Simplicity Ministries’® Northwest projects are six to 18 months of strategic discipleship, evangelistic equipping, and evangelistic outreach with a church, association of churches, or churches within a city or region. A Northwest project focuses on equipping and reaching a specific demographic such as teens, men, or adults in general.
Why we do Northwest projects?
There are many churches in the Northwest that are small, single staff churches, new church plants, or church restarts that can benefit from having a partner for a season of focused equipping and discipleship. Many of these churches have a desire for increased discipleship, equipping, and reaching out to the lost but may lack staffing to effectively expand such ministry. In addition, some churches are located in geographic regions that make it difficult to access the conferences and training opportunities offered in the bigger cities of the Northwest.
What’s our goal?
The end goal of a local project is that participants will mature in their faith to live simply and purely devoted to Christ so that ongoing discipleship and evangelism may be established or expanded for the church.
How’s a Northwest project funded?
Simplicity Ministries® raises funds for each project. We ask churches involved in the project to give as they are able (through love offerings or budgeted program monies) to help with travel expenses and to further support this ministry but no specified fee is required.
How do you get a project started?
If you have an interest in planning a project, please submit a request through the booking form. Please understand that due to the time and funding needs of each project, the number of Northwest projects Simplicity Ministries® can accept each year is limited.
Overview of Projects:
Simple Evangelism (SE) Project
The SE Project focuses on equipping teens and/or adults to live missionally and be a witness for Christ as an ongoing lifestyle. A SE Project involves four phases:
- Casting vision and preparing a leadership team
Mike Thibodeaux will come and overview the strategy, timeline schedule, conference and small group material, and equip leaders for the project.
- Training in Simple Evangelism
Mike Thibodeaux will come and train group members in Simple Evangelism at a conference or retreat.
- Processing and applying Simple Evangelism
Through a new small group strategy and 14 Week Bible Study curriculum that includes seven Bible studies, Accountability, Prayer, and Discussion Guides, group members will learn to live missionally. Small group materials written by Mike Thibodeaux – for both teens and adults – are provided by Simplicity Ministries® to be taught by church leaders in existing Sunday School classes, discipleship classes, or community groups.
- Sharing Jesus with lost: SEEK Weeks
Participants will seek out, share with, and invite the lost to strategically planned events during the SEEK Weeks. Mike will come and share the Gospel during each of these events (i.e. two to three Sunday Services and/or youth rallies over an estimated 9-12 month time frame).
Desired SE Project Outcome:
- Turn each believer’s perspective on evangelism from methods to relationships: relationship to God, relationship to those in the body of Christ, and relationship to nonbelievers.
- See growth in each of those relational areas.
- See believers living with greater awareness of the lost around them, greater involvement with the lost, and greater intentionality to 1) discover a nonbeliever’s life story, 2) share his own story of salvation and, most importantly, 3) share God’s story of mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
The Men of Simplicity (MOS) Project
The MOS Connect Project focuses on equipping men to become biblical leaders at home, church, and work. The MOS Connect Project involves three phases:
- Casting vision and preparing a leadership team
Mike will come and overview the strategy, timeline and schedule, equipping leaders for the project and sharing a vision message with men who are interested or with the entire church body.
It is important that men who attend this meeting be willing to:
Initiate – seek out other men, both believers and non-believers
Invest – spend time with these men in shared activity and meals
Invite – ask the men to come to the informational meeting and join the MOS group.
- Informational meeting
Ideally, this meeting should take place two weeks before the planned MOS launch date. Mike will introduce himself, cast vision, explain meeting formats, and provide clear expectations regarding commitment to the MOS brotherhood.
- Launch First Term
Meeting Format:
MOS Connect meets weekly. Each meeting time is 1 hour, 30 minutes via Zoom video conference. There are two main formats for these meetings:
1) Teaching week – Mike comes to your church or area to teach once a month; all churches involved bring men to one location; session outlines are provided by Simplicity Ministries®.
2) Discussion week – two weeks after the teaching week, the pastor or lay leader of each church leads discussion at that church or location of their choosing. The discussion week involves personal accountability, discussion, and prayer. Discussion questions and prayer guides are provided by Simplicity Ministries®.
Commitment:
Men are asked to make a commitment to be actively involved in each 3 to 4 month term. While 100% attendance is not possible or likely for any man, “actively involved” allows for 1-2 absences during a term. This commitment is intended to help foster the excellent group dynamics and brotherhood of MOS. When a man is out, it does affect the other men in the group. At the end of each term, MOS members are asked to evaluate their experience and decide if they will make another commitment to be actively involved in the next 3-4 month term.
Desired MOS Project Outcome:
- Biblical manhood – men living simply and purely devoted to Christ (2 Cor. 11:3), no longer living for themselves but for Christ who died and rose again on their behalf (2 Cor. 5:15), fulfilling their divinely appointed role as leaders in the home, churches, community, and nation.
- Vision Impact – Psalm 78:3-8 What we have heard and learned– that which our ancestors have told us– 4 we will not hide from their descendants. We will tell the next generation about the LORD’s praiseworthy acts, about His strength and the amazing things He has done. 5 He established a rule in Jacob; He set up a law in Israel. He commanded our ancestors to make His deeds known to their descendants, 6 so that the next generation, children yet to be born, might know about them. They will grow up and tell their descendants about them. 7 Then they will place their confidence in God. They will not forget the works of God, and they will obey His commands. 8 Then they will not be like their ancestors, who were a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that was not committed and faithful to God.
MOS Projects in the NW
2019-Present – First Baptist Church, Estacada, OR (MOS Connect)
2018-Present – First Baptist Church, Gresham, OR
2018-present – Generations Church, Salmon Creek, WA (MOS Connect)
2018-present – Driscoll Baptist Church, Spokane, WA (MOS Connect)
2017-present – North Addison Baptist Church, Spokane, WA (MOS Connect)
2016-present – Open Door Baptist Church, Troutdale, OR
2015-2017 – Coulee Baptist Association (Wenatchee & Moses Lake)
2016-2018 – Lake Bible Church, Lake Oswego, OR
