PRAY

PLAN

SERVE

"I Love My City!"

Jim Denison; Archives

At "Cultural Commentary" we profile a gospel movement in America. This month we're going to Chicago where we meet LOVE2020. Their mission is both simple and profound:

"Every person, young and old, in America

should have the opportunity

of being authentically loved

by at least one committed follower of Jesus Christ

so that

they know God loves and cares deeply for them."

Nick Pitts, a member of the Denison Forum team, was privileged recently to interview a LOVE2020 leader, Phil Miglioratti. Born and raised in Chicago, Phil has seen the highs and the lows of his city. Transformed by an encounter with the Holy Spirit, he began hearing God's call to organize a group of pastors for community and prayer. As they met to pray for each other, their communities, and their city, the Spirit began drawing more people to join them.

What started as meetings became a movement. Birthed by over three dozen pastors' prayer groups, the city-reaching effort has matured to a variety and diversity of initiatives and ministries that now encourage Christians to know they are deeply loved by their Creator, and challenge them to love authentically every person they encounter. Both locally and now nationally, believers are connecting by affinity, from women's ministries to sports, prison ministry, gospel rescue missions, and the marketplace. Their commonality is a commitment to yield themselves to the leading and empowering of the Spirit.

Phil knew he was in desperate need of the grace only the gospel offers. Now he shares that hope with all he encounters, and encourages them to use their relationships as opportunities to love. Congregations, citywide collaborations, and national ministries and networks are joining their movement.

Their invitation is simple: "LOVE2020 is a call to followers of Jesus everywhere to be loving others by living a simple and powerful lifestyle of praying, caring and sharing the love of Jesus Christ with those around them in deed and word." In essence, LOVE2020 is "a vision to express love."

Church

Bless

Your City/Community

...together

1. Contact
2. Connect
3. Coordinate
4. Cooperate
5. Collaborate

Bless Your Community

A Template to Impact Your Community/City

in #ReimagineCITIES CommunitiesCollaborations

To LOVE YOUR CITY you need (a) - -

• Linking Catalyst…

           who has the primary role to connect missional, unifying, Christ-serving leaders.

• Loving Congregations…

           (Love Your Neighbor congregations) that are filled with prayer-care-share lifestyle Christ followers.

           To transform a city, we must begin by loving and understanding it's people, our neighbors by making a  Love Commitment

• Lifestyle Christians…

           who are praying in faith, caring with hope, sharing the love of Christ.

• Leadership Core…

           of pastors and marketplace people (laity) discerning and coordinating macro / citywide strategies.

           Spiritual unity by strategic collaboration among leaders produces an impact through Leadership Connections

• Learning Community …

           Leaders who are stewarding the collaborative movement as a learning community (unity + humility X diversity = ministry!)

           City movements, networks and congregations need new concepts and new content for the new cultural context: new tools, new coaching models discovered in a Learning Community

• Lifetime Commitment…

           this is not a weekend event (Festival), 40 day emphasis (season of serving), or even a year-long theme

• Long-term Coaching…

           outside expertise helps you ask the right questions at the right time for the right reasons

Reimagine Cities / Communities

"City Impact Roundtable"

Insights/Ideas

from

City-Focused Thought-Leaders & Practitioners

Phil Miglioratti

Reimagine.Network ~ Thought-Provoking Content to *Reset Church *Rethink Discipleship *Reformat Evangelism *Reimagine Prayer *Reexamine Scripture ~ Be Transformed; Not Conformed

Phil Miglioratti served as a pastor, prayer coach, citywide convener/facilitator/blogger (City Impact Roundtable; Loving Our Communities to Christ), launched National Pastors' Prayer Network, blogs @ #ReEngageCITIES

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WHO…

========

…has impacted or influenced your vision and/or inspired your missional passion for cities?

>>> So many have inspired me to pursue the Holy Spirit's call to pray for, care about, and share the Good News on a citywide basis; congregations and ministries cooperating and collaborating. Chicago urban pastors Jim Queen and Ray Bakke; Mission America Coalition's Paul Cedar, Glenn Barth, Jarvis Ward; Movement Day's Mac Pier, Rebecca Walls; Inland Empire's Lynn Heatley; City Prayer Movements (Jon Graf, Cheryl Dorsey, John Fuder, Chuck & Sheila Straka); Coaches with Loving Our Communities to Christ, Prayer Summits, City Gospel Movements, Christian Community Development Association, Christ Together, Explore God ... A few access points: Cityreaching - Bless Every Home - To Transform A City - Cru City Church Movements -

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WHAT...

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…would you do differently today than when you first launched into the city impact/city transformation/cityreaching movement?

