DreamBuilders Ministry in Motion (DBMIM) Ezine, December 29, 2007

-- Want an Equipping Church? Small Groups Play an Important Role, by Teena M. Stewart

-- Book Review: "The Missional Leader: Equipping Your Church To Reach A Changing World," by Alan J. Roxburgh and Fred Romanuk, reviewed by Tom Hanover.

Looking for something, but not sure where to find it? DreamBuilders Ministry in Motion has produced a 50-page Resource Guide that just might have what you need. And it's FREE! You need adobe acrobat reader (also free) to read the document. Check it out at: http://www.ministryinmotion.net/christian_ministry_resource_guid.html

Does your congregation have a consumer mentality? Many churches suffer from this mindset. We live in a society where many conveniences are readily available. The result is people come to church with an attitude of "what can you do for me” rather than “what can I do for Christ?"

How do we transition people from passive consumers to servant leaders? How do we develop leaders who develop more leaders? The answer is to become an equipping church.

What is an equipping church? It is a church that equips people for effective ministry by developing their spiritual maturity while coaching and mentoring them to be able to coach and mentor others. The fruit of becoming an equipping church is that more people mature spiritual as they come to Christ.

To do this, the effort has to take place on multiple levels in multiple areas. One area of equipping often overlooked is the small group. Small groups are more than simply Bible study groups, although scriptural study is often a key element to these groups. Healthy small groups encompass more; they aid spiritual and physical equipping.

      I just caught a cold and feel really lousy. I don’t think it detracts from my masculinity at all to say I want my mommy.
     Okay, now that I see it in print, I admit it detracts from my masculinity.
     But it is amazing how Mom always used to know exactly what to do when I got sick, and she invariably had a treatment plan that was even more dreadful than the illness itself.
     At the first sign of the sniffles, Mom would produce one of those old glass thermometers that I had to hold in my mouth for so long that my chin would begin to quiver uncontrollably and my jaw felt like it was going to fall off.
     If I had a fever that was anything less than life-threatening, then off to school I went. If the thermometer revealed I was indeed knocking on Death’s door — or, if not knocking at his door, then at least hanging around in his subdivision somewhere — then Mom would proceed to the second stage of treatment which involved administering a dose of rot-gut whiskey, which is also known in some communities as “NyQuil.”
     They’ve since changed the formula, but back when I was growing up, NyQuil was about 90 proof and was so potent you could get tipsy by just walking past the medicine cabinet.
     Interesting historical note: Archeologist James R. NyQuil discovered his now-famous cold remedy in 1872 while excavating an ancient Native American archeological site in southern Arizona. His team unearthed “a foul-smelling liquid” which was thought to be used as an embalming fluid.
    <Click here to read more of Charles' article>

Ministry in Motion has launched a new blog for readers just like you at http://ministryinmotionnet.blogspot.com/. It is a place to ask questions, exchange ideas, and encourage other ministry leaders in our growing network.

by Alan J. Roxburgh and Fred Romanuk (Jossey-Bass, 2006, ISBN 0-7879-8325-X, 206 pages)

What is a missional church? How is it different from some other kind of church? How does one lead a congregation into becoming a missional church? Roxburgh and Romanuk put their heads and hearts together to unpack the answers to these questions with significant research and insight.

Alan J. Roxburgh is a pastor, teach, writer, and consultant with more than 30 years experience in the church. He works with the Allelon Missional Leadership Network in the formation of leaders for the missional church.

Fred Romanuk is an organizational psychologist who has led strategic planning initiatives for many large organizations in Canada and the United States.

This book should be read carefully and thoughtfully with a yellow highlighter in hand. The insights into change theory as well as the mission and purpose of the church are unpacked with some depth and detail. They avoid the technical and theological jargon that might discourage those unfamiliar with that language. And, yet, the writing is provocative and penetrating.

The book includes a handful of charts and diagrams to visualize the concepts they are teaching. And the final chapter includes some practical coaching on developing a leadership team.

In the first chapter the authors identify six critical issues for missional leadership:

These issues are listed here not to eliminate the need to purchase the book (yellow highlighters do not work well on computer screens), but to note that these six topics are the themes of my next several columns in the ezine. Roxburgh and Romanuk take the topic of leadership in a little different direction than many change consultants. Their approach develops the unique and rich heritage of the meaning of a church and the call to ministry. Not that it is not just the latest business trend translated into churchy language.

If the reader is uncertain about buying, borrowing, or stealing a copy of this excellent book – and I paid market price for my copy – I hope the next several columns will invite you to study this work more carefully.

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Be sure to visit Ministry in Motion's Bookshop. Every resource is developed from hands-on church experience. Help members discover their spiritual gifts, how to connect them in ministry and more. Visit MIM's Bookshop.

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Ministry in Motion is looking for columnists & writers in the following areas: women's ministry, men's ministry, single's ministry, youth ministry, worship ministry, small group/bible study ministry, and general ministry. We are also open to general church ministry related freelance articles. If you have an idea for a column or would like to share ministry insight or even short ministry tips, we'd love to hear from you. Present payment is promotion only -- no pay but great exposure for you, your ministry, book, or website. Please read our writer's guidelines here.

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DBMIM Ezine December 29, 2007

Does your congregation have a consumer mentality? Many churches suffer from this mindset. We live in a society where many conveniences are readily available. The result is people come to church with an attitude of "what can you do for me” rather than “what can I do for Christ?"

How do we transition people from passive consumers to servant leaders? How do we develop leaders who develop more leaders? The answer is to become an equipping church.