Who We Are
”A 1st century entrepreneurial/apostolic community in the 21st century marketplace”
Centered with Christ
Called to community & inner transformation
Sent into the world to seek the Kingdom in the marketplace
The Acts Community
Acts Communities in many ways resemble the powerhouse of energy and ministry that was the early Apostles: diversified personalities, skills and experiences, but unified in their calling to follow Him. When Jesus had left them, commissioning them with a clear but daunting task, they went on extending and translating what they had seen Him do into breaking new ground, meeting needs, solving problems, and growing the impact by His authority, on their mission throughout the world. Entrepreneurs in many ways carry that apostolic role or function in today’s society, stretching forward, meeting needs, and solving problems, and the Acts Communities are fellowships of brothers and sisters supporting one another in spearheading His kingdom life into the marketplace, for the transformation of people and societies.
The first Apostles were followed by many apostolic leaders over many years and generations, who through their lives implemented the kingdom life in all relationships and spheres of influence, and a movement was born that we are still a part of today. As most entrepreneurial leaders, they are by design equipped with a strong will and determination, which makes it challenging for them to choose dependency and vulnerability in relation to others. But that is exactly what we need to walk in step with Jesus, and survive the lonely and targeted position as entrepreneurs.
We believe that God-fearing, Jesus-following entrepreneurs will carry much of the kingdom influence into both our own nations and contexts, but also into the not yet reached part of the world. That is still the same daunting task, and Jesus is still the one who “has been given all authority in heaven and on earth”, and commissioned us to go and extend His work. That is why this mission is still relevant today and why we should still pursue it.
To build unity in the matrix of diversity, we need to scale back all the extra curricula we have built around faith and following and come back to the very beginning, to imagine the focus and life of the first Apostles. To build a “1st century apostolic/entrepreneurial community in the 21st century marketplace”, and we call that Acts Communities.
What could this look like in reality? Six values distilled from the text in Acts 2:42–47 are the foundation we build the Acts Community groups on. The text reads: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
We named the values: Fellowship, Discipleship, Joy, Generosity, Service and Impact.
Those values are each based on a principle:
• Fellowship – the principle of sharing life
• Discipleship – the principle of journeying together
• Joy – the principle of giving thanks
• Generosity – the principle of living abundantly
• Service – the principle of loving sacrificially
• Impact – the principle of leading courageously
That all sounds good but a bit theoretical, doesn’t it? How do we bring this into our everyday lives? What could this look like in a local group of entrepreneurs sharing fellowship with one another? Suggested practices are:
• Sharing life through eating and praying together.
• Journeying together through walking deeply with Christ, then challenging one another, leading to transformation.
• Giving thanks through celebrating the good by sharing stories.
• Living abundantly through sharing resources freely and investing thoughtfully.
• Loving sacrificially through always empowering others, sometimes through mentoring or coaching.
• Leading courageously through pioneering new things, but also through cultivating what has been started.
These are not prescriptive practices but suggestions to start with whilst you create your contextual expression of an Acts Community. In each group and in each culture or context, the values can be expressed through a variety of practices that look, feel and taste differently but translate the values into action. We believe that business, at the core of it, is love expressed in action, because love is a verb. The Acts Communities are a safe place where entrepreneurs can grow deeper in God’s love and shape the expressions of it through their lives and businesses.
Being and Doing
The apostolic function of the entrepreneur often tends to make us single-minded doers. That over time can tend to wear us down and is not a sustainable lifestyle. We need to balance the doing with being. That is the constant rhythm of drawing near to God, being present with Him to listen, and to fellowship, hearing His heart and being transformed into His likeness, and from that place of rest, to go out expressing His love and presence in action – the doing. That rhythm is how God created everything. There is always this balance between resting and activity. Look at the lungs, the breathing, the heart pulse, day and night, and the seasons of winter and spring, both resting and blooming.
