Jim Eliff lays out a clear job description for Ministers in what he en-titles "the first principle of decision making". Christ centered elders who maintain a life immersed in the scriptures will immediately draw from the objective source of inscripturated revelation when decision making is required.
Unfortunately, there are to many ministers who claim a high view of scripture from the pulpit but in reality are functional secularist when circumstances call for them to be practitioner's of "It Is Written!"
For these Ezekiel 34 pseudo shepherds, rationalism, pragmatism, existentialism and relational sentimentalism rules the day.
May the Exalted Christ keep us from becoming such uncharactered leaders!
[rgh]
"When Christ is recognized as the Head of His church, decision-making begins with a prayerful and serious attempt to find out what Christ has already said on the matter. He has said plenty in most cases. When elders learn this, their mission for the church changes. They now see themselves as “under-shepherds,” with their authority derived from the true Shepherd, not inherent within them as qualified people. Elders’ meetings will be concerted efforts to interpret Scripture for the sake of the church and the glory of Christ.
In our elders’ meetings, for instance, a long portion of our weekly four hours together is commonly spent with our Bibles in hand, seeking to uncover God’s will for our church. This last year, our labors ended up in a book on the subject of divorce and remarriage. All we were doing was what every elder team should do. We wanted to find out what Christ wanted us to do about divorce before we had our first case. You may not agree with our conclusions, but we have done our best to be faithful to Christ in our study.[1] We have also written other documents that were efforts at understanding what Christ has already said to the churches about certain church matters.
In cases where the Lord has not revealed His will directly in the Bible, elders should still turn to the words of Scripture to find the related principles that will help them know the ways of Christ with His church. By prayerfully seeking wisdom (James 1:2-3), a biblical and Christ-sent answer will be found. This is the pattern, for instance, when the leaders of the early church met in Jerusalem to discuss intra-church issues related to the inclusion of Gentiles. The questions were answered through Scripture, as well as through prayer-saturated, biblically-based wisdom about how to address that difficulty in the experience of the universal church life and mission (see Acts 15). "
http://www.ccwtoday.org/article_view.asp?article_id=238
related:
>http://antagoniz.com/2009/07/28/principle-centered-vs-preference-oriented/#more-264
>http://antagoniz.com/2009/05/03/biblical-manhood-and-womanhood/
(By Lance Quinn)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Ministry Mind-Shifts
Summary points from "The Trellis and the Vine" regarding Mind-Shifts essential for ministry today:
1.From running programs to building people
2.From running events to training people
3.From using people to growing people
4.From filling gaps to training new workers
5.From solving problems to helping people make progress
6.From clinging to ordained ministry to developing team leadership
7From focusing on church polity to forging ministry partnerships
8.From relying on training institutions to establishing local training
9.From focusing on immediate pressures to aiming for long-term expansion
10.From engaging in management to engaging in ministry
11.From seeking church growth to desiring gospel growth
Some Of The Summary Propositions:
>Our goal is to make disciples
>The heart of disciple-making is prayerful teaching
>The goal of all ministry...is to nurture disciples
>To be a disciple is to be a disciple-maker
>Disciple-makers need to be trained and equipped in conviction, character, and competence
> Training almost always starts small and grows by multiplying workers
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2009/12/08/key-points-in-the-trellis-and-the-vine
1.From running programs to building people
2.From running events to training people
3.From using people to growing people
4.From filling gaps to training new workers
5.From solving problems to helping people make progress
6.From clinging to ordained ministry to developing team leadership
7From focusing on church polity to forging ministry partnerships
8.From relying on training institutions to establishing local training
9.From focusing on immediate pressures to aiming for long-term expansion
10.From engaging in management to engaging in ministry
11.From seeking church growth to desiring gospel growth
Some Of The Summary Propositions:
>Our goal is to make disciples
>The heart of disciple-making is prayerful teaching
>The goal of all ministry...is to nurture disciples
>To be a disciple is to be a disciple-maker
>Disciple-makers need to be trained and equipped in conviction, character, and competence
> Training almost always starts small and grows by multiplying workers
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2009/12/08/key-points-in-the-trellis-and-the-vine
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Are We Men Of Integrity?
Brothers,
Here is a great excerpt from Pat Williams "Integrity Is King." The entire article should be contemplated by us all as we inspect our lives for that which God expects in our character!
