Seeds and Seed Projects

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Seeds and Seed Projects

• Trainer Name
• Ministry

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SEEDSAgriculture and Ministry

• Question 1
• What biblical parables can you think of that are
  based on agriculture?

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SEEDSAgriculture and Ministry

• Question 1
• What biblical parables can you think of that are
  based on agriculture?
• Question 2
• What lessons from agriculture can be applied to
  ministry?

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Seed Principles for Local Church Ministry
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Seed Principlesfor Local Church Ministry
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Principles for Ministry

• Nothing is too small or insignificant.

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Principles for Ministry

• Nothing is too small or insignificant.
• Each harvesting task is important.

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Principles for Ministry

• Nothing is too small or insignificant.
• Each harvesting task is important.
• God brings multiplication.

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Principles for Ministry

• Nothing is too small or insignificant.
• Each harvesting task is important.
• God brings multiplication.
• God blesses us so we will minister to others.

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Principles for Ministry

• Nothing is too small or insignificant.
• Each harvesting task is important.
• God brings multiplication.
• God blesses us so we will minister to others.
• Our generosity brings thanksgiving to God.

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Elements for Growth

• Sacrifice

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Elements for Growth

• Sacrifice
• Humility

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Elements for Growth

• Sacrifice
• Humility
• Obedience

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Elements for Growth

• Sacrifice
• Humility
• Obedience
• Cheerful generosity

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Personal Illustrations of Seed Principles
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Seed Projects
Purpose Definition Benefits Characteristics Long-
term Impact
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The Purpose of Doing Seed Projects

• To use a simple, effective and proven tool to
  help a local church to begin to demonstrate Gods
  love to people outside of the body of Christ.
• To enable local churches to be proclaimers of
  the gospel in deed.

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Definition

• Definition A seed project is small, short-term
  ministry by believers. It is done with local
  resources to demonstrate Gods love to those
  outside the faith community.
• Note Seed Projects are usually done by small
  groupings of church members, such as a cell group

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Seed Project Definition
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Three Principle Benefits

• 1. Wholistic Evangelism
• 2. Freedom from Dependency
• 3. Experience and Confidence for Larger
  Activities

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Three Principle Benefits

• 1. Wholistic Evangelism Seed Projects help
  believers experience the power of wholistic
  ministry for evangelism and for the extension of
  the Kingdom of God.

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Three Principle Benefits

• 2. Freedom from Dependency Seed Projects
  demonstrate that the local church can do
  wholistic ministry without being dependent on
  outside resources.

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Three Principle Benefits

• 3. Experience and Confidence for Larger
  Activities Seed Projects develop experience in
  project planning and implementation and develop
  confidence for ongoing wholistic ministry
  projects. Seed Projects often lead a church to
  larger demonstrations of Gods love.

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Seed Project Benefits
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Additional Benefits

• People come to Christ
• Discipleship of Followers of Christ
• Organic Multiplication of the Church
• God is Honored

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10 Characteristics
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Seed Project Characteristics

• Motivated by Gods Intentions
• Covered in prayer
• Simple and short
• Well planned
• Local resources
• Does not manipulate
• Done for those outside the church
• Beneficiaries participate
• Plan intentional wholistic impact
• God is praised

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Seed Project Characteristics

• Motivated by Gods Intentions
• Covered in prayer
• Simple and short
• Well planned
• Local resources
• Does not manipulate
• Done for those outside the church
• Beneficiaries participate
• Plan intentional wholistic impact
• God is praised

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Seed Project Characteristics

• Motivated by Gods Intentions
• Covered in prayer
• Simple and short
• Well planned
• Local resources
• Does not manipulate
• Done for those outside the church
• Beneficiaries participate
• Plan intentional wholistic impact
• God is praised

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Seed Project Characteristics

• Motivated by Gods Intentions
• Covered in prayer
• Simple and short
• Well planned
• Local resources
• Does not manipulate
• Done for those outside the church
• Beneficiaries participate
• Plan intentional wholistic impact
• God is praised

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Seed Project Characteristics

• Motivated by Gods Intentions
• Covered in prayer
• Simple and short
• Well planned
• Local resources
• Does not manipulate
• Done for those outside the church
• Beneficiaries participate
• Plan intentional wholistic impact
• God is praised

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Seed Project Characteristics

• Motivated by Gods Intentions
• Covered in prayer
• Simple and short
• Well planned
• Local resources
• Does not manipulate
• Done for those outside the church
• Beneficiaries participate
• Plan intentional wholistic impact
• God is praised

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Seed Project Characteristics

