposes He has for this region as we look to Him to see His Kingdom come and His will done here, throughout Canada, and to bring healing to the nations.
And I believe that as these ethnic Christian marriages grow stronger, multicultural families and ethnic fellowships will grow stronger, and the witness of our ethnic brothers and sisters will become a major voice in seeing other ethnic peoples in our region and beyond responding to the Gospel of the Kingdom, as well as I believe our whole nation can be powerfully impacted by the ripple effects - not to mention MMI's contribution to minister to whomever God connects them with!!
Is this something which you also are interested in seeing happen, and in which you would be willing to prayerfully explore with others who share similar desires?
MORE INFO ON MMI - and see notes below
for further info
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I have been very impressed with MMI for many years, especially since several
of the church planters in the international mission I'm with, which plants
churches in restricted access nations, have actually left the mission to work
with MMI overseas to minister to missionaries and national believers because
they saw such a need among national believers and among missionaries all over
where marriages were in deep trouble.
MMI has a major focus on restoring sound biblical foundations in marriage to not only bring healing and restoration to bring it into the place of being a GOOD marriage, but to bring it past that into a place where the husband and wife can move into the place of becoming a "one-flesh" ministry team where they truly enjoy the blessings of ministering together in the purposes of God for them/their family. The focus is on what is GOD's purpose/vision for marriage and to enter increasingly into the fullness of that.
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Marriage Ministries International - Canada
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Dennis & Shelly Roberts - Canadian Directors - dennis@mmi.ca - www.mmi.ca
"Mission Statement: Our Mission is to help couples
establish their homes as powerful lighthouses in their neighborhoods, reaching
out to those around in the storms of life. Our goal is to have a powerhouse
home on every block of every city of every nation!"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
MMI has a good reputation of working in various countries among missionaries and nationals to encourage marriages to be all that God intended for them to be as they move into a biblical one-flesh lifestyle, heart and ministry, etc. in full submission to Jesus Christ.
NOTES ON RECENT GATHERING OF LOCAL ETHNIC MINISTRY LEADERS ABLE TO ATTEND INITIAL EXPLORATION MEETING
* We began by introducing ourselves to each other and praying
for God to lead us in our time together.
* We discussed some of the types of needs that immigrants/refugees etc. experience
have in their families/marriages, etc., especially as peoples having to cross
cultures.
* Dennis then gave us an overview of MMI and we discussed some ways that we
might be able to work together in the future....see below...
For more info on Marriage Ministries International,
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you can check out their international site at:
http://www.marriage.org/
and their Canadian site at:
http://www.mmi.ca/
Mission Statement
================
MMI has been given a divine mandate to disciple couples in their one-flesh
relationship and help equip them for their destiny. It is our vision that
each home become a lighthouse to its neighbourhood.
Our Mission is to help couples establish their homes as powerful lighthouses in their neighborhoods, reaching out to those around in the storms of life. Our goal is to have a powerhouse home on every block of every city of every nation!
My notes:
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* MMI can be beneficial for any marriage - whether a good marriage - to see
it improve, or a very bad marriage - MMI tries to keep western culture out
of it and focuses instead on biblical foundations/truth which crosses all
cultures and is counter-cultural.
* Costs for the 14 week sessions is $75 per couple, which includes the workbook
which the couple shares. (If I remember correctly, the cost noted above is
for folks that have been married 5 years or less - but you would need to check
that to be sure). Copies of the workbook can be borrowed from the MMI office
if you wish to review them. Those of us asking Dennis the questions also felt
that this was very inexpensive for what people would be getting, and very
inexpensive compared to many other marriage seminars/weekends, etc. Doing
the course over a number of weeks, where the couple also has homework which
they're to do together and work things through as they go, gives them time
to process things and implement them into their lives in a much deeper way
than a weekend can, for example. There is also a freewill offering every week
if people wish to contribute.
