Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Empowering People for Ministry #5 & #6


#5 We All Love a Standing Ovation.
Romans 13:7 "(Give) honor to those you owe honor.” My wife is great at thanking those who care for our girls: Sunday School teachers, Preschool teachers, dance instructor, etc. The best part is that our daughters see her doing this. Tony writes, “We all need cheerleaders. We all need people who will encourage us to do the next right thing… We need others to affirm that we’re moving in the right direction and recognize the value of our contributions.” (Page 27)
What are meaningful ways in which you’ve received encouragement for past ministry? What are some creative ways in which we can cheer on ministry volunteers?  


#6 Embrace the Chaos.
Jesus says in John 12:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (ESV) There is no way to avoid chaos in ministry. Tim observes, “But let me encourage you to embrace the chaos. If you wish to much for the serenity of silence and chaos-free living, you may get what you want. And then you’ll find yourself in a dying church, the sole purpose of which is preservation rather than transformation.” (Page 29)
How can we encourage ministry volunteers to “embrace the chaos”?
What role does excellent planning, administration, and preparation play in helping to alleviate the stress of chaos?


427563: Simply Strategic Volunteers: Empowering People for Ministry 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.

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