MIM Ezine, February 9, 2007

-- Book Review: "Pastor, The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry" by Will Willimon, reviewed by Tom Hanover.

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“No man or woman is an island. To exist just for yourself is meaningless. You can achieve the most satisfaction when you feel related to some greater purpose in life, something greater than yourself.” Dennis Waitley

If you want to see a reflected love, look at the women in your church community. They are often the first to offer meals when someone is sick or has lost a loved one. And they instinctively band together to support and nurture each other and their families. Women serve in every imaginable capacity in church, but are we using this resource to its fullest?

Since women are more likely than men to hunger for greater spirituality, they should be the focus of special support and ministry development. In so doing, their unique gifts and spiritual power can be utilized to expand the involvement of women in your church.

What it is not. Women’s ministry is not a Bible study or small group. Though such groups may minister to women, they are a different animal; women’s ministry has a larger scope. It may touch and overlap your small groups, but discipling and Bible study are not the only focus.

Ministry with a purpose. What should be the purpose of your women’s ministry? That depends largely on identifying who you are trying to minister to. You are obviously trying to reach women, but in order for your ministry to be effective, you will need to be more specific. Are you concerned only with ministering to Christian women in your church, or are you also trying to reach those who are not Christ followers. Or is it a combination of both?

If you are only targeting the women in your church, you greatly reduce the chance of reaching non-Christ followers since very few, if any, attend church. To reach these women you will have to plan functions off site from your church.

In order to reach these potential followers, you need to follow a few guidelines:

1) Write a mission statement. Though not totally crucial to successful ministry, mission statements help to clearly convey your ministry purpose and prevent misunderstandings as to who you serve and how you offer that service. A mission statement gives clarity to those not only involved in leading the ministry, but it also provides a clear picture for those wishing to participate in the services that ministry offers. Below is a sample of a mission statement developed by a women’s ministry leader for her ministry.

to provide focused opportunities for the women at Northgate to actively worship God, to reach out to the unchurched, to support and encourage each other, to grow spiritually, and to serve others.

Women’s ministries will be an advocate for the needs of women within the church body and will seek to connect women as valuable resources to the greater needs of the church.

2) Have a variety of venues. Women’s ages vary as do their jobs and interests. Some suggested events include a retreat, a girls day out, a movie night, coffee shop gatherings, a tea with guest speakers (such as missionaries and female church leaders), mother-daughter events, and more.

Vary the occasion, location, dates, and times so that you reach more women since not every event will appeal or fit the lifestyle of every woman.

3) Every gathering you provide should tie in with your purpose. A women’s ministry leader I know schedules informal gatherings at an ice cream parlor or coffee shop once a month. The purpose is so that women from our church can just get to know each other better in an informal setting. It also provides the opportunity for church members to bring friends who might not otherwise set foot in church. This bridge building event is not meant to evangelize, but rather to develop relationships that may eventually lead to other opportunities.

4) Find women who are passionate about reaching women. Build your women’s ministry team, by starting with one person you know who has a heart for women’s concerns. It might be as simple as seeking out a ladies’ Bible study leader and asking her if she is interested in facilitating a women’s ministry.

Give other women the opportunity to help develop the ministry. One leader I know recruited team members by putting a sign-up sheet and an announcement in the church foyer. She asked women to sign up if they wanted to help plan events, and with this newly developed team she plans to have monthly meetings to brainstorm different approaches to expanding the group.

5) Review what works and what doesn’t. Some events will be more successful than others, so periodically review which are working well and which are not particularly effective. Those that are not going well may have to be restructured or eliminated all together.

Women’s ministry is a great way to tap into the power that is already surging in your church. By directing that energy, you can increase the number of women you bring to spiritual maturity while reaching more women for Christ.

Teena Stewart is a published writer, a ministry consultant and coach, and a product developer for DreamBuilders Ministry in Motion. To learn more about Teena, her writing, coaching and consulting services, click here. Email Teena at smartwords@sbcglobal.net

My wife and I have been thinking about getting a dog and discussing what type we might get. For me, there is really only one possibility and that, of course, is a real dog.

1] Real dogs. These are dogs as God originally made them — monstrous, made-for-outdoors, hunting machines that are perfect for intimidating neighbors and attracting lawsuits.

The ownership rule for guys and dogs is simple…the bigger the dog, the cooler you look. Walk down the street with a Pekingese and you might as well be wearing a tutu.

