The SIAFU Guidebook

60 The SIAFU Network Guidebook

The objections are not listed in any ascending or descending order, or given in some rising sense of difficulty or priority. We have sought to think of the most obvious and difficult questions that might arise as you ponder the possibility of starting your own SIAFU Chapter, and did our best to provide immediate and clear feedback on them. Use the objections below to clarify your own thinking. Our prayer is that the discussions will help you better understand what SIAFU is, and what its potential is for helping you take your city for the Lord. The SIAFU movement grew out of the efforts of World Impact to fully engage and rely upon the leaders, workers, and Christian ministers that God was raising up in places long overlooked and ignored, places such as poor urban neighborhoods, prison yards, and rescue missions. World Impact is a Christian mission’s organization committed to facilitating church planting movements by evangelizing, equipping, and empowering America’s urban poor. Its vision is to recruit, empower, and release urban leaders who will plant churches and launch indigenous church planting movements. This entire movement of healthy gatherings of zealous disciples of Jesus was born out of our confidence in what almighty God can do through the lives of those who for generations have been oppressed, discarded, forgotten, and underestimated – those in prison, the broken and despised, those whom others have given up on. Truly, however, our God has chosen these folk to be his very champions, the very ones he intends to use to bring himself glory. “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; [27] but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, [28] and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, [29] so that no man may boast before God.” ~ 1 Corinthians 1.26-29 The Origin of the SIAFU Movement: The ministry of World Impact