GCOWE '95: The United States Model
As we approach the midpoint of this final decade of the Twentieth Century, the Lord of the Church has begun to stir in hearts of many Christian leaders in the United States. He is calling us to give spiritual leadership to the mobilizing of Christ's Church for united prayer, the seeking of genuine revival in the Church and authentic spiritual awakening in the nation and a united effort to share the Gospel of Christ with every man, woman, young person and child in the United States by the end of the millennium.
In addition, we believe that God is desiring to use us in mobilizing tens of thousands of Christ's disciples to share the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ with scores of Unreached People Groups in the United States and around the world. In summary, our prayerful goal is mobilize "the whole U.S. Church to take the whole gospel to the whole nation in this generation." -and then to mobilize thousands of new cross-cultural missionaries to team with brothers and sisters from other nations of the world in going to the unreached peoples of the world including the millions of unreached peoples residing in the 10/40 Window.
This movement in the United States has begun to emerge clearly by the initiative and the orchestration of the Holy Spirit. The initial sign that our Lord is at work in our nation in the midst of a declining American culture has been the emergence of many grass roots prayer movements including the Concert of Prayer movement, Prayer Summits, denominational prayer initiatives, the growth of the National Day of Prayer activities, the March for Jesus movement, the "Meet Me at the Pole" youth prayer movement and the reintroduction of the National Prayer Accord.
It was in this context of united prayer that God began to move in the hearts of several dozen Christian leaders some three years ago to begin to meet for prayerful conversations regarding what our Lord was saying to the American Church regarding revival, spiritual awakening concerted prayer, repentance, spiritual unity and cooperative evangelistic outreach to the United States and the world.
In a most remarkable way, the Lord moved gently in bringing the U.S. Lausanne Committee to vote unanimously to adopt the AD 2000 & Beyond agenda for the remainder of the decade. The U.S. Lausanne Committee ministries and the AD 2000 & Beyond initiatives have been blended together by the Spirit of God in a wonderful way. We have moved ahead "on our knees" in attempting to be sensitive and obedient to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In short, we have been committed deeply to proceed the "Jesus Way"-and not the well-known "American Way."
The result has been the emergence of Mission America 2000. Our gracious Lord has brought into being a grass-roots movement initiated and orchestrated by the Holy Spirit comprised of increasing numbers of local churches, denominations, Christian institutions and para-church ministries. This coalition of ministries and ministry networks has unprecedented potential for united evangelistic outreach in the United States and beyond. Needless to say, this is a very crucial and strategic time for the continued emergence and development of this ministry coalition. We need your prayers!
Like other AD 2000 & Beyond initiatives in many nations of the world, our Lord has led us clearly to focus upon a city and area strategy. We have discovered that some 216 major media markets encompass 100 per cent of the population of the United States. Therefore, we envision at least 216 local or area committees being formed in order to be able to minister to every person in the United States. And because the population is so vast in some of those 216 markets, we envision scores of cities within the major markets forming local committees. At present, we estimate that MA 2000 will be comprised of at least 300 local committees throughout the United States.
At present, we are aware of some 60 city committees in some stage of formation. I would emphasize the fact that most of these committees have been formed spontaneously simply by the prompting of the Holy Spirit in a given city. Most such committees have not even been aware that other cities were involved in doing the same. Only in recent months have many of these committees become a part of the national MA 2000 coalition. This is truly a "grass roots" movement brought into being by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Secondly, there been the formation of a number of Resource Ministry Tracks or Strategic Alliances. At present, some 20 Resource Ministry Tracks are either functioning or are in the process of formation. Two of the Resource Ministry Tracks have full-time coordinators while others are served by volunteer leadership. It is our intention to be open to the guidance and provision of the Holy Spirit to embrace and encourage as many Resource Ministry Tracks that our Lord brings into existence for strategic ministry. The major purpose of the tracks will be to serve as strategic ministry resources to local and regional committees. In addition, some statewide and national ministries may be initiated such as a national church planting ministry. However, most implementation of such ministries will take place under the leadership of local MA 2000 committees.
A third major element is being added to the MA 2000 strategy. Beginning in 1996, a national evangelistic outreach will take place annually which will focus upon a united strategy. For example, in 1996 we will focus upon a national Olympic Outreach led by the Sports Outreach America ministry coalition. Then, in 1997, we will attempt to share the Gospel with every person in United States through the Jesus Film video project. Although these annual national ministry strategies will be vitally important, they will not be exclusive. In other words, the local committees and Resource Ministry Tracks will simultaneously be carrying on their specific ministry agendas in addition to being involved in the annual national evangelistic initiatives.
In summary, it is our prayerful objective to share the love and grace of Jesus Christ is some appropriate manner with every person in the United States during the remaining years of this decade, as our Lord tarries. At the same time, we will be inviting and encouraging the people of God to humble themselves and pray and turn to Christ with all of their hearts so that our gracious Lord will hear our prayers and heal our land by bringing genuine revival and spiritual awakening, so that millions of non-Christians and nominal Christians may become alive in Christ, so that unprecedented ministries of evangelism may take place in our nation, so that that tens of thousands of America's Christians may go to other nations of the world with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is our prayer-in the name of Jesus. Brothers and sisters, please pray for us! Amen.
- Article source: http://www.ad2000.org/gcowe95/cedar.html