DreamBuilders Ministry in Motion (DBMIM) Ezine, October 22, 2008

-- Running A.M.O.K. Creative Arts Ministry: Motivations...More or Less?, by DC Weiss.

-- Book Review: "Simple Little Words: What You Say Can Change a Life", written by Michelle Cox & John Perrodin, reviewed by Teena Stewart.

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

I’ve been writing and reviewing non Christian books for some time and I also read both secular and Christian fiction on occasion. Books are an important part of me. Many of the books I read I pass on to others simply because I don’t have room to store them. However, I have a special bookshelf for special books that are keepers. These are the ones I deem classics, or that strike a special chord in my heart. These are the books I love to read over and over again.

Not long ago when I put out the word that we were looking for additional books to review in MIM ezine, several fiction writers asked if I would consider reviewing fiction as well. With DreamBuilder’s Ministry in Motion’s focus on equipping church leaders, how would fiction fit in?

I wrestled with that question and then decided to discuss it with Dennis Mohler and Tom Hanover my two DBMIM business partners. We all agreed that if fiction tied into our purpose, we would be open to giving fiction reviews a try. So, don’t be surprised if in future ezine issues you see a fiction review or two. <To read the rest of Teena's article- Click Here>

Blah, Blah, Blog

Got a bee in your bonnet? Need help in a ministry area? Found a great resource or website? Got a goofy video or link to share. Want to share about your ministry or book? Email us at smartwords@embarqmail.com. As long as it's ministry-related, we're open. If we like it we might post it on our blog. Visit our blog at http://ministryinmotionnet.blogspot.com/

What motivates you to do what you do? Fame? Power? Money? Maybe something more altruistic, like making the world a better place? In my conversations with artists, I usually hear things like glorifying God and pointing people to Jesus. That is awesome, but sometimes as I dig in with artists, I find there are other things conflicting with those noble purposes. My confession is as I search my own heart, I find the same thing. This article is not pointing fingers, but rather asking us to look at the example of a great man of God from the Bible and allow the Word of God to convict us and change our motivations.

In the Bible we read about John the Baptist. John’s whole purpose in life was to prepare the way for Jesus and point people to Him when He came into their midst. In the process, John had amassed a large group of followers. Then Jesus came and the people started leaving John’s ministry and started following Jesus. (You can read the whole story for yourself in John 3) Well, some of John’s followers saw the people leaving John for Jesus and started to get pretty upset. However, John did not let this bother him. On the contrary, he saw that the purpose of his life’s work was fulfilled.

He said, "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.' The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:27-30) <To read the rest of DC's article- Click Here>

My earliest Halloween memory is of attending a Halloween party at a friend’s house. One of the first activities we engaged in was a strange practice called bobbing for apples. This was a weird ritual where we kids were encouraged to dunk our heads in a tub of water in a quest for food. What kind of place was I in where they made kids stick their heads in tubs of water just for a bite to eat? What did they do when kids were thirsty? “Oh you want something to drink? Here’s a straw and a sandbox.”

But Halloween was always a scary time for me when I was growing up. Not because of all the ghosts and goblins and such, but because my mom made all my costumes. Every kid knows that an acceptable Halloween costume must either be scary or cool, and Mom’s costumes fell short on both counts. I was that kid walking around the neighborhood wearing the nasty old worn-out sheet. It’s hard to look like a ghost if your sheet has three years of slobber stains on it.

After a while, Mom just quit trying. She would send me out the door on Halloween night in my normal clothes and say, “Tell the neighbors you’re dressed up like a kid who can’t afford a costume.” Even worse than Mom’s costumes, though, were the hand-me-down costumes from my older siblings. This wouldn’t have been so bad if my older siblings hadn’t all been girls. It was humiliating and there was no talking my way out of it either. I tried convincing my friends that I was wearing Superman’s summer costume but they knew a Wonder Woman costume when they saw it.

