The Need For Mission!
For as long as people have existed, we've had a need for missions to help the less fortunate. Poverty, physical disability, mental illness, abuse, addictions, and natural disasters have accounted for millions of people going hungry every day, living on the streets, and sleeping under bridges and in parks at night. With the weakened state of the economy, the demand for services to those in need has vastly outgrown the supply.
As many as 31 million people in the United States go hungry every day, and estimates of homelessness range from 740,000 to 1 million individuals on any given night. Reports of violence against those living on the streets—runaways, the dispossessed, addicts—continue to shock the nation. And approximately 89 million Americans are held captive by drugs or alcohol.
The church is concerned and involved. Many congregations, however, consider hunger, homelessness, abuse, and addiction to be social woes more than spiritual issues, and expect government-run programs and social services to take the lead in solving such matters. But the teachings of Jesus Christ make it clear that mankind's predicament is not the government's problem.
Gospel rescue missions have a long history of assisting the church and providing lifelines for those drowning in the waves of adversity and the undertow of addiction. For more than a century, they have been keeping watch on the waterfront of despair, and countless men, women, and children have been saved in every sense of the word. These missions offer hot food, clean clothing, temporary shelter, and the possibility of a more abundant life through a personal relationship with Jesus; they are havens of hope for the lost and lonely who call the street home.
New Hope Apostolic Missions is proud of its history in helping organizations that have committed themselves to reaching out to the hungry, homeless, abused, and addicted. The New Hope Apostolic Missions Expansion Program assists these organizations in developing at a faster pace.
How to Start a Mission In communities throughout the nation, Christians are showing a heightened sense of responsibility for the poor and the homeless. Each week N.H.A.M. receives several requests for help in setting up new ministries to the homeless. Below is a step-by-step guide to laying the foundation for a successful rescue ministry. Being aware of the four basic failure factors below, and working to avoid them in the early stages of your ministry, will help to ensure your success and provide a good reputation for your mission:
A recent survey conducted among directors of some expansion ministries asked several questions dealing with the details of starting a rescue mission. “What Does it Take to Start a Mission?” to gain some valuable insight into the commitment that is required to start a rescue ministry in any setting.
For more information on starting a mission please contact:
New Hope Apostolic Missions, Expansion Coordinator.
Throughout the world, individuals and organizations that have committed themselves to reaching out to the hungry, homeless, abused, and addicted are getting the help they need to develop and grow into established ministries at an accelerated pace. It is happening in cities, towns, and rural areas where there has not been a focused gospel outreach to at-risk people. Additionally, established missions are replicating themselves across the continent, which means that more people are having critical physical needs met and more are experiencing the saving grace of Jesus. This is the purpose of the N.H.A.M. Expansion Program.
Mature missions nurturing fledgling missions has long been a hallmark of N.H.A.M. Our Expansion Program provides technical and financial support for ministries that are three years old or newer, or that have gone through a major reorganization in the last two years, with a goal of helping to accelerate their growth and development into stable, self-supporting member organizations who will later assist in the growth and development of new ministries.
These missions are called expansion missions, and they can remain in the Expansion Program for a maximum of three years, unless they are selected as the multi-year project recipient—which would add three additional years to their eligibility. In partnership with its District Officers, N.H.A.M. raises funds to help expansion mission leaders get organized and educated in the ways of RESCUE.
Every three years the N.H.A.M. board of directors selects a ministry as the N.H.A.M. Expansion Project to receive major funding and expertise for its accelerated growth and development. On an ongoing basis, expansion mission leaders receive scholarships to attend national, regional, or local training events; are offered internship opportunities with mature missions; are paired with experienced mentors; and, if funds are available, may receive a special-purpose grant to assist with a designated need.
One important component of the Expansion Program is mentoring. The relationships between established and expansion ministries has proven to be one of growth and learning for both. More details on this subject can be found in the Expansion Mission Mentoring Kit.
For more information about N.H.A.M. Expansion Program, contact N.H.A.M., Expansion Coordinator
Criteria for Financial Assistance Selection
N.H.A.M. members, business partners, and “friends” regularly contribute funds to help new and older missions in their growth and development. Although the Expansion Program Project receives the bulk of this funding, N.H.A.M. also provides qualified missions with sponsored attendance to the Annual Convention and district training events, as well as scholarships and grants to assist with specific needs that will accelerate the mission's growth and development.
Criteria for selection:
For as long as people have existed, we've had a need for missions to help the less fortunate. Poverty, physical disability, mental illness, abuse, addictions, and natural disasters have accounted for millions of people going hungry every day, living on the streets, and sleeping under bridges and in parks at night. With the weakened state of the economy, the demand for services to those in need has vastly outgrown the supply.
As many as 31 million people in the United States go hungry every day, and estimates of homelessness range from 740,000 to 1 million individuals on any given night. Reports of violence against those living on the streets—runaways, the dispossessed, addicts—continue to shock the nation. And approximately 89 million Americans are held captive by drugs or alcohol.
