The idea is to form a community living situation where the participants invested themselves in a hurting and deprived neighborhood for the purpose of bringing hope, renewal, and new life to the neighborhood around them. This thought could change a city…
What would it look like to gather up 6 – 10 guys that have their hearts set on serving a city – not in a traditional “ministry job” context – but committed to living life, working a job, but also committed to investing themselves to a people, to a city – to breaking open their lives and serving those around them. And have this group of guys live in a large house together that almost function as an apartment complex in and of itself. There are many of these types of houses in Milwaukee. To have this group of guys come and live together – to form this Milwaukee Community Project. Living somewhere in a very needy and broken neighborhood – there are also lots of these areas in this city as well.
Living in community to form – almost like – an organism, and from this community house to begin to invest themselves in the community around them – to work with the poor who are living around them – to begin to build relationships. To be neighbors, to work in the yard with their neighbors, to share meals with their neighbors, to build relationships with the kids and teens there, to tutor and mentor, to play ball in the streets, to help with home projects with their neighbors – the possibilities go on and on. And together, as a group – to function as a ministry team – a ministry station that would be connected with our church plant, Transformation City, that would give us direction as to how we can invest ourselves in the lives of the people, to invest ourselves in the city. They’d have leadership positions in our church plant as this community project. But also to have autonomy as an organism to direct itself, to invest itself – to live out this Kingdom message. What is exciting here is that you’ll be living in this context – you won’t be outsiders coming to “serve” the people – you’ll be neighbors coming to live with the people. And they’d be on the front end of our missional concept as a church plant – leading us into the lives of hurting and needy individuals.
This would be Acts 2 in action – putting the Gospel in a context of a major urban area that is in great need of help – of working beside and flow out of a missional church plant – but yet, have a large degree of automony itself. To live in a context of community where bonds can grow between guys. It is Francis Assisi meets Donald Miller meets Shane Claiborne. Its completely sold out to incarnational and missional living – this idea of living in community with others – of dealing with life together, not alone, not separated, but as a group.
Yes, this would take a certain type of person to want to do something like this – it would take a commitment to living in this situation for 1 to 2 years, at least. I think it has such potential to grow and sprout out new ideas, new projects, new situations. This simple idea could change a city. But it would also have its dangers – you’d be in a rough neighborhood. Its not suburban life here. It would be very much like living as a missionary in a foreign land. It would take that type of commitment, that type of dedication, that type of willingness to invest yourself in a place in order to see God transform lives and hearts.
Truly, this is an exciting opportunity. It is not an opportunity for everyone, it would take a certain person in a certain place in life. Willing to work in the secular world and view life as their ministry. Willing to take risks, to live on less, to put the project above themselves. But the rewards could be immense. The opportunity to live in community – to be in a discipleship relationship with a community of guys – to be in missional ministry in an urban area that most of the church has left behind – and to be part of a missional church plant standing squarely behind you.
I believe if this dream becomes a reality it has the potential to recapture the spark of Acts 2 and change Milwaukee.
If this at all sparks any interest within you please pray about it, think on it, and get in touch with us. Look over the pages of this blog to get a full scope of this project and then email us – let’s chat.
The Milwaukee Community Project in partnership with Transformation City Church – Milwaukee, WI
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