Miscellaneous | Christian Ministry Training Blog

Not Everything Changes in a Changing World

Posted on July 8, 2020 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

Churches experience the effects of a changing world which may require us to change in order to protect people (love always protects, 1 Cor. 13:7) and to provide a place and program most conducive to living out God’s purposes to love Him and others, function within His design for the Church, and fulfill His mission.

We can’t and shouldn’t promise people that the Church will never change. Yet, we can, and should, promise people that not everything changes.

What Doesn’t Change in a Changing Word – Not Everything Changes

1) The Character of God Doesn’t Change

… from everlasting to everlasting, you are God. (Ps. 90:2)

In thinking through how to best serve people in today’s world, we need to make sure that what we do lines up with the true character of God … someone of whom there’s none greater.

When we make our God fit our culture, to be someone we’re comfortable with, or who is politically correct, it minimizes who God is. He becomes an anemic God who is no greater than our human perception of Him. It’s hard to trust in that kind of God with all of our heart (Prov. 3:5-6).

In a changing world, we need someone we can count on to be there who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, who can faithfully and wisely guide the way. He is our “due north” when all around us gets confusing and we feel like we might lose our way.

Who are you going to let determine the purpose, design, and mission for the Church — an immutable God or the changing world in which you live?

2) The Truth of God’s Word Doesn’t Change

Your word, LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. (Ps. 119:89)

In determining what changes need to be made because of the world in which we live, a reliable guidebook would help. While the Bible may not give us a step by step plan for what to do in every situation, it does provide principles, precepts, and parameters to guide the way into what is right and best. If, however, we pick and choose what to believe and apply to life, we have an unreliable book. If one part is no longer relevant or true, how can we know if the other parts can be trusted?

In a changing world, we need an unshakable foundation on which to build our decisions (Matt. 7:24-27). God’s Word doesn’t fade away but rather lights our path (Ps. 119:105) and thoroughly equips us for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Our methods and strategies may change but His Truth stands firm.

What grid do you run your decisions through — the reliable Word of God or faulty human thinking?

3) The Essence of Who We are as a Church Doesn’t Change

As already established in previous posts, though we might have to make some changes to adapt to our changing world, we still pursue God’s purposes, design for the Church, and mission. These form the essence of who we are as a Church, the Church God established to be light and salt (Matt. 5:13-16) in this world as “the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). Who we are, as the Church, sets us apart from other non-profits, community organizations, welfare programs, and the like, so that must not change. We may need to make some adaptions to how we pursue these priorities, but the essence of who we are must stay the same.

Who do you let define the Church — the unchanging One who established it and gave us His reliable Word or the culture of this world?

Yes, we do need to make changes as a Church to be able to best reach and disciple people in today’s world to become lovers of God and others (1 Cor. 9:19-23). But, in doing so, let’s stay true to who God is and what He says. Let’s keep perspective in these uncertain days.

Fulfilling God’s Purpose to Love

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 4 Comments ↓

Training Category: Church Purpose

Loving God and people, what Jesus identified as the Greatest Commandments (Matt. 22:37-40), has always been God’s intent. What has changed, however, is that the Christian has a greater motivation, a greater power, and a greater confidence “to live a life of love,” as commanded in Ephesians 5:1-2, than those in previous ages. While we will always have more to learn about loving as He loves, it is possible that our “love may abound more and more” (Phil. 1:9-11).

The Church’s Ability to Fulfill God’s Purpose to Love

Our Motivation:

Prior to the church, people could only look forward to the highest example of love — the death of Jesus. We stand on the other side of the cross, looking back at what He has done. We have a fuller understanding of what love is which becomes a source of motivation for us to love as He loved.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. (1 Jn. 3:16)

Our Power:

Before ascending into heaven, Jesus promised His disciples the Holy Spirit who would come and permanently dwell within them. The Spirit always existed and always worked but in the Old Testament time He came on people temporarily as the occasion required to do a work for God. As we live by the Spirit within us, we will “not gratify the desires of the sinful nature” but rather exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, primary of which is love. We have a Helper within us unlike those in previous ages.

