It is always good to review our mission and vision. Because this is a new blog, I wanted to take the opportunity to review the basics of our ministry, plus it will become a permanent part of the blog, listed under the TAGS.
So, what is The Timothy Project?
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It is the “identification tag” I have chosen to identify my ministry here in the Dominican Republic, based on Paul’s advice to Timothy especially in his second letter 2 Timothy 2. 1-2
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The Timothy Project is an IMB missionary team that is focused on planting reproducing churches and training multiplying leaders among the urban poor of the Cibao Region. Santiago is the largest urban center in this region and also our biggest focus, with San Francisco de Macoris, La Vega, Bonao, Puerta Plata being other areas considered “urban.”
Overview of The Timothy Project
The Timothy Project is a multi-faceted plan in progress to train new leaders/disciples for the purpose of planting new churches. One aspect of the project is this focus on leadership development; another is scouting out new mission fields for the purpose of preparing to initiate new works while the main focus of the project is to plant multiplying churches. Yet another aspect of the ministry of the Timothy Project is facilitating special projects which help in all of these areas.
The use of volunteers from other countries is very valuable to what is happening in the Timothy Project. The churches within the Timohty Project netword and their emerging leaders welcome volunteers because they are an encouragement to them in their ministry and provide valuable people resources in areas where they are working. The advantage of linking volunteers with a Dominican team already in place before the volunteers arrive is of great value to the volunteers as well. It helps ensure that the investment and work of the short term project can bear long term fruit in the Kingdom of God.
Some ways volunteers have been utilized in the past: Prayer walking, personal evangelism, sports outreach ministry, children’s ministries, specific leadership training, conferences on parenting, community need projects.
Some issues to keep in mind:
We are working to develop a church planting movement, whereby Dominicans are reaching Dominicans and establishing churches that are able to be reproduced without the help of outside resources. Our prayer is that one day soon, every urban community in the DR will have access to a vibrant church that bears faithful testimony to Jesus Christ.
In keeping with this vision, our volunteer projects seek to facilitate the ministry of the Dominican church planting teams. We strive to use methods and projects which are reproducible by the Dominicans themselves. We also try to maximize the Dominican involvement in whatever project is done. For instance, in past community needs projects, almost all of the labor was provided by the residents of the community. In our VBS projects, we have Dominican workers that will equal or exceed the number of volunteer workers. Our goal is that they learn from our volunteer teams and can reproduce whatever method we use.
My work involves the Cibao region. I am personally working most closely among the urban poor in Santiago. I have some contact with works in La Vega, San Francisco de Macoris, Puerta Plata and Bonao. We have other IMB mission teams that are focusing on other population segments throughout the country.
