Posts Tagged ‘church ministry’
Fourth Sunday of Epiphany
25
Jan
Nutrition-A major problem with the elderly is eating right. While many do not feel that nutrition is an important among the elderly, it is really an important ministry to the one who receives the meals. Elderly women who are used to cooking for someone may not feel much like fixing meals just for themselves. Arthritis and other ailments may also make cooking difficult. Many widowed men are used to their wives cooking and not used to cooking for themselves. In addition, many elderly do not feel much like eating alone and may skip meals resulting in malnutrition that leads to poor health. Home delivered meals provide a daily nutritious meal for them. In addition, the delivery provides a daily check on them to make sure they are alright which is important because they may not have anyone to check on them otherwise. It also provides a friendly visit. While those delivering the meals usually can’t stop for long, a cheerful greeting is very welcome to someone who rarely sees anyone. Sit-down meals are provided at many Senior centers and some provide transportation to those within a limited distance but many live too far from a Senior Center to get to the meals. Churches may offer luncheons to Seniors who live nearby or provide transportation to Senior Centers. Home delivered meals are available through many Senior Centers but the elderly may live too far from the center to get them. Individuals who drop by with a prepared meal occasionally and stay to share it are appreciated. Several elderly living close to each other may get together and eat together. I once visited an elderly woman who lived on the second floor of an apartment building. Three other elderly ladies lived on her floor. One of the women had previously had a big family and was used to cooking for them but they had all moved away and none of them lived nearby. She got the other ladies together and told them that if each contributed a portion of the cost of groceries, she would cook for them all and they could eat together. The women agreed and it benefited them all. A mother of young children can occasionally invite an elderly neighbor over to share lunch while the kids take their nap, allowing her much needed fellowship as well as the Senior.
Third Sunday of Epiphany-Jan 21
21
Jan
Chores-As the elderly get older, they are can no longer do many of the things that they used to do. Relatively simple things like mowing the lawn, shoveling snow, and similar chores may become too difficult. Many do not have money to hire the work done and it is often difficult finding someone to do the work even if they could afford to pay someone. Christian neighbors can easily do the work when they mow their own lawn or shovel their own walk. Children can learn the value of money by charging small fees to do the work and it would cost the elderly far less than if they hired a professional company to do the work.
Reaching The Lost-C
12
Dec
Providing Entry Points Worship doesn’t have the draw like it once did. Many people have no idea what church is and see no reason to attend. Until people get to know Christ, worship is just entertainment and there are lots of different kinds of entertainment out there which are more professional and have more resources than the average church has. Vacation Bible School once attracted unbelievers but rarely does today. Entry points, like the ministries I have described on my blog under church ministry, not only minister to people where they are, they often provide opportunities for people to get to know you and find a reason to become a part of your church. For entry points to be effective, the church must follow up on visitors, but few do, so very few visitors return. Visiting those that visit the church often leads them to visit the church again. As they attend church, they can get to know Christ. Once they get to know Christ, worship will take on a whole new meaning for them. However, worship alone will not hold them. Unless there is fellowship and members are being ministered to, they will not stay. However, keeping them in the church is not the final goal. They need to grow in Christ and learn what it means to serve Christ and very few churches today have active programs to train members to become disciples. Once members are trained as disciples, they can become points of light leading unbelievers to Christ.
Reaching the Lost-B
12
Dec
In the past people either had a church background or someone close who attended church and when they had problems, they turned to the church. Evangelists like Billy Graham also led people to seek out a church. In addition, many parents who went to church as kids, but no longer go, sent their kids to Sunday School to learn how to live a good life. Some people also attended special programs that provided entertainment, like Gospel groups, or fellowship, like dinners and study groups. That is no longer the case. Many people today have never had a church connection and there are no longer any great evangelists. They see no reason to contact a church, let alone attend one. As a result, the church now has to go out and search for them. However, few churches make the effort and so see very few new people. The ones who they see are usually those formerly active in church who just moved into their area and are seeking a church. Since people no longer seek out a church, the church must develop entry points to attract people.
Reaching The Lost-A
11
Dec
Lately, God has been impressing me with our need to expand our work in reaching the lost and making disciples. I have had a burden for the lost ever since God called me to serve Him but lately it has become a heavy burden as I see people struggling to survive in our increasingly secular society with reaching out to help them. I reach far more people than the average pastor, outside of radio and television preachers, yet it is mostly with pastors and the number of unbelievers I have contact with is only a small number when compared to the number of those who don’t know Christ and it isn’t the close personal contact needed to bring someone to conversion and nurture new believers. With the changes in our society, many pastors don’t have the close personal contact with unbelievers to bring them to conversion or the personal contact with their members to nurture them in the faith. That is why I wrote the three courses in the “Church That Transforms” series that details the changes in our society and how it has affected the church, how the church has dealt with similar problems in the past, and how it can become more effective in reaching the lost and making disciples. But it will take more than just church leaders. Christ calls all believers to reach out and touch those around them. That is why I am looking for churches who are willing to reach their neighborhoods and believers who are willing to gather their family, friends, and neighbors to study the Gospel.
Eleventh Sunday of Kingdomtide-Nov, 12
10
Nov
Dwell in Unity-God wants us to not only love Him, but to love those He created as well As others see the love we have for each other, they will want that love and want to know the God who is the source of that love. Many churches today have a hard time attracting members because unbelievers do not see that love in the church. Many churches are more a collection of strangers than a family of brothers and sisters in Christ. Members can not care for each other if they don’t know each other’s needs. God also calls us to love others in the body of believers, regardless of the church they belong to, so that others might see how good it is to live as God wants us to. The multitude of denominations presents a picture of widespread division and the refusal of churches of different traditions to work together indicates there is little of the love the church claims to possess. The Church claims that Jesus is the way but does not appear to agree on what that way is. How can unbelievers take the church’s message seriously?
Tenth Sunday of Kingdomtide-Nov, 5
04
Nov
Establish mentors-While Jesus taught the masses, there are things you can’t explain like how to love someone. That is only learned as you see someone else loving others. As a result, Jesus selected twelve disciples and had them walk with Him and watch how He dealt with problems. He taught them through the example He set before them. As the disciples watched Him, they learned how to deal with those problems in a way that pleased God. New Christians need to be paired with a more mature Christian that can guide them and counsel with them as needed in order to learn how to serve Christ and the Church. That takes a close relationship which is rare today. The Bible says that the older shall teach the younger for good reason. Industry seeks younger workers just out of school who have the latest knowledge and training because technology changes so quickly that what we know is quickly out of date and that is important in keeping companies competitive, however the church has been caught up in the trend and it is creating problems in the church. Many churches are beginning to seek young pastors and board members and ignore older ones, yet man, unlike technology, doesn’t change. Our social climate and how we react to it changes but man does not. Many young pastors are being educated by liberal colleges and seminaries who cater to liberal ideas. As a result, many are leading their churches astray. In addition, the young pastors lack experience and the wisdom gained only through experience. It is like having children teaching classes to teach adults how to live. The church needs to heed the Bible and return to seeking experienced leadership.