>>> I would deemphasize an organizational approach because it simply creates another layer of authority (power-brokers) that requires administration. I would seek to identify men and women who are already connecting congregational and ministry leaders by communicating what the diverse segments of the Church are already doing outside their building, convening like-minded ministry initiatives of the Body of Christ that focus on the poor, social justice, united prayer, kingdom-prompted evangelism, community development), and facilitating across-boundaries conversations that lead to collaboration. Ground-up (grassroots catalysts) rather than top-down (authority figures). Inside-out: identifying + connecting + equipping invisible servant leaders.

…do these functions contribute to the building/shaping of a city impact movement? (as different from a single church initiative or a community-wide evangelistic campaign)

• Convening leaders >>> Citywide connections and actions need persons who are called to call the Church to talk and pray and plan together without needing a title or controlling leadership role
• Cooperating congregations and ministries >>> City transformation results from a demonstration of the Gospel as congregations and ministries of various denominations and ethnicities and styles proclaim one Lord and Savior as redeemer (to God) and reconciler (to one another; peace)
• Facilitating relationships >>> City impact is successful and sustaining when leaders know and trust one another
• Diversity of churches, ethnicities, calling, strategies >>> Partnerships among different ministries and that honor diversity is a testimony in itself; the Body of Christ across our cities are called to be a community of trust and hope

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WHERE...

========

…in scripture do you find a call or commission for churches to express locally the unity of the Body of Christ?

>>> Jonah 4:11: "Should I not feel compassion for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are thousands of people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” God is concerned about people everywhere and recognizes the size and scope of urban centers.

Jeremiah 29:7: "Do good things for the city where I sent you as captives. Pray to the Lord for the city where you are living, because if good things happen in the city, good things will happen to you also.”

…do you see churches and ministries connecting citywide? …how do they cooperate to demonstrate and proclaim the Gospel?

>>> My hometown Chicago has a long history of prayer-initiated citywide initiatives and partnerships. Currently "Chicagoland Unite in Prayer" reaches across city sectors, denominations, and ethnicities by convening the Church for united and localized prayer (see Prayer Corners), as well as training for community-based ministry. Together Chicago calls the Church to missional service together in 5 focus areas: Education, Economic Development, Violence Reduction, Gospel Justice, Faith-Community Mobilization.

√ Neil Cox is tracking city movements @ Cityreaching and Dave Imboden reports city-focused activity on Facebook.

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WHEN...

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…a pastor or ministry leader is inspired to cast a citywide/neighborhood vision to their church or ministry, describe their first steps.

>>> 1st: Pray. Pray for your city. Invite others to pray with you for your city. Take prayer into your city. Look for opportunities to pray with others across your city.  2nd: As you pray, listen with others to discern a Spirit-led strategy to inspire the whole Church to show and tell the whole Gospel to the whole city (neighborhoods, social sectors, seasons). 3rd: Identify and encourage persons who convene and connect, empower and equip; introduce them to each other; build communication networks.

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WHY...

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…should a pastor or ministry leader add their city/community/neighborhood to their mission strategy?

>>> I believe every expression of the Body of Christ is responsible to be answer to our Chief Shepherd's prayer (John 17:20-23) that all Christ-followers will demonstrate that God's love has made us one with another, so that, "then the world will know God sent Jesus and God loves them."

Doctrinal and cultural differences are not unimportant or insignificant but they do not give us permission to act disconnected to those who, though different, are authentic members of God's family by their faith in Jesus. Pursuing authentic unity is not optional, no matter who much we prefer our brand of Christianity.

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HOW...

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…would you coach a pastor/ministry leader to begin the process of reimagining how to serve in and with their community?

>>> Get familiar with the acts of the Holy Spirit in as many city movements as possible. Make contact with those you sense an affinity with. Ask them questions. Convene local leaders and share your story. Recovene with each person inviting several others who might respond to this vision to bless our communities. Be careful not to merely adopt one particular brand until you have learned from many. Include people who will build strong and sustaining prayer support. Avoid a programmatic approach and a formulaic proclamation. Allow the Spirit to create something new.

…how do you pray about citywide cooperation/coordination?

>>> Jesus, reveal to us, all of us who serve the Body of Christ in this city, what we are asking for when we pray "Thy kingdom come in and across our city; Thy will be done in and through your Church." 

     Lead us not into the temptation to replicate programs or schedule events that are not birthed in prayer. 

        Deliver us from evil that has crept into your Church and across our city so that we become a force for good, for God.

           Teach us how to relate and partner across the Body of Christ even though we have different viewpoints and doctrines.

In Jesus name.

By the leading and empowering of the Spirit.  

For the glory of God.

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