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.
Archive for the ‘Church ministry’ Category
Seventh Sunday of Pentecost-July 1
Rural Churches Can-A small town United Methodist Church I once served was complaining they could not compete with churches in nearby cities and felt they had no future. It was started in 1816 but its first history wasn’t written until 1911 so much of its early history was lost. I began contacting churches around the church to get their histories because many of the churches shared a circuit at one time. I counted at least 16 churches started by that church back when northern Ohio was a virtual wilderness, 12 were still active congregations over 160 years later. It wasn’t the pastor, because they shared their pastor with up to twenty other churches. Once they built a building to worship in, there was no record they established any new churches. Somewhere along the way they lost the vision. I surveyed some of the local people and found that one out of ten people in that town were of Methodist background but did not attend any church. Since I was in seminary full-time nine months of the year, I had little time to do more than preach, however I spent my summers visiting members of the church and community. Both churches experienced noticeable growth for the first time in years from my work alone. Pastors need to train their members to become fishers of men. Though many rural churches are failing, some are still succeeding. A couple local churches have proved there is still a future for rural churches. One church recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. It started from a couple families meeting in a house basement because they did not like the way the theology of their church was going. It has grown to over 250 members in only 25 yrs. by reaching out and ministering to those around them. Another local church started as a house church 20 years ago, now averages 200 in its main church and has a satellite church. While some mega-churches today are growing by watering down the Gospel to draw anyone they can, such churches are growing by ministering to those around them like the New Testament church did. Many Christians are now seeking smaller churches where they can feel a part of the fellowship missing in large churches. I discuss it further in my book “Rebuilding the Kingdom”.
Sixth Sunday of Pentecost-June 28
Neighborhood Center Ministry-Poor areas have many problems caused by poverty. Lack of transportation makes it difficult to get assistance from agencies and there are many needs that agencies can’t help. The Salvation Army has developed the greatest network of neighborhood centers of any church. Each church is usually in a poverty area and provides not only a religious center but social services and community programs. People coming to get social services become aware of religious services and other services. Formerly, churches were centers for community activities since they had the only facilities for community gatherings other than schools. Eventually, many community activities gravitated to the schools. However, by consolidating schools, many communities, especially small towns, no longer have facilities for community activities. Many churches today do not offer activities in their facilities to non-members. Any church today, especially those in poverty areas and rural areas, should be a community center ministering to social needs around them, as well as their spiritual needs. Ministering to the community often leads non-church people to ask why they do it opening the doors to tell them about the Love of God. It also enables members to get to know non-church people and invite them to church.
Fifth Sunday of Pentecost June 21
Visiting homebound-As the government has developed home care services for those elderly who can no longer take care of themselves, more of those who need a little help each morning getting bathed and dressed, but can take care of themselves after that, have been able to stay in their own homes instead of going into a nursing home. The result has saved the government a great deal as home care usually costs only 1/2 to 1/3 of nursing home care and has enabled many to stay in their homes, however it also tends to isolate them. Workers come in daily but must complete their work and move on to the next client so they can not stay and visit. In addition, there are many who can take care of themselves and don’t need help, but they can no longer drive and get out. The grocery may deliver their groceries and the laundry picks up, cleans, and returns their laundry but they don’t have time to stop and visit. Many elderly confined to their own homes do not see anyone besides any care givers and medical personnel they have, and could use someone who is willing to come and spend time talking to them. The elderly often appreciate visits by children who are well behaved and teens because they may have grandchildren but have never seen them because they live at a great distance and the children and teens often enjoy visiting the elderly who have the time to sit and talk with them or play games with them, because their parents often work and don’t have the time.
Fourth Sunday of Pentecost-June 14
Meeting A Need-If there is a need in your area and there is no one meeting that need, you may consider organizing a ministry through your church or in your community. The small groups may check to see if there are nearby residents needing lawns cut, snow shoveling of simple repairs. If the group doesn’t have anyone available, they can ask neighboring groups. Some needs may be beyond the resources of the local small group. Churches often claim they don’t have the resources. In the mid-1970’s, I belonged to a house church consisting of only six families. They became concerned about the large number of suicides in the area after I told them about the hour, I had spent the previous week on a railroad bridge with a teenage girl who could not decide whether to jump. They set out to organize a crisis hotline and contacted Contact International and with their help laid plans for a crisis phone line for the county. In only 12 months, the members of that church gathered 129 volunteer phone workers and trained them, and secured enough voluntary contributions to support a phone bill of almost $1500 a month, plus cover utilities and rent for an office, to provide a place where people could call toll-free 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from anywhere in the county. They went on the phones only a year after I sat on the railroad bridge with the girl. They provided continuous phone service 24 hours a day and seven days a week for 49 years with no government funds. They drastically cut the suicide rate in their area. If a church of only six families can do that, what can a church of 100 or more families do?
