“What do you do?” asked the nice lady standing across the table from me.
It was the first time Intersekt was represented at a missions conference. We'd spent weeks designing brochures, banners, and flyers. We were excited to tell people about what God was doing in the lives of change-makers around the world.
I had seen the nice lady make her way slowly from booth to booth. She picked up some information from each one and engaged in conversation. I hit her with my best line, “We equip change-makers to bear more fruit.”
Immediately she asked the question everyone does when I share Intersekt’s mission.
“What’s a change-maker?”
Good question.
Change-makers are believers in Jesus who are passionate about joining God on his mission in their sphere of influence. They share three common characteristics:
Change-makers see the need.
Most change-makers have a healthy degree of dissatisfaction in their lives. They look at the world and see that much of it doesn’t reflect God’s kingdom. When we pretend poverty is self-inflicted, turn a blind eye to the plight of refugees, and allow years to go by without opening our mouths to share the gospel, change-makers grow frustrated. As one of my African clients said, “I knew something had to change.”
Change-makers want to take action.
Anger (frustration is just a polite word for anger) is a God-given emotion designed to motivate action. When change-makers see the disconnect between the ugly state of the broken world and the beauty of God’s kingdom, they are driven to pray “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Often, they don’t know what they can do beyond prayer, but they want to do something. Change-makers aren't content to simply complain. They want to take action.
Change-makers mobilize others.
When you feel strongly about something, you talk about it with others. Change-makers share their frustration with others. They don’t understand when others can walk on by, not realizing (or not caring) that the world is broken. They want to help and they want others to get involved as well.
Now what?
Are you a change-maker? Maybe you’re already at work joining God on his mission in the world. Maybe you’re frustrated, but don’t know how to move forward. Maybe you’re ready to give up, because it seems no matter what you do, change never comes. We’d love to help you bear more fruit.
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