Ablaze! Circuit Mission and New Ministry Outreach Grant Guidelines

Partnering with Congregations and Mission Committees in New Mission Outreach

The Southeastern District – LCMS has a rich history of mission work, in fact, it was organized in order to be responsive to the vast mission opportunities of the South. Now, these congregations, schools, and agencies seek to reach out to the communities around them in new ways with the eternal message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Southeastern District – LCMS is committed to encouraging, nurturing, and supporting partnerships with congregations, schools, circuits that are focused on birthing new missions and ministries on an ongoing basis. More than 150 opportunities for new work have been identified. As the Southeastern District positions itself to support this mission work, it is with the understanding that it is the creative partnership at its finest, doing what it has been sent forth to do; that is, to share the Gospel with all people. Each congregation, school, and agency must see its important role in sharing the Gospel with the unreached and uncommitted people who live within the boundaries of the District, while nurturing discipleship among members and equipping them to be the hands, feet, and voice of Jesus wherever they may be.

Ablaze! Circuit Mission and New Ministry Outreach Grants are available as a result of the Ablaze! for God’s Mission funding campaign. 15% of the unrestricted funds received in this effort is designated for new circuit mission opportunities. These mission dollars will assist circuit mission committees and congregations in carrying out the Lord’s Great Commission within the local community, neighboring community, and throughout the Southeastern District.

Grant Goals

The Southeastern District – LCMS is interested in forming mission partnerships with mission teams, congregations, coalitions of congregations, schools, circuits, and agencies committed to reaching the unreached, uncommitted residents of those who live within the District’s communities and urban centers. Those grant proposals that are well planned and prepared, show accountability, and have a realistic plan and budget will receive consideration. The circuit mission committee will approve grant proposals submitted from its circuit.

The overarching goal of the Grant is to support the development and initiation of:

1. New missions reaching the unreached and/or the uncommitted, within the geographical boundaries of the Southeastern District with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

2. New ministry outreach efforts that are intentionally reaching out to people not currently being served by the congregation.

Based on the gifts and offerings received through Ablaze! for God’s Mission, funds will be made available to each Circuit and may be requested twice yearly.

Circuit Mission Committees must meet at least annually for review and determination of grant requests. The schedule for processing grant applications is:

Proposals Postmarked by:	Grants Awarded Announced by:
March	May 1 (July distribution)
September	November 1 (January distribution)

Requestor Eligibility

Through the Ablaze! Circuit Mission and New Ministry Outreach Grant effort, the Southeastern District – LCMS will engage in cooperative partnerships with circuit mission committees, clusters of congregations and/or schools, and Recognized Service Organizations to help them birth a new mission center or new ministry outreach.

This initiative is in support of the worldwide Ablaze! objective of reaching 100 million or more individuals with the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ before the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Those eligible to apply are:

· Congregations and/or schools of the Southeastern District-LCMS.

· Clusters of two or more District congregations and/or schools.

· Circuits of the Southeastern District, LCMS.

· Recognized Service Organizations (RSO) of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod that are located and serve within the Southeastern District, LCMS.

· Mission Development Team, a formal team being trained to develop a specific mission.

Grant Project Provisions

The drafters of the Ablaze! Circuit Grants must ensure that their proposal incorporates the following:

· Engage in a cooperative relationship with the Southeastern District-LCMS and the Mission and Ministry staff in conceptualizing, planning, and initiating a new mission.

· Articulate a plan that specifically targets the unreached or uncommitted of a defined, geographic ministry area.

· Demonstrate a commitment to Biblical stewardship principles in developing the plan for the ministry of the new Mission Center or New Ministry Outreach.

· Submit a completed grant request. Available funding is based on the participation of the congregations and individuals within each circuit in the Ablaze! for God’s Mission effort.

· Submit reports to the Circuit and District so that members throughout the District may lift up the opportunities and challenges of this effort in prayer and give thanks to God for the Kingdom work that is taking place as a result.

· Engage the regional facilitator in the grant initiative, whose role is to serve as resource, in communication with the Circuit Mission Committee to:

1. Clarify the grant guidelines and answer general questions.

2. Engage the Circuit Counselor, Mission Advocate and Mission Committee in support and encouragement of the mission effort.

Grant Review Committee

Completed applications will be sent to the Circuit Counselor and Circuit Mission Advocate. Circuit Mission Teams review, approve, and award Circuit Ablaze! Mission grants. The Circuit Mission Committee will submit a report following each review cycle to the SED Mission and Ministry Executive. In addition, information related to the grant: stories, challenges, prayer needs and pictures; will also be communicated so that the entire District may be kept informed and be supportive of the new work.

Key Questions

When reviewing the grant proposal, the Circuit Mission Committee begins by addressing the following key questions:

1. How will this grant provide a new opportunity for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be shared with the unreached and/or uncommitted?

2. How does this grant further the 5 Ablaze! goals of the Southeastern District?

3. Does this proposal sufficiently comply with the grant provisions?

4. Is this a new or different approach that has not been previously utilized by the requestor organization?

5. How will this project be managed and evaluated?

6. How is the proposed mission center or new ministry intended to create a new model for helping fulfill our Lord’s Great Commission in communities that are becoming increasingly culturally diverse and secular?

7. Does this project have the potential to become a self-sustaining program beyond the life of the Ablaze! Circuit Mission and New Ministry Outreach grant?

Type of Projects This Grant Will Not Fund

Since the intent of the Ablaze! Mission Circuit Mission and New Ministry Outreach grant is to multiply the number of mission centers sharing the saving Gospel of Jesus in the Southeastern District; the following types of projects are not eligible for these grants:

• Financial subsidy for an organization to carry on current, ordinary and ongoing programs, services or operating expenses.
• Capital costs involving the purchase of major equipment and furnishings, and major facility construction or renovation.
• Debt reduction or operating deficits.
• Existing or established programs or projects. Grant funds will not be provided as retroactive payments for programs and/or projects that have already begun.
• Re-granting the grant to third-party groups.
• Programs or projects sponsored by agencies or institutions without a physical presence in the Southeastern District-LCMS.
• Anniversary events, contests, memorials, or tributes.
• Lobbying or political activity of any kind.

A new mission start under this program would be eligible for future new ministry outreach grants to support operations. Funding requests beyond an initial 3 years are not likely to be supported and all grants are based on the availability of funds.

Example (not exhaustive) of Projects that are eligible for these grants include:

• Outreach to ethnic or immigrant group(s)
• Outreach through Lutheran Education or Child Development Centers
• Outreach through Daughter or Satellite Church planting
• Outreach to the Urban area
• Outreach to people not currently being served by the congregation