* MMI is able to work with cross-cultural situations...more on that in the
section on Dennis personally.
+ The question was asked whether it would be better to have one cultural group represented at a time for the course/training or whether it would be fine to have several different cultures at once....it was felt that working with one culture at a time probably is the better situation, though they're not opposed to having more than one culture.
A bit about Dennis
================
Dennis & Shelly have been ministering with MMI for about 12? years and
have been the Canadian Directors since the inception of the Canadian office
in the early 90's.
Dennis & Shelly try to minister together as often as they can. They are responsible for MMI's ministry in Canada, Ghana, the Caribbean and I think another African country.
They have felt for years that God is calling them 'to the nations' and have been waiting for God's timing with that and wondering whether that only means what they're doing overseas or whether that may also be to be working in a setting such as in the Lower Mainland. Since our meeting it seems God is making it clear to them that they're to move here, which has been a desire of theirs for many years.
Dennis is very excited about the thought of them coming out here and potentially networking/partnering together with local ministries/churches in order to reach out to the ethnic communities as well as others that God brings.
Those of us who met with Dennis really seemed to click with him and each other. It was a very encouraging and blessed time together! We felt it was timely and God-ordained.
What Does MMI DO?
=================
* Leads people through the 14 week MARRIED FOR LIFE course, and trains others
to do so. They believe in multiplying themselves. What a way to reach out
to local ethnic believers and their families, and to multiply that to encourage
other families, and reach out to lost neighbours in our very multicultural
neighbourhoods!
When these homes become lighthouses, it can also be a way
to plant house churches or cell churches, etc. -
for more info on house churches, see: http://DiscipleTheNations.org/HCHome.html
* MMI urges all group members to become stronger participants in their own church bodies. God's plan for the interdenominational MARRIED FOR LIFE course is for people from all backgrounds and all churches to unite in living rooms around the world and experience God's power in their homes.
* MMI requires that MMI leaders be members of a local fellowship and come recommended by their pastors. Group leaders must be born again and Spirit-filled according to Acts 2:4. It is MMI's belief that their leaders should be modelling what they are teacing to truly make an impact on other marriages.
* MMI offers leadership training to equip couples to teach MARRIED FOR LIFE groups in their own communities. The 14 week cpaters are covered in depth by qualified leaders who give additional instruction in leadership training.
* Currently there are MARRIED FOR LIFE groups across the USA and in nearly 100 nations. God continues to prove Himself faithful by providing the translation of the course into approx. 30 languages for use around the world. MMI also provides seminars and couple's retreats for churches. For couples in ministry, they offer R&R advances to help revitalize your marriage as you carry out the call of God on your lives. MMI has developed tools to assist couples ministering together no the mission field, and offers courses for pre-marital preparation and family finances.
* MMI believes strongly in WORKING TOGETHER to see God's purposes accomplished and the Harvest coming in. They seek to complement what churches/ministries are doing, and not compete.
Course Content: -
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(done in a home setting - only about 5 couples at once - helps for intimacy,
relationship development, on-going relationships, on-going accountability
if they choose to do so with each other, and potential church planting as
a result, etc) - though MMI's focus is on the marriages and not on church
planting, although they can work very well together!
I really like the holistic approach which is firmly rooted in biblical truth/foundations and which has a major focus on godly character and relationship with Jesus, as well as the very relational approach as opposed to many marriage seminars which are much more cerebral and done in a large setting with many people. I also really appreciate the cross cultural aspects.
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Married for Life Class
Dead, dull marriages are reawakened, hurting marriages are healed, and good
marriages receive new life and vision. Our fourteen-week in-home course for
couples will change your marriage. For information about joining one near
you, see our Contact Couples
Course Content
============
Week 1 Covenant
Explanation of covenant / Covenant as a basis for marriage / Terms and promises
of the covenant.
Week 2 One-Flesh
God's original plan for marriage / What happened to marriage at the fall /
What Jesus redeemed for marriage.