Third Sunday of Pentecost June 7
Meeting your neighbors Years ago, stable neighborhoods were friendly places where neighbors knew each other and socialized frequently. These days, few people know their neighbors, even in stable neighborhoods. As residential areas have been separated from shopping and office areas, many neighborhoods have become bedroom communities where people come home to eat and sleep. They shop, work, and attend school elsewhere. Few people sit on the porch or walk the neighborhood anymore. Where neighborhoods used to be filled with kids and they used to roam the neighborhood freely, there are often few kids and few roam the neighborhood anymore. We have become a mobile society where people live in a bubble and have few meaningful contacts. Members should be encouraged to get to know their neighbors. While many members think their neighbors have their own churches, very few do. There are probably neighbors who could use encouragement and support. Neighborhood Vacation Bible Schools, Bible studies, and children’s Bible clubs can help bring neighbors together. Small groups can become a door to attract neighbors to church or provide Bible teaching to those who attend church but whose church does not provide it.
Second Sunday of Pentecost-May 31-Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday A-The Second Sunday of Pentecost is Trinity Sunday when Christians celebrate the Trinity, (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). The Jews dealt with God the Father through the priests and prophets, and occasionally through Angels sent to deliver messages. Then Jesus came in bodily form to show us the nature of the Father in a way we could understand. Finally, at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to guide us and give us power in restoring the Kingdom of God. The disciples were transformed when they received the Holy Spirit and received power to go out and proclaim the Gospel. Many churches ignore the celebration of Pentecost as they no longer emphasize the new birth in Christ and lives of members differ little from unbelievers around them. The church needs to get a new sense of the changing power of the Holy Spirit.
Sixth Sunday of Eastertide- May 10
Prepare-Too many churches simply wait until a position is open and then try to fill it. The problem with that is the same people continue to serve so there are very few in the church with experience and very few members are involved in the church’s ministry. Many people are afraid to take new positions because they have no experience and those that do accept the position don’t do well, often become frustrated, and soon quit or continue struggling along doing a poor job. It makes better sense to ask someone to train as an assistant under someone more experienced before the need arises. Someone who has never taught before will be more likely to accept an opportunity to learn then to take a class alone with no experience. When a position comes open, there will be people who have experience and can do well. They will often be more likely to take the position if they have worked in a classroom for a while under someone than if they have never helped in a classroom before. It also provides assistants to help the teacher, so they don’t have to do everything themselves.
Fifth Sunday of Eastertide May 3
Involve New People-It is not enough to just have everyone take a year off. The church must actively seek to involve new people. A full-time search committee should be established that actively meet with members to talk with them about their interests and help them find areas that interest them. Too often search committees are called a couple weeks before the church’s annual conference to fill vacant elected positions and they have little time to seek qualified people. As a result, they often nominate the same people they know well, even though the people may have little interest or experience in that area. As a year-round committee, they can get to know more members and seek to help them find areas that interest them before openings occur. When openings occur in committees during the year, the search committee can help the committee chairman find suitable replacements. The interest survey previously mentioned is a good way to help members discover where they would like to use their gifts. Before members go off their position after six years, the committee should meet with them again to help them explore other areas to see if there are other areas that interest them. The committee should be familiar with the various functions of the church and how to help members explore their interests. (I deal with it in my book for pastors and church leaders “Rebuilding The Kingdom”). As the committee locates new talents, it can help the church expand its ministry into new areas and involve more people in the church. The committee can also help each committee define its mission and draw up a mission statement to help them focus their work.
Fourth Sunday of Eastertide-April 26
Explore- One of the most important ways to find what our gifts are is to experiment in different areas of the church to find what we enjoy doing and do well. This is one of the most neglected areas of the church today. Most churches are run by a small group of people who have always filled the same positions. While they complain that no one wants to work, they give very little opportunity for new people to become involved. The church must provide opportunities for members to become involved in various areas of the church so they can find their interests and talents. One way is through a requirement that limits everyone to two three-year terms and requires everyone to take a sabbatical every seventh year. This helps prevent workers from becoming burned out and enables new people to become involved. It also gives members on their Sabbatical time to shop around to see if there are other areas that might interest them. Some churches have a Sunday where each church work group has a booth in the fellowship hall and members can wander from booth to booth talking with people who belong to that work group. Some churches even invite Christian community service groups to have a booth for those called to serve beyond the local church. There are also interest surveys available. I have written a booklet, “The Important I” which helps with determining what would be a good career (part-A), and outlines areas in the church and community that offer opportunities for volunteer work (part-B). It includes an interest survey and can be obtained by E-mailing me at robert.barr34@yahoo.com, requesting the booklets, “The Important I” and put “booklet” in the subject line.