Just sat through the most wonderful message that my son Jason shared this morning at Lifecentre on 'Listening for God's Voice'. He is doing a new series called 'Whispers'. A whisper. It's spoken softly in quiet tones. It's hard to hear and easy to miss. And it's often how God communicates with us. Find out what happens when we pay attention to the whispers of God in our lives during times of silence, in all seasons, and in the midst of a storm.
Tonight I finished teaching a six-week course at Ottawa School of the Bible on Church Planting. It was a blast. Great students with a wonderful future in the life of the Christian community at Lifecentre and beyond.
Having planted daughter churches that have given birth to granddaughter churches has been a rewarding experience. Some of those pastors are graduates of our bible school and have taken the church planting course.
No two churches are the same. They each have their own personality and approach to ministry that fits who they are. Even scripture is vague on the method of doing church but clear on what needs to be taught to make disciples who can make disciples.
The course has varied over the years and we have tried different approaches. Looking back, I see the wisdom in being flexible on methods yet clear on the essentials.
We worked through Andy Stanley's book '7 Practices of Effective Ministry' which helped us to rethink an often taboo subject in church life - results. I'd encourage you to read this inspiring book.
Here are the seven subjects and the content can be found in previous blogs under practices.
1. Clarify the win.
2. Think Steps not programs.
3. Narrow the focus.
4. Teach less for more.
5. Listen to outsiders.
6. Replace yourself.
7. Work on your ministry.
At Mission O, Ministers Matter!
PRACTICE No. 7 WORK ON IT - positions us for discovery.
“To maintain your relevance, your sanity, and your effectiveness, you must carve out time in your schedule to step back and evaluate what you are doing and how you are doing it.
All of us work in ministry every day, but is that enough?
Working on your ministry requires time to evaluate your work and to celebrate your wins.”
Jesus to His disciples in Mark 6:31 when He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.”
AT LIFECENTRE
Off-site to work on what we do. Grow days. Summer schedule with a study day. Holiday breaks to rest from ministry.
A Final Challenge
We trust that these seven principles will continue to add value to your experience as a functioning member of the local church.
At Mission O, Ministers Matter!
PRACTICE No. 6 REPLACE YOURSELF - assures us of longevity and legacy.
“One day someone else will be doing what you are doing. Whether you have an exit strategy or not, ultimately, you will exit. So embrace the inevitable and prepare now for the future.
We all get replaced eventually.
The wisest leader will extend his or her influence by finding and mentoring their replacement.
Learn to hand off what you do to another.”
Elijah and Elisha in 2 Kings 2:1
This is a process of going from one place of significance to another while training your protege along the way.
Gilgal - the place of circumcision.
Bethel - house of prayer.
Jericho - the place of the supernatural.
Jordan - the place of faith.
Jesus and His disciples. Paul and Timothy.
AT LIFECENTRE
Barry to Jason. Joyce to Nathalie. Every area to mentor and reproduce.
At Mission O, Ministers Matter!
PRACTICE No. 5 - LISTEN TO OUTSIDERS - keeps us focused on growth.
“The needs and interests of insiders have a tendency to determine the agenda of the church. This is especially true of the local church.
Why don't the un-churched people in your area go to church? Could it be because you're focusing on who you're trying to keep instead of who you're trying to reach?”
Jesus in Matthew 16:13 asks Peter a question, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” It is good to know what outsiders are thinking and the comments they are making. That is being wise.
AT LIFECENTRE
You invite. We invest. Everyone bring one. Beyond the walls focus. When we speak we don’t assume that everyone is a follower of Christ, nor do we assume that everyone knows the bible. We understand that most people are biblically illiterate.
At Mission O, Ministers Matter!
PRACTICE No. 4 - TEACH LESS FOR MORE - guarantees that we stay relevant.
“The less you say, the more you will communicate. You will be more effective at every level of the church if you say only what you need to say to the people who need to hear it. People are bombarded by thousands of messages every week. If the local church is going to be effective it must cut through the noise.”
Jesus’ conversation with Peter in John 21:22 when He said, “What is that to you? You follow Me.”
How clear can that be? Think of all the ‘why’ questions Peter could be asked.
AT LIFECENTRE
We identify what needs to be taught and do a specific series. Discussion in LifeGroups. Community Life service.
