Changing Lives starts with a small group of people

Some thoughts have been running through my head in the last several weeks and I want to share them here. I know that there are many people who read this blog, but do not respond and that is fine, but maybe some will after this. If you look throughout church history people changing people's lives always start small. I think of John and Charles Wesley over in England when it was just a few who decided that they wanted to be sold out for Christ, and the result has been millions of people coming to Christ through out hundreds of years. I also think about Billy G. and his crusades how they started out with a man who said that being a nominal Christian was not good enough and devoted himself and others to prayer, now they have affected millions of people. And finally I think of two brothers Michael and Travis Spann who I am friends with and had the opportunity to play ball with on many occassions. They decided 6-8 months ago that just being on a Christian campus was not good enough anymore and devoted themselves to praying for revival on Asbury's campus in Kentucky, and God has heard not only their prayers but others as well and answered them. Now many people have either come to Christ for the first time or rededicated their lives. When people are serious about Christ and dedicated to prayer God cannot help but move. Our young adult ministry is dedicating themselves to prayer, and it starts with the leadership, me. I want to see our church dedicate themselves to prayer, not a five minute thank you God for what I have but a time of God change not only my life but the lives of those I come into contact with daily. Without prayer we will only be going through the hoops of the Christian walk and too many people are already doing that including myself at times. We have a small group of people now dedicated to the cause of changing people's lives, and it will be fun to see how God cannot help but answer our prayers.

Struggles of ministry (part 2)

Struggles of Ministry (Part 2)
Ok so it has been a while since I updated but here is my second part. Hope it helps to see into the pastor's heart in regards to ministry.

6) Ministry happens with volunteers.
To make ministry happen effectively for God’s kingdom…hold that thought for one moment. As I talk about God here, it can be at times as though He is just a thought or philosophical person we talk about. God is a real person who lives inside of us through the person of the Holy Spirit and not just a thought that we mention in passing. OK…that is important when understanding that ministry for God’s kingdom happens effectively through volunteers. It is impossible for strong ministry to be done by just the pastoral staff, it takes a community of believers to make it happen affectively.

7) There tends to be opposition regardless of how the ministry is going
One thing that I have learned while in ministry is that even though things might be going well, there tends to be those out who see it differently. I am not sure if these people are intentional about what they “talking” to me about but I want to take their word at face value. As a pastor, I want to hear what others are saying but on the other side, some people need to filter some of their own thoughts at times.

8) You have to count on your team to get things done
Even though you want and believe that your team can and will get things done, often times it just doesn’t happen. Even thought a vision might look great, you have the best job descriptions out there, and can help your leaders along the way, some people just do not lead. In our ministry, I have to count on 14 small group leaders, my core team of six leaders for our young adult ministry, my prayer team, and a number of other leaders to make ministry happen effectively. When any of these areas fail (including me), it affects the entire ministry. I love my leaders that I have and they are more helpful then I can tell you. Without them, I could not do the ministry that God has given me. However, when a leader is not sold out to a ministry or committed to doing what they say they are going to do, it not only affects me, but many, many others around us. As my friend Nathan says, “You have to count on your team, but it can come at a cost.”

9) You always need more leaders for ministry
This is one of those struggles that have been around as long as the church has been around. As ministry grows, you always need leaders but when a ministry is not flowing it can be the lack of leaders as well. We have a few small groups here at our church that really need to multiply but trying to find people to lead them is hard. I am always praying, asking and seeking for more leaders but many just do not feel that they have the time to do it, or they feel inadequate (but they feel adequate to tell me when things are wrong J). If after awhile leaders are not found to serve in ministry positions, it affects the entire church and the people who are looking for a place to connect with God and connect with other people. An example for us right now is outreach. We do not have anyone who is willing to step up and lead in this area and it has affected that area of ministry. One of the things I hear is that our church is not doing enough outreach, what if instead of telling our staff that, these people got together and started a core team for outreach? Leaders are hard to come by, but boy do we have some great ones. You need them to have effective ministries.

10) Not being able to concentrate on a particular ministry
Now, please do not read this as whining. Ministry is what it is but here is a thought. As a connections pastor, I have responsibilities in a variety of areas, which is good to be doing different ministries. However, the down side of this is spreading your time among each of them. Here is an example: Many of our small groups meet on Sunday evenings or afternoons, and I want to be able to visit each one of these. But because we have pastor’s brunch, discipleship classes, families wanting to go out to eat, then our young adult ministry that meets on Sunday nights, my Sunday’s are pretty much taken up therefore making it to those small groups is almost impossible. Too be able to focus on one area of ministry is a dream but as long as my leaders are willing to be committed having different areas to focus on will not be so bad.

Please let me know what you are thinking. Again, there are many who like to read but not respond, what do you agree with or disagree with. Ways to improve?