For The Kings Honor!
RGH
"To be a person of integrity, you must stand for truth and righteousness at all times—even when you are under fire, in extreme temptation, in times of loneliness and solitude, and great need, suffering and want. If your integrity is something you can put on and take off like a suit of clothes, it's not integrity at all. It's just a disguise to hide the person you really are."
....The 10 Universal Characteristics of Integrity:
1. You know that little things count.
2. You find the white when others see gray.
3. You mess up, you fess up.
4. You create a culture of trust.
5. You keep your word.
6. You care about the greater good.
7. You're honest but modest.
8. You act like you're being watched.
9. You hire integrity.
10. You stay the course.
http://www.charismanow.com/index.php/charisma-channels/men/25493-integrity-is-king
Here is a great excerpt from Pat Williams "Integrity Is King." The entire article should be contemplated by us all as we inspect our lives for that which God expects in our character!
For The Kings Honor!
RGH
"To be a person of integrity, you must stand for truth and righteousness at all times—even when you are under fire, in extreme temptation, in times of loneliness and solitude, and great need, suffering and want. If your integrity is something you can put on and take off like a suit of clothes, it's not integrity at all. It's just a disguise to hide the person you really are."
....The 10 Universal Characteristics of Integrity:
1. You know that little things count.
2. You find the white when others see gray.
3. You mess up, you fess up.
4. You create a culture of trust.
5. You keep your word.
6. You care about the greater good.
7. You're honest but modest.
8. You act like you're being watched.
9. You hire integrity.
10. You stay the course.
http://www.charismanow.com/index.php/charisma-channels/men/25493-integrity-is-king
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
We Will Never....
Pastor Perry Noble shares 20 things he believes we will never do:
#1 – We will NEVER be without a message as long as we are desperate for God’s voice.
#2 – We will NEVER make everyone happy; therefore, pleasing everyone should never be our goal.
#3 – We will NEVER be successful in ministry by immersing ourselves into full blown competition with other churches.
#4 – We will NEVER be content in life if we believe we have something to prove.
#5 – We will NEVER be able to serve Jesus to our maximum capacity if we are not actively obeying His commands to rest and disconnect. (See Isaiah 30:15)
#6 – We will NEVER accomplish what Jesus is calling us to accomplish if we are not willing to take risks.
#7 – We will NEVER do what God has called us to do alone…if He’s called us to accomplish something amazing then He will also surround us with the people to pull it off.
#8 – We will NEVER discover a strategy that has been the “secret” for church growth all along…because each church is different.
#9 – We will NEVER honor God by seeking to build “our brand” rather than building disciples.
#10 – We will NEVER achieve our maximum potential in ministry if our goal is simply to impress our online audience and, while doing so, neglect the people in our own community.
#11 – We will NEVER see people become who God is calling them to be if we make INFORMATION rather than TRANSFORMATION the goal.
#12 – We will NEVER see God’s power unleashed in our churches if we refuse to talk about Jesus and what HE did for us on the cross.
#13 – We will NEVER truly connect with the people we lead if we always pretend that we have it all together…people identify with our failures way more than our success’s.
#14 – We will NEVER be able to teach about self control with integrity if we are obese because we are gluttons.
#15 – We will NEVER be looked at as successful in ministry if we grow a great church, but sacrifice our family to do so.
#16 – We will NEVER see great things happen in our ministry if we believe that every great idea must come from us!
#17 – We will NEVER see staff members achieve their maximum potential if we don’t trust them…and if we don’t hold them accountable.
#18 – We will NEVER have a great staff if we make it their goal to serve us rather than serve Jesus!
#19 – We will NEVER successfully motivate the people we work with through manipulation and/or fear…if your vision isn’t enough motivation then there is a problem. (AND btw…if you take pride in the fact that people “fear you,” then it is obvious that there is no fear of God in you!)
#20 – We will NEVER honor God by compromising the vision He gave us in order to not ask so much of people.
http://www.perrynoble.com/2009/11/24/we-will-never
#1 – We will NEVER be without a message as long as we are desperate for God’s voice.
#2 – We will NEVER make everyone happy; therefore, pleasing everyone should never be our goal.