The church is concerned and involved. Many congregations, however, consider hunger, homelessness, abuse, and addiction to be social woes more than spiritual issues, and expect government-run programs and social services to take the lead in solving such matters. But the teachings of Jesus Christ make it clear that mankind's predicament is not the government's problem.
Gospel rescue missions have a long history of assisting the church and providing lifelines for those drowning in the waves of adversity and the undertow of addiction. For more than a century, they have been keeping watch on the waterfront of despair, and countless men, women, and children have been saved in every sense of the word. These missions offer hot food, clean clothing, temporary shelter, and the possibility of a more abundant life through a personal relationship with Jesus; they are havens of hope for the lost and lonely who call the street home.
New Hope Apostolic Missions is proud of its history in helping organizations that have committed themselves to reaching out to the hungry, homeless, abused, and addicted. The New Hope Apostolic Missions Expansion Program assists these organizations in developing at a faster pace.
How to Start a Mission In communities throughout the nation, Christians are showing a heightened sense of responsibility for the poor and the homeless. Each week N.H.A.M. receives several requests for help in setting up new ministries to the homeless. Below is a step-by-step guide to laying the foundation for a successful rescue ministry. Being aware of the four basic failure factors below, and working to avoid them in the early stages of your ministry, will help to ensure your success and provide a good reputation for your mission:
- Immature and or unqualified leadership
- Disunity among staff
- Poor/negative image in the community
- Lack of financial resources and accountability
A recent survey conducted among directors of some expansion ministries asked several questions dealing with the details of starting a rescue mission. “What Does it Take to Start a Mission?” to gain some valuable insight into the commitment that is required to start a rescue ministry in any setting.
For more information on starting a mission please contact:
New Hope Apostolic Missions, Expansion Coordinator.
Throughout the world, individuals and organizations that have committed themselves to reaching out to the hungry, homeless, abused, and addicted are getting the help they need to develop and grow into established ministries at an accelerated pace. It is happening in cities, towns, and rural areas where there has not been a focused gospel outreach to at-risk people. Additionally, established missions are replicating themselves across the continent, which means that more people are having critical physical needs met and more are experiencing the saving grace of Jesus. This is the purpose of the N.H.A.M. Expansion Program.
Mature missions nurturing fledgling missions has long been a hallmark of N.H.A.M. Our Expansion Program provides technical and financial support for ministries that are three years old or newer, or that have gone through a major reorganization in the last two years, with a goal of helping to accelerate their growth and development into stable, self-supporting member organizations who will later assist in the growth and development of new ministries.
These missions are called expansion missions, and they can remain in the Expansion Program for a maximum of three years, unless they are selected as the multi-year project recipient—which would add three additional years to their eligibility. In partnership with its District Officers, N.H.A.M. raises funds to help expansion mission leaders get organized and educated in the ways of RESCUE.
Every three years the N.H.A.M. board of directors selects a ministry as the N.H.A.M. Expansion Project to receive major funding and expertise for its accelerated growth and development. On an ongoing basis, expansion mission leaders receive scholarships to attend national, regional, or local training events; are offered internship opportunities with mature missions; are paired with experienced mentors; and, if funds are available, may receive a special-purpose grant to assist with a designated need.
One important component of the Expansion Program is mentoring. The relationships between established and expansion ministries has proven to be one of growth and learning for both. More details on this subject can be found in the Expansion Mission Mentoring Kit.
For more information about N.H.A.M. Expansion Program, contact N.H.A.M., Expansion Coordinator
Criteria for Financial Assistance Selection
N.H.A.M. members, business partners, and “friends” regularly contribute funds to help new and older missions in their growth and development. Although the Expansion Program Project receives the bulk of this funding, N.H.A.M. also provides qualified missions with sponsored attendance to the Annual Convention and district training events, as well as scholarships and grants to assist with specific needs that will accelerate the mission's growth and development.
Criteria for selection:
- The mission should be two years old or newer, or has gone through a major reorganization in the last two years.
- The mission must be a U.S. government-recognized 501(c)(3) religious or charitable organization, or a Canadian NPO charity (filing a T3010), or the equivalent in the country of its establishment.
- The mission must have a board of directors of at least five individuals, a majority of whom shall be unrelated, and should have one ex-officio member who is part of the executive team at another N.H.A.M. member mission in the same district.
- The mission should have a mission statement that is compatible with the principles, precepts, and practices of N.H.A.M. and its existing members.
- The mission should have a realistic three-year plan outlining proposed growth.
- The mission’s chief executive should be able to sign N.H.A.M. Code of Ethics and Statement of Faith on behalf of the mission.
- The mission should be located in a city of 50,000 or more people, or a county (or the equivalent) of 100,000 or more people, or should be able to demonstrate the sustainability of financial support.
- The mission should have the backing of at least five churches in its immediate area, three of which should be considered evangelical.
- The mission must agree to become and remain an N.H.A.M. member for a period of not less than five years from the time of selection, with membership dues being the responsibility of the mission.