In a previous blog post I listed 6 ministry objectives leading to greater effectiveness.  Let’s now consider why I believe these objectives would make a difference.

1)  Objective:  Invest much prayer into whatever you do.

You are depending on God and not yourself to bring results which is guaranteed to make a difference.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Prov. 3:5-6)

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. (1 Cor. 3:7)

2)   Objective:  Work at getting everybody involved.

You are following God’s design for the church out of which He brings growth. 

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Eph. 4:16)

3)  Objective:  Think outside of the box.  Learn to be more creative.

You are following the example of Jesus.  How can you go wrong doing that?  We have precedence with Jesus of working outside of the box as seen in a previous post. 

I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. (Jn. 13:15 – He stepped outside of the box in doing something not typical for His position.)

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. (1 Pet. 2:21-23 – He suffered because He wouldn’t stay in the box.)

4)  Objective:  Make an effort to meet people where they are.

You are following the Apostle Paul’s example in 1 Corinthians 9:19-22 which was with the intent of reaching more people.  Also, you are obeying the greatest commandment which is to love (Matt. 22:37-40).

I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. (1 Cor. 9:22)

5)  Objective:  Know where to find resources that will help you be more effective.

You are allowing God to use other believers in your life which follows the the concepts He established of iron sharpening iron and interdependence within the Body.

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Prov. 27:17)

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”  (1 Cor. 12:21)

6)  Objective:  Be good stewards of the resources you do have.

You are doing what is right, investing what God has given you, and He rewards that.

Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness! (Matt. 25:23)

The bottom line is that God works within and honors what He has established and commanded.  Follow objectives that line up with Him and see the difference it makes.

Every month I write a newsletter update about new content on the site embedded in some words of encouragement or equipping.  It is available online but also sent by e-mail to anyone who subscribes using the form in the left column of most pages on the site.  Previous newsletters are removed when a new month turns the corner.  I received a request for the one done for September 2009 as the person accidentally deleted his e-mail.  In looking at the content, I thought it might be good to make it permanently available to everybody.  I’ve pulled out the main points for you below.

Do you want to see a greater effectiveness in ministry?  Work on these six objectives:

 1)  Invest much prayer into whatever you do.

Hopefully you prayed through the planning stages.  Don’t stop praying.  Envelop the on-going efforts in prayer.  Recruit people specifically to pray for you and your ministry.  Even if you have only one or two prayer supporters, you are providing more prayer coverage than if you didn’t.  God will hear those prayers.

2)  Work at getting everybody involved.

God so designed the church that if everybody did their part, using their spiritual gifts, so much more can happen and more effectively.   It might seem easier to do everything yourself, but that is not the way God designed the Body to grow.  (Eph. 4:16)

3)  Think outside of the box.  Learn to be more creative.

One of the things that hinders ministry from being more effective is getting stuck in ruts … not just in what we do but also in how we think about the process.  “But we’ve always done it this way” is a mindset that will keep you from growing.  Yes, there are some absolutes that never change but so much of what we hold on to is simply form or process that God never commanded to be done in one set way.

4)  Make an effort to meet people where they are.

Accept them where they are and they will be more open to moving to where they should be.  This means you must take time to learn about the people in your midst.  You can start by learning more about their general developmental characteristics.  Even that will help you zero in on their basic needs and help you see how to implement ministry relevant to them.

5)  Know where to find resources that will help you be more effective.

God has blessed us with an abundance of books, Internet sites, audio recordings, film, and more to help us be more effective.  We truly are without excuse.  Nothing, however, should ever take the place of His Word.  And, any of these other resources should always be filtered through Scripture.

6)  Be good stewards of the resources you do have.

In these hard economic times, many churches and ministries have more limited funds.  We need to make the best of what we have and trust God to work with what He provides.

In a church or ministry it is important for leaders, teachers, and ministry workers to be on the same page in terms of:

basic doctrine
philosophy of ministry
the overarching goal

When they are not, confusion and conflict can easily creep in and sometimes even destroy the work.  Methodology, means, or form can be variables because they are simply a way to communicate the doctrine, express the philosophy, and reach the goal.

Unfortunately, too often the methods, form, and means come under attack when the real issues are differences in doctrine, philosophy, or the overall goal.  If we do not get to the root, we will not work through our differences.  We will not understand why something that seems like a non-essential is causing so much trouble.  Churches have seemingly split because of building issues and methodology when the real issue was philosophy of ministry.  In-fighting has ensued in board meetings over continuance of programs when the real issue was that they didn’t have the same overall goal.  Teachers have complained and quit over not having freedom to do their own thing when the real issue was not wanting to support the church’s doctrinal position.

Think through what you can do to ensure everyone in ministry is on the same page in that which should be considered non-variables like basic doctrine, philosophy of ministry, and overall goal.

Here is one way Ministry Tools Resource Center can help you in this with the Christian Education Ministry of your church:

Now you can order the Christian Education Leadership Team Training Session to help the Christian Education ministry of your church get on the same page in regard to its overall goal — that of seeing changed lives — and to understand what it will take to progressively move forward toward that goal.  The session can be used with leadership who in turn can then train teachers in their sphere of influence using the Teaching for Changed Lives Workbook.