MIM EZINE, DECEMBER 3, 2005

CONTENTS

– Purpose-filled Ministry:  Missional-Minded Leadership

– Book Review:   Dreamality: Heaven's Dream -- Your Reality

– Classified Ads

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Purpose-Filled Ministry:  Missional-Minded Leadership

by Teena M. Stewart  

One of the on-going challenges of church ministry is how to keep from becoming a holy huddle while continuing to reach people with the message of the Good News. The more churched we become, the more time we spend trying to maintain the fort and the less time we have for actually reaching unchurched people. 

Recently I had the opportunity to participate in a Reggie McNeal seminar called the Present Future. McNeal is an entertaining and captivating speaker. His main focus is on equipping and challenging pastors and church leaders to keep ministry relevant and effective while being mission-oriented in nature.  It’s less about the established church than it is about new ways to reach people for Christ.

McNeal presented some sobering statistics when it comes to the future of the church.  I don’t have the exact stats but they boil down to this. People are less inclined than ever to set foot inside a church building. In the coming years it will take more and more energy to try to maintain church attendance and attract new people.   If you are currently at break even mode or are even sliding backwards in church attendance this is sobering indeed.  What frequently happens is that we become so focused on programs and finding the funding and volunteers to manage them that we simply have no time to reach out and try to bring more people into the fold. 

I have said this before and will say it again, because to ignore the facts is to ignore the elephant in the living room so to speak. In order to have relevant ministry we must start turning our focus to bringing the good news and “church” out to the people rather than expecting them to come to us. If your church is currently involved in any kind of building program this is particularly hard to do because the bulk of your focus is on getting the building place and paying for it.

McNeal sees a trend that is already beginning to take shape and that trend involves mass ministry customization and becoming people intensive.  Perhaps you already see where change is needed and you have ideas about some possibilities but shifting gears and pulling it all together is beyond your expertise.  This is where networking and teamwork are not only valuable but are crucial.  Missional minded ministries should be more and more of a priority as we seek to reach out and connect with a hurting and spiritually bankrupt society.

There is no one way for this to unfold.  The possibilities are endless.  Often through talking with others with a heart for ministry we discover a missing piece or a bit of information that proves valuable to completing the ministry picture we’ve had in our hearts.  During the Present Future workshop we were given time periodically to share ideas and brainstorm in small groups what we could do for Christ if there was nothing holding us back. I found it invaluable and energizing.  Why is it so rare for churches and church leaders to collaborate on ministry?  We should not be in competition with other ministries and churches and yet it often feels like we are.  Missional-minded leaders don’t mind laying aside the Lone Ranger approach to ministry and working with other churches (yes, even those outside their denominations.)  They realize more can be achieved for Christ corporately than individually.

Leadership community is imperative as you come together with other like-minded entrepreneurs who are risk takers, visionaries and developers.  Singly it may seem impossible.  Together it becomes exciting and feasible.  I would like to draw your attention to a relatively new website that is just gaining momentum. The site provides a network and resource system for connecting with other leaders seeking to develop new ways of reaching out and touching people for Christ.  http://missionalcommunity.com/.  If you have an idea for ministry and want to bounce ideas or gather together with others with a similar vision in your area, this is a good starting place.

If you are not familiar with the Present Future seminars you can check them out.  (And no, I don’t get any kickback for making this recommendation.) Here is the link to the Reggie McNeal Seminar page. http://www.fuller.edu/cll/ce/ReggieWorkshop.asp

By working together and sharing idea, we can find new ways to reach people for Christ.

Teena Stewart is a published writer, a speaker and a consultant/editor for Ministry in Motion. To learn more about her speaking visit her speaking web page http://www.ministryinmotion.net/speakers_christians.html.

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Book Review: Dreamality:  Heaven’s Dream – Your Reality

By Bob Coy, Howard, 2005,  ISBN #158229447X, 243 pages

Reviewed by Teena Stewart

Bob Coy weaves his own story of a former drug abuser, turned record producer, turned Christian, who without any formal training was led to plant and pastor Calvary Chapel in Ft. Lauderdale , Florida , one of the largest churches in America .  If anyone exemplifies how God can uses individuals to fulfill His dreams, Coy does.   

Dreams are daring, exciting, invigorating and even risky.  Is it any wonder that in our youth we start out with remarkable dreams we wish to pursue and then either tame them down to something we feel we can manage. We may let them die because we’ve been told they are foolish or  because we’ve experienced discouragement while trying to pursue them.   The premise of Dreamality is that we can regain the grand dream for our lives that began in God’s heart. It’s not so much about following our own selfish desires nor is it about the name it and claim it philosophy, but rather it is about being a part of God’s dream for us in the larger scheme of things. 

Amazing things can happen when we follow the passion, talent and desire we have and merge it with God’s divine purpose for us.  Such dreams can be fulfilled when we understand the heart behind the dream – God’s heart.   There is an eternal plan, and a larger scheme. When we fail to participate in this we are actually reject God’s plan for us.  One key thread that Coy keeps coming back to is the story of Joseph.  Joseph was a dreamer who dared to share his dreams, and was ostracized and outcast because he did.  Despite the huge setbacks in his life, God worked through him and God’s purpose was fulfilled despite human frailty.  “When we dream, we should dream big. What would be the point of pursuing a mediocre dream?”  States Coy.

This book is an encouragement to those who have had the desire to follow a dream and may have laid it aside because of discouragement.  It will provide inspiration to those who may have felt a tugging to pursue a dream that seems risky.  This book will  inspire,  motivate and encourage you to be a daring risk taker and follow God’s call despite the nay sayers who often thwart those dreams.   

Order Dreamality  

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