Small group ministry-A-Ministering to Each Other The Bible says that in the days after Pentecost, believers ministered to each other like a family and shared their possessions with those in need. If members don’t know each other well, they are reluctant to reveal that they have needs. The church is hampered today by the fact that members no longer live close to the church and to each other. They live so far apart that they no longer shop in the same stores, work at the same jobs, and have children attending the same schools. As a result, many do not have any contact with each other outside of church, so it is hard for members to get to know each other. As a result, the church has very little influence on members outside an hour a week when the church gathers for worship. Because of the distance, it is also hard for members to support each other in time of need. A mother who has a child who is hurt is reluctant to call a stranger who lives across town to look after her other kids while she takes the injured child to the doctor or hospital, but is more able to call a close friend who lives nearby. A mother whose husband is in the army or in jail, or has deserted her may reach the breaking point but be reluctant to ask other church members, who she doesn’t know, to come watch the kids while she steps away and cools down, but may be more willing to get together with another mother she knows and take turns watching the kids so neither gets pushed over the edge. Therefore, small groups need to live close together as much as possible, to provide frequent contact and mutual assistance as needed.
Archive for the ‘Church ministry’ Category
Sixth Sunday of Kingdomtide-Oct 8
Nurture Members-The church needs to provide regular visitation and supervision of its members to ensure they are growing in faith and love. It also helps the church to recognize when they have needs so it can minister to their needs. Most pastors are occupied with administrative duties and don’t get to spend much time actually visiting and ministering to their members and even working full time, the pastor cannot adequately supervise and minister to a church of more than 100-150 members. He must train and supervise workers to assist him just as Jesus did. They in turn will have their own small group who they are responsible for under the supervision of the pastor. The workers can get to know members and work closely with them to guide them in growing in faith. The small groups should meet regularly and become almost like a family, who can nurture and minister to their members. Members learn by watching and interacting with older more experienced Christians and that requires regular meeting in a small group setting. Most churches have very little time together to help nurture younger Christians so many members grow very little even after years of membership. -(See “The Living Presence” in “Rebuilding the Kingdom” by Lulu Press)
Special Free Study Course #7
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Third Sunday of Kingdomtide-Sept 17
Love Others -God wants us to not only love those in the body of believers but unbelievers as well. God may not like what they do, but He loves them as much as He loves us. He reached out to us when we were sinners and we should do the same to those who are still sinners and do not know Him yet. Hopefully they will come to know God’s love as we extend God’s love to them and they will leave their sinful ways and accept Christ as their Savior. God did not love us based on whether we accepted Him and our love for others should not be based on their acceptance of Christ. God loves us Concern for others involves more than just seeing them as people of value. It involves active concern for the welfare of others where we look out for each other. The world has no concern except to survive and is always looking out for number one. Their first concern in any decision is what will it benefit them. The church needs to show active concern for others as it develops programs and makes decisions by considering the impact it will have on those involved, not just on its benefit to us. The church needs to actively develop programs to minister to church members and train them to minister to those around the church who don’t belong to a church. The church has turned most of its social services over to the government so most people no longer see the church as caring about them. They see the government supplying their needs and now look to the government when they need help. While the government provides for their immediate needs like food and housing, it does little to provide long term help to enable them to get back on their feet and able to help themselves. In fact, many government rules prevent or at least discourage people from helping themselves. If the government provides for their needs, there is little incentive to provide for themselves. In addition, while the government can supply their physical needs, it can not supply their spiritual needs. Concern for others also involves forgiveness– Many people are afraid to show any sign of weakness because they are afraid that others will take advantage of it. As a result, they are afraid to admit that they made a mistake and ask for forgiveness. By the same token, they are afraid to extend forgiveness to others because they are afraid others will see it as a sign of weakness in them and try to take advantage of them. As a result, our bitterness and resentment drives a wedge between us cutting us off from fellowship with each other. God calls us to forgive others, just as He has forgiven us. In fact, it is because He has forgiven us that He expects us to forgive others (see the parable of the King and His servants in Matt 18:22-35). As we forgive others, we break down the barriers of bitterness and resentment which divide us and which prevent us from experiencing the joy that comes from fellowship with each other.