• Motivated by Gods Intentions
• Covered in prayer
• Simple and short
• Well planned
• Local resources
• Doesnt manipulate
• Done for those outside the church
• Beneficiaries participate
• Plan intentional wholistic impact
• God is praised

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Seed Project Characteristics

• Motivated by Gods Intentions
• Covered in prayer
• Simple and short
• Well planned
• Local resources
• Doesnt manipulate
• Done for those outside the church
• Beneficiaries participate
• Plan intentional wholistic impact
• God is praised

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Seed Project Characteristics

• Motivated by Gods Intentions
• Covered in prayer
• Simple and short
• Well planned
• Local resources
• Doesnt manipulate
• Done for those outside the Church
• Beneficiaries Participate
• Plan intentional wholistic impact
• God is praised

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Seed Project Characteristics

• Motivated by Gods Intentions
• Covered in prayer
• Simple and short
• Well planned
• Local resources
• Doesnt manipulate
• Done for those outside the Church
• Beneficiaries Participate
• Plan wholistic impact areas as much as possible
• God is praised

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10 Characteristics
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Check Your Understanding

• __ Game day for community children as an
  evangelistic outreach

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Check Your Understanding

• __ A picnic for hungry children based on a
  community needs survey

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Check Your Understanding

• __ Latrine repair at the home of a church member

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Check Your Understanding

• __ A government-sponsored literacy program
  bathed in prayer

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Check Your Understanding

• __ A garbage cleanup the day following the
  decision to do it

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Check Your Understanding

• __ A seminar on nutrition, where the organizing
  committee serves so well that the community
  participants only attend

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Check Your Understanding

• __ Media coverage of the seed project to get
  publicity for the church

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Check Your Understanding

• __ Development and operation of a child-care
  center

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Check Your Understanding

• __ Community meeting to discuss formation of a
  child-care center as a result of a time of
  seeking Gods intentions for the community.

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Three Principles forLong-term Effectiveness

• Balanced
• Focused
• Ongoing

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Three Principles for Long-term Effectiveness

• Balanced Ministry in all areas
• Focused
• Ongoing

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Impact of Doing Seed Projects in All Four Areas

• One Church

Physical Seed Projects
Social Seed Projects
Wisdom Seed Projects
Spiritual Seed Projects
Balanced
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Example of Balanced in Carapita, Venezuela

• Wisdom Lectures about drug prevention at a
  public school
• Physical Organized 50 members to fix the
  lighting system, collect garbage, and clean out
  weeds from the main walkway

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Example of Balanced inCarapita, Venezuela

• Spiritual Childrens Vacation Bible School The
  Jesus film Door to door prayer for families
  Testified that projects were done as an
  expression of Gods love.
• Social Two youth gangs were adversaries. Church
  repaired a basketball court and organized games
  and competition. This activity brought the youth
  together and healed the division between the
  groups.

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Three Principles for Long-term Effectiveness

• Balanced Ministry in all areas
• Focused Balanced ministry to the same community
• Ongoing

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Impact of Doing Seed Projects in Each Area in One
Community

• One Church

Physical Seed Project
Social Seed Project
Spiritual Seed Project
Wisdom Seed Project
Physical Seed Project
One Community
Focused
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Focused Question

• What do you think the long-term impact would
  be if your church did four community projects in
  each of the four Luke 252 areas, but each
  project was in a different community?

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Three Principles for Long-term Effectiveness

• Balanced Ministry in all areas
• Focused Balanced ministry to the same
  community
• Ongoing Many Seed Projects done over time

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Impact Over Time

• One Church

Physical Seed Project
Spiritual Seed Project
Wisdom Seed Project
Social Seed Project
Physical Seed Project
One Community
The Church As A Window
Gods Good Intentions
Ongoing
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Example of Ongoing Seed Projects in 1 Year in
Tegucigalpa, Honduras

• Fasted one meal a week to feed the hungry
• Hosted community soccer league
• Medical clinic in the church
• Child-care class for mothers
• Painted speed bumps in the street
• Ministered to social needs of 20 alcoholics
• Filled potholes on a street

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Ongoing (continued)

• Collected clothes for needy children
• Placed garbage barrels in the community
• Constructed concrete stairs on a steep path
• Distributed bed sheets to prisoners
• Collected and distributed school supplies for
  children whose fathers were in jail
• Note Projects need to progressively improve
  in their ability to demonstrate Gods love.

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Principles for Long-term Effectiveness

• Balanced Ministry in all areas
• Focused - On the same people
• Ongoing Done over time

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Application

• Memorize the following aspects of Seed
  Projects and consider their implications
• Purpose
• Definition
• 3 Benefits
• 10 Characteristics
• 3 Long-term effectiveness principles

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Seeds and Seed Projects

• Trainer Name
• Ministry