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Gal. 5:16) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23)

Our Confidence:

When Jesus died, the veil to the Holy of Holies was torn in half symbolizing the direct access we now have to God. We no longer must go through the human agent of a priest. We are direct recipients of all God has to give us. That builds within us a boldness to approach God’s throne and a confidence to love as He loves.

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.(1 Jn. 4:16-18)

Do the Greatest Commandments to love God and love people form the basis of your church purpose?

Learn more about God’s purpose for us to love God and others in the Church Purpose Ministry Manual. There you will find the content in this post as well as benefits of making this your church purpose, obstacles you might encounter, using a purpose statement, the practical outworking of this purpose, plus more.

3 Things People Want from the Church

Posted on June 5, 2019 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

If we surveyed everyone about what they most want from the Church, I’m sure we’d have more than three responses. If we get below the surface, we’d undoubtedly find some common threads. Here are three things to consider that have some biblical merit. Ask yourself if people would find these qualities in your church. Pray about how you can become more of this kind of Church.

What do people want from the Church?

What People Want from the Church 1) People want the Church to be an accepting community of caring and compassionate people.

Can we disagree yet still value people? Can people be different from us and still feel like they belong? Do we speak the truth in love? Churches perceived as primarily confrontational, even hostile, tend to be known more for what they’re against than what they are for. If we aren’t careful, the truth we stand for, the message we proclaim, can get lost in our approach.

Let’s remember that being grace-filled churches doesn’t mean compromising truth or godly living.

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (Titus 2:11-14)

2) People want the Church comprised of, and helping others to be, authentic disciples who love Jesus and want to share His love with others.

Are people turned off by Jesus or by the way the Church represents Jesus? Is it really that people don’t want to grow spiritually or that they’re not into our programs and methods? Are people getting the impression that it’s all about Jesus or that it’s about allegiance to an institution? Churches perceived as being more concerned about external conformity or mere head knowledge versus internal transformation and a love relationship with Jesus, tend to be known as legalistic and out of touch with people’s real needs.

Let’s remember that Jesus identified love for God and others as the greatest commandments, providing the framework for the Church’s primary purpose.

Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matt. 22:37-40)

3) People want the Church to be accountable stewards who are willing to be transparent about how they use their resources.

Do people really care more about the size of our budget, staff, technology, and building or about how we use what resources we have for the greatest good? Are we more concerned with impacting people or impressing them? Does the way we approach these matters showcase our great and holy God or produce more skepticism and distrust in people? Churches perceived as poor or unworthy stewards of physical resources tend to lose credibility in spiritual matters as well.

Let’s remember that the big picture matters to God and can affect our testimony.

… do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. (Rom. 14:16)

For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man. (2 Cor. 8:21)

Culture Shift Following the Right Course of Action

Posted on January 24, 2018 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

Culture Shift to Follow God's Design Needs a Course of Action

To make serving, with everybody doing their part, engrained in who we are as a Church, takes a culture shift. We get there by building an awareness of God’s design for the growth and health of the Body as seen in His commands about serving. We accept the challenge of equipping people to do their parts, understanding that it takes time and patience to get there. With the groundwork laid, we then need to put a course of action in place that will facilitate everybody doing their parts.

The Right Course of Action Could Depend on Your Setting

How easy it is to look at what other churches are doing and follow suit. A cookie cutter approach fails to take important factors into consideration.

1) Where you are

The readiness of people makes such a difference in any kind of change. You need to know where people are in order to take them to the next step. If you try to go from A to Z all at once, your efforts are bound to fail. As seen in Proverbs 27:23, you need to “Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds.”

2) What you already have in place

Sometimes you can build on what you’re already doing. Sometimes you must initiate a new strategy. The specific action steps may vary depending on where you’re beginning and what’s already in place.