We need those amongst us that keep reminding us about these rhythms, and especially the “being” part that is the most difficult for us. This is a typical prophetic function and it prevents us from “mission drift”, forgetting our “why”, and helps us calibrate our hearts with God’s heart so we are truly led by the Spirit in our everyday lives and at work.
So then, if you get inspired to be part of an Acts Community group, where can you find it? The answer is that you start it where you are! It begins with you. You cannot inspire anyone else to live this Acts Community life unless you yourself live it. That is a journey, and probably a lifelong one, but we can at least start and get used to some of the values, perhaps starting with the ones that speak the most to us. Which of the practices can you integrate in your life when you are alone, before you have a group to practice with? Be creative and do this with a few of them.
And then, pray that God will let you find one more entrepreneur who is longing for such a fellowship of like-mindedness. Perhaps this may be someone who is stronger on the “being” side if you’re more of a “doer”, who will allow you to encourage one another and grow in the practices where they excel and you need growth. As the two of you connect, pray for one more entrepreneur, and from there, just let it ripple. When you are three praying in unity and sharing life with one another, it becomes contagious, and others will be drawn to you if you are open for that. Be relaxed about it and let it ripple; making sure that this is born out of need and desire, rather than through pushing a program to grow. Life lived together should grow deep roots before it grows wide.
Many entrepreneurs can struggle to find their place in the Church. There doesn’t seem to be a role for them there, so they express themselves in the marketplace, where they make perfect sense. However, ultimately our calling is about the kingdom of God, and we all need one another. We are created in community, by a tri-union God – to create in community, with the body of Christ – for community, the world that God loves.
The apostolic gift, together with the prophetic gift, was given to the Church, and the Church was built on that foundation, as outlined in Ephesians 2:20. The Acts Communities help entrepreneurs find their role and exercise it with boldness. Yet it is also a gift to the wider Church, alongside the other ministry gifts described in Ephesians 4:11–12. Our task is to find ways of reintegrating those often-missing gifts back into the life of the Church. With the support of one another, we can take steps in that direction, by growing in patience and generosity as we offer our service and our hearts to Kingdom work, joining with other members of the body in our local contexts.
Our particular role as entrepreneurs is to bless the city. We are uniquely positioned to understand the city, its language, its drivers, and the challenges it faces. God has entrusted us with minds and tools to create solutions, echoing His own creativity in doing so. As Jeremiah 29:7 reminds us, “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
When we bring solutions to the city’s needs, we are most like our Creator God who made us in His image. That is our calling, and we do that at home first – our own Jerusalem – and then to the ends of the world.
That is acting as a community – an Acts Community.
Where could you start? And who could journey with you?
Where can you find an Acts Community near you?
It begins with you: The answer is that you start it where you are. It begins with your own commitment. To inspire others you first aspire to live the values yourself. That is a lifelong journey, but we can at least start and get used to some of the values, perhaps starting with the ones that speak the most to us.
Leading by example: Pray that God will give you one more person who desires this type of community. Then the two of you pray for another. Sharing life with one another and focusing on the sustainable rhythm of both being and doing, drawing near to God and one another and engage hands on together as entrepreneurs in loving the city where you live.
Let it ripple: When you are three praying in unity and sharing life with one another, it becomes contagious, and others will be drawn to you if you are open for that. Be relaxed about it and let it ripple; making sure that this is born out of need and desire, rather than through pushing a program to grow. Life lived together should grow deep roots before it grows wide.
Our Values
As the early believers in Acts 2:42 we value;
Fellowship
Sharing life, especially through eating and praying together to build deep connection.
Discipleship
Journeying together; growth happens when we are deeply connected with Christ, transparent and vulnerable with one another, then mutually sharpening (“iron sharpens iron”) and leads to God powered transformation.
Joy
A conscious posture of gratitude and celebration, especially in dark or broken environments.
Generosity
Living abundantly by sharing time, energy, and heart (not just money or surplus).
Service
Loving sacrificially and empowering others; coming alongside rather than from above (anti-paternalistic posture).
Impact
Leading courageously both through initiation to kick off new endeavors and through cultivation, following up and investing for long term impact.