Imago Dei Mission Statement
Imago Dei seeks to provide
- A context for discussing Christ-centered and Biblically-grounded spiritual growth.
- Encouragement of spiritual growth for those seeking spiritual transformation.
- An extended community to support our responsiveness to God’s initiative in our lives.
- Support for strengthening individual and community devotion to God with a focus on contemplative prayer.
- Teaching and training in practices for seeking God through prayer.
- Support for pastors and leaders who wish to encourage contemplative prayer in their ministry.
Imago Dei’s ministry (Rob Des Cotes)
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John 15:8
Jesus bore fruit in individuals, making them His disciples, and then sent them out as ministers in the world—in the marketplace, in their families, among their fellow tradesmen, in their social circles and in their politics. The Lord promised to meet them in a special way whenever they gathered together, but it is clear that His expectations were that the ministry of His Presence and Word would take place as much in the world as among themselves.
As new Imago Dei groups take root in various places we often have to remind ourselves what the fruit of our small ministry is. In a nutshell, the ministry of Imago Dei is not about itself—it’s about you, and the fruit you bear as a result of your intimate relationship with Jesus. The ministry of Imago Dei is a means to an end, and not an end in itself. By encouraging your life with Christ, and by creating resources to help you grow in this calling, the hope is that your own God-encouraged ministry will flourish as a result.
It’s easy to think of vocation as the prime expression of our lives, as though once we have identified this we need only pour ourselves into it. But spirituality is the real fuel of ministry. Seeking God each day as the wellspring of our lives is the necessary fount for the work we are called to do in this world.
The contemplative pursuit encourages us to find and remain in that place of honest communication with God—the place where our spiritual identities are created, restored and constantly adjusted. The spirit of prayer is the ground from which our active life must be defined and re-defined if it is truly to originate from God. Ultimately our ministry is not what we do, but who we are in the various places God has assigned us.
Community, of course, is essential to our being rooted in the life of the Spirit and we encourage you, wherever you are, to band together with others who share your sincere desire for a more immediate walk with God. Such people are a rare gift to your life-there to remember God’s Presence with you. As you allow them to do so, the company of those who know and affirm you will help you be more constant in your spiritual life.
If we can be of any help in encouraging such small communities in your locale please feel free to contact us at info@imagodeicommunity.ca