Key Factors That Need to Be a Part of Any Course of Action to Promote a Culture Shift

We need to make it an ongoing emphasis and effort, more than a shot in the arm. — People need constant reminders, through various means, that God designed the Church to function in a certain way that brings health and growth to the Body. We can so easily get distracted. We can so quickly forget.

We need to provide tools or a pathway for getting there to sustain this directive in order to make it part of the church’s culture. This could include, but not be limited to:

ongoing teaching on God’s design for everybody doing their part — It can be part of Sunday School teaching, small groups, new members classes, sermons, provision of reading materials, talking about it verbally and in writing on any variety of platforms.

Resource: Everybody Has a Part Curriculum

help identifying spiritual gifts so people discover their best fit in ministry — Seeing how God has divinely empowered us for serving produces confidence.

Resource: Everybody Has a Part Spiritual Gifts Tests Resource

recruiting based on spiritual gifting — How we recruit is important in demonstrating the value we place on serving.

Resource: Ministry Handbook: Spiritual Gifts in Use

highlighting how people can serve through ministry fairs, pamphlets, or some other means — Knowing what ministries are available, connecting people responsible for overseeing the ministries, and learning how they can plug in to the different ministries, brings it to them rather than waiting on people to come to you.

Articles:

Culture Shift is a Challenge

Posted on January 17, 2018 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

We lay a good foundation for changing people’s attitudes, thinking, and actions toward serving by helping them understand why it’s so important. We help them understand that ultimately they’re accountable to the Lord in following His design, not us. We would hope that would be sufficient to motivate people to do their part. Yet, in many cases making it part of your church’s culture still alludes you.

Why it’s such a Challenge to Shift the Way People Feel About Serving

We’re dealing with people’s previous perceptions. We must model a new way of being the church for them.

We’re dealing with people’s priorities. We must bear with them as they rearrange what they’ve viewed as more important to align with God’s.

We’re dealing with people’s hearts. We must be patient as God does a work in them to move them from self-centeredness to selflessness.

Accept the Challenge that Comes with making a Culture Shift

We need to accept the challenge to equip or disciple people, to function purposefully, even when it seems inconvenience or uncomfortable. — So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up … (Eph. 4:11-14) To “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Heb. 10:24) requires knowing and following the right course of action to get people there … the topic of the next post.

We need to accept the challenge to keep the focus on Christ, who is the Head, not on ourselves. It’s about submitting to Him and His ways, not our own agendas. It’s about depending on Him to sustain us, not our own strength. — Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 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. 4:15-16)

We need to accept the challenge to persevere, however long it takes. We live in a world of instant gratification. Culture shifts, however, take time. — Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. (Gal. 6:9)

Culture Shift Based on God’s Commands

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

For our churches to get to the point where everybody does their parts will take a culture shift — an ongoing change in the way we think and feel about serving along with actions toward it. Part of the shift involves understanding why it is so important.

Important Because Serving One Another is Based on God

based on God’s knowledge of how we can best function as a church, to be healthy and to grow (Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Cor. 12; Rom. 12)
based on God’s heart for us to demonstrate love for Him and others through serving them (Matt. 22:37-40; Gal. 5:13)
based on God’s will for us to administer His love and grace to one another (1 Pet. 4:8-11)

Culture Shift Based on God’s Commands About Serving

According to God, doing our part isn’t optional. Here are just a couple commands God gives in His Word about serving:

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. (Gal. 5:13)

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Pet. 4:10)

We must take people beyond a request from ministry leaders to do their part. While the vision for this culture shift from church leaders may initially seem to get people moving, it’s insufficient to keep them going. They need to realize that this expectation comes from a higher authority to whom we’re all accountable — the Lord of lords and King of kings, the Almighty Sovereign God.

Perhaps the starting point may be to help people gain a better grasp of who God is so they understand not only His sovereignty to command us to function a certain way but also His grace and love upon which He exercises His rights. Because God knows best and has our good in His heart, it only makes sense that we follow His commands.