Their “Mission Bootcamp” course is one way the Heinzes seek to equip downtown congregations to reach out with Christ’s love to the multicultural community around them. Ten people from Lexington, Kentucky’s First United Methodist Church have committed to meeting two hours each week for nine months to attend the training. By the end of the Heinzes’ first five-year term with The Mission Society, they hope to have trained 50 missionaries in cross-cultural ministry.

The training features a Bible study, a study on the history of missions, field trips to various areas of Lexington, and guest speakers. The speakers include Christian business people in secular jobs who discuss living out their faith in everyday life, as well as people who live on the street or are from the Heinzes’ neighborhood. The Bootcamp course participants are pushed out of their comfort zones so they have the opportunity to see Lexington in a new light.

The three questions John and Katheryn ask class members are: (1) Where do you see God already working?; (2) How will the Gospel be heard as good news for this particular person?; and (3) How should we, as individuals and as the church, enter into this situation?

In the end, the Heinzes’ goal is not to fit every person into ministry in his or her particular neighborhood, or even into an urban ministry setting. The Heinzes’ desire is to help people discern what God is calling them to, and help them get involved. So far, the participants of Mission Bootcamp have become involved in a variety of ministries.