{"id":803061,"date":"2023-05-09T05:00:52","date_gmt":"2023-05-09T10:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/?p=803061"},"modified":"2024-05-30T09:28:01","modified_gmt":"2024-05-30T14:28:01","slug":"why-im-excited-about-the-hope-initiative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/why-im-excited-about-the-hope-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I\u2019m Excited about “THE HOPE INITIATIVE”"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you haven\u2019t checked out The <\/a><\/span>Hope Initiative<\/span><\/a>, that will begin next month, I encourage you to do so. Here\u2019s why:<\/span><\/p>\n

First, <\/span>it\u2019s a strategy focused on getting believers re-focused on the Great Commission in their community.<\/b> Most churches\u2014including those started with an outward focus\u2014eventually turn inward. This strategy seeks to reverse that direction in a simple way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Second, <\/span>it\u2019s pastor-led.<\/b> That\u2019s not to say, though, that laypersons aren\u2019t involved and invested; in fact, the laity involved will far outnumber the pastors\u2014and that\u2019s one of the goals. It\u2019s simply to say that a strong, intentional Great Commission focus begins with pastors.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Third, <\/span>it fits in a pastor\u2019s daily work.<\/b> It doesn\u2019t require a pastor to add stuff to an already-full plate. Pastors only need to recruit a few members, lead them, and encourage them for 30 days\u2014days that we pray will lead to ongoing change in the DNA and culture of the church.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fourth, <\/span>it\u2019s basic, simple, and reproducible.<\/b> In our beta testing of this strategy, pastors and laity have said to us, \u201cThis approach just leads me to do what I should have been doing in the first place.\u201d Following 30-days of daily steps described in Thom Rainer\u2019s book,<\/span> Pray & Go<\/span><\/i><\/a>, The <\/a>Hope Initiative<\/a><\/span>\u00a0takes believers to the Word, to their knees, and into their community.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fifth, <\/span>it doesn\u2019t require a lot of training.<\/b> In fact, one meeting to describe the process can get participants ready to go. We know that the more complex the process is, the less likely it is that many people will get on board\u2014and the Great Commission is too important to let complexity get in the way of obedience.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sixth, <\/span>it\u2019s an ongoing process. <\/b>Even after church members have completed the 30 days, our Church Answers team will send them a weekly email for the next eleven months giving them more practical ways to do the Great Commission. Our goal is that the 30 days will be only a \u201cjump start\u201d for a church.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Seventh, <\/span>it\u2019s filled with hope.<\/b> It really is. Rather than focus on the many ways churches need to improve, this strategy focuses on turning a few believers outward\u2014and, in my judgment, <\/span>any pastor <\/span><\/i>will find renewed hope when even a few members move in the right direction.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Again, check out The <\/a>Hope Initiative<\/a><\/span>\u00a0if you haven\u2019t already. I\u2019m excited about it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you haven\u2019t checked out The Hope Initiative, that will begin next month, I encourage you to do so. Here\u2019s why: First, it\u2019s a strategy focused on getting believers re-focused on the Great Commission in their community. Most churches\u2014including those started with an outward focus\u2014eventually turn inward. This strategy seeks to reverse that direction in…","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":803066,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"publish_to_discourse":"0","publish_post_category":"1","wpdc_auto_publish_overridden":"","wpdc_topic_tags":"","wpdc_pin_topic":"","wpdc_pin_until":"","discourse_post_id":"","discourse_permalink":"","wpdc_publishing_response":"","wpdc_publishing_error":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,184,175,177,178,14796,180,196],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-803061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church-answers","category-discipleship","category-grow","category-lead","category-membership-and-assimilation","category-monday-wednesday-featured","category-outreach-and-evangelism","category-staff-and-organizational-issues"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy I\u2019m Excited about "THE HOPE INITIATIVE" | Church Answers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Hope Initiative is filled with hope. 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