Go

The Church of the Good Shepherd seeks to help spread God's glory among the nations. For this reason, the GO Team wants our congregation to understand how we use certain guidelines for targeting our work. These ministry values aim to make a significant, strategic, specific impact toward “the knowledge of the glory of the LORD filling the earth, as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14). If you have a limited supply of water, should you hook it up to a sprinkler or a pressure washer?  The Global Outreach team has asked ourselves this very question.  We recognize the vast number of very good ministry opportunities around the world - far more than any one church could take on.  So, where should we hook our resources?  The answer we have sensed from the Spirit, again and again, should be the pressure washer.  May God use us for His glory.

CGS Global Outreach & Short-Term Missions

Church Planting or Church Planting Related Focus

  • The PCA’s own growth came by starting new churches. Most research on church growth in the United States and around the world indicates that starting churches is the most effective way to reach people with the Gospel. The goal of all global outreach should be the creation of indigenous, self-sustaining local churches. The establishment of local churches also reduces the possibility of imperialism, cultural insensitivity and other inappropriate use of power in the name of ministry.

P3-P2 Focused (The P-Scale compares the different cultural distances that potential converts need to move in order to join the nearest church.)

  • Geography affects people’s ability to hear the gospel. There are those already in a church who have never understood or sought the Gospel. There are non-Christians in a city such as Durham with easy accessibility to a church. Then there are non-Christians who would have to learn a new language or travel to a new country to hear the Gospel. These examples represent P0, P1, and P3 respectively. Someone in the first group (P0) needs only to listen and humble his/her heart to the Gospel. A person in the last group (P3) needs someone from outside the culture to enter in and bring the Gospel to him/her. While all people are of equal worth, we are concentrating our efforts to reach those with unique barriers to the Gospel (P3).

Connection with Long-term Workers

  • We are striving to connect our short-term teams with CGS long-term workers in ways that are synergistic to their goals. We want our short-term teams to be strategic, bring value, and be good investments.

Two Target Categories: (1) Urban Asia, and (2) a Specific Non-Christian Group

  • The majority of our long-term workers minister to people in these two categories, which also represent the greatest current spiritual needs of our world.

MTW and Other Reformed-Ministry Contexts

  • While we are concerned that the Gospel, rather than Presbyterianism, is proclaimed in all the earth, we believe our theological values and convictions facilitate ministry. We desire to work in contexts and with partners where a reformed view is part of the foundation for ministry, though not necessarily the particular content of that ministry.