Saturday, January 1, 2011

Resolutions

If you're a church leader, struggling in a not-so-good situation, here are a few suggestions for new years resolutions...

1) take the power away from your deacons...yes, it is Biblical.

2) stop looking at your pastors and staff as primarily "employees". stop looking at everyone else in your church as your "employers".

3) tell the rich family in the church who thinks they decide everything that God doesn't want their money, and neither do you.

4) stop viewing the church down the street as your competition.

5) stop investing 95% of your work week into what happens during one hour on Sunday morning.

6) change your bylaws so that you no longer have business meetings...also Biblical.

7) stop being scared of what people think...fear the Lord.

8) stop saying "ever member is a minister"...start saying "every member is a missionary".

9) give responsibility to the people to do the ministry...stop micromanaging.

10) refuse to "work" overtime when you should be spending that time with your family...as a PK, I can't tell you how important this is.

4 comments:

Brenda said...

#8,,,why stop saying, "every member is a minister"? Why not just add, "Every member is a missionary"? Shouldn't we be both? This was in one of the online devotionals I read today:

A Christian is:

* Created for ministry (Ephesians 2:10)
* Saved for ministry (2 Timothy 1:9)
* Called into ministry (1 Peter 2:9-10)
* Gifted for ministry (1 Peter 4:10)
* Authorized for ministry (Matthew 28:18–20)
* Commanded to minister (Matthew 20:26–28)
* Prepared for ministry (Ephesians 4:11–12)
* Needed for ministry (1 Corinthians 12:27)
* Accountable for and rewarded according to his or her ministry (Colossians 3:23–24) [by Jon Walker...Grace Creates]

For years we've been told that all of us have a ministry (and therefor are ministers) at NHC, and that all parts of the body are necessary for good church health. Or did you mean that we are not all ministers in the sense that we should let the leaders lead, and not expect an equal voice in direction and decision making? I'm a bit confused.

CFHusband said...

Brenda. Every member is a minister. That is completely Biblical. Unfortunately, most churches, and most church members (even at NHC) never get past ministry. We get so engrossed in our church lives that we forget that our primary calling in life is to love God and make Him known. God's last commandment to His people wasn't "Go and make ministers."

For the most part, the American church knows how to do ministry. What we've lost sight of is how to do missions, and considering it is the great commission that God has given for each of our lives, it is something we need reminding of constantly.

Andy Lawrenson said...

I wouldn't say that the churches in America get ministry. Most churches have a small handful doing the ministry while the majority sit on their blessed assurance in the pews each Sunday. NHC has ministry pretty close to figures out but we are the unusual.
BUT I agree the church in America doesn't get that we are all missionaries. It's obvious.

Fact is most believers hear this in their mind when they hear these two words:
Ministry - the paid clergy
Missionary - the guy in the hut in Africa

On the journey said...

Please consider adding to your list the following:
* Spend less time talking and start listening. Take the time to really hear where people are hurting and need to experience the compassion and love of Christ.
* Spend less time being a slave to technology. How much of our time as "leaders" is being usurped by the need to create and polish better visuals and a better sound? You would be surprised how much time is taken away from really connecting with the people whom God needs us to touch and to encourage.
* Spend less time pursuing "relevance" and more time pursuing real relationships.