Pastor how will you provide for your family if something should happen to you? The church is not going to keep paying your salary. I help pastors find proper and affordable life insurance.
How are you helping people connect at your church?
How are you helping people connect at your church?
Over a period in 2015/16, I ran four newcomers lunches at the church.
A newcomers lunch is an organized lunch to gather new people and build relationships. The core of the luncheon is food, a small intro talk by me (3-5 min.), then plenty of time for conversation. We invited some people from the congregation to join and encouraged all people to ask questions of each other in order to get to know each other’s story. This was not a time to try and sign people up for things but help them build relationships.
How about you, how are you helping people connect at your church? Here are some observations from our newcomers lunch.
- It is about relationship
People stay in a church because of people. As a church and as individual followers of Jesus, we have to place a high value on relationship. It is through relationship both the kingdom and yourself grows.
2. Local churches need to be intentional about connecting with new people.
Each local area has a different culture, but it is important to create a simple system to help build relationships. There needs to be both an organized time and a kind of unorganized time. In another context, I saw this best done by a few people in the church who made it a point to go for coffee or lunch, or connect in some way outside of Sunday morning with new people.
How are you creating a margin to connect with new people at church on Sunday?
There needs to not only be a system/program, there needs to be a culture of hospitality.
3. The need for mid-size groups
We never had this over the past year but did have a conversation about how this could help people move further in faith and relationship. I would love to hear from you on this and your thoughts and experiences.
4. Everyone has a story.
Giving space for people to share their story and for them to hear part of your story creates stronger relationships and opens doors for the gospel to be shared.
What does this mean for you?
I have seen too many people who just show up in the larger church gatherings and make no intention of getting to know new people. Yes, the new person has to take some initiative as well. However, the bigger weight lies on the people already part of the church. It is a scary thing to come into a group you are not part of.
This is where you come in.
If God is bringing people to your church, how are you part of helping them connect with Jesus and people? Not everyone is going to run a newcomers lunch. But everyone needs to be ready to help people connect.
How are you helping people connect at your church?
It is in the Small Things– Making a difference
Small things have a way of growing into big things.
As I concluded one season of ministry and entered a new season, I realized I had a bigger impact than what I ever knew. There were moments in that old season I wondered, what am I doing? Are we making any impact? I have learned sometimes we are so close we cannot see the growth. I also learned again the power of stories.
There is much I have learned about life, God, ministry and myself from raising my kids. Much of parenting I am learning is the small steps and choices in the moment. The thing is, my kids continue to grow. My boys seem to eat like they have an endless pit inside of them some days. Sometimes it is like I look up and realized you have grown. They were growing the whole time, I was just too close to fully see or understand it. The same can happen in the ministries and when we are investing in others.
I have learned from my recent ministry experience that it really is the small choices and small things that have a way of growing into big things. I do not feel we did anything special in our time in Ottawa and we made our mistakes. We tried to follow Jesus and do the small stuff, be faithful to who he created us to be. We took risks and learned and saw the kingdom grow and be strengthened.
During the last few weeks, a number of people shared with us the impact we had on their life. Please, I am not sharing this to say look at me. I share this to say you never know the power of small steps over time. There is power in small faithful moments that lead to grand things. Perhaps not success as the world defines it, but lives are different, the kingdom has grown. For that, I can only say, praise Jesus.
The gospel has this way of starting small like a mustard seed that over time grows large enough for birds to nest. We cannot underestimate the daily grind and faithfulness of seed scattering and planting and watering.
Do not give up on the good works you are doing. Do not give up on the faithful small steps. Do not give up on the seeds being planted every week and not knowing what is happening. God is at work. God is with you. Keep your eyes on Christ the author and perfecter of our faith.
Small things have a way of growing into big things.
Perhaps God has placed an idea, a burden, for someone or group of people. Break it down into small steps and start taking one step at a time. Embrace every moment and look for Jesus there. Let him shape you and form you. Take a risk and small steps. Over time, small things have a way of growing into big things.