Fourteenth Sunday of Pentecost-Aug 27
Dealing with issues teens & Adults One of the greatest needs today is the teaching of Biblical values. Our country was founded on the principle that the government should be by the people, of the people, and for the people. That means that it will be run by the people, will consist of everyday citizens, not career politicians, and shall be geared toward benefiting the people. That requires that the people be informed about what is going on and able to decide what is best for them. The result was a push for universal education so everyone would be educated and for affordable newspapers to inform the people so they could vote intelligently. Up until the 1970’s, the churches, the schools and media were active in teaching Christian values so even those who did not attend church generally supported Christian values and open discussion of issues was allowed and even encouraged. Since then, the schools and the media have become increasingly liberal and have increasingly pushed their views openly and actively suppressed any opposing views. In addition, the church has been very lax in teaching Christian values to its members. Eighty percent of active churchgoers say they want their church to teach moral values, especially those regarding the family. Since they don’t understand Biblical values, many who attend church today hold liberal views while continuing to give lip service to the Bible. Young people who once received Christian values in school are increasingly being indoctrinated with liberal values and persecuted when they question them. The church must actively teach members Christian values and to question what they hear from the media. In addition, the church needs to help members understand why those values are important so they can defend them against liberal teaching. As a result, I have created a series of courses on Udemy on Christian values and how they differ from man-centered values to help church leaders understand and teach Biblical values. They are in a series of short videos so they can be shown one at a time and allow a discussion time in between.
Thirteenth Sunday of Pentecost-Aug 20
Assisting Neighbors-Assist with yard work. As people get older, they often cannot do many things they used to do, such as shoveling snow, raking leaves, or mowing the lawn and it is getting very hard to get people to do the work. In addition, we face a growing number of single women and families headed by women who need assistance. Professional people are often way too expensive for those on limited incomes. Teens used to do the work to earn spending money but many parents now give the kids money to buy a lot of things they used to earn money to get for themselves. In addition, many kids are so busy with sports and other school activities that they no longer have time to do such work. A neighbor mowing their own lawn or shoveling their own walk can easily mow an extra lawn or shovel an extra walk and it is a good way to teach teens the value of a dollar or the joy of helping someone in need. In addition, those out of work could use the money. While it doesn’t pay like a full time job, it provides a little money until a job can be found.
Twelfth Sunday of Pentecost-Aug 13
Adult Tutoring- Many students today, especially boys, drop out of school before graduating and many who graduated from high school before the implementation of “No Child Left Behind”, can not read and write because they had trouble in school and were just passed from grade to grade. Many classes today teach by memorizing words rather than learning how to figure out words on their own. As a result, many adults read very little because they have never learned to read adequately. Many such people are unable to get decent paying jobs and often can not get any steady work and can not afford classes to bring them up to an adequate level to get a good job. Often tutors can bring them up to an adequate level in just a couple years of part-time tutoring. Many schools and social agencies provide classes to help adults achieve high school equivalent degrees but adult tutors are needed to teach evening classes in reading and Math, as well as basic computer skills to enable participants to deal with the demands of everyday life since many jobs today require computer experience.
Eleventh Sunday of Pentecost-Aug 6
Curbside attractions-People are attracted by activity. People are attracted by a fight or other disturbance simply because life is dull and it is a diversion. They are also attracted by someone telling a story or painting a picture. The Salvation Army used to wander through the slums playing instruments to attract a crowd. Then they would stop and start preaching to the crowd. A friend of mine in Chicago had an old VW bus with the side door. He fixed a board with a sheet of paper on it just inside the van and would pull up to the curb, put money in the meter, and open the side door. Then he would start drawing a picture. As a crowd gathered on the sidewalk, he began telling a Bible story related to the picture he was drawing. In trailer parks we have lived in, there was very little for the kids to do and they often hung around with nothing to do. I often went out on the corner and began drawing a picture on a board. When they saw me, they quickly gathered to hear Bible stories. After a couple times, the kids are eager to join a local children’s Bible club.
Tenth Sunday of Pentecost-July 30
Special Events in the park like Church picnics give the church an enjoyable time of fellowship but can also serve as a valuable way to reach those who don’t attend church. Large community events like fireworks displays that draw crowds also provide excellent opportunities. Games and activities for adults and kids can attract those outside the church if the church is open to inviting and including them. A table with snacks or a picnic meal also may attract kids playing nearby and church kids can be encouraged to invite kids playing nearby. Church families can also invite their neighbors to come with them and members of neighborhood Bible Clubs will get a chance to meet the larger church. Pavilions often have electric outlets and the church can set up a screen and show children’s videos. If electric is not available, someone can do a chalk drawing or paint a picture while telling the story that goes with it. Be sure to have literature on hand telling about your church. As the people get to know church members, they may be willing to join in other activities the church has.
Ninth Sunday of Pentecost-July 23
Movie Night-Few small towns these days have anything to draw them together. Some churches have started having movie night in the church parking lot during the summer. People may be drawn to visit the church by showing family friendly films and films demonstrating the faith, and allowing visitors to blend with members and get to know them, It isn’t as threatening as going inside and those passing who see the movie may stop to watch. Adding popcorn and drinks will increase the draw and provide a time of friendly socializing. The old movies used to show a newsreel or short film before the main film so those coming late wouldn’t miss the start of the film. By showing a short light Gospel film before the main film, such as a Vege-tale film, it provides a draw for families to bring kids and introduces unbelievers to the faith.