Relating the Mission of God to Leveraging Personal & Community Assets

 

Introduction

Leveraging strengths and assets emphasizes the importance of empowering both individuals and communities to recognize and fully utilize their inherent strengths and resources. By identifying what is already within a person or a community—whether it be skills, talents, or relationships—missional leaders can help people envision a brighter, more hopeful future. The mission of God involves working with what is available to bring about transformation, rather than waiting for an ideal situation. By facilitating the discovery and application of strengths, missional leaders inspire individuals and communities to take ownership of their future and make meaningful progress. This approach nurtures the belief that everyone has something valuable to offer, and that together, by combining their strengths, they can create lasting change.

 

1. Strength in Adversity

Pastoral Care and Chaplaincy involves engaging with individuals to help them identify and leverage their personal strengths and assets, especially in times of personal crisis, loss, or transition. In the context of pastoral care, the leader’s role is to offer spiritual guidance, emotional support, and practical assistance, encouraging individuals to reflect on their inner resources and personal faith. This approach recognizes that each person carries unique qualities, talents, and experiences that, when recognized and nurtured, can help them navigate through life’s challenges. A pastoral care leader creates a safe space for individuals to envision a hopeful future by embracing their strengths and using them to overcome obstacles. This behavior is foundational in guiding individuals toward healing and wholeness by affirming their worth in God’s eyes and empowering them to move forward.

Biblical Illustration

In Job’s time, societal norms placed significant emphasis on reputation and moral integrity, especially when faced with accusations or trials. In his Final Defense of His Integrity (Job 31:1-40), Job defends his integrity before his friends and God. Job’s assertion of his righteousness was not only a defense of his character but also a claim to his role in the community as someone who upheld justice.  Despite immense suffering, Job leverages his personal strengths—his commitment to justice, purity, and generosity—to argue that he has lived a righteous life. Job’s ability to maintain his sense of moral integrity amid trials illustrates the power of personal strength in the face of hardship. His commitment to these values, even when facing overwhelming loss, aligns with the mission of God to restore and uphold righteousness through personal strength. The mission of God is often about drawing out the latent strengths of individuals to help them navigate suffering and move toward restoration. This can serve as a model for pastoral care and chaplaincy, where the mission of God involves helping individuals recognize their inherent worth and strengths even in times of distress. A key part of this mission is reminding individuals that God sees their struggles and is with them as they move through the trials, encouraging a belief in restoration and renewal.

Applications for Missional Careers in Pastoral Care and Chaplaincy

• Recalling Resilience
  In a hospital or military setting, a chaplain might encourage individuals to tap into their personal strengths—such as courage and compassion—when facing physical or emotional struggles. By helping individuals recall their resilience, they can envision a future beyond their immediate challenges.
• Recalling Past Actions
  Counselors and pastors can use Job’s example to help those in distress understand that their moral integrity and past actions of kindness and justice have inherent value. These strengths can serve as a foundation for rebuilding and moving forward.

 

2. Restoration Through Community

Community development is the process of engaging with individuals and groups within a community to identify and leverage collective strengths and resources for mutual benefit. This approach focuses on the power of community—its shared assets, including knowledge, networks, traditions, and values—to create positive, sustainable change. Effective community development seeks to involve all members of the community in the process, ensuring that their unique contributions are recognized and utilized. The competent missional leader in this context encourages the community to imagine and work toward a transformative future by building on what already exists within the group. Through collaboration, resource-sharing, and a unified vision, communities can address challenges and achieve long-term well-being. This behavior highlights the importance of collective empowerment and mutual responsibility, recognizing that the mission of God often works through the relationships and networks that people have with one another.

Biblical Illustration
In God’s Restoration of Job (Job 42:7-17), the broader community plays a significant role in Job’s renewal. In ancient Israel, a person’s restoration was often a communal event, not only involving the individual but also the broader social network. The role of family, friends, and even neighbors in Job’s restoration reflects the deep communal values that governed society at the time. After Job’s friends offered a burnt sacrifice to God as a sign of humbly repenting and acknowledging God’s sovereignty, God restores Job’s fortunes, granting him twice as much as he had before. This restoration is not just individual—it is communal, as Job’s friends and family are involved in his healing and prosperity. Job’s friends and family, who initially failed to understand his suffering, were invited into the restoration process through their penitent act of sacrifice. The community’s role in Job’s healing emphasizes the interconnectedness of individual and collective well-being. This highlights the collective strength of a community in the mission of God. When communities come together to share in the blessings and burdens of others, they can create a transformative future. In community development, this collective effort can bring about change that is both sustainable and redemptive. The mission of God calls for communities to recognize their strengths and assets, not as individuals, but as a collective force for transformation.

