The Least of These: Introducing the BCM/D Missional Impact Team

By:  Mark Dooley

“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40, KJV). That was the text of the very first sermon I preached. I was a college student, home over Christmas break before returning for the spring semester. My pastor came to me before Sunday School started and said, “Mark, I’m in a pickle. Today is Baptist Men’s Day (who remembers that blast from the past?), and I was supposed to line up a speaker, but I forgot. Will you preach today?” So, with only the Sunday School hour to prepare, I gathered some thoughts together and delivered what was surely an awkward and less-than-stellar sermon that morning.

The Transformation Center in Brooklyn continually serves their community — with food, clothing, job programs, and much more. The center just celebrated their tenth anniversary. (Facebook photo used with permission)

To this day, I have no idea why I chose that text. I actually used the entire passage from which it comes, Matthew 25:31-46. Perhaps I instinctively knew that God’s heartbeat is strong for the marginalized and vulnerable. So I said something about it that day, although I’d be hard-pressed to remember what the point of that inaugural sermon was.

I’d like to say that over the past 40+ years of ministry, God has blessed me to be a strong advocate for the vulnerable and marginalized. I’ve certainly not been an adversary for them, but I also know I could have done much more over the years on behalf of those to whom life has dealt a hard blow.

But now, as I approach the twilight of my ministry years, my heart returns to those fundamental principles to which God calls His people. “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8, ESV).

I like this quote in the free resource, How to Establish a Local Ministry, A Practical Guide to Build a Core Compassion Ministry, offered by the North American Mission Board (NAMB) — “The words poor, oppressed, and sojourner appear numerous times in the Bible. Scripture helps us understand that it matters to God how His people treat those who are vulnerable.”

Perhaps your church needs to consider ways you can minister to the marginalized in your community, and the BCM/D stands ready to help you be more effective in doing just that. It is my privilege to lead our Missional Impact Team. Through the efforts of Disability Ministry Missionary Katie Matthews, we work to equip, mobilize, and resource churches to minister to those with disabilities. Through the efforts of BCM/D Ready Missionary Keith Myer, we work to equip, mobilize, and resource churches to be ready for disasters of various kinds, including tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods. Keith also serves in responding to instances of sexual abuse and assisting churches in sexual abuse prevention.  We are also seeking to carry on the good work that Ellen Udovich oversaw with church and community ministry by resourcing, equipping, and mobilizing churches to establish compassion ministries that serve the poor and marginalized individuals in our communities.

Disaster Relief volunteers give their time and energy to serve victims affected by disaster in some of the most, if not the most, difficult times in their lives. (Photo submitted)

Will you pray about how you can more effectively reach and minister to “the least of these?” Let’s talk about ways the BCM/D can come alongside your church as you seek to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those too often ignored by the very ones who are supposed to be “the body of Christ.” Please reach out, and let’s have a conversation about what such a ministry might look like.

May God guide and direct you as your church serves your community.

Mark Dooley serves as the BCM/D associate executive director and director of Missional Impact

Feature photo: North Glen Community Church’s drive-in food pantry serves hundreds of families each month. The ministry has expanded to providing lunches for school children. Photo by Sharon Mager