#3 – We will NEVER be successful in ministry by immersing ourselves into full blown competition with other churches.
#4 – We will NEVER be content in life if we believe we have something to prove.
#5 – We will NEVER be able to serve Jesus to our maximum capacity if we are not actively obeying His commands to rest and disconnect. (See Isaiah 30:15)
#6 – We will NEVER accomplish what Jesus is calling us to accomplish if we are not willing to take risks.
#7 – We will NEVER do what God has called us to do alone…if He’s called us to accomplish something amazing then He will also surround us with the people to pull it off.
#8 – We will NEVER discover a strategy that has been the “secret” for church growth all along…because each church is different.
#9 – We will NEVER honor God by seeking to build “our brand” rather than building disciples.
#10 – We will NEVER achieve our maximum potential in ministry if our goal is simply to impress our online audience and, while doing so, neglect the people in our own community.
#11 – We will NEVER see people become who God is calling them to be if we make INFORMATION rather than TRANSFORMATION the goal.
#12 – We will NEVER see God’s power unleashed in our churches if we refuse to talk about Jesus and what HE did for us on the cross.
#13 – We will NEVER truly connect with the people we lead if we always pretend that we have it all together…people identify with our failures way more than our success’s.
#14 – We will NEVER be able to teach about self control with integrity if we are obese because we are gluttons.
#15 – We will NEVER be looked at as successful in ministry if we grow a great church, but sacrifice our family to do so.
#16 – We will NEVER see great things happen in our ministry if we believe that every great idea must come from us!
#17 – We will NEVER see staff members achieve their maximum potential if we don’t trust them…and if we don’t hold them accountable.
#18 – We will NEVER have a great staff if we make it their goal to serve us rather than serve Jesus!
#19 – We will NEVER successfully motivate the people we work with through manipulation and/or fear…if your vision isn’t enough motivation then there is a problem. (AND btw…if you take pride in the fact that people “fear you,” then it is obvious that there is no fear of God in you!)
#20 – We will NEVER honor God by compromising the vision He gave us in order to not ask so much of people.
http://www.perrynoble.com/2009/11/24/we-will-never
Dumbing Down Membership Standards
Excellent Quote in The Ministry Today Report on how church leaders' low expectations of believers can ruin the kingdom purposes of a congregation:
"In most churches, membership requires little more than a public declaration of faith and a quick trip through the baptistery. After meeting these requirements, members hear vague notions about being involved in stewardship, discipleship and service. … Perhaps we are cheating church members. We assume that most church members won’t evangelize, so we’re happy to stick with the very few who understand the mandate. We assume that most church members will not get involved in a demanding Bible study, so we water down our teaching to appeal to the masses. We assume that many church members will never tithe or give of their time in service to the community for the glory of our King, so we budget accordingly. At best, we hope that people will act on our suggestions. … Perhaps we should stop designing worship services, discipleship programs and youth events for the “average Christian” (aka: the Christian we don’t expect anything out of). Instead, let’s refocus on our church covenants and clearly communicate the expectations for being a disciple in the kingdom of God."
—Trevin Wax, associate pastor of First Baptist Church in Shelbyville, Tenn., [trevinwax.com, 11/10/09]
Read the full article:http://trevinwax.com/2009/11/10/why-low-expectations-cheat-our-church-members
"In most churches, membership requires little more than a public declaration of faith and a quick trip through the baptistery. After meeting these requirements, members hear vague notions about being involved in stewardship, discipleship and service. … Perhaps we are cheating church members. We assume that most church members won’t evangelize, so we’re happy to stick with the very few who understand the mandate. We assume that most church members will not get involved in a demanding Bible study, so we water down our teaching to appeal to the masses. We assume that many church members will never tithe or give of their time in service to the community for the glory of our King, so we budget accordingly. At best, we hope that people will act on our suggestions. … Perhaps we should stop designing worship services, discipleship programs and youth events for the “average Christian” (aka: the Christian we don’t expect anything out of). Instead, let’s refocus on our church covenants and clearly communicate the expectations for being a disciple in the kingdom of God."
—Trevin Wax, associate pastor of First Baptist Church in Shelbyville, Tenn., [trevinwax.com, 11/10/09]
Read the full article:http://trevinwax.com/2009/11/10/why-low-expectations-cheat-our-church-members
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