MAY 2024 featured Article
Changes Big and Small for MCUSA
One of the most popular toys from the 1990s, complete with iconic television commercials that cemented the brand’s status as synonymous with the era, was Domino Rally. Various kits of dominos were sold (including my favorite, like any child of the 90s – Neon) that came with hundreds of dominos and various structures to create intricate series of tricks and mechanics, all powered by the “domino effect” of one domino falling into another.
Fascination with the “domino effect” has since shifted to the world of viral videos on social media where thousands of dominos can be seen falling into formations that create amazing art, set off bouncing balls that play music in perfect time, or cause complicated chain reactions that are simply mind-blowing — including a construction site where heavy cinder blocks fall perfectly into place.
Two things fascinate me with this childlike obsession with dominos.
First, the amount of time it takes to set up one of these complicated systems of dominos and chain reactions. One tagline for the 1990s Domino Rally said it best – “Hours to set up. Minutes to play.” That sounds like many seasons of ministry!
Second, the reality that it only takes the first domino falling to create an incredible display of momentum and to see the vision come to fruition and hours of hard work pay off.
Church and ministry leadership is in many ways an exercise in a “grown up” version of Domino Rally. God births a vision in the heart of a leader or group of leaders who labors long and hard, dreaming of the day that the first domino falls and momentum begins to bring the original vision to life.
The challenge for us is learning to recognize, celebrate, and even intentionally focus on the first domino.
This seemed to be an issue for Zerubbabel in the Old Testament. Born a Jew in Babylon during the time of Jewish captivity, he was allowed to return to Jerusalem to help rebuild the temple. He quickly oversaw the construction of the foundation before it came to a screeching halt. Attacks from enemies on the outside and criticism from his own people on the inside became too much of a distraction and too great of opposition to overcome.
In fact, it took 17 years before Zerubbabel would recognize that the first domino had already fallen in a cosmic chain of events that would ultimately point to the cross and the Gospel. Through the prophet Zechariah, God had a message for Zerubbabel, and a message for you and me, too.
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand” — Zechariah 4:10.
Zerubbabel no doubt needed this word of encouragement. Like many of us, I imagine that he had not himself been rejoicing that the foundation was all that had been built after so much time of no perceived progress. But God had a different perspective. He rejoiced to simply see the work begin. He rejoiced to see the first domino fall.
You may feel discouraged because your church hasn’t grown to the place you envisioned it would one day grow. You may be in the middle of a long period of waiting to see something come to fruition that you just knew God had called you or your ministry to do, with what seems like “only” the basic foundation to show for it. Or maybe the end goal that you hope to one day accomplish seems so far out of reach you don’t even know where to begin.
Just begin the work. Just find the first domino.
Maybe it is discipling just two or three people who are open to multiplying their faith and living on mission rather than a program for the entire church. Maybe it is investing in one leader who shows potential. Maybe it is leading that first outreach project that begins to shift the culture from inward to outward.
For the Missionary Church at large, we have many dominos and changes both big and small to celebrate as we see the Spirit of God begin to stir the waters of momentum.
Two new missionaries have been sent out by World Partners in 2024, with a goal of sending 15 this year.
Thirteen new churches have joined the Missionary Church through the first four months of 2024.
The General Oversight Council amended the policy for each church’s 2% giving to the Investment in Shared Ministries (ISM) to only include undesignated tithes and offerings, rather than requiring 2% of all designated and undesignated giving. This is to partner with churches in seeing more funds invested locally.
ISM giving from churches across the country totaled more than $1.4 million in 2023, the most ever.
New regional boundaries will soon be established to target with prayer and intentional strategy the 20 states with no Missionary Church congregations.
National leadership is undertaking an in-depth evaluation and envisioning project to determine what we can do to partner with regions to better support and resource our churches, pastors, and ministries for church health and multiplication.
Every region has been challenged by the Ministry Leadership Council to develop an intentional church multiplication strategy by the end of 2024 and to collaborate together to launch new ministries and churches.
More than 3,000 people were baptized in 2023, the most in the Missionary Church in at least 16 years, and in-person worship attendance grew by more than 10% to the highest level since pre-Covid.
Let’s celebrate together that for more than 55 years, the Lord has been rejoicing to see the work begin in the Missionary Church. We stand on the shoulders of those who built an incredible foundation! As more dominos fall and momentum is gained, may we see God do something so great among us that only He will get the credit and glory for it!