Empowering People for Ministry #2, #3 & #4

#2 Someone Has To Clean the Toilets.

 Galatians 5:13 instructs, “Through love serve one another.” “Eighty percent of people’s time should be doing what God has created them to do. The remaining 20 percent of their time should be spent fulfilling ‘roles’” (Page 19). God has a unique mission for every Christ-follower (Ephesians 2:10). My desire is for every member of our church to find and serve in that missional “sweet spot.” For most, that will happen at times other than Sunday mornings in neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces. However, just like the whole family pitches in and helps to clean up after a family dinner, so too, there are opportunities for the church family to serve Sundays when the church gathers. Our vision is for every able-bodied and Spirit-filled person who calls NMBC their church home to serve on a ministry team one Sunday a month. We call this a “worship an hour, serve an hour” attitude. Of course, some will find their “sweet spot” in serving more frequently, but when the whole church pitches in the load is lighter and the sense of mission and community stronger.

#3 Just Chunk It.

“People are unlikely to step into ministry roles that seem too big or too complex.” (Page 21) Matthew 10:5 begins, “These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them…” Jesus sent out the twelve disciples with clear instructions. What are steps we can take to “chunk” our ministry teams?

 #4 You Can Never Spike the Ball.

Ephesians 3:20 declares, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.” (ESV) Tim Stevens asks, “If we feel that we have enough volunteers, money, staff, space, and time to accomplish everything, then what does that say about our vision?” (Page 24)

Simply Strategic Volunteers: Empowering People for Ministry By Tony Morgan & Tim Stevens Power-packed strategies to plug people into church ministry! Providing 99 straightforward, field-tested solutions to help you recruit, train, motivate, and keep volunteers, these in-the-trenches authors also explain how to create an encouraging environment with unique serving roles; how to help contributors find greater personal fulfillment in the process; and much more. 236 pages, softcover from Group.