Perhaps one of the best ways for anyone to capture a picture of what The Better Place is all about is to take time to read through the By Laws of this ministry. There one can learn some more about the basic three-fold mission of The Better Place, our ownership and strategy for oversight, the minimum staffing that this ministry requires, the physical facilities that are mandated, how we are under girded financially, who are welcomed as guests at The Better Place campus and how we relate with the community where our facilities are located. The details of our By Laws were put in with care and prayer to assure that the vision God provided is carefully followed.
The first part of our three-fold mission may be summarized as, to equip the Church in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Ontario to be a house of prayer for the nations. This is accomplished in a great variety of ways. We provide instruction and experience through workshops, seminars, group retreats and individual retreats at our campus and at local churches and other settings throughout our ministry region.
The second part of our mission is to serve as a place where pastors and other ministry leaders can partake of Sabbatical experiences that will result in their being renewed in spirit, soul, and body. This can be something as simple as a breakfast for pastors where they are gifted with a meal, good fellowship, inspirational worship and an encouraging witness to what God is doing in answer to prayer. It could mean spending a week, month or as long as a year at the campus for a time of directed renewal that includes study, instruction and practical experience in prayer. A Sabbatical experience at our campus should equip leaders to; in turn; better equip the members of their local congregation to be a more effective house of prayer.
The third part of our mission is to provide leadership to network the Body of Christ for the purpose of receiving the promise of Second Chronicles 7:14. There seems to be no end of what might be done in this arena. This mission is undertaken by means of annual or occasional events such as state prayer summits where leaders of prayer-based transformation movements come together. It includes facilitating and coordinating area-wide unity prayer and worship gatherings, organizing and encouraging local pastor prayer groups, organizing and encouraging the gathering of intercessors for weekly or monthly times of prayer. It includes providing training for intercessors and for pastor prayer groups as well as sponsoring and facilitating pastor prayer summits. It includes coordinating and otherwise supporting ongoing prayer based ministries such as the Agape Prayer Ministry (a cleansing/deliverance ministry) and Healing Rooms. It has also meant calling pastors and church leaders together from a wide region for training in preparation to take advantage of films such at Narnia or The Passion.
The Better Place has been in the formation stage for a number of years. To help appreciate how God has been moving through the years to bring this ministry about a paper titled Why the Better Place? has been written. This paper articulates a Biblical/theological rational for The Better Place as well as providing an historical overview of the evolution of the vision for this ministry.
Our Board of Directors has been carefully and prayerfully selected. Besides their many duties listed in the By Laws, their primary task is to pray for the ministry and staff of The Better Place and to make certain the ministry always remains faithful to the God-given vision. Our Board is comprised of a balance of lay persons and clergy, men and women, and persons of varying ethnic backgrounds who all profess a Biblical Trinitarian faith.
Our staff is totally committed to the lordship of Christ Jesus and to fulfilling the mission of The Better Place. They are ready to serve you in any way they can by the grace of God.