Engaging the Mission: Join Ascent’s Prayer Initiative

Engaging the Mission

Pray that Ascent will provide meaningful, challenging, hands-on opportunities for individuals and churches to re-engage North America with the gospel.

“...for there is faithful love with the Lord, and with Him is redemption in abundance.” - Psalm 130:7b, a song of Ascent

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For decades, the Church in North America has been in decline. Cultural shifts and generational differences have resulted in less interest in attending church—or in organized religion at all. As the population diversifies, more non-Christian backgrounds make up communities, bringing more“competition” for Christianity from other religions and faiths. The decline is true of the “never been to church” people as well as Christians who’ve stepped away from the Church after years of involvement. While traditional churches still make an impact on their communities, different approaches and creativity are needed to reach people with the gospel.  This is our mandate, if the future Church is to survive and to thrive.

Ways that Ascent is focused on this prayer initiative

Impact Missions: Connect. Serve. Thrive. These three words exemplify a pattern of engagement among those who’ve come to know and represent Christ through the ministries of BGAV’s Impact Missions, including life-transforming opportunities through international partnerships, summer mission camps, Disaster Response, and others.

V3 Church Planting Movement: BGAV’s grassroots church planting movement seeks to recover the DNA that Jesus placed in his church more than 2,000 years ago. V3 helps start and sustain new churches with the practices of boundary-crossing mission, locally rooted presence, life-forming discipleship, and tight-knit community.

Fresh Expressions US: Fresh Expressions US, a ministry initiative of BGAV, makes space for denominational leaders and pastors to use both traditional services as well as innovative forms of church to live out Christ’s mission. One does not replace the other but rather creates a mutual benefit for both—a “mixed economy of church.”

Missio Alliance: BGAV seeks to engage in dialogue and work around the most pressing theological and cultural challenges facing the rapidly changing context of the Church in North America through Missio Alliance. With its rich network of resources, writers, and events, Missio Alliance provides space for the ongoing discernment of the on-the-ground issues, needs, and opportunities facing church leaders across a wide range of geographic and cultural settings.

Ways you can join us in this prayer initiative RIGHT NOW

As part of our prayer initiative, Ascent is asking for everyone to join us in prayer for this and our other main initiatives. Specific ways you can pray for Engaging the Mission include:

• Pray for leaders, trainers, and volunteers involved in Impact Missions—for perhaps a first-time connection or a renewed commitment to their local churches that sparks from their work in missions.
• Pray that church planters will be inspired and affirmed in the call God has placed on their lives to start new faith communities.
• Pray that leaders in traditional churches will be open to innovative ways they might reach different people in their communities in new and unusual ways.
• Pray for all those in leadership in North American churches as they seek to connect with and help each other, drawing strength and encouragement from one another as they seek together to re-energize churches—looking toward the future.
  

You can also commit to pray over these Ascent initiatives with us by joining the movement at https://www.ascentmovement.org/prayer.  

More information and resources are available to share with your church, family, and friends.

Read more about the specifics of how to pray, sign up for the prayer initiative, and join the movement.

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