One of the central commitments of a NAMS Companion is to pray and labor in the Lord so that other men and women become Companions. We believe that Companions are called to change the world. How are we doing?
My years with NAMS have taught me that finding new Companions takes intentionality. We must look for signs that someone is being called to join us. But “seeing” them is not enough, we must ask them to join us. But first we need to recognize that God leads most of us through stages to a life calling, and we must be sensitive to where people are in their journey. It can take years to find God’s unique call for a lifetime.
These stages always begin when we meet someone who desires to be a disciple-making disciple of Christ Jesus, and we begin to disciple them. Many will go on to fruitful and faithful lives according to other specific ministries and callings, as the Lord directs, but some may be called to NAMS. What else do we look for?
Most of all we look to see if their heart for the Lord includes a growing awareness of the centrality of the Final Command (Mt 28:19)? Do they believe that they are obeying it where they now live, worship, and serve, or has the Holy Spirit lifted their “eyes up to the harvest” beyond them? For these ones, we have a special calling to pursue.
I have learned that the best next step is usually to explain the NAMS Centurion Project www.namscenturion.com and invite them to pray about joining us. This project is building an extended network of NAMS coworkers, who specifically undertake to be part of the wider community of Companions by beginning to live a simple “rule of life” derived from the NAMS Rule for Companions. There are divisions for men, women, and couples, but all start to walk a simple path of giving, praying and serving alongside NAMS Companions right where they live. These NAMS Centurions are becoming the very backbone of our global mission and ministry.
Another path, for younger and generally single disciples, is to join the NAMS Global Apprentice Program (GAP), and agree to serve for a year, or even two, in some part of the global NAMS mission field. This is an intense commitment, of course, but is sometimes the clearest sign God will give that we have found a future NAMS Companion, who will serve with us for life. Is GAP for you?
Perhaps the next most critical step, however, is that which leads someone to help us to found a base community somewhere in the world. A NAMS Base Community (NBC) is an intentional Christian community dedicated to modeling, incubating, training, and sending church planting missionaries into the harvest fields of the Lord Jesus. Led always by a small band of Companions,we pray daily to first have one of these NBCs in the fifteen mission mega regions of the world, and someday, in every nation on earth. We believe our NBCs are helping fulfill God’s plan to bring in the kingdom.
Are you called to be one of us? Will you help us change the world?
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