In order for a congregation to participate actively in what Christ is doing in the community where it meets, it must get to know that community well. There are multiple ways to do so with a particularly effective one being the nine-step community assessment process detailed in the article below by GCI pastor Sam Butler who draws on his ministerial experience and relevant literature.
[caption id="attachment_39" align="alignright" width="150"] Sam and Denise Butler[/caption]
Conducting a community assessment is a great way for a congregation to get to know and engage its community---vital first steps in advancing a balanced and thus effective disciple-making (Great Commission) ministry process. In my experience, an effective community... Read the article
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Below are links to inexpensive or free resources that address key aspects of congregational leadership. We don't necessarily endorse the full content of each one, but all of them provide helpful food for thought and discussion.
Discerning God's Will As a Group. This training pack from Building Church Leaders teaches ways for a leadership group to seek together God's will for a congregation or ministry. It costs $14.99.
Decision Making. This training pack provides a helpful method for team-based decision making. It costs $14.99.
Training New Leaders. This training pack gives instruction about recruiting and developing new leaders. It costs $19.99.
Finding and Encouraging Young Leaders. This training pack looks at recruiting... Read the article
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This article is from Rick Shallenberger, a GCI-USA regional pastor and a contributing editor and feature writer for Equipper.
This is part 2 of a series on Christian leadership. For other articles in the series, click a number: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
Do you know what it's like to be on the other side of you? That question, raised to the GCI-USA regional pastors in a training session with Tom Nebel (a GiANT Worldwide consultant), set me back on my heels. I'd never thought about it before. Tom said it's like "having broccoli in your teeth---everyone knows it's there, but they won’t tell you, so you have no idea."
[caption id="attachment_158" align="aligncenter" width="267"] Rick and Cheryl Shallenberger[/caption]
Tom's point was... Read the article
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This article is by Rick Shallenberger, who serves as a U.S. regional pastor and a contributing editor for GCI-USA publications.
This is part 1 of a series on Christian leadership. For other articles in the series, click a number: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
[caption id="attachment_158" align="aligncenter" width="233"] Rick and Cheryl Shallenberger[/caption]
In his letter this month, Greg Williams mentions CAD's commitment to prayerfully bring to our pastors and other leaders what we in CAD refer to as high support-high challenge. Perhaps you've heard one of the members of the CAD team (like your regional pastor), in a context of high support, say, “Let me bring a challenge to you.”
This high support-high challenge terminology, which... Read the article
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This article is from Michelle Fleming, who recently moved to Southern California from Florida to work as CAD's communications and training coordinator.
[caption id="attachment_2938" align="alignright" width="150"] Michelle Fleming[/caption]
There is something about starting a new year that fills me with energy, excitement and hope. The flipping of the calendar from December 31 to January 1 is a built-in rhythm of renewal in my life.
It wasn’t always that way, but about five years ago I heard about a viral trend called #OneWord365. The premise is to get rid of resolutions and choose instead a single word “that sums up who you want to be and how you want to live.” I embraced this idea and prayerfully considered a single word to... Read the article
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What difference does GCI's Incarnational, Trinitarian vision make in everyday ministry? Josh McDonald, associate pastor of GCI's congregation in Indianapolis, Indiana, tells how it renewed his understanding of evangelism.
[caption id="attachment_2272" align="aligncenter" width="202"] Josh and Heather McDonald[/caption]
In the mid '90s, I did two years' time at a fundamentalist Christian college. Among my studies (along with a parade of Christian rock concerts), was a class on evangelism ("witnessing to the lost"). The professor taught us to read the sports page so we could lure people into casual conversations, then pin them with the gospel. One of his favorite refrains was, “If you don't know-that-ya-know-that-ya-know the exact... Read the article
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This article is from Dr. Greg Williams, director of GCI-USA Church Administration and Development and a faculty member at Grace Communion Seminary. For a related article in GCI Weekly Update, click here.
[caption id="attachment_2353" align="aligncenter" width="198"] Greg Williams[/caption]
When it comes to the church and its ministry, GCI is firmly committed to having strategies, plans and actions that flow within the stream of renewal that the Holy Spirit has generated within our fellowship. We prayerfully desire that all our ministry efforts be authentic, focused participation in the ongoing ministry of Jesus. We know well that Jesus, revealed in the apostolic witness of Scripture, is the head, foundation and cornerstone of his... Read the article
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In this article, Heber Ticas, CMM's National Coordinator, discusses how the congregation he pastors uses the Christmas season as a prime opportunity to reach out to unchurched people in the area served by his church.
[caption id="attachment_1960" align="alignright" width="150"] Heber and Xochilt Ticas[/caption]
The congregation I pastor in Southern California, Comunion De Gracia, is constantly looking for ways to live out a "missional mindset." A primary way we do that is by taking advantage of the annual holiday seasons to create missional environments within our congregation and, most importantly, to be present within the community that surrounds our church building. When it comes to reaching out to the community, one of the most... Read the article
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In the Western-Christian tradition, Advent and Christmas celebrate the coming (advent) of Jesus Christ into the world. Advent-themed worship services are held on the four Sundays leading up to Christmas (in 2017 the first Sunday of Advent is November 27). Advent celebrations often follow the progressive themes of Hope, Love, Joy and Peace (sometimes in a different order). By beginning with Hope, Advent looks forward to Jesus’ “second coming,” which then points back to his Incarnation, followed by the celebration of Jesus' birth on Christmas.
[caption id="attachment_2201" align="aligncenter" width="421"] Source[/caption]
Below are resources for celebrating Advent and Christmas. Up first are four short Advent-themed videos from... Read the article
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As we participate with Christ in developing leaders in our congregations, it's important that we give attention to their character, calling and competencies---all centered on Christ. In his article, A New Paradigm, Malcolm Webber points out how Jesus went about developing leaders in all three areas:
He appointed twelve – designating them apostles – that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. (Mark 3:14-15)
Jesus' leadership development methods involved providing four transformational elements:
Spiritual. A relationship with God (with himself and the Father)
Relational. Relationships with a mature leader (himself), and others (the disciples)
... Read the article
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