“31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”” Matthew13:31-32
A method for discipleship: Power in coaching-mentoring relationship
I have found the coaching-mentoring idea a great tool to help people grow in life and faith.
In my local setting coaching-mentoring has become a part of my ministry. I soon realized in leading a church I cannot do it all but need to train others to develop what has started. As I connected people with mentors/coaches it helped create an environment for them to grow in life and faith. There is power in the body of Christ.
Jesus said to teach them to “obey everything I have commanded”. Often we think this is just in large or small group classroom style settings. Jesus definitely had large teaching times, however, he spent more of his time with a few individuals. When we get to the book of Acts we often see the apostles taking people under their wing.
One may protest to me that mentoring and coaching are two different things. They are right, but, there are good principles in both systems that I have found useful in helping people fully enter into Christ-likeness and the life he calls them to.
I see the Coaching/mentoring as a relational experience through which one person journeys with another by sharing God-given resources. It is understood chiefly as coming alongside someone and offering them support, accountability, and a listening ear in any and all aspects of life. Each experience has clearly defined start and finish times. The goal is to help the other person fully enter, engage and experience the life they were created for.
There are many methods to go about the great commission. This is one that I continue to see fruit from and one that I see throughout history in one form or another. Often it is not fast or glamorous. It is often messy and not a special pill of wonders. It is often slow but gives an opportunity for people to put down strong roots.
Jesus said the harvest is ready but the workers are few.
What if you consider investing in just one person over the next year?
As we serve others we enter, engage and experience the life we were created for.
To be a follower of Jesus means we will invest in others. This investment will not be for our benefit but for theirs.
Check out this post for informal coaching-mentoring relationships tips.
Here are two books that may also help:
Six tips for Praying for Others
Six tips for Praying for Others
Are you scared to pray for others? Many carry a fear in praying for others. At the same time, many churches have never shown people how to pray. This is why at some prayer vigils I have been part of we provide resources to teach and show people how to pray.
Praying for each other in our local body of Christ should be one of the regular rhythms of our life. It is not something just for higher leadership, but for all who are part of the community. One of the churches we were part of sectioned off a part of the meeting area as a prayer corner. It was open at the end of the service for anyone who needed prayer. Some weeks we had people there to pray with people and some weeks we did not. The weeks we did not we encouraged people to grab someone and ask if they would pray for them. The prayer corner was available if they wanted.
Praying for others is about joining with them and walking to Jesus.
In no particular order here are
Six Tips for Praying for others:
1. Listen and ask questions.
So many times we think we know the answer or all the information. Be sure to ask clarifying questions so you understand what is going on and what to pray about.
2. Be specific in your prayer
I have been part of some groups who are praying for people and no one really prays directly for the request. This is why, like above, asking questions is important. You may want to ask, “if you could put it in one or two sentences what is it that you want us to pray for.”
3. Recognize the struggle.
In conversation take a moment to recognize the struggle or emotion they are feeling at that moment. I have often found this helps direct your prayers as well. It also brings value to the person.
4. You are not Jesus
Sometimes people will start sharing with us the request and we think “I know what you should do.” You may know what they should do and there may be some practical help you can give,
BUT:
Do not start there. Take the moment and walk with them to Jesus and stand before Jesus together. In some ways, you are like the friends who lowered the men through a roof to Jesus. – Check out Mark 2.
After you pray you could ask if you can offer some advice or help, but do so with no strings attached. They do not have to take you up.
Praying for others is about taking them to Jesus.
5. Remember the gospel
How does who God is and what Jesus has done speak into the situation you are in? The key is not to tell the person what to do in your prayer. The key is to remember the gospel and ask for help to embrace Jesus
6. Keep it simple.
You are not trying to impress anyone and you are not being marked on the kind of words you use. If you do not know what to pray for, be honest with Jesus about that and invite him into the situation (Acts 4:29-30).
These are just a few basic things I have picked up. Honestly, you get better with practice.
Praying for others is about walking with them to Jesus.
What tips would you add? Do you have any good resources for training people in praying for others?