|
Participatory Ministry |
|
 |
It was He
who gave some to be apostles,
some to be prophets,
some to be evangelists,
and some to be pastors
and teachers,
to prepare God's people for works of service,
so that the body of Christ may be built up
until we all reach unity in the faith
and in the knowledge of the Son of God
and become mature,
attaining to the
whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
(Eph. 4:11-12) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Participatory Ministry Part
One (pdf)
God is empowering His people at this time to respond to His Spirit – and
this represents a mega shift away from the top down hierarchical model
that has predominated in the Church for centuries. This new in depth
series aims to help us think reflectively about the way we do church,
and to provide us with tools and keys to develop both the emotional and
the spiritual intelligence to flow in the power of the Holy Spirit.
|
|
|
|
Participatory Ministry Part
Two (pdf)
As I pondered how we can promote
Participatory Ministry (PM) in ways that will make sense for the whole
spectrum of Christian experience, from liturgical to independent
churches, an acronym came to mind: TENS.
You'll have to read the article to find out what a TENS machine is, but
for the purposes of this image, T stands for making the TRANSITION to
participatory church, and is the theme of this edition. E will explore
the theme of ENCOURAGEMENT that is required to do it.
N will focus on the NURTURING heart that leaders need to facilitate
participatory ministry successfully, whilst S speaks of the SUPPORT that
both enables and monitors how the process is developing. |
|
|
|
Participatory Ministry Part Three (pdf)
E is for Encouragement:The Power of
Encouragement - part one.
The finest gift you can give anyone is encouragement. Almost no
one gets the encouragement they need to grow to their full
potential. Sidney Madwed |
|
|
|
Children and Participatory Ministry
(pdf)
By Jan Dyer
If Family is the primary place for
children to learn what it means to be a follower of Jesus, how
can church support this?
All of our congregations are on a journey. There are various
models for nurturing and discipling children. Some go the “Kid’s
Church” route – with, perhaps, opportunities for the children to
take on leadership roles, or which might be adult led with
plenty of action and fun. Other churches prefer the ‘All Age’
route, where the whole church remains together for either all or
some of the time, dividing into groups for the main teaching.
Still others run traditional services for everyone. There are
many variations - click on the link to read more . . . |
|
|
|
Developing the Kingdom of God in the
Community (pdf)
By David Alban
About seven years
ago I was invited via a fellowship announcement to join a group
of volunteers from a local church travelling to Thailand, to
help a small Christian charity with their work and vision
amongst vulnerable people groups. Up to that point in time, I
had no interest in Thailand and no desire to go, yet it was one
of those God moments when you know He is speaking to you outside
of your natural boundaries and comfort zones. I didn’t really
know anyone on the team, I knew nothing about the charity
but taking this unusual step has
changed my life and perspective of God’s Kingdom. |
|
|
|
Who Stole my Church
(pdf) a book review.
By Gordon MacDonald
Change in church can sometimes be hard to
handle – especially if you have been a long-term and involved
member of a particular congregation. And then maybe a new leader
comes in, who ‘dumps programs, trashes traditional music,
revolutionizes preaching styles and topics and thrusts aside
symbols of reverence.’ A thought provoking book that seeks to
tackle issues reach across all ages and generations. |
|
|