Applications for Missional Careers in Community Development

• Community Organizing
  By fostering collaboration between community members, a leader can help a group leverage their collective assets—whether financial, educational, or relational—to create sustainable solutions for local challenges.
• Disaster Relief
  In the aftermath of a disaster, missional leaders can facilitate recovery efforts by tapping into the community’s strengths, organizing resources, and ensuring that everyone works together to rebuild and heal.

 

3. Resilience Through Faith

Behavioral Health & Rehabilitation involves supporting individuals in recognizing and leveraging their personal strengths to overcome challenges related to mental health, addiction, trauma, or disability. This behavior encourages individuals to view recovery not as a passive process but as an active journey in which they can apply their unique strengths to regain control of their lives and well-being. It emphasizes the development of resilience, coping skills, and personal growth, helping individuals find hope and a renewed sense of purpose. The competent missional leader in this area works alongside individuals to explore their existing strengths—whether in the form of personal resilience, support systems, spiritual beliefs, or learned coping mechanisms—and helps them envision a future where they thrive. The process is not only about healing from past wounds but also about empowering individuals to move forward and create a fulfilling, healthy life. The mission of God in this context focuses on restoration, not just in physical or emotional recovery but in the full wholeness of the individual, encompassing mind, body, and spirit.

Biblical Illustration
Job’s suffering intensifies (Job 2:1-10) when he is struck by painful boils, and his wife encourages him to curse God and die. In ancient Israel, suffering was often seen as a sign of divine disfavor, making Job’s refusal to curse God all the more significant. Job’s societal position as a wealthy and respected man meant that his fall from grace was not only a personal tragedy but a public spectacle. His persistence in maintaining faith despite societal pressure reflects the profound spiritual resilience that God desires to cultivate in individuals. Job chose to endure, emphasizing the importance of maintaining faith even in the face of profound physical and emotional pain. This moment of crisis is a pivotal point in his journey, where he taps into his personal faith and refuses to let his circumstances dictate his relationship with God.

The mission of God in the context of behavioral health and rehabilitation involves helping individuals find strength and hope during their darkest moments. Job’s decision to not succumb to despair in the face of severe physical and emotional suffering highlights the biblical view of resilience. The mission of God is one of restoration, guiding individuals toward recovery by recognizing their spiritual strength and offering support through faith. Job’s refusal to curse God in the midst of his suffering can be seen as an act of leveraging his spiritual strength for healing and renewal. His commitment to God was steadfast and sure.

Applications for Missional Careers in Behavioral Health and Rehabilitation

• Therapeutic Counseling
  Mental health professionals can use Job’s example to encourage clients to find strength in their faith during rehabilitation. By focusing on recovery and personal resilience, individuals can regain hope for their future.
• Addiction Recovery
  Leaders in addiction recovery programs can draw on Job’s perseverance to inspire individuals in recovery, emphasizing that, like Job, they can regain their dignity and strength even after experiencing profound loss.

 

4. Healing Through Presence

Community Health & Promotion focuses on encouraging individuals and communities to work together to improve the overall health and well-being of the group. This behavior engages both personal and collective strengths to promote healthier lifestyles, better health outcomes, and a deeper sense of community responsibility. Leaders in community health help individuals and groups identify the strengths they possess—such as knowledge, skills, or communal ties—and use these assets to support healthy living. This can involve raising awareness about health issues, advocating for access to resources, and creating programs that empower individuals to make informed choices about their health. The missional leader in this context encourages the community to take an active role in shaping its own health, understanding that everyone’s contributions are valuable in creating a sustainable future of well-being. By recognizing the interconnectedness of individuals within a community, this approach fosters collective action, where health is seen as a shared responsibility and goal.