Week 3 Roles
Scriptural roles of husband and wife based on the model of Jesus and the Church
/ Practical application of the physical, emotional, and spiritual roles.
Week 4 Sowing and Reaping
Awareness of constant process of sowing and reaping in our marriage / How
to select good seed / What to do with bad crops.
Week 5 Forgiveness
Why the need to forgive our spouse / How to forgive / How to continue to forgive
when the offense is ongoing.
Week 6 Faith Vision and Trust
Getting our faith vision from God for our spouse and marriage / Keeping our
eyes on the Word and off the circumstances / Trusting in the steadfastness
of Jesus.
Week 7 Praying Together
Intimacy and unity of daily prayer of husband and wife together / Why pray
in the Spirit.
Week 8 Agreement
What is biblical agreement / Problems with worldly agreement / How husband
and wife can walk together in agreement.
Week 9 Flowing Together in the Spirit
The Fruit-the Holy Spirit's inner work / The Gifts- the Holy Spirit's outward
flow / How our marriage helps us mature spiritually / How to grow in the Spirit
together.
Week 10 Intimacy
God's original plan for physical union of husband and wife / Benefits of our
sexual union / Spirit-led intimacy.
Week 11 Spiritual Warfare
Our spouse is not our enemy / Whom are we fighting / What are our weapons
/ How do we fight.
Week 12 Life Patterns
Godly patterns from the Word for marriage / Recognizing areas of darkness
in our life together / Making our lives line up with God's plan from His Word.
Week 13 One-Flesh Ministry
One-Flesh Ministry God has not blessed us just for ourselves / Giving forth
from our abundance / How to flow as a one-flesh team.
Week 14 Information Night
Graduation Celebration.
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WHO CAN TAKE THE MMI COURSE?
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* Both Christians and non-Christians (ie. neighbours, etc.) are welcome to
take the course. It is seen not only as something to help build the marriage,
family and Body, but as an outreach.
* What about children? It is preferable if children have outside babysitting,
HOWEVER, in many cross-cultural situations, it is recognized that this is
often not feasible or something ethnic parents are willing to do, and which
they not be used to, so if some folks bring children, it is allowable, but
again, not preferred.
* Anyone interested can contact MMI and they will work with them to see something
happen in God's timing/way.
Some Potential Networking/Partnering
Steps Forward
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* Dennis will let us know, soon, whether they sense God is wanting them to
move here or not. EITHER WAY, they wish to be involved as able to assist the
network which is now in it's beginning stage.
* Dennis is expecting to be back in town around mid Feb. 2003 for some training
of some folks. He would be very happy to meet with us again and others of
you that may wish to join us next time....Let usknow if you're interested
in coming to such a meeting so wecan let you know when it is scheduled, once
that's happening: info@DiscipleTheNations.org
* developing the Lower
Mainland Ethnic Ministries Network and sending out e-newsletters as appropriate
* meeting together, soon, with ethnic ministry leaders or individuals interested
in potentially networking/partnering together to reach out to the ethnic communities
in the Lower Mainland - seek the Lord together to see what He is wanting to
do as we work together and then taking steps in those directions
Lower
Mainland Ethnic Ministries Network
=================================
One result of our time together was the emergence of the Lower Mainland Ethnic
Ministries Network...something which various folks have expressed as a need
over the past few years...
http://disciplethenations.org/LMEMN.html
* If you're interested in being represented on the networking page, let us
know and send us the info to post on the web site or put in a coming network
e-newsletter.
* If you're interested in meeting together, before too long, with other local
ministries and individuals who are interested in networking and potentially
partnering together together to reach our ethnic communities, please let us
know.
* If you have some announcements of events, resources, your ministry to ethnic
peoples in the Lower Mainland, specific needs such as food, clothing, etc.,
etc. which you would like to have included in a March? first edition of the
network newsletter, please send usthat information as soon as possible.
THANK YOU!