Doing evangelism the Jesus way is the goal of Community Outreach Teams. Jesus sent out 72 disciples to take the Gospel of the Kingdom into the community. It was a situation of high challenge with high support. Sharing the Gospel in the UK is high challenge because it is the place where the Christian church is experiencing the fastest decline in membership in the world. OM Lifehope will continue to model high support through a training programme adapted to the evangelistic, spiritual and personal needs of the team members and the ministry.

In September 2005 OM Lifehope began placing teams strategically in communities in order to be and do the works of the Kingdom alongside local churches while being trained in all the knowledge, skills and character qualities needed for the task. (Previously people lived and trained at the Lifehope base.) Their objectives will be to:

• Engage in evangelistic activities in local communities or across communities
• Support OM UK’s vision by helping to encourage “mission at the heart of the church and the church at the heart of the community”.
• Partner with local churches to achieve these aims.
• Exit the community once churches are ready to assume full responsibility for the work enabled by the team.

Global Action and Global Service personnel will be recruited for teams of 4-8 persons, committed to spending up to six months with OM Lifehope. Staying for shorter or longer periods is possible. Many coming to OM Lifehope prefer to stay for a year or more.

A suitable leader will be identified from within the team. OM Lifehope staff will provide further oversight. The teams will work from rented accommodation. Costs will be kept as low as possible. Training will be provided to enable the teams to achieve their objectives.

An initial and expanded version of OM Lifehope’s ‘ Toolkit’ training programme will provide people with the foundational skills and confidence they need to work cross-culturally and in local English communities. The training will cover 6-weeks and include one week in Snowdonia National Park where teamwork and leadership skills are the focus.

Training will continue through the following four months, with time out taken for training in a variety of subjects including Asian outreach, children and youth work, Bible studies, reaching a post-Christian society and other areas.

Local churches will be encouraged to work with Community Outreach Teams to create an evangelism strategy for the area. The local team will work to achieve the plan’s objectives while taking every opportunity to move the churches towards a full commitment to local and international mission.

How can I join? Contact Your local OM Office