In addition, we plan our series six months in advance while always remaining flexible in shifting where the Holy Spirit would have us go.
At Mission O, Ministers Matter!
PRACTICE 3 NARROW THE FOCUS - points us towards excellence.
“Focus is the key to achieving excellence and making an impact.
Each ministry environment should be designed to do no more than one or two things. The longer a ministry operates the more complex it can become.
In order to maintain a winning church culture we must continually face the challenge of narrowing the focus or doing less.”
Paul in Philippians 3:13 is straining towards the goal and says, “but one thing I do.” He knows the importance of narrowing the focus down to what is important and necessary.
AT LIFECENTRE. We reduced outside speakers and conferences. We focused on community building through small groups and healthy accountability.
We developed a comprehensive policy manual for staff and are currently working through each of our ministries so those who volunteer know exactly how they can best use their gifts.
As well, we ask for one ministry year commitment from volunteers so they don’t feel ‘trapped’ in a ministry forever and they can experience serving in the whole community context.
Tomorrow: Teach less for more.
At Mission O, Ministers Matter!
PRACTICE 2 - THINK STEPS NOT PROGRAMS - this protects our alignment.
Your programs should take people somewhere, not simply fill up their time. Ask yourself, where do we want our people to be? What do we want them to become? Is our programming designed to take them there? Before you start anything, make sure it takes you where you want to go. In this lesson we'll discuss the importance of a clear ministry strategy.
The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19
This is about discipleship. We are called to go and make disciples of all the nations. What are the steps needed to make a disciple?
AT LIFECENTRE. Newcomers are invited to our Connection Breakfast. From there they are introduced to a class called Starting Point which helps them with the basics of Christianity. From there they are encouraged to consider doing an Encounter Weekend to deal with the 'stuff' of their past. The weekend concludes with water baptism and an invitation to be part of a small group which we call - LifeGroups.
They are encouraged to begin serving somewhere they can give back. This leads to membership which we call partnership. People are introduced to the ministries of the church which also include our local church Bible School called OSB - Ottawa School of the Bible; what becoming a disciple is all about and the goal of Lifecentre is to make disciples.
Each event, service, or ministry is put through the question - does this truly help someone grow in their relationship with Jesus an others? Will it make them a deeper, authentic and more fruitful follower of Christ?
Tomorrow: Narrow the Focus.
At Mission O, Ministers Matter!
I admire the simplicity and clarity of Andy Stanley. He pastors a large congregation, with many satellite locations in Atlanta, Ga., and has written a number of great books. His best, and that is just my opinion, is the '7 Practices of Effective Ministry'.
Over the next seven blogs I will highlight each practice and how it is being worked out at the Lifecentre.
Here are some Andy Stanley quotes to muse over.
"The tendency in business, or in church work for that matter, is to mistake activity for progress. We think that just because people are busy and doing a lot of stuff that we are being successful."
"Don't be so concerned about keeping the folks you've got, that you neglect the folks you're trying to reach."
"Unfortunately, churches have a reputation for doing ministry without an end in mind...the gravitational pull of a church is usually toward over programming."
"Ministry becomes diluted because it is flowing in too many different directions. Years of adding and never subtracting have created layers of programs that all feel necessary."
"Today's church needs wise and courageous leaders who will simplify their activity and refocus their mission."
"You can drastically improve how much people learn if you teach less."
"Too many churches are hiding behind what is convenient and comfortable while an entire generation is being left in the dark."
PRACTICE 1 - CLARIFY THE WIN - this fuels momentum.
“It is impossible to know if you are making progress if you are not clear about your destination. This means examining each and every event and program and asking the question, when all is said and done, what is it we want to look back on and celebrate? Even the best team can't score if they can't find the net. In this lesson we'll discuss the importance of clearly defining a win at every level of ministry.”
The Story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:10
The goal of Jesus every day. Look at everything in the story, it is filled with details, but the final statement of Jesus makes the goal clear to all who are listening.
AT LIFECENTRE.
We clarify the win by meeting every Monday morning to celebrate the win from the activities of the previous week. Each member of the team needs to ask, “What can I do to improve my area of ministry”? As well, we evaluate based on ‘what happened’ and do our best not to gloss over or see only the good things that occurred. We must be both faith filled and honest with each service, event, or ministry.
Tomorrow: Think Steps not Programs
At Mission O, Ministers Matter!