In this MIM issue Chad Pollard continues his discussion of principles for reaching younger generations for Christ.

Whatever the strategy, your church must prayerfully consider offering a worship format that targets the younger generations, and at the same time does not isolate your existing members.

Because we attract people with whom we have a lot in common, members of aging churches often do not have a network of relationships among the younger generations. If a church has any hopes of reaching younger generations, the members must be intentional about establishing relationships with them. As a practical exercise, encourage church members to make a list of all their younger or unchurched friends and acquaintances. After compiling this list, have them prayerfully and specifically target one or two younger individuals with whom they can better build a relationship. Building these relationships makes it much easier to invite them to a worship service or another ministry of your church.

Studies conducted by Whitesel and Hunter have shown that as many as 8 out of 10 people join a church as a result of a personal invitation from a friend or family member Personal invitations are the best way to connect younger generations to your church.

Many times pastors and church leaders don’t like to get feedback because they are afraid of what it might reveal, but it is essential if a church is going to effectively reach younger generations. Evaluation should be a vehicle through which churches can obtain valuable information from both members and guests. If you are embarking upon a new vision and strategy to reach younger generations, their feedback regarding your success or failure in reaching them will help you make appropriate adjustments as you continue to move forward.

Feedback can be obtained formally through written evaluations of worship services and ministries, and it can be obtained informally through conversations with existing members, guests, and community residents. Whitesel suggests asking questions such as (1) “What can we as a church do better?” (2) “What are the needs of people your age that we should address?” and (3) “Could you tell me some improvements that we could make at (church name)?” Through both formal and informal means, it will be important to allow a forum for feedback from the younger generations you are attempting to reach.

Michelle Cox & John Perrodin, Honor Books, 2008, ISBN-13 978-1-4347-9997-5, 232 pages

What you say to someone else, whether as words of encouragement or disparagement can profoundly affect his/her life for years to come. Cox and Perrodin share some of their own positive and negative experiences and have gathered together an impressive array of authors, speakers, celebrities and everyday people who share stories of how other people’s words have impacted them.

The compilation covers many different themes: self-esteem, ability, divorce, step-parenting and many more. Some of the tales reveal heart-wrenching wounds inflicted by vicious or callous attitudes of others, or amazing thoughtfulness through comments sometimes made by strangers.

The list of contributors includes many notables: Best selling novelist Karen Kingsbury, Jim Daly (President and CEO of Focus on the Family), Brandon Heath (a Dove-nominated songwriter), Pat Gelsinger (Senior Vice President of Intel Corporation), S. Truett Cathy (Founder of Chick-fil-A), McNair Wilson, (Disney Imagineer), and many others.

Simple Little Words will make an excellent gift for a friend or someone you know who needs encouragement. Once you have read it, you’ll be much more aware of the weight your words carry, for good or ill on the people subjected to them.

Site Build It -- There are many different hosting plans for those wanting Christian websites but few work with you to drive traffic to your site. SBI differs from these because it is an all-in-one do-it-yourself website program that doesn’t require html knowledge. Includes domain registration, hosting, keyword research tools, search engine optimization, ezine mailing, and non-interactive blog option. The system guarantees success in getting good ranking with search engines thereby assuring you of more traffic. This website system is used by DreamBuilders Ministry in Motion. Site Build It Quick Tour

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.

Just $10 per classified listing. For more information on advertising visit our advertising page.

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.

One of the needs we have perceived at Ministry in Motion is a service to help connect qualified ministers and church workers to ministry related and church staff positions. If you are presently in job search mode, or if you have a ministry position you are looking to fill, be sure to check out this site by clicking here.

Magazines to help Christians grow spiritual and succeed in ministry. Discipleship Journal, Leadership Magazine, SpiritLed Woman, Christianity Today & Lots More! Click HERE for Magazines

DBMIM Ezine October 22, 2008

Blah, Blah, Blog