Focus_to_Foster_Fruitfulness.pdf

I remember early in my Christian journey hearing a church described as a “sending church.” The idea was that the church was committed to investing their people, prayers, and finances in kingdom-advancing work beyond themselves. Now, later in my Christian journey, I am glad to be a part of such a church. Those who are “sent” from Bethlehem fall into two primary categories. “Global Partners” minister in cross-cultural situations around the world and “Outreach Ministries” minister in various settings in the United States.

Bethlehem currently supports approximately 95 Global Partners and 60 Outreach Ministers. “Support” includes prayer, financial support, and shepherding at various levels. Many people at Bethlehem have taken up the ministry of caring for these partners in many ways so that they are sent out in a manner “worthy of the name.”

We do not believe that every church is called to meet every need in the world. Therefore, we have asked ourselves what particular ministry needs and opportunities God has called Bethlehem to address. This has led to the establishment of criteria by which we can weigh these various good works and people to determine where we should invest specifically in terms of our Outreach Ministers. In the Outreach Department, we are seeking to emphasize (though we are not limited to) the following:

Twin Cities-Based

We want to take responsibility for the context in which God has placed us. One thinks of Jesus’ promise in Acts 1 that the Holy Spirit would come and the disciples would be his witnesses “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The disciples started with their local context (Jerusalem) and moved out from there to spread the gospel everywhere. We believe that God has put Bethlehem here to reach and bless the Twin Cities with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Unreached

We are thankful for all the churches and ministries that seek to glorify God through faithful preaching of the gospel. We are also thankful for the glorious legacy of reaching out to those who have no (or limited) access to this message. We believe that God would have us “tilt” in this direction. We humbly ask God to mobilize his people through Bethlehem to preach in word and deed to those who may not hear of God’s saving grace from anyone else.

Poor, Minority, Immigrant, Orphans, Widows

We are persuaded that the opportunity in the Twin Cities is massive. Did you know that within one mile of our Downtown Campus, over 100 languages are spoken? God has brought the nations to us! We are positioned strategically in the Twin Cities across three campuses to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19).

We also observe the emphasis that Jesus put on the disenfranchised. While the world shows contempt or apathy to the immigrant, the plight of the poor, minority cultures, the orphan, and even the widow, we are called to love these who are “least” in the world’s eyes. We seek to reach out with the love of Christ to meet physical, financial, emotional, familial, relational, vocational, and many other needs. Above all, we want to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to address the spiritual poverty that is common to all who are without Jesus.

Students

We see the strategic opportunity to reach out to the thousands of students in the Twin Cities and beyond. The college years present a window to present Christ to future leaders in all sorts of contexts. Many students are pondering deeper issues relating to their purpose and course of life. We want to preach Christ crucified as the ultimate answer to these questions. We hope to see homes, schools, the marketplace, and ultimately the world changed by individuals who have had radical, eternity-changing encounters with Christ in their college years.

Join us in praying for wisdom to rightly steward and distribute God’s resources to mobilize an army of laborers to preach the gospel to our city, state, country, and world.

Ken Currie
Director of Campus Outreach Minneapolis & Lead Pastor for Outreach

Bethlehem Outreach Ministers

See a list of our Outreach Ministers and the organizations they serve with.