Later the Master selected
seventy and sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place
where he intended to go. He gave them this charge: “What a huge
harvest! And how few the harvest hands. So on your knees; ask the God
of the Harvest to send harvest hands.” (Luke 10:1-2, The Message)
Luke is a striking Gospel. Of late, I have
been reading large portions of it in single sittings. It is a
challenging book, both in its depth and in its length. Part of the
focus of Luke is Jesus’ role as a teacher and prophet. These
aspects of Luke focus my mind on the bits that provide guidance in
how to approach ministry. The commission to the seventy disciples
stands out the most. I wasn’t hit so much by what Jesus
wanted them to do but instead by how Jesus wanted them to do
it. Jesus shows us how seriously he takes partnerships.
God created us to be bound by space and time.
With the exception of a few particular miracles, God the Son himself
had these same boundaries during his time on earth. This means
sending the seventy out in pairs had a real consequence. It likely
took more time for Jesus and his team to serve people because they
were in pairs. Thirty-five teams of two can only be in thirty-five
places at a time. Seventy lone rangers can be in seventy places at a
time.
The fact that Jesus would prioritize
partnerships in spite of such a consequence should remind us to do
the same. Even though seventy people could have been in seventy
places, I don’t think they would have been as effective as the
thirty-five teams were. Jesus understood that ministry can be
difficult.
Having comrades to work alongside makes the
Outflow staff stronger than we would be if we each did our own thing.
Ministry partners provide accountability. Ministry partners provide
different perspective. Ministry partners provide support in happy
and not-so-happy situations. Ministry partners bring a different
skill set. In short, ministry partners make people better at
ministry. Outflow has worked very hard to create partnerships within
our staff. None of us can effectively demonstrate the Kingdom if we
are alone. Jesus built his Kingdom as a community.
We may be able to take the benefits of
partnership further. In the same way that individual Outflow staff
members are less effective if we don’t work with the rest of the
team, it is important for Outflow to work within a larger group of
service providers in Saint John. We value the work done by others in
the community. We’ve enjoyed getting to know the teams at the
Sisters of Charity, The TRC, Housing Alternatives, Coverdale, The
Human Development Council, and others. In the coming weeks, months,
and years we hope to get to know some of the other teams that do
great work in Saint John. Simply put, no one organization is able to
do everything. There are a lot of good groups in Saint John. As we
connect with one another and work together, each of us can excel at
what we are good at. Ultimately, this helps us to better serve and
love our guests, neighbours, and friends.
Tony Dickinson
Director of Homelessness and Housing Services
Outflow Ministry
