Evangelicals for Social Action Resources

Tool #2: Mission Scriptures

The following passages address our calling to mission as individuals and as a family of faith. Use these Scriptures to inspire and guide your prayer times. Ask God that your church may share the vision of these Scriptures, and be transformed and empowered to live them out.

Navigating the Spiritual Journey

Preparing for the Journey

• How Can We Learn About Holistic Ministry?
• How do we prepare our church for the ministry journey?
• How do we strengthen our commitment to outreach?
• How do we develop ministry leadership?

Mapping out the Journey

While each church's path to ministry is unique, we can learn from one another. The following stories highlight the experiences of other churches that have ventured out in holistic mission. As these stories illustrate, there is no one template for the holistic church, no one "right" way to do ministry.

Note: This web content reflects the contents of an informational CD-rom produced by Evangelicals for Social Action's Word & Deed Network.  If you find the resources presented here helpful, feel free to purchase this CD-rom from ESA's resources located at this link.  Also, while this CD-rom is a solid foundation for understanding holistic ministry, we especially recommend the Holistic Ministry Starter Kit, which is available from the same page as above.  This Kit is not only an excellent value, but also will provide a church with the resources needed to not only continue thinking holistically about ministry, but develop programs and initiatives that facilitate the Kingdom's in-breaking. 

Becoming a Church that Makes a Difference: Ventures in Holistic Ministry

You want to share God's love for the world in word and deed. You hear God's call to "preach the gospel to the poor ... to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind" (Luke 4:18). You believe in the power of the gospel to restore broken lives and rebuild troubled neighborhoods. You want to become a church that makes a difference.

A church that ventures into holistic ministry - ministry that works toward transformation of persons and communities, building wholeness in body, soul, and spirit - can share Paul's confidence in Philippians 1:6, "that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ." So take small steps, take big steps - but let's get started on the journey!

A good launching point is to go to "Where do we start", which gives an overview of how to navigate this CD based on your church's situation.