Mission Alive is working with our Innovative Faith Community (IFC) partners Jason and Sarah Hollinger who lead Lufkin Street Ministries (LSM) in the small town of Lufkin, TX. For the past eight years, Lufkin Street Ministries has provided food and support to the unhoused. LSM is an example of one of Mission Alive’s six types of Innovative Faith Communities that we call a Missional Community Network (Microchurch). This microchurch focuses on a specific need among the marginalized unhoused population. When we launched the Rural and Small Town Initiative, Lufkin was a perfect location to begin our work because it aligns with Mission Alive’s core perspectives of being missional-incarnational, culturally responsive, and focused on the marginalized who are often uncomfortable in our churches.
As part of our Rural and Small Town Initiative work in Lufkin, we are exploring how to extend the reach of LSM and establish a sustainable Innovative Faith Community. Over the past two months we have been talking to community leaders, nonprofits, and churches to understand the needs of the marginalized and what churches and nonprofits are already doing in Lufkin. The research will give us a clear sense of the community and allow us to prototype an innovative faith approach that reflects our commitments to:
- Helping people thrive as an expression of the kingdom
- Building collaboration among churches, nonprofits, and community organizations
- Prioritizing relationship-based approaches to maximize transformation (a hand-up instead of a hand-out)