Biblical Illustration
Job’s friends arrive (Job 2:11-13) to comfort him during his suffering, though they initially fail in their words. In ancient Israel, the act of sitting in silence with someone who is suffering was considered a noble and compassionate gesture. Although Job’s friends eventually failed in offering helpful advice, their initial response—to simply be with him—was an essential part of his healing process. The fact that they show up is significant—they bring their presence and solidarity, which is a form of support that can lead to healing. Even though their counsel is flawed, their physical presence provides Job with a sense of community, which is vital for recovery.

In the context of community health and promotion, the arrival of Job’s friends illustrates the importance of community support during times of suffering. The mission of God calls individuals to rally around those who are hurting, offering solidarity and assistance, even when they lack the perfect words or solutions. The presence of the community can often be more powerful than any specific action or advice. By leveraging the strengths of a community—such as its willingness to show up for others—health and healing can take place.

Applications for Missional Careers in Community Health Advocacy

• Health Advocacy
  Missional leaders working in health promotion can facilitate community-based support networks where individuals facing illness or hardship find strength through the support of those around them.
• Community Health Programs
  Health practitioners can work to build communities where people engage with and support one another’s well-being, ensuring that no one faces health challenges alone.

 

5. Empowerment Through Wisdom

Social Work and Faith Community Services focuses on helping individuals and communities access the necessary resources and support to achieve holistic well-being. This behavior recognizes that individuals are shaped by both personal and environmental factors, and that true well-being involves addressing all aspects of life—physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual. Social workers and faith community service providers leverage both personal and community strengths to support self-determination, resilience, and justice. This approach emphasizes empowering individuals and families to access the resources they need, including counseling, financial support, housing, education, and spiritual guidance, to build a better future. By working collaboratively with individuals and communities, social workers help them envision a future of justice, fairness, and equality, while also advocating for systems change that addresses social inequalities. The mission of God in this context is one of holistic restoration—working to empower individuals to live with dignity and purpose, while also transforming systems to support the flourishing of all people.

Biblical Illustration
In his search for wisdom (Job 28:1-28), Job reflects on the difficulty of obtaining wisdom, suggesting that it is hidden from human understanding and can only be found through God. In Job’s time, wisdom was considered a valuable commodity, deeply tied to one’s understanding of both the natural world and divine truths. The quest for wisdom was not merely intellectual but spiritual, emphasizing the importance of alignment with God’s will. Job’s quest for wisdom parallels the work of faith social services in seeking to empower individuals to understand their own worth and navigate their personal circumstances based on biblical principles.

Job’s search for wisdom illustrates the mission of God in empowering individuals and communities to find direction and understanding in difficult times. Social work and faith community services seek to help individuals tap into the wisdom that resides both in the scripture and in godly counsel. Like Job’s reflection on wisdom, these services aim to uncover and leverage the deep knowledge and resources that people have access to, helping them navigate life’s challenges with understanding and empowerment.

Applications for Missional Careers in Social Work and Faith Community Services

• Social Work
  Social workers can guide individuals and communities in finding practical solutions to their problems, helping them recognize the assets they already possess and empowering them to act with understanding.
• Faith Community Outreach
  Leaders in faith communities can provide spiritual wisdom and practical advice, using biblical principles to help individuals in need navigate challenges with clarity and faith.

 

Conclusion

In the context of leveraging strengths and assets, the mission of God calls for a transformative approach that empowers both individuals and communities to envision a brighter future. By recognizing and utilizing inherent strengths—whether personal or collective—leaders can inspire hope, resilience, and growth in the face of challenges. Each missional approach outlined above reflects a key aspect of this mission, from pastoral care that nurtures individual strengths in times of crisis to community development that empowers entire groups to create lasting change. Behavioral health and rehabilitation focus on resilience and recovery, while community health and promotion work to foster well-being for all. Finally, social work and faith community services highlight the importance of addressing both individual needs and systemic inequalities to ensure holistic well-being for everyone.

Together, these behaviors demonstrate that the work of mission is deeply relational and communal, centered on the belief that all individuals, from God’s perspective, have inherent value and potential. As missional leaders, our role is to help others discover, cultivate, and apply their strengths in service to God’s greater purpose. By fostering environments where people can dream of and work toward a transformative future, we not only honor God’s call to love and serve others but also contribute to the flourishing of both individuals and communities. Ultimately, the mission of God is one of restoration—restoring individuals to wholeness and communities to peace and justice, with the hope that all will experience the fullness of life as God intended.