When you observe a man walking down the street with a massive real-dog beast, his message to you is clear. “Yes, I’m overcompensating for my insecurities and lack of masculinity BUT I’ve got a really big dog.”

2] Mutant rat-dogs, otherwise known as Chihuahuas. These poor creatures are the unintentional result of secret experiments conducted by the Mexican army in a failed attempt to create the ultimate weapon by cross-breeding bats and Great Danes. The only surviving result of these experiments was a group of nervous, angry little rat-dogs that decided to take their revenge on humanity by being annoying on just about every level known to mankind.

If you are approached by one of these aberrations of nature, know that it despises you with a hatred rarely seen outside the Middle East, and that it won’t hesitate to tear your ankles to shreds. These dogs are the piranhas of the canine world and would nuke mankind tomorrow if they thought they could get away with it. Under no circumstance should one of these animals be allowed to run for public office.

3] Kitty-dogs, which is every kind of dog that does not fall into one of the first two categories. I’m all in favor of this type of dog because, hey, girls have to have dogs, too.

The curse of the kitty-dog is that there are those who take a warped delight in dressing them up like people. Most dogs would rather be subjected to Mexican weapon experiments than go through this type of torture.

I cannot say this in strong enough terms. You should never, ever dress up your dog for any reason whatsoever. Take it from me. If it were 30 below outside, your dog would rather die in his own fur coat with dignity than live while being seen in a little poochie parka.

2] Every day your dog prays for a heaven where he gets to dress you up in humiliating costumes while he and his doggie friends point at you and laugh for all eternity.

If you feel you absolutely must dress an animal, go dress one that at least has a chance of defending itself like a cougar or a wolverine or a Chihuahua.

One of the most amazing things about the three dog types is that for every one of them, there is someone that likes that kind of dog. At this very moment, there are people risking the loss of fingers and eyes while they stroke their vicious little rat-dogs’ heads, all for the sake of love.

That’s a mysterious kind of love, isn’t it — the kind that embraces the unlovely, that sees through the imperfect and loves without regard?

The human heart isn’t very attractive either. Every thought we have is consumed with self. If you peel away the layers of even our most noble deeds and acts of kindness, you will find thoughts that circle back to ourselves like homing pigeons. In our hearts, we are all mutant rat-dogs.

In the Bible, you find that same theme of an indefatigable, undefeatable love reaching out to a vicious, ungrateful Man over and over again. I’ve found it’s a love well worth pursuing.

And so the great dog debate rages in my household and I think my wife is coming around to my point of view. But, if by chance, you happen to see me in the neighborhood walking a Pekingese that is wearing a teeny hat and sundress, you may safely assume things did not go my way.

When ministry leaders gather, they often talk about changes in paradigms as if no one had ever thought seriously about ministry before. Willimon places many of today’s hallway conversations in the historical and Biblical context that others have overlooked. His work deepens one’s sense of the meaning of ordination, and he adds texture to understanding the role of pastoral leadership, even for the 21^st century.

Willimon was Dean of the Chapel and Professor of Christian Ministry at Duke University Divinity School at the time of this writing. In 2004, he was elected to the episcopacy in the United Methodist Church and serves as the resident Bishop of the North Alabama area. He has also authored many books including two that are to be published in 2007.

In chapter two Willimon examines seven contemporary images for pastoral leadership in the 21^st century. He notes the context of each image as well as its limitations. It is intriguing to see the journey of ministry reflected in many of these stages. Some of which reflect the gifts and graces of well-known ministry leaders. And some reflect the search for effective models in paradigm transitions.

Willimon reveals insight and study in his chapter entitled “The Pastor as Leader,” which he begins with Ananias and Sapphira and ends with C. S. Lewis. The chapter includes conversations with Mark Twain, Stanley Hauerwas, Loren Mead, Anthony Robinson, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Peter Drucker, and more. He weaves together a tapestry of voices and spirits to portray a compelling image of effective pastoral leadership appropriate for this day.

Willimon’s research into scriptures and theology can be tedious for the academically disinterested. However, he often spices up the reading with personal experiences in churches and in school, and these examples are both enlightening and helpful.

This book is an excellent tool for anyone committed to pastoral leadership in the 21^st century and wants to be effective for a lifetime.

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MIM Ezine - February 9, 2007