SEED: Micro-Financing for Missions

Tonight at Harmony Church, we announced the formation of SEED, one of our efforts to equip the church for the work of ministry in our city (Eph 4:11-12). Here’s the rundown of SEED, followed by some thoughts from tonight’s message:

• SEED is a grant-based program that issues grants in increments of up to $50.
• Each trimester, we allocate an appropriate portion of our budget for SEED, which is then completely dispersed in grant form to the people of Harmony Church.
• This trimester’s budget is $350.
• The grant can use the entire trimester’s budget, but will be examined in $50 increments.
• The plan for the grant must align with the Gospel, with Harmony’s mission, and is accepted on a first-come, first serve basis.
• Ideas for SEED grant usage include (but certainly not limited to):
  • Dinner for a Large Group
  • Neighborhood Medical Clinics
  • Low-Income Block Parties
  • Art & Cultural Events
  • 25:40 Kits for the Homeless
  • Public School Needs

Our goal at Harmony is to be the Church in our city for the purpose of transforming it. This is a realizable goal, not a pipe dream. As leaders, we aim to eliminate every excuse one could have for not living on mission…and to equip the believer to live on mission. Here are some notes to that end:

• The American Church is largely the many coming together to hear from and see the few proclaim and live out the Gospel. This, in our experience, leads to consumeristic Christianity that creates not disciples, but unintentional leeches who either do not live out the Gospel or do not know how to live out the Gospel. There are too many professional ministers in the American Church, and too few Christians actually living out the Gospel in everyday life.
• The Church, as described by Scripture, is the few equipping, training, and resourcing the many to be the Church in the culture. Here are the 4 primary ways the leaders of Harmony aim to equip the saints for the work of ministry:
  • 1) Be reminders of the Gospel. Our first and foremost responsibility is to remind the Church of the Gospel entrusted to us. It’s so easy to forget Monday-Saturday that we must be constantly reminded of it every time we gather publicly.
  • 2) Provide opportunities for Community. It’s impossible to be a Christian alone. The leaders of Harmony realize this, and one of our duties is to ensure that there are proper conduits for community, both programmed and organic, within the congregation known as Harmony Church. The primary way this occurs is through the administration and facilitation of Home Groups.
  • 3) Be the lead sociologists of the City. The leaders of Harmony Church are expected to have a finger on the pulse of Greenville. We should know what is going on in Greenville, especially and particularly the specific areas in need of redemption. We, in turn, then communicate those needs to the local Church, with expectation that the local Church will begin to redeem it as they are equipped to do so.
  • 4) Resource the Church Body. We not only provide sermons, classes, paper resources, and books for the Church, we also are to provide financial resources. SEED is now our primary vessel to do just that.
• The Gospel is not a good life, or good works, but good news.
• All the talk of transformation is frightening for this reason: the Gospel will not work through us before it first works in us.

Here’s the SEED Grant Request Form if you’re a Harmony brother or sister.

I’m eager to hear your thoughts/comments/questions.