living in the questions

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

I have to say that the past few years for me have been filled with questions. I don't know if I've ever remembered considering so many questions before. And I'm discovering that this has been good for me...the questions themselves are really important and help me consider the deeper nature of things...to get beyond the "software" to the foundational "hardware" of things.

I had a great conversation this morning with a UNI student who is doing a Nonprofit practicum. She interviewed me and had the most amazing set of questions. I asked her for a copy of them because the conversations and dialogue around these questions are positively critical for the mission of Christ's Church. Check out her questions and maybe live in some of them for awhile!

In your opinion, how is the Church called to serve each other and people outside of the church? In what ways?

How do you see your role in that calling?

How is the Church fulfilling that calling well?

What services does the Church provide well for their communities? What populations does the church serve well? Why this success?

In what ways is the Church struggling to fulfill that calling?

What populations would you consider underserved by the Church? Who does the Church have a difficult time reaching out to? Why? What will fix it? What services does the Church need to focus on?

How are services provided by Christian organizations different than those provided by secular organizations? What sets them apart?

What does it take for people's physical, emotional, and spiritual needs to be fulfilled and hurting people's lives to be bettered? What things need to be present in order for effective ministry to take place?

Relief...individual development...community development...structural development. How do the efforts of churches and Christian nonprofits fit into these categories? Which are most effective? Which are most important? Are any of them neglected? What prevents them from fulfilling all of these?

How do you find out the needs of the people you are serving?

What are the biggest obstacles churches/nonprofits face in meeting people's needs?

What would increase the quality and quantity of services churches and nonprofits are able to provide?

How do collaborations impact the effectiveness of these ministries?

How have churches/nonprofits evolved in the ways they provide ministries and services? What changes/movements are you seeing right now and would you predict for the future?

What are some of the most important changes you wish to see in the Church in terms of serving each others' needs?

Wow, thanks, Rachel, for asking such important questions. I believe the power of the Gospel of Jesus to reconcile people to God and one to another will manifest in mighty ways if His Church will live into these questions and live out the Gospel in word and deed with our neighbors.