(This page is one sign that I am willing to flow with God as best as I understand him. What was on this page previously might have some bearing on the future, but read on to see what I feel God has been showing me are more realistic goals and directions for this time. It is very possible that what was here was God's plan, but maybe because of my lack of motivation, or my lack of understanding or preparedness, this concept has changed drastically. I was going to just delete what I had written here, but I will be more brave and honest in placing it in another place, sort of an archive, so that if you are curious, you can track the changes. I know that God hasn't changed His mind, but more likely, He has changed my thoughts and plans or at least my understanding of His thoughts and plans for me. Click HERE for that original page text.)
At this time, (my new disclaimer phrase), as I understand the concept behind all of the Fisherman's Robe ministries, there are just a few primary points of focus that stand behind, or will stand behind all that we try to do.
The ministry, Fisherman's Robe, is essentially a ministry of Biblical restoration. We know that people fall, fail, and burn out, even mature Christians and Pastors and Leaders. It is not a foregone conclusion that all Christians will fail in major areas of life or ministry, but because we all fall short, it is possible for ANY one of us to fall or fail or burn out. It IS true at this point in history, especially in American Christiandom, that when Christians fail, the vast majority of Christian organizations tend to point fingers, chastize, and dismiss those who have lost it, rather than taking the higher ground of restoration. It is our goal based on our understanding that because God freely offers forgiveness to us, we need to be willing to do all we can to restore any brothers or sisters who recognize their failing, choose to repent, and who want to be restored. It is not out of naivete or ignorance of the power of sin that we choose to move in this direction, but it is because we are called to forgive and restore our brothers and sisters.
The twin platforms that will undergird all that we do are Radical Christian Hospitality, and to the best of our understanding (and God's help) Biblical Christian Community. It is our intent that whatever form our ministry takes, and no matter where our ministry takes place, we will choose to create and do ministry within the covering of community and by means of radical hospitality. Both of these Biblical concepts have been greatly lost over the centuries and are generally either ignored or misunderstood by the American church today. (This could also be true to any extent in the church around the world, but I only know what is around me, and so I try to speak carefully and from within the context of which I am a part.)
Without attempting to define the whole history of either lost concept, there have been revivals of interest in both Hospitality and Community throughout the centuries. I believe that it has only been recently that the Radical Biblical concept of Hospitality has been researched, written on, and is truly becoming understood. It is based on that research that I know what I know, and from that base, and from what I can discern from the Bible itself that I draw my understanding. On the other hand, while community is and has been a perpetual buzz word of Christianity, I personally find very little sign around me that it is actually understood. When I read the book of Acts in the bible, and then look around, I cannot find ANY similarities in the concepts of community then and now. I'm sure that there are Christian fellowships that do understand and practice community, but I have yet to find one that even comes close to pretending to be bibilical.
Therefore, it is our intent to do all in our power to create a community of any of those around us that is intentional in caring one for another, wherein we do all we can to share what we have in common, where we do not neglect the breaking of bread, and from which we can reach out to anyone who wants to know the truth of the Gospel, inviting them in, teaching them to obey the Word of God, and training them to go back out to share what they now have with others.
While I have not mentioned most of the standard ministry tasks and expectations, we are a ministry based fully on the Word of God, we preach Christ and Him crucified. We stand with such a cloud of witnesses, professing fully orthodox Christianity, offering Salvation as the necessary entrance gate into our community. However, focus on Salvation is not our primary ministry task because we feel that it is commanded of all believers at all times, and so, while not ignoring the importance of Salvation, we just live and offer it to whomever the Holy Spirit draws, as we go.