Hello ILF team,
We are so excited to start this new holistic education series and even more excited that so many of you showed interest to take part in it. We pray and hope that the Holy Spirit may give us wisdom, open hearts and receptive minds as we delve into exploring God’s vision for us individually, our ministry and our community.
Friends, there is an indescribable quality about a ministry committed to living out the gospel that lifts our soul and encourages us to Engage, Equip, Empower and Serve the ILF communities in the name Jesus and his sacrificial love for all.
But, before we start these studies, it is important that we define what the term “holistic ministry” means and what we feel God’s holistic vision is for our ministry in particular.
God’s Holistic vision for ILF ministry
When we started our ministry in Sierra Leone back in 2016, we noticed a difference on how many ministries approach their Christian mission. Missionaries supported by Christian organizations who mainly believe that preaching the Gospel is powerful enough to transform the condition of poverty and therefore make social ministries irrelevant. We also noticed organizations who believe that what is needed is action “by Christian ministries along with involving kindhearted people” to tackle the problems of the communities, to heal the sick, and to bring hope to the hopeless.
I’m sure you agree that these are both, God honoring approaches that may address community needs in parts, either spiritually through evangelical crusades, planting churches and preaching the Gospel, or humanitarian through Social action such as building schools, providing hygiene, medical aid, education, food supply, etc.
By definition, a holistic ministry does not separate the spiritual transformation and social action. Instead, it attends to every dimension of human need and pursue wholeness at every level of the individuals and their communities. It relies on the power of God’s Spirit and model a ministry that follows Christ’s example.
Jesus says in John 14:12-13 “Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” In short, as His body, we are to carry on the works that Jesus did when He was on earth.
What if we chose to minister holistically just as Jesus did. Leaving the burden of selecting one method over the other to God and allow the spirit of Christ to guide us into both physical and emotional healing, lead us in transformation of spiritual, social and economic relationships. What if we could offer a reconciliation and peace that will overcome divisions. What if we could, in a spirit of genuine and authentic love of God, come alongside the communities as a friend rather than a hero. To engage and equip the communities with a spirit that has God’s glory, His honor and His vision at its core. This, my friends, is what we believe God’s holistic vision is for ILF ministry.
In the upcoming sessions, we will be discussing these fundamental values in our ministry every week and how the presence of the Spirit should be felt in our ministry and all we do, so we can bring renewal, growth, and transformation both within ILF team and extending into the community.
ILF Holistic Core Values
We believe that a body of holistic believers is Spiritually Dynamic, understands God’s vision, nurtures Healthy Community Dynamics, and promotes Holistic Ministry Practice.
- Spiritually Dynamic
- Centers community life around passionate worship of the trinity, celebrating salvation by grace through faith in Christ, and relying on the power of God’s Spirit for fruitful ministry.
- Is led by the authority of Word of God and is grounded in the teachings of Christian belief.
- Nurtures the community in a deepening spiritual life of worship, prayer, study, and mutual discipleship.
- Shares God’s self-sacrificial love for those who are lost, lonely, vulnerable, and broken, and cultivates a commitment toward outreach as an expression of worship.
- Serves one another in tangible and purposeful ways with Christ as the ultimate example.
- Understanding of God’s Vision
- Integrates discipleship, evangelism, and social action, working toward a kingdom vision that brings together spiritual and social transformation.
- Recognizes both the individual and systemic sources of problems and solutions.
- Supports a holistic involvement, going beyond relief to community development and justice.
- Sees mission as a global ministry (caring for neighbors in our community and around the world).
- Healthy Community Dynamics
- Nurtures loving, accountable, reconciling relationships within the community, intentionally working toward oneness in Christ to remove division.
- Ministry leaders are upheld with vision, courage, integrity, and a passion for holistic mission.
- Places every area of individual and community life under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, without distinction between “sacred” and “secular.”
- Holistic Ministry Practice
- Ministers in a spirit of authentic love and servant-leadership, that looks to come alongside the community as a friend rather than a hero.
- Pursues unity in ministry with other believers and serves alongside all through whom God is at work.
- Seeks Jesus through prayer for vision, through challenges, and in thanksgiving.
At the end, may I close today’s session praying a verse that is part of our ministry’s statement of faith.
James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only”
“Father, would you help every member of your body, especially the members of Impact A life Foundation to be the doers of your word and not hearers only. Lord, you say hearing is like looking in the mirror and forgetting the doing. And not doing is like walking away and forgetting. God, would you hold our hands in this journey of doing. Would you guide us, would you lead us. Would you give us the obedience and the courage to follow you. Would you Empower and Equip this team of ILF so we may have the boldness to Engage and the zeal to Serve the communities in Mankneh, Mamaso and beyond. In Jesus name, Amen”
